For the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART), Wednesday’s presentation of a $10 million check felt like scoring a touchdown.

That was the analogy DART General Manager Brad Miller used in his opening remarks to an audience of about 50 people before welcoming a list of big names to the stage, including U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Peter Rogoff. Martha Willits, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie and state Sen. Matt McCoy also spoke during the event.

Wednesday State and city leaders announced a $10 million grant from the DOT to build a downtown transit hub.

This is part of our effort to secure state and federal funding for the 20.5 million dollar DART Transit Hub. I-JOBS invested 4 million dollars in this project which I helped to secure.

The hub will go up between 6th street and 7th street, south of Cherry Street.

DART has estimated that the facility will cost about $21 million. They plan to break ground on the transit hub next spring.

Construction on DART's new transit hub, south of Cherry Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, will begin this spring, after a $10 million federal grant gave the LEED-certified project its necessary funding. The hub will replace the transit mall along Walnut Street, and could be completed by fall of 2012.

The news comes after more than a decade of planning. The hub will include waiting areas, public restrooms, a customer service desk, bike storage, vendor space and administrative offices, along with four bus lanes, 15 bus bays, covered walkways, a canopy with photovoltaic panels, real-time bus arrival and departure info, and public art.