Share your thoughts on a Midlands transportation center at upcoming meeting

What are the Midlands’ transportation needs as the region grows? Where could a regional transportation hub be located, and what features should it have?

A public meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday to receive input on the concept of a regional transportation center that could be a hub for multiple modes of transportation, such as bus, train and car service. The previously scheduled meeting was postponed because of Hurricane Matthew.

The Central Midlands Council of Governments is commissioning a study to identify a possible site for a regional transportation center and the features it might include – a centralized bus station, a future rail link?

The gathering of public input on wants and needs is one of the first steps in what could be a five- to 10-year journey toward completing a transportation center that would connect various types of transit throughout the Midlands region.

Transportation centers tend to become activity centers and attract development around or nearby them, Central Midlands Council of Governments leaders say. They can even include such broad community offerings as library branches and retail spaces.

The public input meeting will be from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, at the Richland Library Main branch in downtown Columbia, 1431 Assembly St.

This story was originally published October 30, 2016 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Share your thoughts on a Midlands transportation center at upcoming meeting."