Environmental Assessments

Hamilton Transit Bus Maintenance & Storage Facility Design

Email: [email protected]

Design for Bus Maintenance and Storage Facility

HSR Bus Maintenance & Storage Facility

Construction started late 2023

The new facility will include:

storage for 200 buses, with the capacity to add additional 100 spaces
maintenance garage
additional administrative space & parking

Construction is anticipated to conclude in late 2026.

In 2020, the City completed the design for a new bus maintenance and storage facility (MSF) at 281 Birch Avenue. The purpose of the project is to increase the Transit Division’s maintenance and storage capacity to accommodate its existing and growing fleet as the City continues to improve transit service. This new facility represents a significant investment in Hamilton and supports the City’s ongoing commitment to transit expansion, as outlined in the Ten-Year Local Transit Strategy.

Location: The Study Area is limited to the proposed facility site, located on lands known municipally as 2 Hillyard Street, 10 Hillyard Street, 70 Brant Street, 80 Brant Street, and the northern portion of 330 Wentworth Street West, as shown in Exhibit ES- 1. The site is bound by Brant Street to the north, the Birch Avenue hydro corridor to the east, Hillyard Street to the west, and the City of Hamilton’s Wentworth Street Operations Centre to the south.

Study status: Complete (2020). Construction started late 2023 and expected to be complete late 2026.
Classification: Transit Project Assessment Process

The new facility will support mobility goals and objectives set-out in the City-Wide Transportation Master Plan (2018), Ten Year Local Transit Strategy (2015), and Rapid Ready Plan (2013).

The project is funded by the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program which includes contributions from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the City of Hamilton.

Watch Birch Transit Centre Construction-Timelapse on YouTube.

Time lapse view of construction progress at the new MSF located at 281 Birch from October 2023 to June 2026.

Progress Photos

Project File Report

Frequently Asked Questions

Photo taken November 28, 2025 looking southwest from the intersection of Birch at Brant. The super structures are complete; interior finished are on-going. New sidewalks have been constructed on the south side of Brant Street.

Photo taken November 28, 2025 looking northwest from Brant Street. The new DARTS parking lot is in the foreground. Course base asphalt has been laid all around the site including the driveways to Birch and Brant. Top course asphalt to be laid in Spring 2026.

Photo taken August 5, 2025, looking southwest towards downtown Hamilton. Driveway and drive aisle curbing continue. Minor grading commenced. Windows are being installed on the elevated Administration building located near the parking structure on the right side of the picture.

Photo taken on July 16, 2025 looking north towards Lake Ontario. The compressed natural gas station is at the bottom of the photo and the 4-level parking structure and elevated administration building are located at the top left. Driveway curbing has commenced, and landscaping will start in early Fall.

Photo taken July 16, 2025, looking north towards Lake Ontario. The compressed natural gas station is at the bottom of the photo and the 4-level parking structure and elevated administration building are located at the top left. Driveway curbing has commenced, and landscaping will start in early Fall.

Bus Maintenance and Storage Facility Environmental Project Report (PDF, 3.27 MB)Appendix A - Design Drawings (PDF, 1.5 MB)Appendix B - Natural Heritage (PDF, 3.89 MB)Appendix C - Cultural Heritage and Archaeology (PDF, 11.59 MB)Appendix D - Noise Assessment (PDF, 1.76 MB)Appendix E - Air Quality (PDF, 3.5 MB)Appendix F - Physical Environment - Part 1 (PDF, 5.9 MB)Appendix F - Physical Environment - Part 2 (PDF, 2.82 MB)Appendix F - Physical Environment - Part 3 (PDF, 38.91 MB)Appendix F - Physical Environment - Part 4 (PDF, 13.54 MB)Appendix G - Traffic Impact Study (PDF, 4.03 MB)Appendix H - Consultation - Part 1: Pre-TRAP (PDF, 8.29 MB)Appendix H - Consultation - Part 2: TRAP (PDF, 7.53 MB)

The Birch Avenue facility is expected to be complete by spring 2026. Transit operations and maintenance staff, vehicles and equipment will transition to the new facility over the summer of 2026. We expect it to be fully operational by fall of 2026.

The Mountain Transit Centre (MTC) will continue to operate along with the new Birch Avenue facility. The existing fleet of 308 buses will be divided between the two locations, which will help alleviate space constraints at the MTC.

When it opens, the new Birch Avenue facility will store 200 buses, with room to expand for 100 more in the future. The maintenance building will have 30 maintenance bays, 2 bus washes and 2 indoor Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling lanes. The administration building will have 4,000 square metres of office space on two levels. The four-level parking structure will have 400 parking spaces, including 20 electric charging stations.

There will be no changes to bus routes because of the new facility.

For safety and security reasons, the Birch Avenue facility is designed for transit operations only and will not be open to the public.

Dust mitigation efforts to date (and ongoing):

Wet street washing is utilized along Hillyard St., Brant St., and Birch Avenue when temperatures are above 5° C.
Calcium has been placed on the site over heavily traveled routes to help keep the dust down.
Permitted truck routes have been provided to suppliers and haulage firms, with weekly reminders.
Additional By-Law enforcement has been requested to ensure delivery and haulage vehicles stay on the permitted truck routes.
Ongoing dust suppression using water is occurring on days when there is no rainfall.
Ongoing street sweeping is occurring approximately 3 days a week.
City staff are on site 2 to 3 times a week monitoring dust levels and notifying the contractor when excessive. Additionally, City staff are monitoring that delivery and haulage vehicles are adhering to permitted truck routes.

Current and future construction activities that will improve the dust situation:

Soil removal and haulage activities have been reduced to one day a week effective mid-July 2024, with completion anticipated by the end of August or early September.
Currently, 50% of the site is covered with roof decking, with the remainder to be covered by the end of August or early September. This will reduce heavy vehicle movement on site and less sun-exposed dust/windblown effect.
Hardscaping (granular bases): 75% of the site is to be completed by the end of September or early October.

The City is considering adding solar panels to the roof once the building is operational. The building is designed to allow for this.

Date modified

2026-06-23 14:21