• Three building complex is DDOT’s new westside base of operations, to improve efficiency, convenience and service 
• Drivers hail new facility’s modern amenities, including climate-controlled bus storage building, new maintenance building and administration building including an exercise room, kitchen with an indoor/outdoor lounge, lockers and showers. 

Mayor Mary Sheffield today joined with officials from the Detroit Department of Transportation, Detroit Building Authority, state and federal partners, union representatives, bus drivers and transit advocates today to dedicate a new $160 million state-of-the-art DDOT terminal complex to serve as its main base of operations on the city’s west side.  The new facility replaces the former Coolidge Terminal that was destroyed by fire in 2011 and demolished in 2023.  

The new 200,000-square-foot, three building terminal complex provides a modern new base for operations, maintenance, and storage for the Department of Transportation on the west side. DDOT has moved its previous west side operations from the aging Gilbert terminal, which also will be demolished to the new Coolidge Terminal. DDOT’s eastside base will continue to be the Shoemaker Terminal near I-94 and Connor.

“Our DDOT drivers and mechanics are critical to making sure our residents can get to work, to school, their doctor’s appointment or to store, and absolutely essential to our city’s economy,” said Mayor Sheffield. “They deserve to have a first-class facility to support them and now they do.”  

The total cost of $160 million (including approximately $10 million for demolition of the existing terminal) is coming from the following sources:  

• $102.5M - Federal Transit Administration 
• $31.5M - City funding 
• $25.6M - Michigan Department of Transportation 

The new terminal features new climate-controlled bus storage, state-of-the-art maintenance and operations facilities, as well as a new administration building with an indoor-outdoor employee lounge and kitchen, and a workout room with lockers and showers.  The new Coolidge Terminal Complex is spread across three separate buildings, each with a specific purpose:

• A 121,192 square foot climate-controlled storage building that will house up to 120 buses during overnight hours or when they are not in service or undergoing maintenance. A section of the building also includes bays for vehicles to be washed regularly to help prevent maintenance issues. 
• A 54,293 square foot maintenance building, where buses will have routine maintenance and routine repairs conducted. 
• A 16,922 square foot administration building with offices and several new amenities for employees, including an exercise room, kitchen with an indoor/outdoor lounge, lockers and showers.

The project was designed to include strategically positioned and prepared areas for expansion of all three buildings to accommodate more capacity in the future. 

“The new Coolidge facility represents a major investment in transit for the City, adding a modern base for west side operations and a new city-wide DDOT control center,” said Executive Director of Transit Robert Cramer.  “The site includes new employee amenities and technology that will support operating safe, reliable service for decades to come.”

The original Coolidge Terminal, located at 14044 Schaefer Highway just north of I-96 in Detroit, operated transit service from 1928 until 2011, when a fire destroyed part of the facility. Plans to rebuild the facility were put on hold during Detroit’s bankruptcy in 2013.

DDOT began researching options for rebuilding the Coolidge Terminal in 2019, completing a Facilities Master Planning initiative in 2021. After considering options to continue using the site with no improvements, re-using existing buildings, and a blend of reuse and building new, DDOT determined that the best course of action was to build an entirely new facility.