Kimley-Horn prepared a Major Update to the LYNX Transit Development Plan (TDP), helping Seminole, Osceola, and Orange...
Sustainably Focused
Developed the Vine Transit Maintenance Facility with infrastructure for emission-free buses and also sustainability-focused buildings with passive cooling and recycled water systems
Strategic Design
Designed a new maintenance facility to house the Napa Valley Transportation Authority’s (NVTA) growing bus fleet, ensuring that the facility could service both battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses
Connected Community
Created a facility that not only will house a bus fleet that meets the needs of the growing Napa Valley community, but will serve as a regional meeting space for the public and a transit emergency operations center
As the transportation agency for the region, Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA) operates the Vine Bus, which provides fixed-route service and on-demand services, door-to-door paratransit services, local shuttles, and regional and express bus service to the San Francisco Ferry, Bay Area Rapid Transit, and Amtrak. NVTA wanted a new transit facility to house their growing bus fleet after the Vine’s existing operations had been stretched to capacity with a smaller facility and an outdated fleet. Specifically, they needed an operations facility to accommodate their fleet, house the necessary number of bus maintenance bays, and support service expansion.
Serving as the prime consultant, Kimley-Horn provided the design and planning expertise for NVTA’s Vine Transit Maintenance Facility, which will support a future service fleet. Our team additionally collaborated with Stantec, ColeBreit Engineering, Aurum Consulting Engineers, and HDR. The new transit fleet will include just over 70 buses, allowing NVTA to serve more than their current 1 million passengers, better accommodate the changing needs of the Napa Valley community, and grow their transit service over the next 50 years.
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Providing Sustainability-Focused Transit Services
Kimley-Horn prepared plans, specifications, and estimates for a new bus maintenance facility for NVTA in support of the Vine transit service. The final facility has six maintenance bays; an operations building for dispatchers, operators, and administrators; a pull-through bus-wash facility; and bus and personal electric vehicle charging stations.
As part of the project scope, NVTA wanted to transition their bus fleet to zero emissions. To implement this transition, the Kimley-Horn team designed on-site electrical services and infrastructure to accommodate a 100% electric bus fleet. Overall, Kimley-Horn provided NVTA with the following multidisciplinary services:
Updating NVTA’s facilities master plan
Space planning/programming
Preparing a schematic design
Preparing bidding and construction documents, including independent opinions of probable construction costs
Providing on-call construction support services
Incorporating Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Accommodations
Kimley-Horn was overseeing construction phase services when NVTA requested an addition to the design—accommodation for hydrogen fuel buses—which required our team to reconfigure the new facility’s design. NVTA wanted operational flexibility to service hydrogen fuel cell buses, which have a greater range than battery electric buses. Adding these accommodations allowed NVTA to future proof the facility for a potential hydrogen fleet coming later.
Designing for hydrogen fuel cell technologies meant that our team needed to anticipate any repair work that future buses might need. The hydrogen maintenance area needed to be separate from other uses within the building, so our team made minor changes to fireproofing to make the entire bay code compliant. Specifically, we also aligned the facility with the National Fire Protection Association 2, Hydrogen Technologies Code. We considered multiple infrastructure elements, including additional ventilation, adjustments of electrical systems, and integrating hydrogen gas detection into the facility’s alarm system.
In collaboration with our multi-disciplinary design team, we incorporated all these necessary retrofits into the design, and the final facility buildout included hydrogen fueling infrastructure for buses. Our team was able to make the design changes, including a building permit alteration, within the existing construction schedule.
A Hub for Sustainability and Community
Beyond facilitating a zero-emission fleet that is powered by both electric batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, the Vine Transit Maintenance Facility buildings are also environmentally-friendly with passive cooling and recycled water systems. Centrally located in the Napa Valley Gateway Business Park, the aesthetically-pleasing facility is projected to bring jobs to the region with the need for additional drivers and maintenance staff.
The Vine Transit Maintenance Facility goes beyond a bus maintenance servicing center—it serves as a public space for the community to gather. The facility’s administration building has a conference area that will host NVTA functions and public events. The facility will also be part of the county’s transit emergency operations center: a hub to facilitate responses with emergency medical services and provide support for any evacuation events that require buses.
The Vine Transit Maintenance Facility opened in April 2024 and supports a more connected and environmentally-conscious Napa Valley community. With the success of the project, NVTA has since trusted Kimley-Horn to design a park-and-ride facility, EV charging stations, and the Vine Trail—a multimodal pathway pedestrian trail. Kimley-Horn was also selected for the State Road 29–American Canyon Improvements project, further laying the foundation of our partnership with Napa Valley and our commitment to enhance mobility for those who call this region home.
Project Recognition
Quick Facts
Client
Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA)
Location
Napa Valley, CA
Market
"This is the best-looking maintenance facility I have ever seen, and I've been to a lot of these..."
