Ground was broken on a new Lextran headquarters Tuesday in Lexington.
Following about seven years of discussion and negotiations, the Lextran board voted to move ahead with construction on the former site of the GE Lighting Kentucky Glass Plant off West Loudon Avenue.
"The Transit Authority where we're currently located, we've outgrown it. We've been there since the early 70s. The facilities are old and it's very hard to maintain our fleet over there," Lextran general manager Rocky Burke says.
The new home base, however, will consolidate all operations and maintenance functions under one roof. And while the sleeker fleet may not directly translate to increased ridership, the outgoing Lextran head is promising a more efficient, greener operation.
"What I think you're going to see is the city have a better appreciation for the transit system that we have," Burke adds.
Lextran hopes to begin housing its 187 employees and 72 bus fleet at the new facility by Spring 2016.
