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STV Designs New BRT Service in Virginia

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RICHMOND, VA – STV, a leading transportation engineering firm, is the lead designer for The Pulse, a new bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Richmond, VA, that promises to improve mobility and travel times while setting the stage for future multi-modal development and planning in the growing city. The Lane Construction Corporation is the contractor for this program, which was procured using the design-build delivery method.

Operated by the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC), The Pulse will provide the city with its first BRT-style service since the late 1940s. The transit system, which is currently in the design phase, will be approximately 7.6 miles long and include 14 stations, mostly along Broad and Main streets.

The Pulse is a collaboration of the GRTC, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, the City of Richmond and Henrico County, and is being financed with a combination of federal, state and local funding.

“Richmond is one of the fastest growing cities in Virginia and this new BRT system stands to play an integral part in better connecting an influx of commuters, business owners and residents to commerce, residences, and other points of interest,” said Lara Hegler, P.E., STV’s transportation director of operations in the Virginia/Washington, D.C., region. “This initiative also once again brings together STV and Lane Construction, as part of a design-build contract. Our team has collaborated on a number of award-winning projects in recent years.”

As part of its contract, STV will perform surveys, traffic engineering, systems integration, station architecture, drainage and utility design, and design support services during construction, and will conduct public involvement sessions.

The overall scope of services includes designs for five stations located in the roadway median and nine curbside stations. Public officials anticipate the new BRT line will provide service to these stations every 10 minutes during peak travel times and every 15 minutes during off-peak hours. The most recent traffic engineering analysis demonstrated that the service can travel eastbound, end-to-end, in 31 minutes and westbound in 28 minutes.

The BRT will initially connect to Amtrak’s Broad Street Station in Richmond, but public officials are investigating linking the services to points north and south to better integrate passenger rail and bus transportation in Virginia.