PBS&J has provided numerous services to Cobb County, Georgia related to its transit program. The program, recognized early on by the county as a way to manage traffic congestion and air quality issues, recently included the integration of a compressed natural gas fueling facility into Cobb Community Transit’s (CCT’s) existing 12-acre multi-use transmit center, to ensure that all fueling operations were centrally located.
To expedite the process, a compressed natural gas (CNG) facility was purchased from Omnitrans, a public transit agency serving San Bernardino, California. The decision to purchase the station intact from Omnitrans made it possible to reduce the project schedule from 24 months to14, and cut nearly $0.5-million dollars from the project cost. The new facility is a fast-fill station, allowing it to fill a bus fuel tank within 5 minutes; it also supports CNG cars, vans, and pickup trucks.
PBS&J also performed extensive building modifications to the CNG fleet maintenance facility, which included installation of a high-powered ventilation system that quickly removes gas from the area in case of gas line leaks or ruptures. This ventilation system works in concert with an advanced methane detection system that engages when fumes reach a certain level. Furthermore, all emergency HVAC, electrical, and mechanical systems were designed to be "explosion proof." The design of the building also incorporated the conversion of two existing maintenance bays to support CNG buses, erecting a firewall to separate that area from the diesel bays.
This project was recently recognized by the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) with its South Atlantic Project Achievement Award.