Projects

Since the early 1990s, MTD utilized two neighboring facilities for Maintenance and bus storage (and even Administration and Operations activities, early on). 801 E. University, Urbana was built in 1974 and expanded in 1979. 803 E. University, Urbana, to the east, was purchased by MTD in 1991. Both facilities eventually exceeded their storage capacity and the 801 storage area was not tall enough to fit MTD’s growing fleet of hybrid buses. The demolition of 801 and the subsequent expansion of the current Maintenance Facility at 803 answered several District needs.

803 was expanded in 2015-2017 to add space for vehicle storage and employee training. The facility expansion includes classrooms for new employee and review training, driving simulators, computer-based training, and space for rural transit offices. Another improvement can be seen on the streets of Champaign-Urbana-Savoy every day: the expansion allowed freshly washed buses to remain indoors after their turn in the wash bay. Before the expansion, buses were washed and then immediately driven outside before entering the storage area. This was particularly troublesome in the winter, when we had to dispense salt at the exit of the bus wash to prevent the water run-off from turning into a sheet of ice. Today, freshly washed buses remain indoors, allowing for shiny vehicles, less salt, and safer conditions.

This project was funded with Federal, State, and local funds.