TAKOMA PARK, Md. — A new transit center brings the riders of 11 different bus routes together under one soaring canopy in Takoma Park.
Starting Thursday, buses that serve riders whose destinations sprawl across Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, will begin rolling into and out of the Takoma-Langley Crossroads Transit Center at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard.
On Tuesday morning, state and local officials joined their peers from federal transit agencies to cut the ribbon in front of the new transit hub.
Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld, introduced as the man with the toughest job in Washington, said the transit center, with its off-street access to bus service, is as important for its safety as well as its convenience.
“I followed this project more as a pedestrian project as much as a transit project,” Wiedefeld told the crowd assembled for the ribbon-cutting.
The neighborhood has long been known as a conflict spot for pedestrians trying to navigate the vehicular traffic on their way to bus stops that dotted the area.
Montgomery County Director of Transportation Al Roshdieh agreed with Wiedefeld’s point, saying the transit center gets users off the curbside of the busy arterials that create the crossroads of the Takoma-Langely neighborhood. Indicating the bright white canopy above, Roshdieh said
“This is where you want to be! You don’t want to cross the street, you don’t want to cross a four-lane highway,” Roshdieh said of the bright white canopy above him.
He added that the new transit center will add safety.
The $32 million transit center has restrooms, an enclosed area, large area maps, overhead displays telling riders when their next bus will arrive and bike racks. The transit center is designated as a stop along the yet-to-be-built Purple Line, linking bus service to the light rail project.
