Cost overruns and construction delays are likely to push back the scheduled opening of Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s new storage complex in Hempfield for at least several months.

Transit officials had planned for the $7.4 million, 16,000-square-foot garage and storage facility to open in February. It sits on a 10-acre site along Route 66 that houses the agency’s maintenance complex for its fleet of more than 40 commuter and local buses.

The new facility is expected to allow the authority to house up to 20 buses indoors.

Authority officials last week approved construction changes that will increase project costs by more than 8.5%. The agency’s board of directors approved $639,000 in additional costs that project managers said was necessary to complete construction.

“This is very normal and expected for a project this size to add something. ‘Change orders’ are a normal process,” board member Dan DeBone said.

Project manager Michael Dillon said once construction started, builders discovered soil quality issues under the building’s foundation and behind a retaining wall. That required additional work to ensure the project’s stability.

Even with the cost overruns, the project is below the $10.5 million budget initially set for the construction, according authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec.

Meanwhile, delivery for parts required for the structure’s completion has been delayed.

Construction started in 2022, but supply chain issues previously extended what was expected to be a yearlong building process into early February.

Blahovec said it now is expected the project’s completion date will be pushed back several months.

Authority officials viewed the storage complex as a required enhancement to protect the vehicle fleet. Most buses are stored outside and are exposed to the weather when not being worked on in the maintenance bays at the existing facility, which was built in 2012.

The authority also operates a maintenance facility in Youngwood for its fleet of 56 vehicles that operate as part of the agency’s Go Westmoreland paratransit program, which offers door-to-door, subsidized rides for low-income residents.

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