$184-million rail, bus hub for Anaheim Calif., approved

Written by jrood

Plans for a large transportation hub just east of Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., that will serve the region's rail, bus and taxi passengers won unanimous approval from the City Council on Sept. 28, the Orange County Register reports.

The Anaheim Regional
Transportation Intermodal Center – commonly called ARTIC – will be built on 16
acres southeast of the 57 freeway and Katella Avenue.

The $184-million-plus
center will initially serve Metrolink and Amtrak rail passengers and OCTA bus
riders and could eventually be a destination point for high-speed rail that
runs between Anaheim and San Francisco and a mag-lev track from Anaheim to Las
Vegas. The 800-mile high-speed rail line is in the design stages and is
estimated to cost $43 billion – only a fraction of that money has been secured
so far.

ARTIC’s futuristic design
includes a large, covered archway that will rise above the passenger platforms
189 feet high. The design recalls the look of the aviation hangars at Tustin
Marine Corp Air Station but will be constructed of a modern membrane similar to
the "Water Cube" made famous at the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.

"ARTIC has been a
focus of this council for years and it is profound that we got to this point –
especially during these tough economic times," Councilwoman Lorri Galloway
said after the meeting. "It will improve people’s lives to have a central
transportation hub in Anaheim and we feel that it is something that will grow
and grow over time."

The ARTIC site is co-owned
by Anaheim and the Orange County Transportation Authority. Anaheim’s
contribution to the project is the land, estimated at $5 million.

The first phase is expected
to cost $183.8 million. That funding will come from a combination of federal,
state and local Measure M funds. Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax,
which was renewed in 2006, will provide the bulk of funding at $144 million.

ARTIC also is expected to
connect tourists to Disneyland and other Anaheim Resort destinations by way of
fixed guideway or monorail. That project, called Anaheim Rapid Connection, is
still being designed.

On Sept. 28, the council
reviewed the environmental impact report that analyzes how building ARTIC could
affect air quality, noise and traffic.

Three speakers addressed
the council during the public hearing, all in favor. The city received 29
letters of support, authored by, among others, Disneyland Resort, the Honda
Center and the Orange County Bicycle Coalition. Supporters also said it will
help create jobs during troubled economic times.

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