[IMAGE]SU.jpg[/IMAGE]In March, Syracuse University's (SU) Office of Planning, Design and Construction announced it plans to build the $4.3 million transportation center next to the Syracuse Center of Excellence building in downtown Syracuse.

The facility includes a public bus stop for the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority's (Centro) Connective Corridor bus loop, a Syracuse University, City of Syracuse and State of New York partnership making modern and convenient transportation available to connect the University and the city's cultural sites.

"The new intermodal transportation facility will provide surface parking for 99 vehicles, including recharging stations for electric vehicles and preferred parking spaces for alternative fuel/highly efficient vehicles," said Eric Beattie, director, office of planning, design and construction, at SU. "The bus shelter will also include protected parking/storage for bicycles as well as vending machines."

The structure will feature many sustainable features including solar arrays to provide power for the shelter. Stormwater from the site and the adjacent streets will be captured and utilized in rain gardens and tree wells on-site, rather than sent to the overburdened municipal wastewater treatment plant.

The project will also make use of innovative paving and building materials and compliment the recently completed LEED Platinum Syracuse Center of Excellence in Indoor Environmental Quality and Energy Systems building, which shares the same city block.

The Syracuse Center of Excellence building features laboratory and office space to research and promote a green lifestyle, including geothermal heat, solar panels and carpet made from recycled materials. SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry are both partners.

The transportation facility project will be funded through a combination of government aid and university expenditures. A federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation will pay for 80 percent, while the rest will come from SUs capital projects budget, Beattie said.

Designing the project began in summer 2009, with final design approval anticipated for spring 2011. Final landscaping touches should be completed by 2012, according to Beattie.