Bus Rapid Transit Services Brochure

Bus Rapid Transit

Van Ness Corridor Improvements

Bus Rapid Transit

Communities are increasingly turning to bus rapid transit (BRT) to provide enhanced mobility, promote economic and social equity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

HNTB has worked on BRT projects around the country, supporting all stages of development, including planning, NEPA documentation, design, procurement, construction management and start-up operations. HNTB’s project experience ranges from mixed-traffic curbside running BRT routes to complex, dedicated median guideway systems and enhanced bus operations on highways and managed lanes.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has been increasingly promoting the benefits of BRT as well as its available funding via the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program. HNTB’s team of technical and policy CIG experts are continually leading clients through the complexities of the program in order to make their projects and initiatives a reality.

HNTB provides the expertise and unwavering commitment to quality needed for transit agencies to realize their BRT ambitions.

BUS RAPID TRANSIT SERVICES INCLUDE:

PLANNING/DESIGN

• Conceptual planning

• NEPA/Environmental documentation

• Preliminary/Final design

• Cost estimating

• Service/Operations planning

• ITS/STP

• Funding/Finance

• Public engagement

• Zero emission bus fleet analysis and transition planning

• Fleet and facilities

PROJECT DELIVERY

• Quality and risk management

• Value engineering

• Procurement

• Construction administration/ management

• Testing/Startup

• Program management FTA

• Capital Investment Grant compliance, criteria and strategy

• STOPS modeling

• Grant writing

• FTA/PMOC coordination

Van Ness Corridor Transit Improvements

San Francisco, California

A system delivered to rectify mobility, safety and traffic congestion issues facing the area, HNTB worked alongside the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to convert each direction of a 28-block stretch along Van Ness Avenue with dedicated center BRT lanes and to build 18 new BRT stations to replace the 29 existing bus stops.

HNTB provided project and construction management (PM/CM) support for the project.

In addition to the converted lanes and 18 BRT stations, HNTB also replaced the existing sewer main, water main, public utility joint trench, streetlights, traffic signals, the overhead catenary system, roadway sections and most of the sidewalk.

Some improvements include low-floor platforms, all-door boarding enhanced traffic signals, sidewalks extensions, median refuges, high visibility crosswalks and audible, pedestrian countdown signals.

East-West BRT

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

The East-West BRT, also known as Connect 1 BRT, is a 9-mile route that provides critical connection for downtown Milwaukee’s 84,000 employees and the Regional Medical Center’s 1.5 million annual visitors. The route is enhancing transit access along the region’s most vital, most traveled and most congested corridor and has created a costeffective solution that actively contributes toward the advancement of the region’s multimodal transportation system and economic development.

As prime consultant, HNTB worked hand-in-hand with Milwaukee County and its transit agency, Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS), to

plan, design and implement Wisconsin’s first BRT project. In this role, the firm helped secure a $40.9 million Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Small Starts grant agreement and provided a feasibility study, preliminary and final design and construction management.

In alignment with MCTS’s mission to create a sustainable, low-emission transportation solution, the BRT system also features 15 battery electric buses (BEBs). In order to ensure reliable transportation for the Milwaukee commuters, HNTB provided design services for an ABBmanufactured charging station for the BEBs.

IndyGo Red Line Indianapolis, Indiana

Collaborating with IndyGo to deliver Indiana’s first BRT line, HNTB provided construction management and inspection services for the Red Line project. From risk management, capital cost estimating, scheduling, design and constructibility reviews, and to FTA reporting, public outreach, bidding support and construction inspection, HNTB was fully ingrained in this innovative initiative and collaborated closely with contractors, which consisted of more than 25% historically underutilized businesses.

HNTB negotiated change orders and managed schedules to deliver the project in just 15 months — two months ahead of the deadline and under

budget. At complete build-out, this 13-mile BRT route connects the northern and southern suburbs of Marion County with its urban core and central business district.

lane miles of resurfaced roadway 800 34 57

updated ADA curb ramps

station platforms constructed

Photo courtesy of IndyGo

Pulse Rapid Transit Service

Chicago, Illinois

For the past decade, HNTB has supported Pace Suburban Bus with program management and oversight services for its BRT network, Pulse, that is expanding efficient and reliable service to commuters across suburban Chicago.

