The Fort Bend Public Transportation Department is awaiting approval of $14.6 million in federal funds to relocate its bus barn, administration and operations facilities.

Four priority locations in Sugar Land and Rosenberg have been identified as possible sites. Federal funding would cover 80 percent of the $20.6 million cost of the facility, said Paulette Shelton, director of public transportation for Fort Bend County. The remaining 20 percent—about $6 million—will be paid for with county funds from the November 2013 bond election.

The first site—off Hwy. 59 west of Hwy. 36 in Rosenberg—is a 50–acre tract that has been identified as the recommended site. The site is owned by the county and would provide ample space to accommodate 100 buses and on–site maintenance and fueling bays, Shelton said.

Shelton said the facility would initially need 20 acres for development, which would be sufficient for five years.

Today, with 53 operable buses, maintenance, operations and housing are divided among four locations.

"The thing that I am looking forward to is everybody in one place and the efficiencies it is going to bring," Shelton said. "We are putting in extra miles and time on salary and miles on vehicles. It is time to take a comprehensive look at what we are doing and where we are doing it."

If federal funding is approved in the spring, Shelton said it would allow the department to move forward with the final design and to issue bids to potential contractors.