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Merrill Creek Facility
Everett, Washington
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Merrill Creek
 Community
Transit provides public transportation services for Snohomish County,
just north of Seattle, and is projecting a 32% growth in service
by 2003. In 1997, Community Transit moved into a new maintenance
and operations base with capacity for 400 buses. In 1998, its new
administrative building was dedicated at the same site.
Of the 22-acre (89,000-m2) site, 15 acres (60,700 m2) are constructed
of concrete pavement. Early in the design process asphalt had also
been considered, but concrete was chosen for several reasons:
• Strength to carry the heavy weight and high traffic of
the agency’s bus fleet
• Structural ability to span across weak soils at the site
• Durability to withstand fuel spills that can deteriorate
asphalt
• Long service life, which can be twice that of asphalt
Concrete pavement 6 inches (150 mm) thick was used in most areas,
with heavier use areas requiring 8 inches (200 mm) of thickness.
The two-story maintenance facility, also of concrete construction,
includes 14 bus repair bays capable of supporting 65-foot (20-m)
long articulated buses on piston lifts, service overhaul facilities
and body shop, and offices for operations personnel. The administration
building used concrete tilt-up wall construction to allow for future
expansion on its west side. Other concrete structures at the site
are an underground water retention tank, the floor of a separate
automated bus washing building, and three bridges crossing Merrill
Creek at the site’s entrance, two for buses and one for employees.
The entire complex was constructed under an innovative design/build
process incorporating design, environmental remediation, site development
fees, and construction—all in one contract for a fixed price.
The operations base was completed in less than one year from the
time of groundbreaking, and the administration building in only
nine months. Both projects were completed on time and under budget.
Project Credits
Owner: Snohomish County Public Benefit Area Corporation (Community
Transit), Everett, WA
Structural Engineer: Engineers Northwest, Seattle, WA
Paving Contractor: Salinas Construction, Inc., Everett, WA
Operations Base Contractor: G.L.Y. Construction, Bellevue, WA
Administration Building Contractor: Fisher & Sons, Burlington,
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