5) Albany Intermodal Facility

OBJECTIVE: Initially, this project was conceived as a facility that would combine and relocate the Trailways and Greyhound bus terminals to the north end of Albany’s downtown. Presently, this project is expected to become a multi-modal facility which in the long range will include: an interstate bus station; a commuter rail stop; a local/CDTA staging facility and shuttle system; and pedestrian and bicycle access to riverfront and downtown. This project will provide alternatives to single occupancy automobile travel and will help solve the attendant parking issues associated with that mode of transportation.

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: As the seat of State government, downtown Albany attracts a substantial number of business and political visitors. The City serves as a destination for over one million tourists per year and functions as the regional employment center for over 60,000 workers. The north end of the City provides a rare and important opportunity to create a state-of-the-art intermodal center. Such a center will reinforce the north end’s strategic regional location for a transportation network, its heritage of urban and pedestrian oriented development and its original connections to the Hudson River and Lock 1 of the Erie Canal. The re-introduction of the Hudson River at this site as a recreational amenity could be a part of this project.

The development of an Intermodal Center in the north end will complement the access network for Amtrak’s corridor service and will integrate regional mobility, by providing a connection to the Albany International Airport. The Intermodal Center is envisioned as a primary local and regional multi-modal transportation terminal. The new AMTRAK station in Rensselaer will provide long-distance rail service; the Schenectady and Saratoga stations, through the demonstration project will identify commuter rail patterns; the Albany Intermodal Center will provide a consolidated local transportation hub with improved bus, auto and pedestrian circulation. Together these facilities will bring the Region’s transportation alternatives into the 21^st century.

DESIGN/SCOPE: This project is part of a larger regional transportation strategy which calls for investment in sustainable transportation and provides for the development of a balanced and efficient transportation system for commuters, residents, and visitors to Albany. Development in Downtown Albany has been progressing north from the central business district. As growth moves northward, there will be new demand for an efficient means of getting across town. The Intermodal Center will meet this demand and spur job opportunities for north end residents.

BUDGET: The cost is estimated at $17 million for site acquisition; design; engineering; construction and related fees for the development of a state-of-the-art facility.

STATUS/SCHEDULE: A $110,000 planning level assessment in included in CDTC's draft 2000-01 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). A search is underway to identify sources of funding for this project. Currently the project is in the conceptual stage.

RESPONSIBLE AGENCY: City of Albany

Contact Person: George E. Leveille, Commissioner, Albany Local Development Corporation, 518-434-2532.

Partner Agencies: New York State Department of Transportation; Greyhound; Trailways; Capital District Transportation Authority.