Construction Will Begin Today on Transit Center in Escondido

Construction of a $12-million transit center in Escondido to serve as a hub for local and regional bus service is scheduled to start with a ground breaking today at the northwestern corner of West Valley Parkway and Quince Avenue.

The site is next to a Santa Fe rail line, which one day may provide a commuter link between Escondido and Oceanside. That project is being pursued by the North County Transit District, which will operate the Escondido Transit Center.

The facility is expected to be ready by late 1989, said Bob Lerner, a spokesman for the county, which is funneling state and federal transportation funds into the project on behalf of NCTD.

The center will become the Escondido transit hub for the NCTD, which now operates a curb-side transfer station on Valley Parkway at Escondido Boulevard, alongside a department store parking lot.

Covers 11 Acres

The new, 11-acre site two blocks west will provide bays for 15 buses at a time, not only for NCTD but for the County Transit System, which offers express bus service from Escondido to San Diego on Interstate 15.

Lerner said Greyhound Bus Co. is also likely to relocate from its storefront office to the new center.

The center, which will operate much like the 5-year-old Oceanside Transit Center, will also provide park-and-ride space for 300 vehicles and include about 1,000 square feet of retail businesses.

Lerner said the Escondido Transit Center is expected to serve more than 2 million commuters annually.

The site was formerly a migrant labor camp.

The general contractor for the transit center is Douglas E. Barnhart Inc.