Denver Union Station Plan: Bus Terminal

Posted by Ken on May 17, 2010

The next component of the Denver Union Station plan we’ll look at is the underground regional bus terminal. This facility will replace RTD’s existing Market Street Station. It will span the width of the 17th Street right-of-way (about 140 feet) and run from the new light rail station to the historic Union Station, a distance of approximately 970 feet. The terminal will include 22 bus gates: 16 for regional RTD buses, 4 for the Downtown Circulator, and 2 for commercial carriers or for future expansion.

Within the bus terminal’s overall footprint is a pedestrian concourse 44 feet wide and about 780 feet long. The concourse connects the Chestnut Pavilion (discussed in the previous post on the light rail station) with the Union Station Pavilion, a similar portal immediately west of the historic station structure. In between, the Wewatta Pavilion provides yet another vertical access point to the bus terminal. Surrounding the pedestrian concourse is the bus drive loop and a bus parking lane along the north side of the terminal.

The upper-left image below shows how buses will access the terminal. Buses coming in from the I-25 HOV lane will descend a ramp just south of 18th Street. Buses from surface streets in Downtown, including the Downtown Circulator, will cross Wynkoop, pass in between the north wing building (IMA Financial) and the historic Ice House, turn left, and descend the same ramp. Once inside the terminal, buses will circulate in a clockwise rotation. Downtown Circulator stops are planned for under the commuter rail platforms and for under the Chestnut Pavilion. An additional bus ramp north of the light rail station will provide secondary access for the underground facility.

The upper-right image includes, at the top, a longitudinal section of the bus terminal, which shows the location of the three pavilions that provide escalator, elevator, and stairway access, as well as additional access points along the length of the terminal. At the bottom is a plan view of the facility, which shows the bus gates, bus parking area along the north side, and the pedestrian concourse.

The lower-left image compares the new DUS bus terminal with the existing Market Street Station, which is slightly wider but only one-third as long as the new facility at Union Station.

The lower-right image shows a cross section at approximately half-way between Chestnut and Wewatta. In the foreground are the 17th Street Gardens above the bus facility. Beyond is the Wewatta Pavilion, the commuter rail station, and the west facade of the historic Union Station.

Initially, moving sidewalks (a/k/a “travelators”) were proposed for the pedestrian concourse. However, after further analysis, the project team concluded it would be advantageous to remove them from the terminal’s design. Given the numerous vertical access nodes and concourse cross-over points that necessitate interrupting a travelator path, there was ultimately room for only two travelators (74 and 143 feet in length), which totaled only about one-quarter of the length of the concourse. Additionally, the width of the travelator took up valuable space and reduced the room available for seating and general passenger circulation. The top two images below show “with and without travelator” diagrams and their impact on pedestrian circulation and amenities within the concourse. The bottom two images show conceptual views from inside the concourse.

Many people have asked about Greyhound, and if they are moving to the new DUS bus terminal. Greyhound did considered moving to DUS at one point, but they ultimately declined to participate in the project. Meanwhile, it is my understanding that Greyhound is looking elsewhere within the greater Downtown area for a suitable new location.

One other notable attribute about the underground bus terminal is the skylights. Unlike Market Street Station which is a rather drab space, the new Union Station bus facility will enjoy plenty of natural light coming from seven skylights located between Chestnut and Wewatta. The diagrams below show the location and design of the skylights:

The underground bus terminal will open late 2013. Next up: the commuter rail st ation.

Filed under Public Spaces, Transit, Transit-Oriented, Union Station

Comments are closed | Permalink

Поиск по сайту: