Southside Bus Operations, Maintenance and Admin Facility
On June 9, 2011, HRT formally opened its new southside bus maintenance complex at 509 E. 18th Street in Norfolk.
The culmination of years of planning and 18 months of construction, the new facility represents the latest in design for a building uniquely designed to help maintain the transit bus fleet in South Hampton Roads.
The project involved the construction of three main buildings on the site of the former garage which had its origins in the days of trolleys. The main maintenance facility includes a warehouse, 21 bays for mechanical bus repair, a bus body shop, and extensive training classrooms for new and existing employees. Within the main building there also is space dedicated for radio dispatch, risk management, human resources and bus operations.
A second building serves as a bus wash and fuel depot. There buses will be cleaned and prepared every day. The third building is a large parking deck under which HRT buses will be parked when not in service. Overhead space is reserved for employee parking.
In December 2010, HRT began work on a fourth building to serve as administrative offices. When completed later this year, existing employees from 1500 Monticello Ave. will relocate there.
The new main maintenance building is among the few industrial facilities in Hampton Roads designed and built for a gold rating in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program. There are but 25 LEED-certified buildings in Hampton Roads – and 10 are in Norfolk.
Building Highlights
- –Employee parking will be on an elevated parking deck with bus parking underneath
- –A covered pedestrian will allow employees to walk from their parked cars on the deck directly to the 2nd floor of the maintenance building where operator dispatch will be located
- –Spacious operator lounge areas
- –Training area includes state-of-the-art computer classroom
- –Covered outdoor atrium for employee use
- –Clerestory windows will provide natural light to maintenance and office areas.
- –Modern shipping/receiving/storeroom areas
- –State-of-the-art bus and non-revenue vehicle maintenance equipment
- –Rainwater harvesting system to be installed in support of bus wash operations
- –HVAC system will automatically circulate fresh outdoor air when pre-set conditions (e.g. ambient air temperature, humidity, etc.) are met.
- –Modern security features to control access onto the site and movement within the buildings
- –User-controlled “spot cooling” air conditioner vents in maintenance areas become available when ambient air temperatures rise above pre-determined threshold.
Square Footage
All together the New Southside Facility – including the new administration building – is 299,701 square feet with each broken down in the following ways:
- –Building #1: Primary Maintenance Facility 80,932 sq. ft.
- –Building #2: Fuel Island and Bus Wash 18,065 sq. ft.
- –Building #3: Primary Parking Deck 137,132 sq. ft.
- –Building #4: Administration Building 43,689 sq. ft.
- –Admin Building Parking Deck 19,883 sq. ft.