A ground breaking ceremony was held Tuesday for the new $26 million home of Lexington's mass transit system. The new building will house maintenance facilities as well as administration.
Lexington Mayor Jim Gray says the new site is expected to greatly enhance efficiencies of the bus service. "We'll have seven bays here, where we had two before,” said Gray. “So there's a likelihood that the turn, the cycle turn on maintenance will be faster."
The 54,000 square foot complex will sit on property once used by General Electric for its glass plant.
Lextran General Manager Rocky Burke doesn't expect more riders early on but he agrees the new site will allow for a more efficient system. "I don't think we're gonna see more riders because of this, but what I think you're going to see is I think the city is gonna have a better appreciation for the transit system that we have,” said Burke. “Again, we'll be more efficient with the way we do things. I think better maintenance on the buses you're going to see, a cleaner fleet, we'll have more bus wash facilities and those sorts of things."
All 187 Lextran employees and 72 buses will be located at the new Louden Avenue site. The facility is anticipated to be finished by April of 2016.?
