Project Management Office
The Project Management Office is responsible for oversight of the portfolio of Capital Projects at Pierce Transit with respect to scope, schedule, and budget.
Some of the major projects currently underway include:
Maintenance and Operations Base Improvement (MOBI)
Pierce Transit’s maintenance and operations facility was constructed in 1986 and designed to serve a fleet of 200 revenue vehicles. Today it supports a fleet of 300 buses, plus additional shuttles, vanpool and support vehicles. The facility maintains and houses both Pierce Transit and Sound Transit vehicles, is overcrowded and no longer meets industry standards. Buses are now built wider and fleet styles have changed dramatically in 30 years. The fleet maintained on the base currently includes 60-foot articulated buses and battery electric buses (BEBs). Current facilities are not capable of servicing additional articulated, double-decker or electric buses needed for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes that will better serve our community and address projected transportation infrastructure challenges across our service area.
The MOBI project will expand Pierce Transit’s base to enable it to meet significant projected bus and support vehicle fleet growth through 2040. This involves demolition, new construction, and refurbishment in a series of phased steps. MOBI will also optimize buildings and land use to expand and improve Pierce Transit’s core functions, including bus maintenance, vehicle parking, safety, fuel-and-wash capacity and transit vehicle circulation. Completion of this project is critical to support BRT projects in the region.
Current Status:
ADA and visitor parking lot expansion by building 4: Complete
Parking lot expansion behind building 5: Complete.
New Fuel and Wash building: Nearing completion.
Design of new Maintenance building: In progress
Remodeling Bldg 6 to become the new Facilities building: In progress
Demolition and removal of Bldg 2 and Bldg 3: Not yet started
Realign the bus lot area: Not yet started
Construction of new building 1: Not yet started
Estimated Completion:
4th Quarter, 2029
Estimated Budget:
$281,174,000
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
BRT is an innovative, high-capacity, efficient transportation option that combines the capacity, speed and feel of light rail with the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system. BRT offers riders many benefits over a traditional bus route, including more frequent service (every 10-15 minutes); enhanced stations with real-time arrival signs and brighter lighting; unique, branded vehicles that carry up to 90 passengers, have room for bicycles on board and provide easier wheelchair and stroller access; and off-board fare collection, raised platforms and multiple doors to speed up travel.
Pierce Transit’s first BRT route is planned to replace a portion of the current Route 1 along the 14.4-mile corridor between downtown Tacoma and Spanaway. Route 1 has the highest ridership of any Pierce Transit route. Congestion mitigation is one of the project’s primary goals, and faster, more frequent, more reliable service will provide a competitive alternative to driving, thereby reducing the number of cars in the corridor. Typically, Bus Rapid Transit systems generate increased economic development as people can more easily access businesses, schools and jobs.
Pierce Transit’s first BRT line will run along six Opportunity Zones, which are designed to attract investment. The City of Tacoma and Pierce County have already identified this corridor for higher-density, mixed-use, transit-oriented development. Pierce Transit’s goal is to build several BRT lines throughout the agency’s service area. The name for the entire BRT system will be “Stream,” and each route will have its own unique identifier.
Current Status:
Design: 60% design in progress
Construction: Not yet started
Estimated Completion:
4th Quarter, 2027
Estimated Budget:
$241,400,000
Spanaway Transit Center Phase 1
Route 1 is Pierce Transit’s highest-ridership bus route. At the south terminus of Route 1 in Spanaway, buses and SHUTTLE paratransit vehicles currently use a pullout area to pick up passengers. The pullout area does not have capacity to hold multiple buses and SHUTTLE vehicles, and is alongside a busy state highway with limited pedestrian access. The pullout only provides one shelter and a bench and serves more than 300 passengers per week. In addition, although this is a trip layover location, there are no restrooms or break facilities for operators. To meet current and future demand, and better serve customers of the current Route 1 and future BRT line, Pierce Transit is building a Transit Center and Park & Ride near this location. Phase 1 of the Spanaway Transit Center project includes acquiring a property and building a facility that provides approximately 40 parking stalls, shelters for passengers, a bus turnaround, SHUTTLE area, and a comfort station for operators.
Current Status:
Design: Complete
Construction: In progress
Estimated Completion:
4th Quarter, 20243
Estimated Budget:
$9,242,890
Spanaway Transit Center Phase 2
Phase 2 of the Spanaway Transit Center project will expand the parking capacity to approximately 250 stalls for customers and provide a permanent egress solution for vehicles exiting the transit center.
Current Status:
Design: Preliminary design in progress
Construction: Not yet started
Estimated Completion:
2nd Quarter, 2025
Estimated Budget:
$9,408,980
TDS Elevator Modernization
Pierce Transit's Tacoma Dome Station is served by two linked parking garages: East Parking Garage and West Parking Garage. Transit customers depend on this location for quick, easy access to multiple transit services. East Parking Garage contains three elevators and West Parking Garage contains two. All elevators are reaching the end of their typical life cycle, resulting in more frequent mechanical issues. The purpose of this project is to modernize all elevators, thereby improving their performance and reliability.
Current Status:
Design: Completed
Construction: In progress
Estimated Completion:
4th Quarter, 2023
Budget:
$3,451,550
Commerce Facility Bus Charging Station
Pierce Transit is expanding its fleet of battery electric buses, which requires additional charging stations. This project will identify and design placement of three electric chargers in the Commerce tunnel near the Commerce Street Station transit center in downtown Tacoma. These chargers will be standard "plug in" style, a more universal fit for a variety of bus models, as not all bus manufacturers offer overhead charging systems.
Current Status:
Design: 100% Complete
Construction: Not yet started
Estimated Completion:
2nd Quarter, 2023
Budget: $2,000,000
Computer Aided Dispatch/Automated Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL)
A CAD/AVL system is a critical part of any transit fleet, providing reliable voice communications between individuals and locations such as the Communication Center, Operators and Service Supervisors. Pierce Transit’s current CAD/AVL system was first installed in 2009 and no longer meets the agency’s needs. The software and hardware are proprietary with excessive maintenance costs; the system does not meet the current industry standards necessary to work with the agency’s Next Generation ORCA system.
Upon completion of this project, all CAD/AVL equipment installed on Pierce Transit vehicles and the Sound Transit fleet will provide reliable voice communications, streamline and integrate incident logging with the CAD system, improve data and reporting capabilities, and provide an automated process to alert customers and Pierce Transit staff. Additionally, customers will benefit from increased reliability of service, real-time arrival prediction, and decreased wait times.
Current Status:
Design: Complete
Installations: In progress
Training: In progress
Estimated Completion:
2nd Quarter, 2023
Budget:
$11,000,000
