The Department of Parking and Transportation Services will construct a new operations and maintenance facility on North Campus to help meet its safety operational efficiency and sustainability needs.
The $38.5 million, 114,000-square-foot building was approved Thursday by the Board of Regents. It will be located near Dean Road between Baxter and Hubbard roads relocating from Kipke Drive on the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus.
The new operations and maintenance facility will accommodate current and future maintenance space needs, including the flexibility to handle larger articulated buses. It also will house heavy-equipment maintenance operations that are currently in a separate building.
“Our goal is to build a facility that is appropriately sized and located in an area that allows us to do the things we want to improve safety, operate more efficiently with the amenities that our employees deserve,” said Steve Dolen, executive director of Parking & Transportation Services.
Since the current building was constructed in 1974, the university’s bus fleet has grown by 45 percent and the number of vehicles it operates has grown 140 percent and its driver staff has doubled.
The new facility will meet current guidelines for vehicle maintenance facilities, including improved vehicle circulation and appropriate work zones for improved safety.
The facility also allows Parking & Transportation Services to maintain and operate larger articulated buses to move larger number of passengers in one trip, which helps to meet its sustainability goals of less greenhouse gas emissions and fewer passenger trips.
“The Ross Athletic Campus is a busy area with pedestrian and vehicle traffic especially during events. Moving the operations facility away from this traffic is a safety enhancement and operational improvement,” Dolen added.
Departing the current site will make available nearly185 spaces on the Ross Athletic Campus for commuters and event parking.
The university operates one of the largest alternative-energy vehicle fleets among universities in the United States, with 526 vehicles running on E-85 fuel, 96 vehicles using bio-diesel, 56 hybrid electric passenger vehicles, and 15 all-electric vehicles.
