By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Construction will begin at the end of this month on a new multi-modal transportation center in downtown St. Louis.
It will combine stops for MetroLink, Amtrak and Greyhound buses. And it will be built next to the Civic Center light rail stop.
Tom Shrout, head of the group Citizens for Modern Transit, says the new terminal will make it easier for people to use public transportation in the city.
"It's quite the wave of transportation. Hopefully there'll be bicycle facilities there at some point.
"So it'll be a way for people to use public transportation within the city of St. Louis to connect to the modes that go to other places and other cities around the country."
The center is expected to cost about $22 million, with funds coming from the state, as well as from rent paid by Amtrak and Greyhound.
Shrout says the idea for a multi-modal terminal had been floating around city hall for about 15 years: "The mayor took it seriously, and he pulled together a team of people when he first came to office to say 'let's get this project going and lets get it built.'"
The building will go up adjacent to the Civic Center MetroLink stop on 14th Street, with construction expected to take 18 months to two years.
Groundbreaking is set for March 30th.