The Central New York Regional Transportation Authority (Centro) recently opened its new Transit Hub in downtown Syracuse, NY. The facility is the main transfer location for the agency’s bus services in Syracuse and surrounding communities; it also is designed to serve as the linchpin for future development of the city’s downtown business district.

The new facility replaces a four corners location known as “Common Center,” where buses lined up outdoors in all four directions of the intersection. Public transportation picked up passengers at this intersection back to the days of horse cars.

“We simply outgrew ‘Common Center’ and smothered that intersection,” said Centro Executive Director Frank Kobliski. “So we moved a couple of blocks south and built the Transit Hub. Now our customers have a refuge from the elements, access to restrooms, and they no longer have to guess where their bus will be. Each bus route departs from a designated bus bay.”

The new facility includes a 55,000-square-foot canopy, 22 sawtooth bus bays, and heated sidewalks to help melt the 110 inches of snow that fall in Syracuse during an average winter. Other amenities include ticket vending machines and indoor/outdoor electronic bus information monitors.

“The hub has improved the overall transit experience for our customers and provided them with a tangible home—not just a street corner,” said Kobliski.

With the transition of service to the Transit Hub, developers have taken interest in the site of the former Common Center. The $25 million Pike Block project, currently underway, will renovate 130,000 square feet of vacant space into 78 market-rate apartments, 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and a revitalized city center.

“This project represents a major advance for downtown Syracuse, contributing to renewed community vibrancy that is spurring economic growth,” said Robert Simpson, president of CenterState CEO, the region’s business leadership and economic development organization. “In the last year we have welcomed 22 new businesses to downtown. In fact, 38 percent of Syracuse’s jobs are within three miles of the city’s center. Convenient transportation is part of this movement back to the city, and Centro’s Transit Hub greatly enhances that experience.”

The Transit Hub project cost $18.8 million and was funded through various federal grants, including $8.5 million under DOT’s Livability Grant program designed specifically to fund projects that improve the quality of public transportation and the communities it serves.

An aerial view of Centro’s new Transit Hub in downtown Syracuse, NY.