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(LAS CRUCES) -- The City of Las Cruces has officially taken the steps towards a new intermodal transit center that will be located near downtown.
The City of Las Cruces has officially taken the steps towards a new intermodal transit center that will be located near downtown. Construction is underway on a new building planned to provide commuters a connection to roadrunner transit's fixed routes.
"It will be a place where other transportation companies, for example the Park and Ride that goes to El Paso, Greyhound style of buses, what we call over the road buses can meet, people can transfer between the two different modes of transportation shuttles can pick up people and drop off people here, taxies can pick up and drop off people here," said transit administrator, Michael Bartholomew.
The two-story 7,000 squre foot building will be a leed-certified facility where people cannot only changes from bus to bus, but obtain passes and route and transit information.
"It's very common for transit systems to encourage this multi-mobilism, where it connects with other types of transportation, the federal transit administration which is funding 80 percent of this project," he said.
The city purchased the land located on west lohman avenue and alameada from the state of new mexico. Leaders say the cost came at more than $3.6 million dollars.
"We were very fortunate that we got a lot of this and from our deferral transportation administration. Now, it did require a 20 percent match on behalf of the city so that amounts to about 728,000 so we're very fortunate to have that in our budget," said Mayor Ken Miyagishima.
The space will also house roadrunner transit's administrative offices, a multi-purpose room, a customer service counter and a place people can sit and wait for the next available bus.
"We've come along ways. We've taken a lot of small steps and today we're taking a huge leap. We're moving forward to do a major project to help us deal with our transportation system," said city manager Robert Garza.
Leaders with the project expect the new center to be up and running by spring 2013.
