The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) has opened its new 200,000-square-foot Coolidge Terminal, a 160 million USD operations facility designed to improve the maintenance, storage and management of the city’s bus fleet.
The new complex replaces the former Coolidge Terminal, which opened in 1928 and was severely damaged by fire in 2011. Construction follows several years of planning after redevelopment of the site was delayed by Detroit’s 2013 bankruptcy.
Although passengers will not use the terminal directly, the facility is intended to strengthen the operational functions that support bus services across the city.
The Coolidge Terminal comprises three separate buildings for bus storage, maintenance and administration. Its climate-controlled storage building measures 121,192 square feet and can accommodate up to 120 buses. Housing vehicles indoors is intended to protect the fleet from extreme weather conditions and includes facilities for regular bus washing.
A separate 54,293-square-foot maintenance building provides space for inspections, servicing and repairs, allowing mechanics to carry out routine maintenance and return buses to service more efficiently.
The site also houses a new citywide DDOT control centre equipped with updated operational technology to oversee daily bus services.
Robert Cramer, Executive Director of Transit at DDOT, said:The new Coolidge facility represents a major investment in transit for the City, adding a modern base for west side operations and a new city-wide DDOT control center. The site includes new employee amenities and technology that will support operating safe, reliable service for decades to come.
The terminal also includes a 16,922-square-foot administration building containing offices, a kitchen, indoor and outdoor lounge areas, an exercise room, lockers and showers.
The updated facilities are intended to provide improved working conditions for drivers, mechanics and other employees responsible for operating Detroit’s bus network.
Mayor Mary Sheffield said:Our DDOT drivers and mechanics are critical to making sure our residents can get to work, to school, their doctor’s appointment or to store, and absolutely essential to our city’s economy. They deserve to have a first-class facility to support them and now they do.
DDOT has transferred its west-side operations from the former Gilbert Terminal to the new Coolidge site. The Gilbert facility is expected to be demolished, while east-side operations will continue from the Shoemaker Terminal.
The terminal has been designed with areas that allow future expansion of each of its three buildings, enabling the site to accommodate changes in fleet size and operational requirements.
Funding for the project comprised 102.5 million USD from the Federal Transit Administration, 31.5 million USD from the City of Detroit and 25.6 million USD from the Michigan Department of Transportation. The overall project cost includes approximately 10 million USD allocated for the demolition of the former terminal.
