Abbostford – Construction will soon be underway for the new Central Fraser Valley Transit Maintenance and Operations Facility in Abbotsford. When complete, the site will include parking for 92 buses with the ability to expand to 150 in the future. The site will also include seven vehicle maintenance bays, administrative building and onsite bus wash and fueling facilities. A Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station is incorporated into the design, which will enable the Central Fraser Valley to integrate CNG buses into their fleet. CNG buses are quieter and cleaner burning than diesel buses and create additional operational cost savings.
Member of Parliament for Mission–Matsqui–Fraser Canyon, Jati Sidhu, MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission Bob D’Eith, City of Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun, District of Mission Mayor Pam Alexis and members of BC Transit’s senior leadership team gathered this afternoon for the ceremonial groundbreaking on the site of the new transit and operations facility to be built at 3032 Gladys Avenue in Abbotsford.
In 2013, the City of Abbotsford and the District of Mission approved a Transit Future Plan that identified the need for a new transit facility to meet the growing population and to support the increasing popularity of public transit in the area. The existing facility, located at 1225 Riverside Road in Abbotsford, can no longer support service expansion and investment in alternative technologies.
This $28.6 million project was first announced in 2016 as part of the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF), from which approximately 83 per cent of construction costs are being provided by the federal government and the Province of B.C. The remaining construction costs will be jointly covered by the City of Abbotsford and the District of Mission. Land and other costs not eligible for PTIF funding will be shared by the Province of B.C., the City of Abbotsford and the District of Mission.
Tender packages have been released for site preparation, foundation, site services and CNG equipment, with more to follow in the coming months. The project is scheduled for completion in spring of 2020.
