Construction is finished on Saskatoon’s new transit and snow management facilities.
A city bus cut the ribbon Tuesday to unveil the new $154-million Civic Operations Centre.
The centre, located in the city’s southwest between Valley Road and the CN Rail tracks, features a 450,000-square-foot building that will serve as Saskatoon Transit’s new home and a 14-acre concrete pad capable of storing up to one million cubic metres of snow.
“Our transit operations outgrew the old bus barns long ago, and our staff have been making do in cramped facilities for many years,” Mayor Charlie Clark said in a media release.
“This LEED certified facility, built ahead of schedule and on budget, has perfect timing as we prepare to modernize transit in Saskatoon.”
Construction on the centre began in January 2015 and was completed two weeks ahead of schedule.
The transit building — larger than five CFL fields, including end zones — is able to hold up to 224 buses and includes 27 maintenance bays, a body shop and administrative officers. The snow management facility features a pad — about the size of seven football fields — that will purify melted snow before the melt water enters the water system.
The project, totalling $154 million, was funded through a public-private model, with the federal government pitching in $38.5 million.
“This state-of-the-art facility will serve as a model for cities and municipalities across the country,” Ralph Goodale, federal public safety and emergency preparedness minister, said.
Saskatoon Transit buses are slated to move into the building in January, while the snow facility will open that same month.
The city is still discussing potential uses for the old bus barn.
