How to Build a Better Bus Garage:Mn/DOT’s Facility Guidebook

18th National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation

Gerry Weiss, State Program Administrator Principal

Minnesota Department of Transportation

Lack of Process to Determine Facility Needs

• Increasing Number of Requests for Facilities

• No Process to Determine Need

• No Process to Determine Facility Size

• No Process to Determine Appropriate Cost

• No Process to Determine Benefit/Cost

• No Process to Rank Facility Requests

Development of Facility Guidebook

• Need to provide a clear, consistent and streamlined process of documenting the need for a facility, and clarify the steps required to submit application for project funding

• Need to establish a uniform process for Mn/DOT to use when evaluating funding requests

Facility Guidebook Overview• Provide a summary of the planning

and application process• More involvement from the

Mn/DOT Transit Project Manager• Clearly define the roles of all

involved parties• Do as much “up front” planning as

possible• Provide guidelines based on other

facilities• Develop a relationship with local

agencies

Facility Guidebook Overview (Continue)

• Provide guidelines based on other facilities

• Develop a relationship with local units of government

• Provide examples

• Describe how projects are evaluated

• Develop application process

Facility Application Process

• Step 1: Project Definition

• Step 2: Project Development

• Step 3: Project Submittal

• Step 4: Application for Funding

• Step 5: Final Design and Construction

Step 1 – Project Definition

• Project Definition is the process that promotes initial discussions between an applicant and local government and documents the need for the project timelines

• Complete Project Need and Justification worksheet to document need

FACILITY DESIGN - WORKSHEET 2Recommended Planning Guidelines

TRANSIT PROVIDER INPUT:

Input your data in the yellow cells only. The remaining data is calculated automatically

Total Annual System Miles (from Transit Report or Projected) - Total Bus Fleet, all classes of buses

1: RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF MAINTENANCE BAYSNumber of Bays based on vehicle miles per year 0Number of Bays based on number of buses 0

The above two numbers are averaged to determine the recommended number of bays:

RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF MAINTENANCE BAYS 0

FACILITY DESIGN - WORKSHEET 2(Continue)

2: RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF WASH BAYS 0 3: APPROXIMATE AREAS FOR MAINTENANCE SERVICES AND TRANSIT GARAGE

3A: Overall Maintenance Bay Area 3B: Parts Room

3C: Maintenance Storage 3D: Tire Storage 3E: Wash Bays

3F: Transportation and Administrative Services

Sum total of individual Maintenance Service Areas, ie the Transit Garage Check: Total Maintenance Service Area based on fleet miles

The above two numbers are averaged to determine the recommended number of bays : RECOMMENDED PRELIMINARY AREA OF TRANSIT GARAGE 4: RECOMMENDED NUMBER OF FUELING STATIONS 0

4A: Automobile Parking Area 4B: Total Area of Building 4C: Total Site Circulation Area 5: SITE AREA

RECOMMENDED MINIUM SITE AREA, IN ACRES 0

Step One Project Definition (Continue)

• Conduct initial meetings with local government

• Review and project approval

Step 2 – Project Development

• Site investigation and selection

• Develop concept layout

• Develop concept cost estimates

• Complete Benefit/Cost analysis

COST/BENEFIT– WORKSHEET 4Costs: (actual costs of the proposed facility per bus per year over the useful life of the facility

Project Cost (new bus garage facility) Number of buses

Cost per Bus Years of benefit Cost per Bus per Year

Benefits (Direct measurable benefits such as service hours savings, eliminating a lease, eliminate cost from private provider)

Service hours saved per bus/year costs per hour of operation total buses

annual savings $ - savings per bus per year

Cost/Benefit Ratio /1.00 << Enter information in yellow cells only

Step 2 – Project Development (Continue)

• Obtain concept approval from local government

• Develop support documentation

• Amend Capital Improvement Plan

• Submittal

Site investigation and Selection• Determine if there are any

environmental issues with the property

• What type and size building is physically possible on the site (s)

• What condition the existing building is in and what potential it has to accommodate the applicant’s need

Concept Site Plan• Site boundary• Lot area• Identification of unusual

conditions (topography, wetlands, parklands, archaeologically, etc.)

• Building location/layout• Roadway access• Available utilities• Conduct Phase 1

Environmental site review• If necessary conduct Phase 2

EA and drilling investigation

Concept Layout

• Applicant is required to develop a concept layout of the new facility or renovation

• Concept layout includes space needs, circulation and facility components

Concept Cost Estimates

• Capital recovery

• Utility costs

• Labor costs

• Maintenance costs

• Facility support services

Benefit/Cost Analysis

• The purpose of completing a benefit/cost analysis is to determine the advantages of making improvements and their relationship with the resulting costs of improvements

• Complete vehicle operating cost savings worksheet

• Complete benefit/cost analysis worksheet

• Complete buy/lease worksheet

Concept approval• After completing the

benefit/cost analysis worksheet, the applicant has enough information to present to present proposal to local funding agencies to receive comments and concept approval

• This step is necessary to verify that the project can be constructed and determine if there are any conditions that will affect the cost of the project.

Develop Support Documentation

• Useful Life (assure operation of facility for its useful life, normally 20 – 30 years)

• Local Match (applicant has commitment for 20% local match)

• Project Readiness (includes a checklist of steps toward project implementation)

Step 3 – Project Submittal• Applicant submits all

worksheets in Step 2 to Mn/DOT Project Manager for review and forward to Office of Transit

• Office of Transit will review, rank and create a list of priority projects

• Office of Transit will then determine funding source (State General Funds, State Bond Funds, Section 5309)

Step 4 – Application for Funding• Application of approved projects

must include: description of project; document that project has been included in STIP (if Federally funded); CE documentation; description of service area

• Priority projects that have been authorized to proceed now go into the formal grant process

• If project is going to be funded with Federal Funds, CE must be approved by the FTA prior to grant submittal

• Applicant enters into contract agreement with Mn/DOT

Step 5 – Final Design and Construction

• Preparation of contract documents

• Applicant must enter into a contract with a registered architect to prepare final construction documents and be the administrator of the construction contract between owner and contractor

Step 5 – Final Design and ConstructionBidding and Contractor Administration

• Once project has been bid and approved for construction, the actual work of building begins

• Bidding process is influenced by the Federal or State grant requirements

• Architect retained by the applicant will administer the contract per the agreed General Conditions

More Information

• Checkout our website at: • www.dot.state.mn.us/transit/grantapplications/C

apital_facility/greatermnappindex.html• Contract Mn/DOT Office of Transit, 395 John

Ireland Boulevard, MS 430, Saint Paul , Minnesota 55155

• Gerry Weiss: 651-366-4183, email: ga.weiss@dot.state.mn.us