Camden’s Walter Rand Transportation Center to get major overhaul

Camden’s major downtown transportation hub is about to get a $250 million reboot.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was joined Wednesday by several officials, including Camden Mayor Frank Moran, to announce an overhaul of the Walter Rand Transportation Center at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Broadway.

Murphy said the multi-year project would create “a modern and scalable economic gateway that fully reflects Camden’s future and its vision and its trajectory.”

“This new facility … will provide better connectivity between the PATCO Speedline and the River Line,” Murphy said. “It’ll provide for improved flow for the more than two dozen NJ Transit bus lines that flow to and from here.”

The overhaul will also include more room for independent bus services, parking, and charging stations for electric vehicles.

Murphy added that the project will explore the possibilities for transit-oriented development, which includes adjacent housing, office, and retail space.

The center, which opened in 1989, is named for the late state Sen. Walter Rand, a public transportation champion, who is credited for being the architect of New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund and the South Jersey Transportation Authority.

Rand’s legacy was evoked by Moran, who said Rand was committed to transportation services, but noted that the center in its current form no longer serves its purpose.

“Everything has its time,” he said. “It’s outdated and it’s time to really bring this transportation hub up to par to what’s happening in the city of Camden.”

The work will begin in earnest with New Jersey Transit initiating the design process, which is expected to last nine months. Murphy said a labor agreement has been attached to the project ensuring union involvement.