Sacramento Intermodel Transportation Facility

The proposed Sacramento Intermodal Transportation Facility (SITF) is planned to be developed in three phases and would include the a realignment of existing rail tracks (Phase 1 estimated cost $56,169,000), improvements to the existing Sacramento Valley Station, which includes the current Southern Pacific Railroad Depot (Phase 2 estimated cost $21.9 million), and eventual transformation of the Station into a multimodal transportation center (future Phase 3 estimated cost $261.9 million).

The proposed project site consists of 33 acres, including the existing Station that’s owned by the City and the Cities in the process of acquiring additional land immediately north of the Station for the proposed project. The area to be acquired also contains the approximately 3,300-foot-long UPRR rail corridor (current alignment and proposed realignment) between the Sacramento River and 7th Street.

Phase 1 would be constructed and fully operational in 2010. Phase 2 would start construction in the first quarter of 2011, after the completion of Phase 1, and would be completed in approximately 3 years. The timing of Phase 3 is uncertain and depends on the build alternative selected and availability of funding.

There are two alternatives in building the new terminal building to accommodate projected providers and passengers for the new facility. Alternative 1 is to not move the depot or alternative 2 is to move the depot 300 feet to the north next to the realigned tracks. Moving the Depot would ensure that it would become the anchor for the new Depot District and would generally shorten the connections between passenger modes.

The project has just completed a National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Assessment evaluation and is open to public comment till May 15, 2009. A public informational meeting will be held on April 22, 2009.