Ames Intermodal Facility opens its doors, and parking spaces; new hub creates connections, boosts revitalization

At DOT, we never stop working hard to improve American transportation. And this weekend Administrator Rogoff joined U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, Ames, IA, Mayor Ann Campbell, and Iowa State University President Steven Leath at a ribbon-cutting for the Ames Intermodal Facility.

The new $9.2 million transportation hub will bring together car parking and transit access, private and public transportation providers, and the ISU and Ames communities. We're also happy to celebrate the completion of one of our first TIGER projects.

Ames Intermodal Facility awaits its public debut

Funded in part by the initial round of Recovery Act TIGER grants in 2009, the new hub is a perfect example of what DOT's competitive TIGER program continues to achieve. The facility connects bus terminals for major lines, bicycling facilities, and 384 parking spaces all under one roof in the commercial district bordering the ISU campus.

CyRide, the Ames transit agency, already provides more than 5.8 million transit rides every year. Adding nearly 400 new parking spaces will allow greater transit access to even more Ames residents, ISU students and faculty, and area visitors to CyRide, helping to cement this city’s reputation as one of the best places to live in America.

FTA Administrator Rogoff, US Sen. Tom Harkin, and Ames Mayor Ann Campbell share a pair of scissors in the center of Saturday's ribbon-cutting.

The new transportation center fulfills the two main goals Ames residents had for their community. First, linking the various forms of public and private transit services and providing bike and pedestrian enhancements within one facility allows people to transfer easily between modes of travel.  Before the Ames Intermodal Facility, private transportation services lacked parking and were located miles away from transit routes. The facility will serve as a focal point that connects Ames to the rest of the region and to the nation. 

Second, the new parking spaces adjacent to the Campustown Business District provide an essential component that is lacking in this critical area of Ames. Previous citizen satisfaction surveys have indicated that 75% of Ames residents believe the parking situation in the Campustown Business District is less than good. The new hub's increased parking will boost reinvestment in one of Ames important economic generators.

Administrator Rogoff speaking while (from right to left) Senator Tom Harkin, Iowa State University President Steven Leath, CyRide Transit Board of Trustees President Robert Anders, and Campustown Action Association President John Haila look on.

As Administrator Rogoff said, "This project shows what the TIGER program is all about: creating seamless connections between transportation choices--bikes, buses, paratransit, the airport shuttle, taxis, and much better parking; and laying the groundwork for a bright economic future with renewed vitality for Campustown."

And Sen. Harkin agreed: “Everything has been integrated here. On one level, it’s practical. On another level, it’s an economic revitalization of Campustown. And it’s also about creating jobs. That was the purpose of the Recovery Act. It created jobs here as it did all over America.”

Jobs, mobility, and economic development--all in a single project. That's the value DOT's TIGER program delivered to Ames, and that's the value TIGER is bringing to hundreds of communities across America.