How to Install a Bus Shelter

Preparation

• 1

  Call your local government to get a building permit for the structure and to familiarize yourself with any regulations that may apply to the area where you intend to build. If building a community shelter for public use, certain safety and accessibility laws may apply, such as handicap accessibility and the safety of the location. When working with school buses, if you are selecting a location for the bus stop, the school board will often have its own regulations involving the distance of travel and the time required for the route to arrive at the school.

• 2

  Call different bus companies and determine which ones will stop at the bus shelter. If building a school bus stop, the local school board should be contacted. Once a bus company has agreed, verify what additional requirements may need to be met. This may be a paved parking area for the bus, a certain kind of bus stop sign or some other criteria. Different companies require different standards to be met.

• 3

  Be sure that all necessary permissions are obtained if the shelter is to be erected on private land.

Building

• 4

  Dig four holes about three feet deep, approximately one foot in diameter and four feet apart from center to center. The holes should be placed in a square formation, two in front and two four feet behind. A post-hole digger or auger will work on soil. If the shelter is being built over concrete, a power concrete chisel may be needed. Before digging anywhere, be sure to learn where power-lines or pipes may be placed underground, so that they may be safely avoided.

• 5

  Insert the 12-foot 4-by-4s into the front two holes, and the 10-foot 4-by-4s into the back two holes. Using the tape measure, make sure the measurement is four feet from the outside of one 4-by-4 to the outside/opposite side of the next one.

• 6

  Pour one 40-lb. bag of mixed concrete into each hole, holding the 4-by-4s vertically level. Use a carpenter's level to make sure the 4-by-4s are vertical, then fill in the rest of the holes with dirt. Pack it down firmly when done. Measure again to make sure that the distance is four feet between posts. Wait for the concrete to dry before progressing to the next step.

• 7

  Drill one four-foot 2-by-4 flush with the ground, using the 3-inch screws, connecting the 4-by-4s on both sides and the back. Do not put one across the front. Repeat the same process with 2-by-4s across the center of both sides and the back. Then drill 2-by-4s across the top of all four sides of the shelter, including the front, connecting the 4-by-4s. The two 2-by-4s at the top of both sides will be slanted, connecting the tops of the 12-foot 4-by-4s with the tops of the 10-foot 2-by-4s.

• 8

  Drill and attach one sheet of 4-by-8 plywood onto both sides and the back of the shelter, using the 1-1/2-inch screws. The ends of the plywood on both sides should be flush with the outside of each 4-by-4. There will be a little bit of space towards the top of the shelter left open on both sides, allowing for ventilation. Put the final piece of plywood across the top, so that the extra length hangs over the front, and drill it in to create the roof.