Interurban Transit Partnership Wealthy Operations Center Addition and Renovation

The Interurban Transit Partnership (ITP) operates The Rapid, Grand Rapids’ metropolitan public transport system. Christman was awarded construction management services to design and construct an addition and renovation to the ITP’s Wealthy Operations Center (WOC), which houses all of the area’s transportation and maintenance functions, and provides storage for over 100 buses and other vehicles. The existing facility was no longer large enough to fit the entire fleet of 120 buses and the existing equipment and space was very outdated.

The building is a unique structure that includes all in-floor heat in the garage area, lower level parking for employees and a structural parking deck for buses. The building contains an office and training area for employees, a spacious breakroom, fitness area, quiet area and kitchen for bus drivers, and outdoor patio areas. The maintenance area was expanded to include a steam hoist, tire rack, additional bus hoists and repair bays, enlarged parts department, tech library and dock lift for deliveries. The lighting in the maintenance bays and bus storage areas were increased by the installation of a large skylight that runs the entire distance of the building. In the storage area, the existing columns were removed and new girders were installed to allow a greater span and more room to navigate buses within the storage area. A new fueling system was installed with two lanes and an additional fare box to increase the speed of nightly fill ups. They also added a second bus wash to keep up with the additional fueling capacity.