The DVC campus will be the location of a $2.3 million regional transit center that changes the route County Connection buses travel through the campus and includes four new bus shelters.

The transit center is funded with $1.1 million from state transit bonds and $1.25 million in federal funds earmarked by former Rep. Ellen Tauscher.

About 60 people turned out Nov. 17 for the ground breaking ceremony in the parking lot in front of the current bus stop area off of Golf Club Road.

The crowd included DVC President Judy Walters, county Supervisor Gayle B. Uilkema, Pleasant Hill Mayor Michael Harris, and Cindy Dahlgren, County Connection’s project manager.

Walters said the current on-campus bus area near the main entrance is inconvenient and unsafe for students.

The problems include a lack of sidewalks for pedestrians, the long loops buses must take to get to their designated stop, speed bumps that are time consuming and a lack of light at the bus hub, Walters said.

Changing all this will encourage commuters to take public transit and “reduce parking” issues that currently exist, she said.
   
Supervisor Uilkema said she always has a hard time finding a parking space when she visits the campus, because DVC’s 3,200 parking spots must accommodate some 13,000 permit-holders.

The new transit center is expected to be completed by June 2010, according to project manager Cindy Dalhgren.