Metro is set to take the next step in their Moving Transit Forward planning process. The Civic Center Transit Center is overcrowded. According to Metro, the limited space at Civic Center forces many buses to stop on-street and is responsible for many poorly timed connections. To remedy the capacity issue, Metro will consider expanding the existing Civic Center Transit Center or adding a new downtown transit center in the vicinity of the Convention Center MetroLink station.
In addition, Metro has been awarded a $700,000 Federal Transportation Administration grant to examine the Moving Transit Forward high-speed, high-capacity transit service corridors (. This likely means a focus on Bus Rapid Transit along the five corridors identified in early planning, including a Grand Avenue line as well as exploring options for I-55, I-44, I-64 and I-70. The Grand Avenue bus line currently carries 11,500 riders on an average day. Other corridors range from 2,800 to 5,500 riders daily. Planning officially begins in October 2011 and is expected to take one year. Metro hopes to implement BRT along all five corridors as part of near-team expansion.
Metro is looking for a one-acre parcel for a second downtown transit station and will study at least nine different options As stated by Metro, "the core parameters for the downtown transit center location will be within sight distance of the Convention Center MetroLink station, or an expansion of the Civic Center Transit Center. The nine sites currently under consideration are:
Elevated section of I-70
Missouri Athletic Club parking lot
601 N. Broadway
LCRA parking garage
US Bank parking garage
Convention Center parking lot
Convention Center garage
Civic Center Expansion
Perhaps a new downtown transit center will end up being the solution for downtown's lack of local bus service?
Moving Transit Forward – The Plan for St. Louis Mass Transit
