Apparently, LPTC is getting federal funding from the "TIGER discretionary grant program". This portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is being distributed throughout the nation for projects that will improve our transportation infrastructure and promote livable communities where various forms of transportation are an option.
Check out page 14 for more details: http://enr.construction.com/infrastructure/transportation/2010/extras/0217-TIGERgrant.pdf
I'm really happy about this. The Transit Center is LONG overdue! Now, the question is...where are they going to put it?
Quote from: Tritransit Area on February 18, 2010, 11:07:43 AM
Apparently, LPTC is getting federal funding from the "TIGER discretionary grant program". This portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is being distributed throughout the nation for projects that will improve our transportation infrastructure and promote livable communities where various forms of transportation are an option.
Check out page 14 for more details: http://enr.construction.com/infrastructure/transportation/2010/extras/0217-TIGERgrant.pdf
I'm really happy about this. The Transit Center is LONG overdue! Now, the question is...where are they going to put it?
From the plans I've seen in the Purple Line project and about the LPTC (via MTA), the proposed transit center will sit where the Taco Bell is now given it's a reasonable plot of land to build a transit center and provide better connectivity at that intersection. The renderings were pretty nice and I hope they build like I've seen in the renderings (and on time).
Can they just take away that Taco Bell, though? It would be the best location, though!
I guess they could also take away a lot of the parking at the shopping Center in the name of eminent domain?
At first, It was talked about using the former Bank Building at the corner of Lebanon & New Hampshire Avenue. . but this was 1990 time frame (about the same time as dreams for the Silver Spring Multi Mode Transit Center).
The Hot Shoppes was still there in the mid/late 1980's & the bank building (behind the K-mart/E.J. Korvettes/Landburghs) was long vacant. The size of the parking lot of this facility gave this location "Room to grow & expand". The Taco Hell location doesnt have much "Room to Grow" that the transit center of this magnitude needs.
The Hot Shoppes/Taco Hell location is GREAT, for not having the buses & transit vehicles divert too far from their routing, but with all the vehicle/pedrestrian traffic going thru UB & NH on a daily basis, and the current configuration of that end of the shopping center, as well as Suburban Bank (or whatever its called these days), I hope that 2 years after its completion (with the addition of the Purple Line stop), I hope the engineers don't come back & say thay we need more room to grow the transit center.
(Perry, remember getting a Mighty Mo from the car hops at this Hot Shoppes, or was this before your time?)
Takoma / Langley Crosroads Transit Center (http://www.purplelinemd.com/images/stories/purpleline_documents/workshop_displays/open_house_displays/Langley%20Open%20House%20PPT%20042908.pdf) 05 19 2008 (8.01 MB PDF file)
Well about 2 years ago, we had real doubt that this was going to happen for several reasons:
1) Taco Bell did not want to give up there location as it is one of there high profit locations
2) PG County didn't want to fund there part of the project
3) Wanted to wait on a verdict for the Purple line on what mode it would be and if it was even going to get built.
4) MTA Maryland took over the project....
John,
Thanks for the link.
15+ years, makes a difference.
The date on the study was 2008. . I was going by what all the dreamers & planners were gonna say how wonderful this & that would be, and as I was saying, this was in late 80's, early 90's. I don't even think the state had done such a detailed study back then.
My thing I have to ask, is this. . . . if they will run the lightrail street level, with all the foot traffic, it will possibly lead to numerous pedestrian "incidents", not even mentioning the car to light rail accidents I'm sure will transpire. (Don't get me going about the number of the local residents who are driving cars w/o a license, or insurance, or who are in the USA illegally, thats a different discussion).
If the state elevates the lightrail tracks thru this part of the neighborhood, why not shift the tracks north, to have better proximity to the transit station, to include elevator/stairs to/from the rail platform & the bus bays. Incorporate the elevated tracks into the design, and move it closer, is all I'm saying.
Again Sandbox John, thanks for the link.
