SAN ANTONIO – A ceremonial groundbreaking was held Friday, marking the start of the second phase of construction on VIA's Westside Multimodal Transit Center project.
The new facility will feature a state-of-the-art transit plaza and is set to be completed in the fall of 2015. A VIA press release said the near West Side plaza will improve accessibility to the UTSA Downtown Campus and the Health System's Robert B. Green Campus.
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"This facility will create new foot traffic and encourage transit-oriented development in the area," VIA Chairman Alex Briseño said in a statement.
VIA President and CEO Jeff Arndt talked about the transit company's plan beyond the plaza's completion.
"Once we are finished with Phase II in 2015, we will have even more transportation services running through here with six additional bus routes and connections to taxi service, inter-city bus service and the anticipated Lone Star Rail service between San Antonio and Austin," Arndt said. "This plaza will create a presence in the community, and it will stimulate development and instill a sense of place and pride. This is a significant investment."
VIA officials also announced the relocation of its executive offices to a historic depot building near the plaza.