Mock-up shows how there will shine the new Center of Transport of Silver Spring that will be ready in 2010. The center has been designed to serve to more than 90.000 users.

Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic

From the last Sunday, the 28th of September, thousands of passers-by and users of the means of public transport saw changing his habitual panorama at the metro station of Silver Spring. The whereabouts of the buses have been relocated; the parking is closed and the signs indicating the new routes of access to the metro station with a nice penguin are throughout.

“ East is the third day in which I am going to come late to my work because newly I am familiarizing myself with the new signaling. I have just received the necessary information about the new stops of my trucks and now yes I am calm”, he said to Washington Hispanic, Julio Luna, who lives in Bethesda and is employed at DC therefore it must realize his change of bus at the metro station of Silver Spring, every morning.

Julio Luna, of Mexican origin, receives the information about the redeployment of the whereabouts of buses.

All these changes answer to the beginning of the constructions of what will be the new Center of Transport of Silver Spring, a project with an investment that exceeds ninety million dollars and that hopes to open his doors in 2010.

Only some days ago it began the campaign to offer to the users the information that they need to know with what it is happening and familiarize themselves with the redeployment of the services of transport at the metro station in the heart of Silver Spring, considered to be that of major congestion and traffic in the whole metropolitan area.

It is believed that every day about 53.000 passengers circulate and there take place 1.500 movements of buses that enter and go out of the station.

“ The idea of a new center of transport arose approximately 20 years ago, but newly in 1999 it began taking form and there begins the process of planning and consultations to the state and to the community”, tells Washington Hispanic, Edgard Gonzalez, vice the director of transport policies of the county of Montgomery.

“ The project answers to the process of revitalization of the area, but also he thinks about how to offer a better service to the increasing demand”, added González.

The project of construction of the new Center of Transport of Silver Spring is in his first phase.

And the fact is that at present the center of transport is inefficient; the buses have no space to maneuver; the parking is scarce and the pedestrians are in the interperie.

I center for the future
With the new center of transport there will integrate the different means of public transport, urban, Inter-city and Interstate buses, taxis and service of trains, including MART.

“ Between federal and state funds 66 million dollars will be received, the rest is a responsibility of the county. METER has not contributed in a monetary way only it has transferred the area which property promotes 75 per cent of the ground, but when the center is finished Meter will be responsible for the operations and administration. The new center of transport will have three levels appropriately connected.

The buses service will be distributed in two levels with the intention of relieving the congestion that takes place at present”, he tells to Washington Hispanic, Donald Scheuerman, Jr., manager of the project of the division of design and construction of the department of general services of the county of Montgomery.

The project is designed thinking about the future by what the services disposition has been foreseen to attend for less 95.000 passengers every day with an increase of services of buses that will cause approximately 2.500 daily movements.
Also, the new center will be provided with more systems of alertness and a position of permanent control for the police of the county.

Of equal way the project foresees the inclusion of services of interstate buses like the Greyhound, as well as also it has been considered to be the implementation of the purple line of the Meter that is at present under consideration and that would extend the transport services.

Enrique one of the workpeople in the project, indicates to a user the new redeployment of the whereabouts of the bus.

“ When it is necessary to implement the purple line either we will not have to realize big changes to the center because either we have included it in the design. The center also will integrate ways to use the bicycle as a way of transport which will tune in from Montgomery College up to Georgetown”, shows Edgard González.

The new center also will count inside his facilities with a new services shop the traveler TRIPS where the persons will be able to obtain the schedules and routes of the buses, as well as also they will be able to acquire the tickets for the week or for the month known as the SmarTrip.

Attention with the penguin
As part of the informative campaign has designated two persons so that they face the passers-by and passengers on the changes. They are available seven days of the week of 6:30 from the morning until the midnight.

To attract persons' attention and uniformizar the information that is offered decided to use a nice penguin with the intention of which it is identified by the project and the persons relate it quickly to the process of construction of the new center of transport.

As told Donald Scheuerman, the penguin is used like the mark of the project and it is only the image of a mural that was to the interior of the bridge to enter to the metro station. For the time being the work of community art is kept in a store in expectation of the funds to initiate the restoration process.

To inform the public user, the county of Montgomery is distributing leaflets where there is indicated the redeployment of the services and details of the project, so much in English as in Spanish.

Also one has arranged a page in Internet montgomerycountymd.gov/sstc and the line of updated information 240-773-7777.