Back in August people began seeing construction work on the Turlock Regional Transit Center, or generally known as the bus hub, located on the triangle property at Golden State Blvd., Hawkeye Ave., and Dels Lane. The project had a completion date of December 2011 and most recently was planned to be finished by the end of March 2012.
“We hoped to have this completed by the end of the month but with weather coming in we will not hit that target,” stated Mike Pitcock, City of Turlock Development Services Director and City Engineer. “The issue is that the concrete parking lot needs 3 days of guaranteed no rain before they will poor as it has color added and they want to insure that it looks good in the end. If we get into a prolonged wet weather pattern, we could see substantial delays.”
While Pitcock may have wanted the project done by now, he stated that the project does not hinder the operation of the bus system as it is operating currently.
“The good news is that we can still operate as we have for many years,” stated Pitcock.
The transit center project started through the city process back in June of 2009 when the Planning Commission determined that the proposed acquisition of properties at Golden State Blvd. and Hawkeye Ave. for the purpose of construction of a transit hub conformed with the Turlock General Plan. At that time there was much debate about the location moving from downtown to Dels Lane. However, due to the fact that finding a location within the downtown area would be difficult to meet the time frame required to receive federal funding, Dels Lane was chosen.
On April 12, 2011, the Turlock City Council finalized the purchase of proposed properties, formally named the project "Turlock Regional Transit Center," and authorized the advertisement of the construction bid. The city secured $1,450,800 dollars in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding and $362,700 in Proposition 1B transit funding to complete the project without the use of any General Fund monies.
The Turlock Regional Transit Center project included both an off-site and on-site portion of construction. The off-site work involved: 1) the addition of a 2nd left turn lane from northbound Golden State Blvd. onto westbound Fulkerth Rd., 2) the extension of the Golden State Blvd median to the south to Dels Lane, and 3) the closing of the left turns at Golden State Blvd. and Front Street. The on-site portion of work has included loading zones for transit buses, connecting sidewalks, landscaping, and miscellaneous site furnishings.
The transit center will provide a welcoming center for the safe and convenient place for public transit and therefore encourage the use of alternative transportation to a broader audience of Stanislaus and Merced County residents.
