City officials have identified a site near the Mendenhall Mall for a potential valley transit center.
City Engineering Director Rorie Watt said the site, which is privately owned, could accommodate a park-and-ride for about a dozen cars at first, and later 30 if a pond is filled.
“When we talk about the downtown parking issues, you know, even taking 30 cars off the streets downtown is a fairly big deal. Thirty cars in a structured parking garage is a big number,” he told the Juneau Assembly last week.
The center could provide restrooms, covered passenger waiting areas and improved lighting. The mall owners estimate the land is worth $775,000.
While other grant sources are drying up, Watt said funding opportunities for transit are still “pretty good.” He said he’d look to the Federal Transit Administration for capital grants.