Would there be any way to incorporate the Taco Bell into the transit center somehow? I mean, you gotta eat. The only thing is that they would lose their drive through. Man, I do remember back in the day, though, when it was a Roy Rogers :(.
The center does look nice, but....does the big trainshed design really fit the characteristic of Langley Park with its glass and metal design? Maybe it's just me, but it just feels glaringly out of place and doesn't fit so well in the fabric of the community, especially since they recently did a "streetscape upgrade". Perry and DCT (and others who are quite familiar with Langley Park), do you share my sentiment at all?
Yay for bathrooms! Hopefully they won't get destroyed through vandalism.
Rideonrulez, I thought this project basically faded of the face of the earth too. That's why I was more than stoked to discover that as a part of the Bus Transportation Improvements in the area, it received funding. After reading through the plans, though (thanks John for posting), I'm just a tad confused about the fact that it seems like the C bus, 16, and K6 won't be pulling into the center. People will still have to cross New Hampshire Ave to catch buses like the 15. Am I reading it incorrectly (See page 16 for my reference)?
If so, I'm a bit perturbed by that, although I do understand that diverting the buses would add a bit of time to the schedules.
Quote from: Tritransit Area on February 19, 2010, 12:16:41 AM
Would there be any way to incorporate the Taco Bell into the transit center somehow? I mean, you gotta eat. The only thing is that they would lose their drive through. Man, I do remember back in the day, though, when it was a Roy Rogers :(.
It was
NEVER a Roy Rogers.
The Roy Rogers/Jr Hot Shoppes was down University Blvd, at the intersection of 14th Avenue.
Before it was destroyed, it was a Hot Shoppes Full Service sit-down restaurant. The local LIONS CLUB had their meetings in the basement. There was also a time, you could get a Mighty-Mo from the car-hops if you wanted to remain in your car. (Car-hop. . when you pull up to a menu, speaker, and your waitress (carhop) would bring your food to your parents car w/o the family leaving the vehicle).
This was also the time, when cars were not required to have seat belts, or car seats for the children. Even car airconditioning was a luxury back then.
The Taco Bell pad site will be taken by eminent domain. Maryland MTA may chose to compensate the enterprise that runs that Taco Bell by procuring another nearby pad sites.
Quote from: DCT S9Z4Z6 on February 19, 2010, 12:27:12 AM
It was NEVER a Roy Rogers.
The Roy Rogers/Jr Hot Shoppes was down University Blvd, at the intersection of 14th Avenue.
Before it was destroyed, it was a Hot Shoppes Full Service sit-down restaurant. The local LIONS CLUB had their meetings in the basement. There was also a time, you could get a Mighty-Mo from the car-hops if you wanted to remain in your car. (Car-hop. . when you pull up to a menu, speaker, and your waitress (carhop) would bring your food to your parents car w/o the family leaving the vehicle).
Whoa whoa WHOA! I could've sworn Taco Bell was something else way back in the day. Of course, I'm reaching WAAAAAAAYYYYY back into the depths of my childhood, so my sense of location can be a bit inaccurate, especially since it's so close to where my old apt used to be.
I'll never forget riding Flx New Looks, RTSs, and Flx Metros on the K6 though! :)
Quote from: Sand Box John on February 19, 2010, 12:34:42 AM
The Taco Bell pad site will be taken by eminent domain. Maryland MTA may chose to compensate the enterprise that runs that Taco Bell by procuring another nearby pad sites.
Ah, thanks for the additional information, John. Hopefully they can find another nearby, acceptable location for the restaurant if they decide to go that route.
Tritransit
Ah, thanks for the additional information, John. Hopefully they can find another nearby, acceptable location for the restaurant if they decide to go that route.
Options include:
Any one of the 3 other proposed sites for the transit center.
A pad site just west of the Wachovia Bank.
The enterprise might also take advantage of the relocation and build a KFC Taco Bell store.
Maybe they can go 1 better & build it as a
Taco Bell/KFC/Pizza Hut location. ::)