A busy block in downtown Camden would become a pedestrian plaza under a proposed design for an improved Walter Rand Transportation Center.
The proposal to open Broadway between Federal Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard was one of three preliminary designs unveiled Thursday by NJ Transit. Two others would keep Broadway open to traffic.
However, these alternative options would increase risk for customers transferring between the River LINE on one side of the busy street and the terminal bus lines on the other, NJ Transit said.
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“The design concepts are based on previous public input sessions where suggestions and comments were made,” the transit agency said. Public input showed that the main concerns were public safety and upgrading the area around the centre.
The agency’s presentations also showed that the construction of a new center is still far in the future. This project is currently in an 18-month preliminary design phase, followed by a two-year final engineering phase.
The pedestrian plaza plan would improve the safety of River LINE and PATCO connections and allow for the shortest travel routes. It would also reduce delays by eliminating “cumbersome bus routes,” NJ Transit’s presentation said.
All three designs allow passengers to transfer between bus lines within the terminal. They would also meet current and future bus demand and allow for “smooth internal bus flow,” NJ Transit said.
The designs were unveiled Thursday during NJ Transit public meetings.
It noted that the state has committed $250 million to replace and expand the center, which was built in 1989.
“The new center would better accommodate the 24 bus routes that serve the facility,” the statement said.
It is also intended to improve connections between bus and rail lines, support regional bus transport and provide more parking, business uses and administrative space.
Additionally, Camden County Improvement Authority officials are pursuing a potential tower above the planned center.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on the Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Is Broadway closed to Camden traffic between Federal St. and MLK?
