Plans for a new bus and transportation operations and maintenance facility on North Campus moved forward with the Board of Regents approving the schematic design for the new building Feb. 20.
The $39 million project will accommodate current and future maintenance space needs, including the flexibility to handle larger, articulated buses and vehicles, and infrastructure to charge electric vehicles.
The approximately 70,000-square-foot building will be located near Dean Road between Baxter and Hubbard roads, relocating from Kipke Drive on the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus. The site previously housed the University Laundry Building that served patient care facilities at Michigan Medicine. That building will be demolished.
Design for the project calls for the facility to operate more efficiently and sustainably, with the university saving approximately $100,000 per year in operating expenses by reducing miles buses spend out of service to get onto established bus routes.
The university’s auto and truck maintenance will remain at the Kipke Drive location.
This project has changed significantly since it was first brought forward in 2014, and later put on hold after hearing concerns from nearby residents. The transportation facility was reworked after university officials reached out to residents before bringing the new plan forward for approval in December 2018.
Since construction of the Transportation Services Building in 1974, the university’s bus fleet has grown by 45 percent and transports more than 7 million riders per year.
The architectural firm of AECOM Great Lakes Inc. from Detroit designed the project, which is expected to provide an average of 54 on-site construction jobs. There will be a temporary loss of some adjacent parking spaces during construction, but there will be no permanent impact on parking.
There will be no additional bus traffic on Green Road resulting from this project.
Construction is scheduled to be completed in summer 2022 and will be paid for with funds from Logistics, Transportation and Parking resources.
Robert Naebeck
only makes sense to finally put all the garages under one roof oh ..wait….