Improvements eyed for Red Bluff bus terminal
By George Johnston | gjohnston@redbluffdailynews.com | Red Bluff Daily News
PUBLISHED: July 24, 2024 at 3:00 AM PDT
RED BLUFF—The TRAX bus terminal in Red Bluff is being considered for significant improvements while preserving Historic Chinatown Alley.
On Monday, the Transporation Commission approved allocating the 2024 apportionment of the State of Good Repair Transit funding to the current carryover project, the Rio and Walnut Walnut Transit Hub Rehabilitation.
Transportation Manager Jessica Riske-Gomez shared that this project entails modifying the multi-modal hub to support increased transit activity and comply with current ADA standards. Safety upgrades will also include replacing lighting fixtures, upgrading sidewalks and curbing, and resurfacing the parking area.
Riske-Gomez said this project will coordinate with Red Bluff and support the integrity of the Historic Chinatown Alley. The Helen and Joe Chew Foundation, a leading voice behind the alley, is also involved with the project.
Red Bluff has a rich Chinese history. Many events have taken place around the historic Chinatown Alley. (Mandy Feder-Sawyer/Red Bluff Daily News)
Staff intends to improve the overall facility while respecting the cultural integrity of that location with supporting design.
According to Riske-Gomez, with the allocation approved, the project has accrued approximately $3,5 million and is considered fully funded. She added
the final cost estimates developed during the design and pre-construction activities will determine the final budgetary need.
“Following this funding cycle, these funds will be moved to TRAX operations to supplant the expiring CARES funding and bridge the projected funding shortfall,” Riske-Gomez concluded.
The Historic Chinatown Alley is located between Main Street and Rio Street, from Hickory Street to the north to Pine Street on the south end. The Helen and Joe Chew Foundation provided the markers and signs for the area.
Jessica Casas contacted the city, inquiring about alley names. She is descended from one of Red Bluff’s five original Chinese families.
According to Casas’ research, Wong Foey was one of the earliest Chinese settlers to Red Bluff in 1862. Foey worked in orchards and became a judge, labor boss, and arbitrator. He was a business owner and used to co-host the Chinese New Year parades on Rio Street every year with Casas’ family, who opened their first restaurant at Walnut and Madison Streets.
“In a way, this is so that the alleyway can look down upon the Chinatown that was once so vibrant and is cherished and many hearts of many families across America,” Casas said.
It will be a while before any construction happens. Riske-Gomez estimates the project could take up to four years to complete. Right now, though, staff are focused on getting everything in its place so the project can be finished quickly and not dragged out.
In 2022, the Red Bluff City Council unanimously approved naming the alley in honor of the former Chinatown.