RICHMOND, VA – The Pulse Bus Rapid Transit system in Richmond, Virginia, has won a National Award of Merit in the Transportation category from the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). STV served as the lead designer for this project as part of the design-build team led by The Lane Construction Corporation.“We are especially proud of how the Pulse is transforming the city of Richmond,” said Michael Hooshangi, P.E., DBIA, STV’s design project manager for this project and an engineering director in STV’s Transportation & Infrastructure Division in its Fairfax office. “Lane and STV worked collaboratively with numerous stakeholders to meet the owner’s aggressive timeline and deliver this highly successful project to the city.”
As part of the revitalization of Richmond, VA, the Pulse BRT was launched by the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The Pulse extends 7.6 miles along the Broad Street corridor through the center of downtown Richmond. The corridor is an activity center and economic engine for the region but did not adequately accommodate transportation needs. BRT is a new transportation concept for the region, and the Pulse system is intended to foster more efficient transit, support transit-oriented land use, and provide an alternative to the automobile for east-west travel.
“The Pulse was constructed within a heavily congested downtown business corridor in the city of Richmond,” said Richard McDonough, project director with Lane Construction. “Without the cooperation of the public and the partnering of VDOT and the city, the project could not have succeeded. It was a job well done.”
Due to the commitments associated with federal, state, and local agency partnerships and the schedule constraints associated with grant funding, VDOT administered this project as a design-build contract under a two-phase, best-value procurement. The project was delivered on time and within budget.
“This was a unique opportunity to deliver a transit project for GRTC using VDOT’s design-build project delivery process,” said Shailendra G. Patel, P.E., DBIA, state engineer with VDOT’s Alternative Project Delivery Division. “This required extensive efforts among the members of the design-build team, which also included the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, the city of Richmond and the county of Henrico. We are proud to be part of the successful delivery of this important project.”
The completion of the Pulse system marked the culmination of many years of planning and coordination with a variety of different stakeholders and public agencies that stood to benefit from this new service, the first of many steps in developing a comprehensive transportation network within the Greater Richmond area. The Pulse began service in June 2018 and immediately surpassed expectations with more than 30,000 riders during its first week in service.
The Pulse’s National Award of Merit will be presented on November 7, 2019 during DBIA’s Design-Build Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.
