Six things you should know about the Intermodal Terminal
METRO released its Environmental Assessment for the Intermodal Terminal (formerly known as the Northern Intermodal Transit Center) last month. We now know a lot more about what METRO’s planning where BRT, LRT, and commuter rail meet just north of Downtown. Here is what we’ve learned:
1. It’s not a major transit center.
There will be METRO passengers transferring at the Intermodal Terminal. But it won’t be nearly as many as you might suspect. The North BRT line won’t end here – it’ll continue on to Downtown. That means only those Northside passengers who are connecting to elsewhere on the Main Street Line – Midtown or the TMC – will be transferring here. And the Intermodal Terminal will start operation with only 4 bus bays. That accounts for only local buses on the North Side – there are already 8 bus routes running through the site, and the new BRT line will duplicate only 2 of those. Of course, all commuter rail riders will have to transfer, but that’s not a whole lot of people, at least until more than one line opens.
2. It won’t include Greyhound and Amtrak – for now.
The EA notes that “design is being conducted so as not to preclude other transportation services at this site which may include: national passenger rail (Amtrak), airport shuttle buses, intercity buses, and international buses” but then says that any such proposal would require an additional environmental analysis. Moving a significant amount of intercity bus service here would require major facilities that the initial project does not include. Moving Amtrak would be easier since there are only 6 trains a week involved, but that also means it would bring fewer benefits.
3. It will create new street links
The rail lines just north of Downtown have been a barrier for over a century. Only a handful of streets connect the Near North Side to downtown, and many are frequently blocked by slow-moving trains. METRO proposes to replace the narrow, two-lane Main Street tunnel with a new, wider tunnel. It also proposes to extend San Jacinto under the tracks so that local buses can run more directly into Downtown. The latter would likely be a joint city-METRO project.
4. It’s being built next to, not in, an existing neighborhood.
The Intermodal terminal site now consists of rail track, parking lots, warehouses, and vacant land. The EA says only 4 residence would be displaced; those are a set of brand-new townhouses. But the residential neighborhoods of the Near Northside begins where the site ends, so the project will clearly have some impacts. These could be good – new transportation options, new retail, and the cleanup of abandoned industrial land – or bad, like the visual impact of large new buildings. Those impacts depend on many of the details of the project, so the neighborhood should continue to pay attention.
5. It’s intended to create a new neighborhood.
METRO’s site plan shows a grid of streets between the railroad tracks and White Oak Bayou. Those streets aren’t needed to access the transit station, and most won’t carry through traffic. Their purpose is clearly to be the “bones” of a new neighborhood. METRO isn’t saying much about that – the site plan shows these as on grade parking. But they’ve clearly thought about it. Most significantly, the streets are connected southwards, not northwards, directing traffic from new development towards Downtown, not residential neighborhoods. METRO has already acquired much of this land because it needs parts of it for the transit facilities; presumably it would either sell or lease to developers. Were we in a city that wasn’t planning-phobic, there would already be a process underway to figure out what kind of place this would be. Instead, we’re letting the transit agency figure it out.
6. It could tie together a lot of parks and trails.
METRO proposes a new public space – the Great Circle – at the heart fo its project, But there are a number of other parks already existing or planned in the immediate area. The Buffalo Bayou bike trail from Memorial Park to Downtown currently ends at UH downtown. A similar trail is planned along White Oak Bayou, connecting Downtown to the Heights, and the Buffalo Bayou trail is being extended, segment by segment, towards the East Side. The Intermodal Terminal site borders this interconnected trail network. It could provide a connection from these trails to transit. It could link them to the residential areas of the North Side. And the development around the Terminal could provide amenities – bike repairs, bike lockers, bottled water, places to get some food – for the people using those trails. And the trails could provide a useful link to the Terminal – someone who lives in the Heights and works in the Medical Center, for example, could ride along White Oak to the Intermodal Terminal, park their bike, and take the train to work. None of these links are discussed in the EA. But they need to be.
The public comment period for the EA is over. But that shouldn’t prevent anyone from speaking up. METRO is planning a surprisingly far-reaching project that has implications far beyond transit. It’s worth keeping an eye on. What do you see? Tell us in the forums.