University of Massachusetts Amherst: $11.8 Million Grant Will Upgrade UMass Transit Maintenance Facility
UMass Transit has received an $11.8 million grant that will fund significant improvements to its PVTA maintenance facility on campus.
The PVTA project includes design, construction and expansion of the building envelope at the 185 Holdsworth Way on-campus repair facility, the additional of four new hydraulic bus service lifts, and the tooling and ancillary support and diagnostic equipment needed for the expanded work areas.
The $11.8 million grant — 80% federal funds with a 20% match of $2.4 million from MassDOT — will support the work currently being done by UMass Transit in its operation of two 60-foot “bendy” articulated “super buses” that carry over 120 passengers in one bus. This surge capacity is critical to the university’s ability to serve peak class and community mobility needs in a single trip, but we are limited in adding more of these buses into the fleet. The university has been limited to adding more articulated buses due to a time-consuming process to conduct basic repairs and inspections. The current UMass Transit facility was designed without an articulated bus fleet. In order to add more of these “super buses” into the PVTA/UMass Transit fleet, capital project modifications are needed that allow for far greater flexibility in the length and weight of the transit buses it supports, including heavier electric battery buses.
The grant award also provides for a significant investment in workforce training and development, including heavy repair, reconditioning, and technical service repair training for current and future co-workers, notably battery electric bus fleets.
Connie Englert, director of transportation services at UMass Amherst, said, “UMass Transit appreciates the support from PVTA, our federal delegation and MassDOT for this new grant funding. This significant investment in the PVTA transit maintenance service facility at UMass is vital to offering a more reliable, resilient and responsive public service to UMass and the Five College communities.”