SAN ANTONIO | Transportation Thread

[WorldTexas]

Related to Primo and the streetcars, VIA is getting rolling on the multimodal center.

It looks like we'll finally get an actual square at Cattleman's Square!

VIA unveils design for a new hub

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/...#photo-2971639

[sakyle04]

^^

VIA has a tightrope to walk with how they develop that area and who all they invite to be a part of it.

The article mentions the possibility of Greyhound moving in eventually or sharing space...have you ever walked the block at the Greyhound station downtown? Folks I know who live at the Exchange bldg avoid that block like the plague and realize that it is a magnet for crime.

If VIA wants to reinvent itself, revitalize an area, and draw CHOICE RIDERS, they would be wise to avoid such partnerships. Whether real or not, the fear of such elements will keep people in their cars.

(That said, I would be all in favor of removing the Greyhound station from downtown proper and placing it on the fringe somewhere in close proximity to a local bus transfer station. I am sure the Alamodome bus terminal would love a paying user in the 364 days it isn't being used as P&R for the AlamoBowl.)

[Complex01]

Makes a good point. That whole area needs a major revitalization. It has great potential. So it will be interesting to see how it goes...

[miaht82]

The perception of crime (whether real or not, like you said) does make people avoid that area; I know of a few myself that HATE it.
However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, there would be a perceived level of safety if the "greyhound" crowd is outnumbered when/if it moves to the WSMMS.
Which would tell me to wait 'til a bit more development in the area is there to build the level of perceived safety in the area which first has to clear the hurdle of all the day laborers standing around and HFH wanderers.
Get UTSA DT to expand out a bit, break ground on some development at the Scobey Warehouse and then it might be at that tipping point.

[sakyle04]

Originally Posted by miaht82

The perception of crime (whether real or not, like you said) does make people avoid that area; I know of a few myself that HATE it.
However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, there would be a perceived level of safety if the "greyhound" crowd is outnumbered when/if it moves to the WSMMS.
Which would tell me to wait 'til a bit more development in the area is there to build the level of perceived safety in the area which first has to clear the hurdle of all the day laborers standing around and HFH wanderers.
Get UTSA DT to expand out a bit, break ground on some development at the Scobey Warehouse and then it might be at that tipping point.

Exactly.

The WSMMS is up against H4H, the jail, and the day labor population. Add the Greyhound after mitigating some of those negative effects and you have a chance.

If they do nothing more than provide shade for the loitering masses, the first ride for many will be the last. Wish it SAs different and people weren't so ignorant (and fearful), but perception is reality.

[JoninATX]

Part of 1604-281 interchange nearly ready

Traffic on U.S. 281 and Loop 1604 is about to get a boost, more than 100 feet in the air, thanks to a massive interchange project that will partially open next month.

The connector between U.S. 281 north and Loop 1604 west could be done by Oct. 11, the first section of the interchange to open. Roughly 13,000 motorists per day are expected to use that connector alone.

The second connector, from U.S. 281 north to Loop 1604 east, could open in another two months. The two remaining connectors, linking east and west traffic on Loop 1604 to U.S. 281 south, should be ready by early February.

When completed, the interchange at its highest point — 120 feet above the U.S. 281 main lanes — will be as the same height as the interchange at Interstate 10 and Loop 410, and four feet higher than the interchange connecting Loop 410 to U.S. 281, said Gina Gallegos, director of construction for the Texas Department of Transportation's San Antonio district.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc...dy-3860184.php

[JoninATX]

South Texas Medical Center Transit Center






http://www.viaprimo.com/Involvement/Construction.aspx

Currently under construction at the corner of Medical Drive and Babcock, the 7.51-acre site will serve as a transit center and park and ride for bus service and the site for VIA’s future bus rapid transit service, Primo. The facility is designed in keeping with the aesthetics of the surrounding area while providing a state-of-the-art facility.

http://www.viainfo.net/Planning/STMCTC.aspx

[adtobias]

We need a rail system. ASAP

[sirkingwilliam]

Originally Posted by adtobias

We need a rail system. ASAP

If you don't know, the urban core is getting rail.

