BALTIMORE, MD – STV, a leader in engineering, architectural, planning and program and construction management services, announced today that it has been selected by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) in Maryland to develop a master plan to support its transition to zero-emissions buses (ZEB).
As part of this initiative, STV is leveraging its nationally renowned ZEB transition experience, which includes customized tools that the firm developed, to evaluate MCDOT’s existing transit infrastructure for integration needs, while also investigating potential funding opportunities to support the client’s investment priorities.
“This master plan will serve as a road map for MCDOT’s ZEB transition and will look at all of the county’s existing infrastructure assets, including vehicles, bus maintenance facilities and depots, and bus stops and routes,” said Joseph Kruczynski, engineering specialist and project manager. “MCDOT is committed to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint and we’re excited by the opportunity to help the agency achieve these goals.”
MCDOT’s ZEB transition program is a component of the county’s Climate Action Plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2027 and 100% by 2035. The transportation sector currently represents 42% of the county’s greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, MCDOT is striving to have its entire fleet consist of ZEB technology by 2035.
MCDOT’s program mirrors a statewide initiative currently underway following the passage of Maryland’s Zero-Emission Bus Transition Act, which mandates that all new buses procured for the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration’s fleet be emission-free starting in 2023, with a goal of having 50 percent of the fleet converted by 2030.
Over the past several years, STV has supported public transit agencies with major ZEB transition plans and developed new infrastructure in support of these goals. In Los Angeles County, STV, in joint venture, is providing a wide range of technical consulting services for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, owner of one of the largest bus transit fleets in the country. Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority broke ground on its first maintenance facility being modernized as part of a larger push to transition to a ZEB fleet. STV is the lead designer of this project. The firm is also supporting similar ZEB plans for North County Transit District in San Diego, CA, and Hampton Roads Transit in Virginia.
As part of its work with MCDOT, as well as all of these other ZEB programs, STV utilizes a suite of unique tools that help drive design development for clients, most notably the Performance Evaluation of Electric bus Routes (PEER) tool. PEER has been customized by STV’s team to study bus route factors such as the number of stops, passengers, and schedules, in a dynamic model to help agencies determine the best practices for ZEB infrastructure integration.
