The Maryland Transit Administration (MD MTA) broke ground recently on a $140 million project to replace the 66-year-old Kirk Avenue Bus Facility in northeast Baltimore. In attendance were DOT Deputy Secretary John D. Porcari, FTA Administrator Peter M. Rogoff, Maryland Transportation Secretary James T. Smith Jr., Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

The two-phase project will replace the existing facility with two new buildings: the $65 million Maintenance Facility Building (Phase I) and the $75 million Transportation and Storage Building (Phase II). Both new facilities will be fully enclosed, reducing noise, exhaust fumes, and visibility of the buses to the surrounding community.

Funding for Phase I includes a $40 million federal State of Good Repair Grant. The state Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013 provides $75 million in funding for Phase II, part of an additional $4.4 billion in transportation projects
supporting 57,200 jobs.

Smith said the “state-of-the-art bus facility . . . will enhance our transit operations in the Baltimore area and provide needed relief to nearby residents,” as well as bringing “jobs, improved transit services, and a cleaner environment to Baltimore.”

The Maintenance Facility Building, being built on a site across the street from the existing Kirk Facility, includes a 100,000-square-foot structure, designed with sustainable energy-efficient features; 15 maintenance bays, including six that will accommodate articulated buses; 13 bus storage bays; facilities for preventive maintenance, vehicle inspections, heavy repairs, fueling, washing, radio dispatching, administrative offices and operator support facilities; and employee parking.

The Transportation and Storage Building is currently in design. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2015 and take two years to complete.