[cole world11]

I'm excited for the interchange. They really put that thing up fast!

[WorldTexas]

A rail corridor up 35 is still years away, but at least TxDOT is finally getting away from it's highways-only line of thinking.

Is Texas on track to high-speed rail?
By Vianna Davila

The new TxDOT study also will look at building up more traditional passenger service between large cities or connecting to existing routes.

TxDOT also is conducting a separate, statewide ridership analysis, examining where it makes the most sense to add or enhance rail service.

“We really want to emphasize, this is not just about high speed,” Moczygemba said. “This is about improved Amtrak service and anything in between.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc...il-3954588.php

[adtobias]

San Antonio needs a real rail service.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by adtobias

San Antonio needs a real rail service.

San Antonio already gets a daily Texas Eagle and tri-weekely Sunset Limited, which by the way are real trains.

San Antonio already has a local transit agency called VIA which is funded by a one-half cent sales tax levied in San Antonio and seven other incorporated municipalities, plus an additional one-eighth cent sales tax levied in San Antonio by the Advanced Transportation District. Therefore, San Antonio funds VIA five-eight cent sales tax rate. The approved operating budget for FY 2012-13 is $176,890,000. The metropolitan transit authority portion of the budget is $151,214,731 and the Advanced Transportation District portion is $25,675,269.
VIA has 91 bus routes servicing San Antonio averaging 137,290 riders on weekdays. VIA’s fleet consists of 418 buses, comprising 194 North American Bus Industries (NABI) diesel buses, four NABI compressed natural gas busses, 176 New Flyer diesel buses, 30 New Flyer diesel-electric hybrid buses, and 14 Optima streetcars.

VIA Workforce numbers:
Total 1,977
Full-time Employees 1,662
Bus and Van Operators 1,192
Vehicle Maintenance Employees 249
Facilities Maintenance Employees 82

Every transit agency in Texas that is operating trains today is funded with a cent sales tax rate. That's the first item on any agenda San Antonio should address if they really want VIA to run trains. A cent sales tax rate should increase VIA's yearly revenues by at least another $75 Million, which could be spent on rail. Having sufficient funds available to design, build, operate, maintain, and pay the staff must always be addressed first.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

I heard recently that Amtrak was considering upgrading the Sunset Limited to a daily service.

[cole world11]

The northbound 281 ramps to E bound/W bound 1604 are now open!

[JACKinBeantown]

San Antonio & Austin need this every hour on the hour. Good for business, good for tourism, good for going to sporting events, good for avoiding driving in bumper to bumper traffic surrounded by 18-wheelers, good for people who don't/can't drive, good for drinking and not driving...



lonestarrail.com

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Also incredibly expensive. Last estimate I saw was pushing $600 million.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by Keep-SA-Lame

Also incredibly expensive. Last estimate I saw was pushing $600 million.

I though it was pushing 4 times that, over $2 Billion. Don' forget, the UP expects an entirely new bypass corridor built just for them before they will share 1 inch of existing track for more passenger rail.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Originally Posted by electricron

I though it was pushing 4 times that, over $2 Billion. Don' forget, the UP expects an entirely new bypass corridor built just for them before they will share 1 inch of existing track for more passenger rail.

Yeah I think your number is right. Mine was either old or fictional.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/n...ain-dep/nS39Q/

Posted: 10:26 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012
SAN ANTONIO
New life brought to historic San Antonio train depot

By Vianna Davila

Thousands of passengers have filed through the station since it opened in 1907. But it’s been more than 30 years since the building on North Medina Street west of downtown was used for travel. After World War II, passenger rail service gradually declined, and the station closed in 1970. The building was abandoned, deteriorating into a squatters’ hovel.

But two years ago, VIA Metropolitan Transit bought the depot from Generations Federal Credit Union, which renovated it in the mid-1980s.

The station will become the hub for VIA’s planned streetcar system and, even sooner, for its bus rapid transit service, VIA Primo, which will use longer, articulated buses that stop at fewer places but more frequently.