SDSU Transit Center
Encyclopedia
SDSU Transit Center is a station on San Diego Trolley
's Green Line
. The station is underground (the only such station in the system) and has side platforms. The station is located in the Aztec Green on the south portion of the campus of San Diego State University
. The station entrances are between College Avenue and Campanile Drive. The station is very popular with students and staff who commute to the university because of the high cost and low availability of parking around campus.
was used, which required the use of the geological stress of the surrounding rock mass to stabilize the tunnel.
Construction of the tunnel and station was designed to minimally disrupt the campus and, as a result, it was halted during the opening weeks of each semester as well as finals
. The station opened in September 2005 with sold out tickets purchased by students.
, natural light enters the station from the street level above through 20 openings.
: 11, 14, 15, 115, 856, 936, 955
San Diego Trolley
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System ...
's Green Line
Green Line (MTS)
The Green Line is one of three primary and five overall light rail lines operated by the San Diego Trolley, an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System...
. The station is underground (the only such station in the system) and has side platforms. The station is located in the Aztec Green on the south portion of the campus of San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
. The station entrances are between College Avenue and Campanile Drive. The station is very popular with students and staff who commute to the university because of the high cost and low availability of parking around campus.
History
In 1989, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board began developing plans for an additional trolley line connecting its Blue and Orange lines. The new line was initially expected to cost $506 million and cover 5.6 miles of track. After initially looking at over ten different routes to connect the two lines, the Board initially recommended connecting San Diego State University at the north end of its campus, near Interstate 8. However SDSU officials wanted the trolley station to go through the center of the campus, which would require tunneling underneath the campus. The Board initially balked at this concept as it would increase construction costs by $40–50 million. Once the Board learned that tunneling would be cheaper than purchasing adjacent land they agreed to alter the route. Final construction costs for the new trolley station were $103 million. Construction for the new trolley line first began in 1999.Construction
Several methods were used to excavate the tunnel that would contain the station and the tracks to be used for the trolleys to pass underneath the campus. 2,915 feet (of the total 4,000 feet of track) were excavated using the cut-and-cover method where a current road above the tunnel would have its pavement removed, the underlying ground entrenched, and the pavement for the road re-added. For the remaining 1,085 feet, the New Austrian Tunnelling methodNew Austrian Tunnelling method
The New Austrian Tunnelling method was developed between 1957 and 1965 in Austria. It was given its name in Salzburg in 1962 to distinguish it from old Austrian tunnelling approach. The main contributors to the development of NATM were Ladislaus von Rabcewicz, Leopold Müller and Franz Pacher...
was used, which required the use of the geological stress of the surrounding rock mass to stabilize the tunnel.
Construction of the tunnel and station was designed to minimally disrupt the campus and, as a result, it was halted during the opening weeks of each semester as well as finals
Final examination
A final examination is a test given to students at the end of a course of study or training. Although the term can be used in the context of physical training, it most often occurs in the academic world...
. The station opened in September 2005 with sold out tickets purchased by students.
Design
The trolley station was designed by the architect firm ZGF Architects. The station was initially designed to limit the noise of the passing trolleys, so as to not disturb classes on campus. In addition to blue cold cathode lightingCold cathode
A cold cathode is a cathode used within nixie tubes, gas discharge lamps, discharge tubes, and some types of vacuum tube which is not electrically heated by the circuit to which it is connected...
, natural light enters the station from the street level above through 20 openings.
Bus connections
San Diego Metropolitan Transit SystemSan Diego Metropolitan Transit System
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is the public transit service provider for Central, South, Northeast and Southeast San Diego County, in the United States. MTS operating subsidiaries include the San Diego Trolley, Incorporated , and San Diego Transit Corporation...
: 11, 14, 15, 115, 856, 936, 955