Burlington's...multi-modal public transportation center

Burlington's...multi-modal public transportation center on the downtown waterfront has received its permits, which means construction can begin -- most likely next year. There have been questions and controversy surrounding the proposal. ... The center will become the main terminal for the CCTA bus system. The Cherry street terminal will be moved, although buses will still cover the downtown area. Dan Bradley of the Burlington Public Works Dept, who oversees the project, says, "One of the goals of the facility is also to strengthen the connection with the downtown." The transit center will connect with the Lake Champlain ferry as well as a growing volume of bicycle and pedestrian traffic. It will also serve the Champlain Flyer commuter train, although the future of passenger rail is up in the air. One problem is that the train may be gone by the time the multi-modal center is built by the end of 2003. The legislature has threatened to pull the train's state funding due to continuing low ridership. Click here to read more.

This coming spring the city will break ground on a brand new downtown transit center, which riders say is needed, however some businesses are not pleased at all. The multi-modal transportation center will be going in where Waterfront Video and Mesa Outlet Store are located, and the idea is to connect the county's rail system with lake transportation and city roads. While this is welcome news to cold riders, this project is getting a chilly reception from some downtown businesses. Charlotte Farmer has boarded a CCTA bus every day for the past twenty years. "Its more convenient for me. ... The $13 million federally-funded project will include public restrooms, a heated waiting area and space for retail shops. CCTA General Manager Chris Cole said, "Burlington has a state-of-the-art airport, its now going to have a long overdue state-of-the-art transit facility for users of public transit." Neighboring businesses haven't always agreed with the city on the plans for the Transit Center....

Discussion continued at Monday's City Council meeting on the shape of a new transit center for Burlington. July 7, citing growing public and council opposition, Mayor Peter Clavelle announced cancellation of the proposed three-story $15 million transit center at 131 Battery St. and suggested a new idea. He said the city would look at using half of the existing building at 131 Battery St. occupied by Mesa International as a bus transfer terminal while constructing a Cherry Street terminal to replace the open structure at the corner of Cherry and Church streets. The city paid Mesa $510,000 to buy out its lease in the Battery Street building and for relocation expenses to Waterbury. Monday, Clavelle told a crowded council chamber that the cost for the new bus projects has not been determined, and he said discussions on the ramifications of canceling the $15 million project are under way with the Federal Transit Administration, Vermont's congressional delegation,

Construction of the city's new $15 million TRANSIT CENTER overlooking the Burlington waterfront is set to begin in the fall, but as the bulldozers move closer, some city councilors and residents are wondering if the futuristic three-story building is what the community needs and if the site makes sense. City officials last week defended the Battery Street project as an innovative "multi-modal" transportation terminal that will modernize public transit and help relieve traffic congestion. It is intended to link Chittenden County Transportation Authority buses with trains, regional buses, bike paths and ferries, they say. Michael Monte, who heads the city's Community and Economic Development Office, was enthusiastic about the long-deferred project. The new terminal, he said, "will take our present (public transit) system from 1950 into a new century." He said the project has cleared numerous permit and planning obstacles and is set to move ahead. Click here to read more.