LINK Transit has been moving people through Central Washington for decades. The original Maintenance and Operations campus, designed by TCF in 1999, served the agency well for more than two decades. As the region grew and the fleet began transitioning to battery-electric power, the aging campus needed to grow with it. TCF returned to the work, developing a phased master plan to renovate and expand the facility incrementally, aligned with available funding and the agency's long-term vision for the future of regional transit.
LINK Transit
Have you ever been caught off guard by an approaching electric vehicle, its arrival announced by little more than a quiet hum? Now imagine that vehicle is a 40-foot bus. On a busy transit campus where buses, staff, and contractors share the same ground, that silence demands a deliberate design response. LINK Transit and TCF mapped out a series of right-turn-dominant, concentric circulation loops that keep bus dispatch and returns aligned with the natural flow of traffic, reducing conflict points before they can form. One-way flow moves east to west through the garage, guided by automatic sensors, exterior lighting indicators, and clear signage, while pedestrian paths run south of the primary vehicle routes. The result is a campus where everyone knows where they are, where they are going, and who else is sharing the space.
Phase 1 adds a 41,000 square foot garage for 58 buses to an active, owner-occupied site. The building is unpretentious by intention, its straightforward form quietly housing systems that do a great deal of work. Heat-trace radiant flooring handles the cold winters efficiently. Charging infrastructure serves 32 buses at opening, with conduit already laid for 26 more when the fleet grows. The roof is sized to carry future photovoltaic capacity, and generous daylighting fills the space through every season, keeping the interior bright, efficient, and genuinely pleasant to work in.
The garage is only the first part of a broader campus transformation. Future phases will renovate the existing Maintenance, Dispatch, and Administration structures, all designed to proceed alongside regular LINK Transit operations without interruption. What began in 1999 as a straightforward campus for a growing agency is becoming something built for the next quarter century of public transit in Central Washington.
Work
