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In 2000 the City of Berkeley decided to begin design development for the Rail Stop and Transit Plaza improvements. For this design effort, Community Design + Architecture is leading a team that includes Land Studio - landscape architects, LCC, Inc. - civil engineers, and Silverman & Light - lighting. The project has also involved a variety of city departments (planning, engineering, transportation, redevelopment, and the City Managers Office), and on-going coordination with transportation agencies and organizations (AC Transit, Capitol Corridor JPA, Amtrak, Union Pacific, and Caltrans).
The Rail Stop and Transit Plaza are located under the University Avenue overpass and are served by Capitol Corridor rail service and three AC Transit bus lines, which also use the transit plaza for lay over. The rail stop and transit plaza have long been in disrepair, which has put the station in stark contrast with other stations served by the increasingly popular Capitol Corridor trains. In their current condition the transit facilities are an uncomfortable place to wait for train or bus service and project a lack of safety. The proposed design focuses on improving the pedestrian environment by providing widened sidewalks, hedges to buffer adjacent parking lots, new site furniture, and new brighter and pedestrian-scale lighting. A custom-design steel and glass canopy will give identity to the previously nondescript appearance of the rail stop and provide additional shelter from the elements. Information kiosks will offer visitors viable information about the City, its cultural and arts scene, and the East Bay Parks system. Underneath the overpass, the parking spaces have been reorganized around a new, raised path, that will provide enhanced access to the transit facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists alike.
The project is currently undergoing environmental review and easements are being negotiated between the City, Union Pacific, and Amtrak. It is expected that the preparation of construction documents will commence in mid to late 2003, and that bidding for this project – budgeted at nearly $2 million – will occur in the winter of 2003-2004.
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