Watt/I-80 station is a below-grade light rail station on the Blue Line of the SacRT light rail system operated by the Sacramento Regional Transit District. The station is located in the median of Interstate 80 at its intersection of Watt Avenue, after which the station is named, in the community of North Highlands, California, United States.
Watt/I-80  | |||||||||||
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 Watt/I-80 station platform | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Interstate 80 at Watt Avenue North Highlands, California United States | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°38′43″N 121°22′59″W / 38.64528°N 121.38306°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Sacramento Regional Transit District | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Connections |
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| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | Freeway median, below-grade | ||||||||||
| Parking | 243 spaces[3] | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | March 12, 1987[4] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Watt/I-80 station was the original northern terminus of the RT Light Rail system and it remains the northern terminus of today's Blue Line.
The station has had issues with broken elevators, poor signage, poor cleanliness, and safety. A study proposed closing the elevator on the east side of the station, building new stairs and elevators on west side, and moving many bus transfers to the Roseville Road station.[5] The proposals are opposed by transit advocates.[6]
The station, along with a bus transfer platform and a 243 space park and ride lot, reused a partially built, but later abandoned freeway project.
The park and ride lot is poorly utilized, with an average of just six cars. A study blamed the poor utilization on long walk between the lot and the station, safety concerns at the station, and the Roseville Road station's superior design for passengers arriving by car.[5]
Platforms and tracks
editThe station includes a park-and-ride and a bus transfer center. It is one of the busiest bus/light rail transfer points in the Sacramento Regional Transit District. It is also the only 2-level light rail station in the system: light rail, peak commute buses, and a Placer County Transit bus route to Auburn use the lower level in the I-80 median, while all daily routes use the Watt Avenue overpass on the upper level.
| Street level | Buses |
| Southbound | Blue Line toward Cosumnes River College (Watt/I-80 West) → |
| Side platform, doors open on the right | |
| Freeway level plaza | Buses, park and ride lot, ticket machines |
References
edit- ^ "SacRT System Map" (PDF) (Map). Sacramento Regional Transit District. August 29, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ "Placer County Transit System" (Map). Placer County Transit. 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ^ "Park and Ride". Sacramento Regional Transit District. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ Walker, Bill (March 13, 1987). "Pride runneth over in city 'On the move'". The Sacramento Bee. pp. A1, A26.
- ^ a b "Re-imagine Watt/I-80 Transit Center Master Plan" (PDF). WALKSacramento. March 30, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Dramer, Tamie (February 19, 2018). "SacTRU Opposes the closing of the Watt/I-80 Station". Sacramento Transit Riders Union (SacTRU). Retrieved 2022-07-19.
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