San Diego State University Transit Center

Last updated

SDSU Transit Center
SDSUStation2024.jpg
Trolley at SDSU Station in February 2024
General information
LocationSan Diego State University Aztec Green
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, California
United States
Coordinates 32°46′24″N117°4′15″W / 32.77333°N 117.07083°W / 32.77333; -117.07083
Owned by San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
Operated by San Diego Trolley
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg MTS: 11, 14, 115, Rapid 215, 856, 936, 955 [1]
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
ParkingPaid lots nearby
Accessible Wheelchair symbol.svg
History
Opened
  • February 2005 (2005-02) (bus plaza)
  • July 10, 2005 (2005-07-10) (trolley station)
Services
Preceding station San Diego Trolley Following station
Grantville Green Line Alvarado
towards Santee
Location
San Diego State University Transit Center

San Diego State University Transit Center is a station on San Diego Trolley's Green Line. The station is underground (the only such station in the system) and has side platforms. The station is located in the Aztec Green on the south portion of the campus of San Diego State University. The station entrances are between College Avenue and Campanile Drive.

Contents

The bus plaza opened in February 2005 while the trolley platforms opened on July 10, 2005 with the rest of the Green Line.

History

In 1989, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board began developing plans for an additional trolley line connecting its Blue and Orange lines. [2] The new line was initially expected to cost $506 million and cover 5.6 miles of track. [2] After initially looking at over ten different routes to connect the two lines, the Board initially recommended connecting San Diego State University at the north end of its campus, near Interstate 8. However SDSU officials wanted the trolley station to go through the center of the campus, which would require tunneling underneath the campus. The Board initially balked at this concept as it would increase construction costs by $40–50 million. [2] Once the Board learned that tunneling would be cheaper than purchasing adjacent land they agreed to alter the route. Final construction costs for the new trolley station were $103 million. [2] Construction for the new trolley line first began in 1999.

Construction

Several methods were used to excavate the tunnel that would contain the station and the tracks to be used for the trolleys to pass underneath the campus. 2,915 feet (of the total 4,000 feet of track) were excavated using the cut-and-cover method where a current road above the tunnel would have its pavement removed, the underlying ground entrenched, and the pavement for the road re-added. For the remaining 1,085 feet, the New Austrian Tunnelling method was used, which required the use of the geological stress of the surrounding rock mass to stabilize the tunnel. [2]

Construction of the tunnel and station was designed (Began in September 1998) to minimally disrupt the campus and, as a result, it was halted during the opening weeks of each semester as well as finals. The station opened in September 2005 with sold out tickets purchased by students. [2] [3]

Design

The trolley station was designed by the architect firm ZGF Architects. The station was initially designed to limit the noise of the passing trolleys, so as to not disturb classes on campus. In addition to blue cold cathode lighting, natural light enters the station from the street level above through 20 openings. [2]

Dedication

On June 29, 2011, the station was dedicated to Leon Williams, an SDSU alumnus and a former MTS board chair who was instrumental in bringing the light rail line to the heart of the SDSU campus. [4]

Station layout

There are two tracks, each served by a side platform.

Side platform, doors will open on the right
Westbound Logo Green Line (San Diego Trolley).svg Green Line toward 12th & Imperial (Grantville)
Eastbound Logo Green Line (San Diego Trolley).svg Green Line toward Santee (Alvarado)
Side platform, doors will open on the right

Bus connections

The bus station at SDSU Transit Center SDSUStationBus2024.jpg
The bus station at SDSU Transit Center

The San Diego State University Transit Center has a large bus station at ground level, served by several bus routes. They include Rapid 215 to Downtown San Diego via El Cajon Boulevard and several local routes: 11, 14, 115, 856, 936, 955. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Trolley</span> Light rail system serving San Diego, California

The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The Trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc., is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical component of the MTS, with connections to and integrated travel tickets with the local bus systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Area, San Diego</span> Community of San Diego in California

The College Area is a residential community in the Mid-City region of San Diego, California, United States. The College Area is dominated by San Diego State University, after which the area is named. Several neighborhoods in the College Area were developed in the 1930s, with others becoming established in the post-war period. The College Area is bordered on the west by Kensington and Talmadge and on the east by the city of La Mesa. El Cajon Boulevard is a busy shopping district; additional retail, entertainment and dining establishments are located in a new housing and commercial complex known as South Campus Plaza on College Avenue at Aztec Center. The College Area includes the neighborhoods of the Catoctin Area, Dennstedt Point, East Falls View Drive, Saranac-Mohawk, and an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in the area near Congregation Beth Jacob Orthodox Synagogue on College Avenue. The region includes UC San Diego Health East Campus Medical Center, a 306-bed acute care facility, and the College-Rolando branch of the San Diego Public Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Town Transit Center</span> Passenger train, light rail, and bus station in San Diego, California, United States

Old Town Transit Center, also known as San Diego–Old Town station, or Old Town San Diego station, is an intermodal transportation station located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, the COASTER commuter rail service, and the San Diego Trolley, as well as numerous San Diego Metropolitan Transit System bus lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Metropolitan Transit System</span> Public transportation agency in Southern San Diego County, California

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is a public transit service provider for central, southern, northeast, and southeast San Diego County, California, as well as for the city of San Diego. The agency directly operates a large transit system that includes the MTS Bus, San Diego Trolley light rail, and Rapid bus rapid transit services. The MTS also controls the San Diego and Arizona Eastern (SD&AE) freight railway and regulates taxicabs, jitneys, and other private for-hire passenger transportation services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion Valley Transit Center</span> San Diego Trolley station

