Ever wish you could spend less time sitting in your car or waiting for the bus?
Two new public transit facilities on Oahu are expected to improve bus service in the coming months.
Both facilities dedicated and blessed on Tuesday are expected to streamline bus service and reduce traffic.
It’s a celebration years in the making as city officials dedicate the new Middle Street Intermodal Center which will become the hub of public transportation for the Kalihi area.
"All in one integrated fashion that will feed in here and then give people the option not to be stuck in traffic so much as they are right now," said Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle.
The new environmentally friendly facility houses seven bus stop bays, the Transit Center where you can buy your bus passes, new restrooms, a lost and found and a 100 stall park and ride free parking lot.
"Right now we have a hundred bus routes and its complicated for a lot of people to navigate around and we think that we are going to be able to simplify our route and provide a lot more options a lot more connections for people," said TheBus executive director Roger Morton.
The center broke ground in 2009 and faced several obstacles including soil contamination.
The final project totalled more than $11 million with 73 percent paid by federal funds.
The current bus stop located up the street at the Kalihi-Palama Bus Center will eventually move over to the new facility.
"Next month we will switch out operations to bring it down here and over time, over the next year we are going to make other route improvements that are going to connect this center to other parts of Oahu," Morton says.
The facility will also house the city’s Handi-Vans — and will eventually tie in to the Kalihi rail transit station and feature a four-level parking garage.
"And then they’ll be able to essentially get access to the rail once that’s put up here to get from here to downtown ultimately to Ala Moana Shopping Center," Carlisle says.
This effort to streamline city transportation continues as city officials dedicated a $5.5-million Wahiawa Transit Center Tuesday.
"Really that goes to show you how all these centers work together to form a true network for the transit system," said Wayne Yoshioka of the City Department of Transportation.
Work on the new Kalihi Rail Transit Center is expected to start with construction on the new parking garage in 2015.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