The Pulse Milwaukee Line was the first corridor to launch in 2019. Working alongside Pace from program conception to delivery, HNTB has supported the client with a variety of services including project definition, conceptual design, NEPA documentation and oversight during design and construction. HNTB also helped deliver Pace’s second Pulse line, which opened in 2023.

With four additional Pulse corridors in development, HNTB is providing Pace with program management, planning, conceptual design and NEPA services.

RideKC MAX BRT Network

Kansas City, Missouri

Since 2005, HNTB has partnered with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) to expand the city’s BRT network with the delivery of three lines that run along key corridors of the city, bringing critical mobility options and accessibility to previously underserved communities.

HNTB’s support in the development and construction of these BRT lines — Main Street, Troost Avenue and Prospect Avenue MAX lines — encompassed numerous elements of planning and design including, route development, traffic analyses, capital and operating cost estimating, operating plan

development, preliminary design, environmental, final engineering and federal readiness assessment.

The firm also led the architectural and site design for the new East Village Transit Center, KCATA’s main transit facility in the downtown area. The center has improved the rider experience and accessibility with level boarding, bike racks, free public Wi-Fi, an indoor waiting area with a customer service lobby and security, and administrative offices.

Wake County BRT

Raleigh, North Carolina

Providing program management for the Wake County BRT program’s system design, HNTB has collaborated with the City of Raleigh, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and other various municipal jurisdictions to deliver system standards, operating policies, branding and public engagement for all four BRT corridors identified in the Wake Transit Plan. The firm has also facilitated successful coordination between the City of Raleigh and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), resulting in the City’s first FTA Capital Investment Grant.

As part of the overall program, HNTB provided final design services for New Bern Avenue, the first of the four BRT lines to advance to construction. The 5.3-mile alignment features dedicated lanes operating both curbside and within a median-based transitway.

HNTB will also be providing final design services for the Southern BRT line.

METRO Orange Line

Minneapolis, Minnesota

As prime consultant to METRO Transit, HNTB helped deliver an enhanced, seven-days-a-week bus service along one of the busiest corridors across the Minneapolis region. Containing Minnesota’s first bus-only tunnel and other dedicated lane features along the route, the Orange Line connects Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington and Burnsville.

Within the firm’s role, HNTB led a multi-disciplinary effort and performed design coordination for the project. The firm also helped improve constructibility by limiting disruptions to the heavily traveled Interstate 494 corridor and utilizing top-down construction methods in critical areas. Additional services provided by HNTB for the development and construction of the Orange Line include:

• Contract management and administration

• Preliminary engineering for roadway, stations and structures

• Project controls and cost estimating

• Public involvement

• Value engineering

• Final engineering

• Construction support

IndyGo Purple Line

Indianapolis, Indiana

HNTB is providing IndyGo with program management support to deliver the agency’s aggressive five-year capital program. The program will transition the fixed-route local bus network to a grid system with BRT at its core, providing increased service frequency and integration of local routes within regional BRT corridors.

HNTB is providing support in the following areas:

• FTA advisory planning

• Design management and delivery

• Construction management

Under this program, IndyGo’s Purple Line will extend 15.2 miles between Indianapolis and the City of Lawrence. The project will create a more accessible, efficient and reliant transportation service for commuters. Furthermore, the project is prioritizing sustainability with the planned utilization of articulated, fully-electric transit vehicles.

Photo courtesy of IndyGo

Houston METRO University Corridor

Houston, Texas

HNTB is serving as program management consultant for the largest BRT project in the country, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County’s (METRO) University BRT Corridor.

Planned to run over 25 miles and include more than 40 stations, the University Line will be the longest and most sophisticated BRT route in the U.S. when completed. Three-quarters of the communities along the project corridor are historically underserved areas. The project is intended to give the residents of these communities better access to education, jobs and essential services.

The project includes a dedicated bus guideway, level boarding, off-board fare collection, 47 batteryelectric buses, transit signal priority, and a new bus operating facility. The service is planned to operate seven days a week for approximately 20 hours per day.

In addition to overall program management consultancy services, HNTB is providing planning and NEPA documentation, conceptual design, advanced design oversight, FTA compliance, and construction management services.

Cook Elementary School

School

Trinity Gardens Park

Shreveport

Proposed Greenspace

Lockwood Dr

Bennington Station