Fashion Valley Transit Center is an elevated station on the Green Line of the San Diego Trolley system. It is located at the southwest corner of the Fashion Valley Mall, after which the station is named. Below the station platform is a large bus plaza served by several MTS bus routes. The station has a 63 space park and ride lot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stadium station (San Diego)</span> San Diego Trolley station

Stadium station is a San Diego Trolley stop on the Green Line. The elevated station has an island platform as well as side platforms. It was built in the parking lot of the former San Diego Stadium. The area around the station is undergoing re-development into San Diego State University's Mission Valley campus and Snapdragon Stadium for the San Diego State Aztecs football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">70th Street station</span> San Diego Trolley station

70th Street station is a San Diego Trolley station served by the Green Line in La Mesa, California, in the United States. The next station west is Alvarado, and the next station east is Grossmont Transit Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Cajon Transit Center</span> San Diego Trolley and bus station

El Cajon Transit Center is a San Diego Trolley station served by the Orange and the Green lines in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, California. The station is a major commuter center for the large suburb and is the convergence of multiple local and regional bus routes operated by the Metropolitan Transit System and Greyhound Lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)</span> Light rail line in San Diego County, California

The Blue Line is a 26.3-mile (42.3 km) light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc., an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). With an end-to-end travel time of one hour and twenty-three minutes, it operates between the UTC Transit Center and the San Ysidro Transit Center, the latter of which is at the border with Mexico directly adjacent to the San Ysidro Port of Entry, facilitating easy connections across the border. The line serves La Jolla, Downtown San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, and San Ysidro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Line (San Diego Trolley)</span> Light rail line in San Diego County, California

The Orange Line is an 18.0-mile (29.0 km) light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc. an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. The route connects Downtown San Diego with the cities of Lemon Grove, La Mesa, and El Cajon. The Orange Line has the lowest ridership of the San Diego Trolley's three regular lines, transporting 10,896,289 riders during FY 2014 according to the MTS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Line (San Diego Trolley)</span> Light rail line in San Diego County, California

The Green Line is a 23.6-mile (38.0 km) light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc. an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The route serves Downtown San Diego, Mission Valley, and the cities of La Mesa, El Cajon, and Santee. The Green Line has the second highest ridership of the San Diego Trolley's three regular lines, transporting 13,673,926 riders during FY 2014 according to the MTS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santee station</span> San Diego Trolley station

Santee station is a station on the Green Line of the San Diego Trolley, in the San Diego suburb of Santee, California. The station currently serves as the Green Line's northeastern terminus and serves as a major park and ride station. It is located inside a shopping center on the northeast corner of the intersection of Mission Gorge Road and Cuyamaca Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Ysidro Transit Center</span> San Diego Trolley station

San Ysidro Transit Center is a San Diego Trolley station in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego, California. The station is the southern terminus of the Blue Line and is located on a short rail spur off the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway main line which hosts the Blue Line to Downtown San Diego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12th & Imperial Transit Center</span> San Diego Trolley and bus station

12th & Imperial Transit Center is a San Diego Trolley station in Downtown San Diego, California. It is located in the East Village neighborhood of the city and serves the high-density residential developments that surround the stop. It is one of two stations from which Petco Park can be reached. The station has historically been used as a major transfer point between the various Trolley lines and is the only station that is directly served by all four Trolley lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H Street station</span> San Diego Trolley station

H Street station is a station on the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley located in the city of Chula Vista, California. The stop serves both as a commuter center with a park and ride lot and as an access point to the nearby dense retail and large residential areas. It also provides access to nearby Southwestern Community College by way of the 709 bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iris Avenue Transit Center</span> San Diego Trolley station

Iris Avenue Transit Center is a station on the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley in the Otay Mesa West neighborhood of San Diego. The stop serves a variety of purposes, holding the function of commuter center with a park and ride lot and to provide access to the nearby commercial and residential areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapid (San Diego)</span> Bus Rapid Transit System

Rapid is the brand name given to the bus rapid transit system in San Diego County, California. The system serves nearly half the county, operating mainly on the HOV lanes on Interstates 15 and 805, with most of the stops also served by other routes. In addition, there are stations, dubbed as CenterLine in the medians of Interstate 15, Park Boulevard in San Diego and on East Palomar Street in Chula Vista, that are designed in a similar manner to the light rail stations. The system operates with a dedicated fleet, although buses from the Mainline fleet are regularly substituted. The system is administered, built and managed by San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and is operated as part of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courthouse station (San Diego Trolley)</span> San Diego Trolley station

Courthouse station is a light rail station in San Diego, California, United States. It is the western terminus of the San Diego Trolley's Orange Line and is located between the Hall of Justice and San Diego Central Courthouse in Downtown San Diego, on C Street between State and Union streets. The station opened on April 29, 2018, after nearly a year of construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copper Line (San Diego Trolley)</span> Proposed light rail line in San Diego, California

The Copper Line, officially the Copper Line - East County Connector, is a proposed line of the San Diego Trolley in East County, San Diego. If approved, it would operate as a shuttle between the El Cajon Transit Center and the Santee Town Center station, replacing the existing Green and Orange line service in that area. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS) proposed the Copper Line because the section of the line between Gillespie Field station and Santee Town Center has a single track, which has been the source of delays that impact both the Green and Orange lines. The Copper Line would alleviate these issues by creating a dedicated shuttle service disconnected from the larger Green and Orange lines.

References

  1. 1 2 "San Diego Regional Transit Map" (PDF). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. October 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Big tram on campus: San Diego State University lobbied hard for a light-rail station that connects the campus to downtown and reduces students' dependence on automobiles". Building Design & Construction . June 1, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
  3. "MTS Historical Timeline". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  4. "MTS Dedicates SDSU Trolley Station to Leon Williams". San Diego Metropolitan Transit System . July 1, 2011.