Tag / Moore Square

by Leo Suarez

Getting Started With The Downtown Bus Facilities Master Plan

A lot going on behind the scenes so here’s a lazy post. From a City of Raleigh press release,

The Raleigh City Council approved a contract today with Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. to provide professional services with the Downtown Bus Facilities Master Plan. The project involves two phases, one associated with the Union Station Multi-Modal Facility and the second for improvements to the Moore Square Transit.

The first phase of the project is to determine the feasibility of relocating existing Capital Area Transit service facilities located in Downtown Raleigh to improve service and to align planning initiatives around the Union Station site on the west side of downtown Raleigh. The planned Raleigh Union Station will house Amtrak, Greyhound, high speed, regional, and light rail as well as an undetermined amount of Capital Area Transit service from its current location at Moore Square.

The consultant will focus on an analysis of the needs of Capital Area Transit system’s operational needs for Downtown Raleigh, a site assessment of multiple alternatives to accommodate the goals and needs of the bus system, a schematic design of both the site and facility, and an implementation strategy and schedule.

The second phase will focus on the upgrades to the Moore Square Transit Station facility. Designers will be asked to reconfigure the entire facility and its adjacent landscape, pedestrian, and operational spaces. The goal is to improve the physical character of the station.

The Council made an amendment to the contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff that requires the firm to involve them throughout the process.

by Leo Suarez

New Seating and Space At The Moore Square Bus Station

Recently, construction has finished on some new walkways and seating areas at the Moore Square bus station. The fountains that used to go along the sidewalks of Blount Street have been bricked over and now have a few more benches. More amenities are always welcome at the busiest transit stop in Raleigh. As a frequent bus rider, I see the station being pretty busy at the rush hour times during the week.

In the future, the station will become a major compliment to Union Station so look out for more improvements.

by Leo Suarez

Moore Square Redesign Cost and Dates

I just added a post about the Moore Square Redesign on Raleigh DLA’s blog. One quote I’d like to highlight to readers:

Estimated completion: Summer 2013 (funding dependant)

Funding is the big question mark but each phase is broken out and my guess is we’ll see a slow approach to this project. Remember, Moore Square is state owned land and they have a seat at the table as well.

There are many opportunities for public comments which I encourage everyone to participate in.

Moore Square Redesign; When and How Much?

by Leo Suarez

Moore Square Redesign Public Workshop Tomorrow

Tomorrow, September 9th, 2010, the city of Raleigh is hosting two workshops on the Moore Square Redesign. This workshop aims at getting your input for the draft master plan that is currently in the works. There are two sessions that you can attend:

  • Afternoon session from 1-4 pm
  • Night session from 7-10 pm

The workshop will be at Cobblestone Hall, which is located on Wolfe Street, or inside the historic City Market building. Registration is not required so show up to get more details on the project, give your feedback, and gawk at the interior of the City Market building.

You can see some of the winning designs from Chris Counts Studio on Flickr but the current design is slightly different then what you see there. If you take a look at the picture above, that is the model of Moore Square that was shown to us at the Public Leadership Group, which I am a part of.

A new feature for Moore Square will be the large lawn around the center of the square. According to their research, the design firm claims that there is a lot of green space in Moore Square already but with so many paths and mulch, the green space is cut up and divided into small sections. One large, grassy lawn would be more flexible and can allow visitors to take part in more activities.

The design also incorporates some small hills and/or smooth rocks on one side of the lawn. In response to comments about making the square more play-friendly for children, Chris Counts decided to go with a natural playground of hills and, what I’ll call, “natural obstacles” rather then a traditional playground of plastic slides and a jungle gym.

These, as well as more ideas for the square, are still up in the air and public comments are needed to help mold the Moore Square master plan. Tomorrow’s workshop should be a good one.

by Leo Suarez

RDU to DTR Bus Connection Proposed by Triangle Transit

Triangle Transit is proposing a couple changes to its routes and one could result in a direct bus ride from downtown Raleigh to RDU airport. The route would also include the Research Triangle Park. (RTP) Try to keep up with all the acronyms.

Currently, the easiest way to get to the airport using Triangle Transit from downtown is to ride route 105 to the Regional Transit Center (RTC) in RTP. Then from there, you transfer to the 747 route and your way to the airport. 747, get it?

The proposal attempts to eliminate the transfer and offer a direct ride from the Moore Square station, up Hillsborough Street to Wade Avenue, and down I-40 to the airport. The route would run Monday through Saturday at these proposed times [broken link]. Check the Google map below for more details about the route and proposed stops.


View RTC – Moore Square via RDU Airport in a larger map

The current schedule of events puts this route and other changes into affect in August 2010. These changes are open for comment so click on over to their site and let them know what you think.

The frequency of trips has me most interested. A 30-35 minute ride from downtown to the airport at 30 minute intervals during the AM and PM rush hours is a nice improvement. Make a note that the bus route stops at each terminal for easy access. The downtown Marriott and Sheraton are only a five or so minute walk away and the Clarion is right on Edenton Street where the route will go. You can’t say its not tempting to spend the $2 one-way ticket for a bus ride to the airport terminals compared to a $20 taxi.