Transportation Consultant John Carrara of The Goodman Corporation reported to the Galveston Intermodal Transportation Committee that Mitchell Historic Properties has selected a design team headed by Powers Brown Architecture to design the Downtown Transportation Terminal under the Livable Communities Initiative.
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He said the team also will include Walter P. Moore Structural Engineers and SWCA “also known as Anna Mod” for historic preservation and historic compatibility consulting.

“They will be working in March and April on the conceptual design for the terminal,” Carrara said.

Carrara also updated the committee on Phase II of the Livable Communities Initative and the commuter rail project. Listen: MP3 RealPlayer

“Phase II Livable Communities is still on hold until the city concludes its negotiations with Mitchell Historic Properties on the terminal, and then we will know how much money will be available for the streetscape improvements,” He said.

He said the next step in the commuter rail project is for the Houston-Galveston Area Council to designate commuter rail on Union Pacific tracks as the locally preferred alternative in that corridor.

“However, H-GAC is still asking for more details about bus-rapid transit on State Highway 3 as an alternative,” he said. “We’re working on that, trying to get them more details about grade separations that would be required, and how much right-of-way is required.”

Carrara said it will be another couple of months before the information can be presented to the H-GAC.