Iowa opens intermodal facility

The Ames, Iowa Intermodal Facility, a Recovery Act-funded public transportation hub that will provide greater mobility for residents, students, faculty and visitors to the city, celebrated its grand opening Monday.

The project, which received $8.5 million in 2010 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) program, created more than 80 jobs during the facility’s construction, according to the Ames Transit Agency.

“In addition to providing good paying jobs at a time when they were needed most, this project is an investment in the economic revitalization of Campustown, one of the city’s most important commercial centers,” said Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff, who attended the opening ceremony along with Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and state and local officials.

The new 10,000 square-foot facility will provide a seamless connection between public and private transportation services, including local bus service, intercity and interstate buses, taxi and shuttle service to Des Moines Airport, as well as bike path connections.

Before the construction of the facility, the various transportation services were scattered throughout Ames, requiring passengers to walk for blocks to make connections. The facility's 384-space parking lot also makes trips to the downtown business district more convenient.