Omaha Metro Transit was a recipient of a TIGER grant to support the construction of an 11-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) line along Dodge Street connecting park and ride facilities at the Westroads Transit Center, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and downtown Omaha. The 27 station route operates in mixed traffic along the arterial corridor and will include transit signal priority and queue jump lanes at key intersections, promoting improved convenience for users of the system operating on a 10-minute frequency in the peak and 20 minutes in the off-peak.
As part of the consultant team, SRF was responsible for site design and ADA design for each station, for developing and implementing the public engagement program and for assisting Metro Transit Operations staff in implementing the new service. Challenges in the corridor included limited right-of-way for stations, timing and financial limitation on acquiring additional area for stations and/or other system elements and gaining support for adding BRT to the highest volume arterial corridor in Omaha.
SRF worked closely with the station architect to refine the configuration of each limited area station to reduce the footprint while retaining elements that support user needs and enhance pedestrian flow through station areas.
To comply with FTA requirements, SRF’s Project Controls team developed a master program schedule that included final design, development, and delivery of five construction bid packages; Metro’s right of way procurement; and vehicle procurement.
Outreach for the project was designed to promote opportunities for key constituent groups including, potential BRT riders, current riders of local routes that would be replaced by BRT, businesses/residents along the corridor, and city leaders. Techniques included pop-up meetings at proposed stations or current stops, use of a diverse interest Stakeholder Committee, on-line information sharing, presentations at civic organization and neighborhood association meetings, and council briefings.
