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Green's Just Grand
Bus Facility to Benefit
Commuters and the Environment
by Lynne Viccaro O'Leary
What is 500,000 sq. ft., worth $217 million and green?
The new central maintenance facility and bus depot to be
constructed on Grand Avenue in Maspeth, Queens.
Funded by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration,
a U.S. agency under the Department of Transportation, and
the New York City Transit Authority, the Grand Avenue Bus
Depot and Maintenance Facility is scheduled for completion
in late summer 2006. This project-the first of its kind in
the area-is one of several environmentally friendly facilities
that NYCT is building.
Jointly managed by Tishman Construction Corp. and the Washington
Group, the first pilings of the 32-month-long construction
project were placed in mid-March. The two-story facility will
have space for fueling, cleaning and indoor storage of 200
buses for the Brooklyn-Queens division.
"With this facility, storage, fueling, washing, painting,
and mechanical operations will be under one roof," said
Andy Lott, senior project manager for Tishman. "The building
will also meet the need of expanding and upgrading the Department
of Buses' facilities to be state-of-the-art from both environmental
and technological standpoints."
The facility will accommodate approximately 27 buses undergoing
repairs or scheduled maintenance, as well as administrative
offices and an employee parking lot on the roof. Within the
depot, there will be room for 60-ft. articulated buses to
maneuver.
The shop is being designed to repair and maintain "green"
electric and compressed natural gas buses as well as diesel
vehicles and will contain fueling and defueling stations.
This design/build project by Granite Halmar will also be
the first "green" bus facility of its kind, built
using all state-of-the-art systems, designs and materials
and adhering to Environmental Management Systems ISO14001
specifications.
"Photovoltaic cells on the roof level will produce some
of the building's energy," Lott said. "The building
will collect and reuse rainwater for systems cooling and bus-washing
purposes. The facility also houses four environmentally friendly
paint booths, which are totally self-contained units."
And it is being designed and built to comply with all clean
air standards, as well as other applicable environmental standards,
he added.
"The facility will be built in accordance with all codes
and regulations set forth in the governor's executive order
111 to be energy efficient and environmentally aware,"
said Bill O'Reilly, chief facilities officer, Department of
Buses.
The NYCT operates the largest bus fleet in North America-and
is still growing. Due to the expansion and diversification
of the fleet for compressed natural gas, hybrids and gas diesel
vehicles, the central maintenance facility in East New York
has outlived its repair capabilities.
"We needed more room to accommodate increased bus service
for Brooklyn and Queens," O'Reilly added. "We have
buses parked all over in the East New York facility. More
room was a necessity. The Brooklyn division alone is the sixth-largest
bus depot in the country."
With the need for more room in a densely populated area,
the NYCT found what it needed on the former site of a rent-a-car
business. To save on land space, it was decided that the facility
would be two stories, with the shop located on top of the
depot.
"This is the largest project done by the Department
of Buses," O'Reilly said. "This is a long-term solution
to an immediate problem. We've got to keep the buses rolling."
Lott said the project will benefit commuters because maintenance
and storage facilities will be on one site, which will make
transportation more dependable.
"The environmentally responsible design and construction
of this building will benefit everyone on the planet and set
a precedent for other transportation-related facilities,"
he added.
The NYCT is ensuring that the new facility will have little
impact on its neighborhood by providing onsite, rooftop parking
for employees and encouraging the use of public transportation.
"We take the needs of the community very seriously,"
O'Reilly said. "We will also be providing new jobs by
hiring from the community. What could be better than working
in your own neighborhood?"
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