Yuma's Hotel Del Sol to become downtown transportation hub

A 1926 downtown landmark once known as the Hotel Ming is set to become Yuma’s new transportation nerve center, with the long-closed Hotel Del Sol transformed into a centralized hub for YCAT, Amtrak, Greyhound and other travel needs just across the street from the current Amtrak platform.

The city says the project will cost $19.8 million and will put several services under one roof, a change that could matter most to riders who now piece together trips across multiple stops and ticketing sites. Jennifer Reichelt described the plan as a one-stop shop for residents, and David Wostenberg said the transportation center will occupy about 3,000 square feet on the east side of the bottom floor. For seniors, commuters, travelers and people without reliable vehicles, the difference is practical: fewer transfers, less confusion and a clearer path between local buses, intercity buses and rail.

The location is part of what makes the plan fit downtown Yuma so well. Hotel Del Sol sits in the Historic Downtown District and has been tied to the city’s identity for decades, even after it closed in the 1970s. YCAT says its future multimodal site is meant to connect Amtrak’s cross-country rail service, Greyhound’s regional intercity routes and YCAT’s local buses, while the agency’s transfer center has already been operating at the future downtown site since September 2012. That makes the building not just a renovation, but a long-awaited consolidation of how Yuma moves.

Preservation is built into the project too. The city plans exhibits that show what was once inside the hotel, including the wood ceiling beams and fireplace, and the work has also included preservation-related planning for features such as Spanish Colonial arches. The result would turn an underused historic property into a civic asset that keeps part of Yuma’s past visible while giving it a new daily purpose.

Funding has come together over several years. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Yuma a $10.6 million RAISE grant in 2021, the Arizona State Transportation Board added a $3.58 million match grant in 2024, and the city previously approved $1,015,000 for design-build services in 2020 and $633,306 in 2022 to rebuild the interior structure. Construction is expected to start in September 2026, with opening hoped for in late 2028 or late 2029, giving Yuma a downtown transit center that could improve regional access for communities across the county, including San Luis, Somerton, Wellton, Gadsden, Fortuna Foothills, Winterhaven and the Quechan/Fort Yuma Indian Reservation.