ARTIC Groundbreaking Signals Orange County's Transportation Gateway is Underway

It's official. 

With shovels in the ground and elected officials, city leaders past and present, and travel enthusiasts under sunny skies, the symbolic turning of the dirt signaled the start of construction on a $184 million multimodal transportation facility to serve the entire Southern California region.

The Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center – known as ARTIC - became a reality.

ARTIC, a partnership between the City of Anaheim and the Orange County Transportation Authority, is expected to create 5,000 jobs during and following construction, and will allow people to move seamlessly between transit services to reach Southern California activity centers and business districts.

Upon completion anticipated for late 2014, those utilizing ARTIC in their commute and travel plans will be greeted by a 67,000 square foot, iconic structure standing 110 feet tall on 16 acres within the shadows of Angel Stadium of Anaheim and Honda Center on Katella Avenue.  Designed to provide service for the more than 40 million visitors to Anaheim and Orange County each year as well as Orange County's three million residents, ARTIC is also planned for future modes of transportation services, as well as retail, restaurant and office space, truly making it a multi-purpose civic space.

"This is a big day for Anaheim," said Mayor Tom Tait.  "ARTIC will change the way people move around our city and our county.  ARTIC will be Orange County's Grand Central Station."

"As our county grows, so must our transportation networks. ARTIC will establish a regional hub for all transit modes making it convenient for residents, commuters and visitors to utilize our transit systems," said OCTA Chair Paul Glaab, also the Mayor of Laguna Niguel. "OCTA is very pleased to see this project get under way and break ground on what will be Orange County's transportation gateway."

According to the Orange County Business Council, research indicates traffic congestion costs California $20 billion per year in wasted fuel and lost time.  Upon completion of ARTIC, existing public transportation options in and around Anaheim, Orange County and beyond can expand, thereby reducing vehicle congestion, pollution and green house gas emissions.  To accommodate the projected increase in commuters and travelers, ARTIC will house approximately 1,000 parking spaces, a railroad bridge, a pedestrian concourse bridge and tunnel, a baggage tunnel, rail station platforms, as well as aesthetically pleasing environmentally friendly landscaping and artwork depictive of life in Southern California.

ARTIC's three-level terminal building is designed for LEED Platinum certification.  The steel framing, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) roof system (the same material as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Water Cube Aquatics Center) and glass cladding will provide for maximum energy efficiency.  ARTIC will house 10 different transportation modes when it opens, including Metrolink, Amtrak, OCTA bus service, taxi, bicycle, international buses and tour and charter buses.

The Orange County Grand Jury recently affirmed the ARTIC project, citing, "The development and construction of the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) will be a plus for the Orange County area, and definitely an area that will see additional private investment in retail, restaurant and office space once constructed and up and running."  To read the full report click here.

Clark Construction Group – California, LP was selected and affirmed by the Anaheim City Council on Sept. 11 as the general contractor for ARTIC .  In Southern California, Clark Construction has managed the construction on LA LIVE!, Nokia Theater, Disney's Cars Land, CALTRANS District 7, Long Beach Courthouse Building and Petco Park in San Diego.

Clark Construction has a long history of supporting local companies during the bid and construction process.  During the bid process, Clark Construction invited more than 700 California contractors to bid the project, of which more than 50 percent were minority-owned companies.  In anticipation of the ARTIC award, Clark Construction has been in contact with Anaheim Jobs, the City's Workforce Investment Board.  Clark Construction will continue to emphasize local hires on the jobsite during construction, including sponsoring two job fairs, linking jobs to www.anaheimjobs.com, and encouraging subcontractors to also post their jobs to the same website.