Transit Briefs: MBTA, MDOT, Metrolinx, CTA, AtkinsRéalis/NYMTA

(Attleboro Redevelopment Authority photo)

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) releases a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) site in Attleboro. Also, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) announces a TOD vision for Baltimore’s Reisterstown Plaza Metro Station; the original price of the Ontario Line didn’t include all costs, according to Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster; the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announces the name of the new Green Line Station, which is currently under construction; and AtkinsRéalis Group Inc. (AtkinsRéalis) will work with ECCO III Enterprises Inc. to design and build upgrades to the New York Metropolitan Authority’s (MTA) Broadway Junction Complex.

MBTA

The Attleboro Redevelopment Authority (ARA), in collaboration with the MBTA, on June 25 announced the release of an RFQ for the TOD site in Downtown Attleboro.

According to the agency, the ARA has “worked diligently with local and state partners to prepare the 6.5-acre parcel adjacent to the Attleboro MBTA Commuter Rail station for redevelopment, representing the greatest development opportunity in the city’s downtown area.” The ARA seeks a qualified development team to deliver a mixed-use transit-oriented development project that would introduce approximately 600 units of market rate and affordable housing.

Interested parties will be invited to submit responses to the RFQ demonstrating their qualifications and ability to successfully develop the land in line with the City of Attleboro Transit Oriented Development District Vision + Plan (TOD Vision and Plan). The TOD Vision and Plan, the result of an in-depth community planning and visioning process, outlines the ARA and the city’s goal to deliver more housing alongside supporting retail uses on the site.

“Mixed-use transit-oriented developments like the one to come in Downtown Attleboro are critical as we partner with local communities to promote economic development, introduce more affordable housing, and assist the Commonwealth in its climate change goals,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “The MBTA is committed to partnering with the communities we serve to develop safe, walkable, interconnected public spaces focused around our stations. We thank the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority for their work on this RFQ and look forward to collaborating with them as the project moves forward.”

The release of the RFQ, MBTA says, represents the first phase of a two-stage process for selecting a Master Developer for the Site, during which interested parties will be asked to submit information highlighting their qualifications and ability to execute their development proposal. The second phase of the process will be the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to a group of development teams selected under the RFQ process, which will be invited to submit full development proposals.

Responses to the RFQ will be due on August 14, 2024, with an anticipated release of the RFP to selected qualified developers in late September. The ARA hopes to select a Master Developer for the site by the end of the year.

“With the release of this RFQ, the ARA is looking forward to the selection of a Master Developer who can meet the vision for the area,” said ARA Chair Rose Larson. “This is an exciting opportunity for Attleboro and the ARA is pleased to play a role in expanding housing options in the city.”

MDOT

MDOT on June 25 announced a vision plan (download below) for a dynamic, mixed-use, transit-oriented future for the area surrounding the Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway station in northwest Baltimore. This, the agency says, is one of the first steps in the implementation of the Moore-Miller Administration’s efforts to advance TOD statewide.

“Transforming Reisterstown Plaza from an underused park-and-ride lot to a vibrant community is critical for increasing walkability, sustainable growth and transit use,” MDOT said.

The vision, the agency says, “seeks to outline strategies to increase housing opportunities, grow transit ridership and increase access to the Metro station and surrounding community, delivering on MDOT’s renewed focus on TOD.”

The preliminary plans for the 26-acre Reisterstown Plaza site call for the creation of a multi-modal, mixed-use destination with residential units, office space and retail. “Not only would these uses contribute to enhanced community development for the area, but they would also help to reduce dependency on vehicles and promote the use of mass transit,” MDOT said. Potential new development would bring together a mixed of uses, including:

• New housing units, including workforce housing units. The vision proposes a mix of rental and homeownership opportunities as well as senior housing;
• New retail to include sit-down restaurants, coffee shops with outdoor seating and office space;
• Park and community space; and
• A parking garage facility with dedicated spaces for transit users, including electric vehicle charging.

The plan is the result of a year of collaboration between MDOT, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), the City of Baltimore and Wabash Development Partners. Engagement will continue with the public as the planning and development process advances.

“The Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway station is a major transit hub for our region and an outstanding location to build transit-oriented development,” said Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold. “Investments in transit, such as this, are critical to the success of our region, decreasing traffic congestion, and reaching our climate goals.”

Metrolinx

The initial price tag of the Ontario Line project “left out key expenses,” according to Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster, that would “eventually double the cost of constructing and operating the transit line,” Global News reported on June 25.

The 15-kilometer (9.3-mile) transit line, announced by the Progressive Conservative government in 2019, “has ballooned in price from the original $10.9 billion for construction to $27.2 billion to build, maintain and operate the trains for 30 years,” according to the Global News report.

According to the report, on Monday, Verster broke down the reasons behind the cost increase, adding that “the province doesn’t provide taxpayers with the full price tag up front.”

