The Denton County Transportation Authority will soon have a more efficient bus operations infrastructure with help from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration. The agency was recently awarded $2,625,000 in funding from FTA’s Bus & Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program to construct a new light duty bus maintenance facility. DCTA’s new bus facility will be located at the agency’s Rail and Operations Maintenance (O&M) facility in Old Town Lewisville. FTA awarded $264 million to 139 projects in 52 states and territories for capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, purchase or lease buses and related equipment and to rehabilitate, purchase, construct or lease bus-related facilities. DCTA was only one of two public transit agencies in Texas chosen to receive funding. 80 percent of DCTA’s grant funds will be reimbursed by FTA, and the remaining 20 percent will be covered though North Central Texas Council of Government’s transportation development credit program.

Improved Efficiency for Bus and Contract Services

DCTA does not have a dedicated maintenance facility in southern Denton County, which impacts agency service and operational efficiency. The agency’s Rail O&M facility—constructed solely for A-train operations—where DCTA is basing the operations and staging for bus service in Lewisville and Highland Village, and contract service in Frisco and the McKinney Urban Transit District area, was not designed to accommodate DCTA’s current fleet of 92 buses. Officials said there are no sufficient bus operator facilities, and DCTA is currently utilizing 10 to 12 buses that are being refueled and staged at the Rail O&M facility instead of at the agency’s Bus Operations and Maintenance (O&M) facility in Denton. Once DCTA’s new bus maintenance facility is constructed, it will accommodate up to 45 buses and improve operational efficiency, improve air quality with fewer buses having to travel to DCTA’s Bus O&M facility in Denton to be serviced and provide cost savings for the agency. “Our new bus facility will allow us to enhance our service in one of the fastest-growing areas in North Texas,” said Jim Cline, DCTA President. “In addition, receiving this grant demonstrates DCTA’s commitment to being a good financial steward for our communities and providing efficient mobility solutions.”

Service Expansion Opportunities for DCTA

Another added benefit of DCTA’s new bus maintenance facility is the potential transportation service opportunities along Highway 121 and Collin County. Without a proper bus maintenance facility in southern Denton County, DCTA would not have the capacity to expand service into these areas, which is essential for future mobility solutions for one of the nation’s fastest-growing counties. Construction of DCTA’s new bus maintenance facility is slated to begin in 2019, with completion of the facility in 2021.