Ribbon cutting held on Sept. 14 to officially open the 4,300-square-foot facility
The City of San Antonio, Texas celebrated the much-anticipated opening of the VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Brooks City Base Transit Center on Sept. 14. Located near the corner of South New Braunfels Avenue and Sidney Brooks North Road, the state-of-the-art Smart Transit Hub designed by KAI celebrates the historic Brooks Air Force Base once located on the site.
“Designed to support the travel demands in the city’s rapidly growing Southeast sector, the center will provide more travel options, greater comfort and enhanced conveniences for riders, such as an air-conditioned waiting facility with customer information and ticket purchasing center,” said Veronica Castro de Barrera, AIA, LEED AP, KAI Transit Studio Leader.
The new $1.3 million, 4,300-square-foot VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Brooks City Base Transit Center includes eight bus bays located on a transit island. New bus lanes that enter from South New Braunfels and Sidney Brooks loop around the transit island, with parking for approximately 40 patron vehicles to the south. Brooks City Base Transit Center amenities include interior seating for 50, covered exterior seating for 30, public restrooms, ticket vending windows, roof solar panels, active next bus displays and enhanced landscaping. The project also infused public art by local artist Diana Kersey.
The facility’s design takes cues from World War I biplanes with its curved roof and columnar support system. The Brooks Air Force Base once located on the site was one of the first training facilities for the US Army Air Corps, dating back to December 1917.
This project opened the door for VIA Metropolitan Transit to implement a bus-based corridor project along Zarzamora Street. As part of this project, two types of shelters were included: Primo shelters at 26 locations and NextGen shelters at 20 locations along the corridor.
