Last week, the city-owned warehouse at the corner of Milton and Phoenix was demolished, making room for Phase 1 of Mountain Line鈥檚 new downtown connection center in the heart of Flagstaff.
The more than $30 million project has been years in the making, but Mountain Line CEO and General Manager Heather Dalmolin joined with other local officials from the city and county, and state and federal partners, to break ground on the project.
鈥淲e're very proud to bring this to the community, and we hope [locals] all see it as just a beautiful addition to our downtown area,鈥� Dalmolin told the Arizona Daily Sun.
Dalmolin said the ongoing construction will not have a significant impact on Mountain Line鈥檚 current transit operations.
Construction comes as Mountain Line鈥檚 ridership and route frequency has increased drastically since the agency first opened the downtown connection center in 2008.
鈥淲e had 30-foot buses and six routes when we moved in, and we went in and out of there about 150 times a day,鈥� Dalmolin said. 鈥淔ast forward and now we have 60-foot buses in addition to 35-foot buses. And we have nine routes and we're going in and out of that location over 350 times a day. So definitely our need has increased exponentially.鈥�
At its completion, the new connection center will accommodate 13 bus transfer terminals, in addition to a new public-facing administrative building where riders will be able to buy tickets or bus passes. The project will also bring new public community space and the potential for a vertical parking garage.
But some of those projects may still be several years down the line, Dalmolin said.
Currently under construction is only the new, two-story administrative building on the corner of Phoenix Avenue in Milton.
鈥淭hat will house all of our planning and administration also have the potential for a police substation in that building, as well as usable space for community meetings,鈥� Dalmolin said. 鈥淏ut we're most excited because it really brings customer service to our hub and our connection center where our riders already are.鈥�
Another benefit is locating many of their planning staff much closer to Flagstaff City Hall, MetroPlan, and the offices Coconino County has in downtown Flagstaff, making it much easier for the staffs of all organizations to collaborate on projects and planning, Dalmolin said.
The new administration building it likely be completed and operational by the end of 2024 or early 2025, she added.
Dalmolin said Mountain Line will still have offices at the current administrative building on Kasper Drive, but the move will give them more room in that location to maintain and repair busses.
鈥淲e are looking at how to reuse that space for improved maintenance and more storage,鈥� Dalmolin said. 鈥淥ur maintenance bays accommodate 35 and 40 foot buses and we have six 60-foot buses that do not fit inside those maintenance bays.鈥�
Dalmolin said they are currently perusing grants that will allow them to expand that maintenance building after the new administrative building is completed.
The phased nature of the project largely comes from the timing of other big construction efforts in the area, namely the flood control project on the Rio de Flag, which both the city and Army Corps of Engineers are working on.
The Rio de Flag cuts through the property that Mountain Line is using for the new connection center, meaning parts of the connection center project cannot move forward until the city and Army Corps complete their work.
Given that reality, Dalmolin said they did consider whether the site was the right one for the project.
鈥淲e really looked at whether we should move because we knew there would be some timing issues staying at this location and wanted to respect the city's work on the Rio de Flag,鈥� Dalmolin said. 鈥淏ut ultimately, all of our routes are built around coming in and out of the downtown area. We believe transit is an essential piece of downtown communities, so we decided to stay where we're at. And we're just going to piecemeal the project based on the other work being done in that area.鈥�
The city鈥檚 flood control project also changed Mountain Line鈥檚 development in other ways.
The project has taken many forms over the years. When Mountain Line was first looking at the project, the vision plan included areas for commercial business and potentially even apartments located above the facility.
But the current project is far more to the point, Dalmolin said, primarily focusing on the new administrative building and bus transfer stations.
Dalmolin said the approximately $30 million price tag just covers the administrative building. Given inflation and the time it will take for the Rio project to be completed, it is still up in the air how much the full project will cost, and when final completion will be achieved.
Of the $30 million, $15.6 million was provided by a 2019 federal transit grant.
The agency also received about $7 million in federal money for the project, and another $6 million from the state, Dalmolin said.
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