Updated Dec. 21, 2011
The University-Cedar Rapid Station has been renamed the University Circle Rapid Station. The design of the new station is complete.
The RTA Board of Trustees is expected to award a contract in early 2012, and a 24-month construction period will start later in 2012. The station and bus terminal will
remain open during construction.
In October 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded RTA a $10.5 million TIGER II grant to rebuild the station. Combined with a $2 million earmark from
then-Senator George V. Voinovich, the project is fully funded for construction. TIGER stands for Transportation Investment Generating
Economic Recovery.
The design team was led by URS Corporation with The Planning Partnership,
Cannon Design, LV Surveying, and others. This project is required by the Federal Transit Admnistration to
bring the station into full compliance with ADA accessibility regulations.
The station, originally built in 1956, has had minor retrofits for partial ADA compliance and repairs. This project will completely rebuild the station to enhance the
passenger experience and provide full ADA compliance. The project includes not only the rail station building and platform, but also the associated bus transfer loop and
slip ramps. One of the highest transfer points within the system, it is a critical node for efficient transit operations.
Located within the Rockefeller and Ambler Parks, the station is adjacent to the Case Quad of Case Western Reserve University, John Hay High School and the School of the
Arts, Little Italy, Fairfax, and densified student and senior housing. The local street network has been developed for the most efficient movement of vehicles, causing
difficulties for pedestrians and bicycles within the area.
A long-range traffic study looked at future options to simplify the intersection and enhance the sculpture garden by eliminating or combining MLK and Stearns Road
between Carnegie and Euclid Avenues.
The approved design:
- Includes the ability to remove a significant amount of pavement within the intersection, allowing for much safer pedestrian movements, especially to John Hay High
School and the School for the Arts.
- Allows for the excess bus-only pavement to be converted into a wide pedestrian / bike way underneath the bridges.
- Allows for the current loop area to be reverted back into park land, reconnecting Rockefeller Park.
- Enhances bus operating time because of an improved traffic flow.
- Simplifies construction phasing. The existing loop will remain in service during the reconstruction, causing less impact to riders and reducing the overall
construction cost.
Based on the master plan, a schematic design concept for the station was developed. Working in concert with the park setting, the station will feature an organic design
with a "green" roof.
The front wall facing the street will be glass to provide an open, inviting feeling from the park to the train platforms. Connecting the rail station and relocated bus
transfer area will be a significantly widened and enhanced pedestrian pathway underneath the rail bridges. The walkway will be treated as an extension of the station with
a roof and wall structure to eliminate water problems and provide a visually stimulating corridor.
At platform level, the new stairs and elevator will open up into an enclosed vestibule, providing passengers the opportunity to wait in a weather-enclosed area. A new
canopy over the platform will be provided of a form complementary to the station.
The front wall facing the street will be glass to provide an open, inviting feeling from the park to the train platforms. Connecting the rail station and relocated bus
transfer area will be a significantly widened and enhanced pedestrian pathway underneath the rail bridges. The walkway will be treated as an extension of the station with
a roof and wall structure to eliminate water problems and provide a visually stimulating corridor.