WMATA Andrews Federal Center Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility
Forestville, Md.
Award of Merit

Owner: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Lead Design Firm: Systra Consulting
Construction Manager: Hensel Phelps
Civil Engineer: Timmons Group
Structural Engineer: SK&A Structural Engineers PLLC
Lead Mechanical Engineer: Pond & Co.
Architect: Iron Horse Architects Inc.

Delivered on time and on budget, the $146.8-million, 27-month project supports the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s 1,600-bus fleet. The 335,000-sq-ft project includes a bus operating garage, bus transportation operations facility, fuel/wash building, pedestrian bridge and other buildings for WMATA’s mixed fleet of transit vehicles.

When unexpected conditions at a parking site developed, the team had difficulty complying with state erosion requirements. To address this issue, the team says it collaborated with WMATA and the original facilities’ management staff to provide two erosion site design measures and still meet stakeholder needs. Such measures include a rainwater roof harvesting system that diverts water runoff from the main facility’s roof  to an underground water cistern.

Despite the fact that the previous landowner transferred all Prince George’s County permits to the project team, the site was subject to Maryland state jurisdiction because WMATA is a federally funded entity. Therefore, the project had to complete the state’s rigorous permitting process before construction could begin.

The team also implemented Cobie—a QR-barcode-based asset management system—on every piece of equipment. That allowed WMATA mechanics to use their cell phones to scan equipment barcodes to retrieve replacement parts, prices and other information. The team linked Cobie to the facility’s Revit model for locating specific pieces of equipment.

Back to "MidAtlantic's 2019 Best Projects Shine Across The Region"