“It is the practice in Ontario whereby when projects are announced, only the construction costs are announced,” Verster said during an unrelated transit announcement. “The cost in 2019, the $10.9 billion, was only for construction cost.”

Vester said, according to the report, that the initial projection was “half or less than half” of what the total project would eventually cost once other necessary items such as land acquisition, design and project management.

“All of those costs are costs that are developed after the project is announced and so that initial announcement is only for construction costs,” Verster said.

Since then, Verster said, “the province awarded $7 billion in contracts to maintain and operate the line over 30 years, while the costs of construction have nearly doubled”—something Verster blames on the pandemic-related inflationary increases, according to the Global News report.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria told Global News the government has to “protect the integrity” of the competitive bidding process, suggesting that’s one of the reasons why the government didn’t reveal the true cost in 2019.

“These projects are all competitively procured so you would never want to tip off the market as to what those eventual costs could be as well,” Sarkaria said.

Sarkaria added that since the major contract has been awarded for the Ontario Line, the cost isn’t expected to grow much further—a sentiment backed up by Verster, according to the Global News report.

“The cost we have now is very close to what we took to the Treasury Board in 2022,” Verster said. “So, the budget we’ve got, and the budget that’s been declared is where we expected it to be.”

The $27.2 billion Ontario Line is expected to be in service in 2031, four years after originally promised.

CTA

The Chicago Transit Board today on June 25 approved an ordinance officially naming the City of Chicago’s newest rail station, which is currently under construction along the Green Line at the intersection of Lake Street and Damen Avenue. The new station, which is expected to open in coming weeks, will officially be known as the “Damen” Green Line station.

The “strikingly modern design” of the new Damen Green Line station will be fully accessible to those who use mobility devices and will fill a gap between existing stations on the Green Line, “providing convenient connections to those living and working near the developing Kinzie Industrial Corridor,” CTA said.

Construction of the station is being led by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), and was designed by Perkins & Will, a Chicago-based global architecture and design firm known for innovative transit station projects from British Columbia to Chongqing City, China. The expected cost of the project is $80 million and is funded by the Kinzie Industrial Corridor Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District.

“Few realize there is process involved in determining the appropriate name for our stations, which ultimately is intended to help our riders understand where they are on the system or help them navigate to their destination a little easier,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “The new Damen Green Line station will proudly serve as a community anchor to Chicago’s West Side community, as well as those traveling to and from Malcolm X College and events at the nearby United Center.”

AtkinsRéalis/NYMTA

AtkinsRéalis, a professional services and project management company, announced June 25 that it will be working for design-builder ECCO III Enterprises Inc., which was awarded a 44-month contract to design and build upgrades to NYMTA’s Broadway Junction Complex to “improve efficiency, enhance user experience and ensure it is optimized in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).” This is AtkinsRéalis’ first design-build project in New York City.

Approximately 100,000 transit passengers per day pass through the critical Broadway Junction transfer station at the intersection of five subway lines and six bus routes in Brooklyn. Design improvements, the company says, are focused on upgrading the facilities and enhancing accessibility and service for people with disabilities at the Broadway Junction Complex. Design services include adding seven new elevators to the three subway stations, a first for the complex, replacement of three escalators, adding new ADA compliant staircases, walkways, improved lighting, wayfinding signage, a passenger transfer bridge between a subway station and bus station and a pedestrian bridge enabling transitions between two subway stations above surface street traffic. New and upgraded communications and mechanical, electrical, fire protection and plumbing systems will also be designed to increase the operational lifespans of the stations.

Numerous upgrades have been made to the stations over the years, which first came online nearly 100 years ago. AtkinsRéalis says it will inventory existing facilities, utilities and foundations through direct field investigations coupled with an extensive Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and scan to Building Information Modeling (BIM) process. Detailed 3D models will be developed to enable virtual walkthroughs and visualizations of the design. 3D models “facilitate detailed interdisciplinary coordination, 4D Schedule integration and visualizations to inform maintenance and protection of traffic planning,” according to the company. “Modeling also helps identify design challenges, layout construction sequencing so as not to impose additional loads onto existing subway tunnels located below the active work site and minimize construction impacts to the local community and daily ridership.”

“We are honored to have been selected to be part of the MTA’s efforts to modernize its century-old system to meet the accessibility needs of all its users,” said AtkinsRéalis President and CEO Ian L. Edwards. “Our multi-disciplined design team has the technical excellence combined with the community centric approach required to complete this vital and transformative project.”

“We have a tremendous opportunity to create significant benefits to the community by enhancing the public transit experience,” said Steve Morriss, President, U.S., Latin America, and Minerals & Metals, AtkinsRéalis. “By focusing on quality, safety and improved constructability, we’ll achieve efficiency in our design to streamline construction, reduce impacts to the MTAs customers and seamlessly navigate the complexities of this unique project.”