…and the slide deck is uploaded, now! (also the meeting happened earlier today, but … …why yes I did absolutely go to that meeting… ha. ha. haaa…) Here’s the link to it.
Quick summary of what they mentioned with respect to BRT:
Here’s where we are in the grand scheme of things. Remember: after the final design is complete next year-ish, the FTA still needs to say this project is good enough to spend money on before construction can start.
HNTB was selected to run the show for the remaining steps of project development. They also worked on major recent transit projects like Brightline (now Virgin Trains USA), Charlotte’s latest light rail extension, and the MAX BRT in Kansas City.
What’s interesting, though, is that HNTB and its subcontractors aren’t just designing and building the New Bern line. As the contract stands now, they’ll also be in charge of designing the brand and passenger experience of the whole BRT system.
HNTB itself will be in charge of planning, signal engineering (read: making BRT work with road/pedestrian traffic), roadway design, tech infrastructure etc. The project manager in charge of this sounds like he knows what’s up, too. The same goes for most of the subcontractors like Neighboring Concepts, Public Participation Partners, and Susan Hatchell. Many of them were also involved in parts of projects like Charlotte’s light rail or Hunt Library, so I think their track record looks alright, at first glance.
I repeat, “most”.
PR Pros is apparently a Raleigh-based firm that “help[s clients] effectively communicate with their audiences and tell their unique stories.” Which is nice and all, but their website doesn’t exactly inspire my confidence in them as the subcontractor in charge of BRT branding…
To end with some good news, most transit projects and studies are being put on hold in the budget for FY2020-21 due to COVID choking off GoRaleigh’s revenue. One of the few exceptions, though, is the New Bern BRT project, so there’s still hope for this project happening on time!