Mayor Bill Haslam, U.S. Rep John Duncan Jr., and U.S. Rep. James L. Oberstar, chair of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure were among those cutting the ribbon to open the new Knoxville Station Transit Center Friday morning.
Other speakers taking part in Friday's celebration included Cindy McGinnis, general manager of Knoxville Area Transit; Federal Transit Administration Region IV Director Yvette Taylor; Tennessee Department of Transportation Director Frank Nicely and Essie Johnson, chair of the Knoxville Transportation Authority Board of Commissioners.
Bill Lyons, senior director of the city's Policy & Communications Department, served as master of ceremonies for the event which took place on the station's 7610-foot-long bus platform that spans James White Parkway.
The ribbon-cutting culminated a decade-long effort to build a transit center in downtown Knoxville.
KAT begins operations out of Knoxville Station on Monday, August 16, at 6:00 a.m.
KAT is hosting an open house at Knoxville Station from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, August 14.
The $29 million facility - the first of its kind in Knoxville - will feature state-of-the-art technologies and environmental features which put it on track for silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. As the first government LEED building in Knoxville, it features a green roof, geothermal heating and cooling, a solar array, a design that makes use of natural light and other energy-saving features.
"The combination of creative design and energy-saving technology is reflective of our goals as a city to fully use available resources, increase residents' travel options and lessen our impact on the environment," Haslam said prior to Friday's event. "We're living in a day when people are looking more and more to mass transit and looking for ways to decrease our dependence on foreign oil."
The unique location of the station - partially on land and partially spanning a parkway - was a creative way to keep the transportation hub within the bustling downtown while finding a space to fit a 710-foot bus platform and associated administrative offices.
Knoxville Station will offer many amenities previously unavailable to the Knoxville transit passenger, including a Customer Service counter for pass purchase and information; climate-controlled waiting room; restrooms and vending, bike lockers, recycling throughout the facility and a soon-to-be-opened Station Cafe, featuring breakfast and lunch.
The station also features a special room off the main lobby that currently houses the Knoxville Station Grand Opening Art Exhibition - a juried show of 18 regional artists. KAT plans to also have permanent art commissioned for the facility.
The busway has been designed so that passengers need never cross in front of any buses to make transfers. Each platform is designated, and buses are assigned to specific platforms so that passengers always know exactly where to catch their route. The individual platforms will feature electronic signage which tracks the location of the bus, indicating when each bus is due to arrive. This information will also be available in the downstairs lobby and waiting area.
Knoxville Area Transit and the City of Knoxville hosted the ribbon-cutting.