January 27, 2025

Contractor wanted for $300M bus base in Bothell

Images via Sound Transit [enlarge]

The bus maintenance and operations base will be built on 12.5 acres at the Canyon Park Business Center in Bothell.

Sound Transit is seeking a general contractor to build a new bus base in Bothell that will be used to maintain, service, fuel and store up to 120 articulated and double-decker buses.

Those buses will be part of the agency's forthcoming Stride bus rapid transit (BRT) network, which will include Sound Transit's first battery-electric bus fleet.

A bid notice for the construction contract ran in the DJC earlier this month. Bids are due by 2 p.m. on March 21. A virtual pre-bid meeting is planned for Feb. 11.

The estimated project costs are between $250 million and $300 million.

Called Bus Base North, the new maintenance and operations base will be built on an approximately 12.5-acre site at the Canyon Park Business Center in Bothell, which is south of 214th Street Southeast and east of 20th Avenue Southeast.

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Buses stored at the base will be mobilized on Sound Transit’s forthcoming Stride bus rapid transit network.

The work scope includes the development of the entire parcel and right-of-way improvements.

The new facility will include an administration and operations building for staff, drivers, mechanics and other Stride operating needs; a parking and service structure for bus storage and charging with parking above for employees, visitors and other non-revenue vehicles; a bus maintenance building for servicing and maintaining buses; a service, fuel and wash facility; a guard house; and two electrical yards to support building electrical needs and battery-electric bus charging infrastructure.

Jacobs is the designer.

The Stride network will comprise three lines (Stride S1, S2, and S3) along Interstate 405 and state Route 522. It will provide fast, frequent and reliable service from Shoreline to Bothell on the S3 Line, service from Lynnwood to Bellevue on the S2 Line, and service from Bellevue to Burien on the S1 Line.

Bus Base North will support midday and overnight charging for Stride's battery-electric bus fleet. Sound Transit says the facility will also accommodate conversion of its entire BRT fleet, and some ST Express routes, to zero emissions, which is a major step toward the agencies goal of achieving carbon-free operations for its facilities and fleets by 2050.

Construction of the bus base is anticipated to start this year and to be completed in 2027.

Construction of the Stride network is also slated to start this year, with service beginning as soon as 2028. The S1 Line will replace the existing ST Express 560 route between West Seattle and Bellevue. The S2 Line will replace the ST Express 535 between Bellevue and Lynnwood, and the S3 Line will replace ST Express 522 between Seattle and Woodinville.

New stations will be built along all the Stride lines. A total of 11 stations are planned for Stride S1 and S2, and 14 are planned for Stride 3. Jacobs also designed the Stride line.

Hoffman Construction Co. will be the general contractor for station shelters, furnishings and systems across the network.

ScharrerAD provided early planning and station design services along the network's SR 522 and Northeast 145th segments in Shoreline.