In Motion Vol 28 No 2 - Fall 2021

Jacksonville’s U2C Program continues to move forward

and evaluated a series of transportation alternatives. The Skyway has been in operation since 1989, but was never fully built out. Recently, as a subconsultant to RS&H, Lea+Elliott reviewed the Skyway vehicle rehabilitation procurement alternatives that included procurement strategy sessions with the JTA, interviews with potential vehicle rehabilitation companies, and developing a comparative analysis of procurement strategies. Lea+Elliott is now developing the Request For Proposal (RFP) technical documents for the Skyway vehicle rehabilitation to extend the service life of the Skyway for another 8 to 10 years that includes input to the Instructions to Proposers , Special Provisions , Technical Provisions and associated reference data. It is anticipated that Lea+Elliott will also assist the JTA with the procurement process through bid and award and provide technical and project management oversight through design, manufacturing, implementation, testing and commissioning, and project closeout activities. Hitachi Rail gets the go ahead for BART CBTC SAN FRANCISCO –The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District issued Notice to Proceed to Hitachi Rail STS USA, Inc. for the Design-Build of a Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) System Nov. 2, 2020. The CBTC project is part of the Core Capacity Program that will increase capacity from 24 trains per hour to 30 trains per hour through the Transbay Tube. Lea+Elliott is a subconsultant on all Design Support During Construction consultant teams supporting BART in overseeing the CBTC Contract. Lea+Elliott currently has five full time engineers providing technical and commercial expertise and support. Lea+Elliott provided contract administration support and design review services for communications and vehicles during the Conceptual Design Review phase and continues this work for the ongoing Preliminary Design Review phase. APM upgrades continue at ATL ATLANTA - The City of Atlanta Aviation Department (the City) continues to expand and maintain its two APM systems–Plane Train (airside) and SkyTrain (landside)–at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). These APMs serve as the backbone of transportation to serve the passengers and airlines. Lea+Elliott recently oversaw the modular replacement of the Plane Train’s first switch which has been in operation for over 40 years. This switch replacement on a brownfield, operating APM system at one of the busiest airports in the world is a unique and challenging project. Lea+Elliott continues to oversee the replacement of the other original 12 switches. Lea+Elliott is also supporting the extension of the tunnel to add a switch beyond the Domestic Baggage Claim Station. This will improve the headways and system capacity to support ATL’s growing demand. Alongside the extension, the City is also completing the design phase of a newly built vehicle (INNOVIA

Rendering of Ultimate Urban Circulator (U 2 C) Image credit: JTA

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is embarking on a transformative project to enhance mobility in Downtown Jacksonville through the Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) Program. The U2C envisions the use of autonomous vehicles (AVs) to provide greater connectivity within downtown Jacksonville through the conversion of the JTA’s existing Skyway, a 2.5-mile elevated Automated People Mover (APM) system in the heart of Downtown Jacksonville, along with streel-level extensions that drive deeper into core neighborhoods. The mutiphase project is comprised of the Bay Street Innovation Corridor, a 3-mile loop along East Bay Street that will connect Downtown Jacksonville to the Sports & Entertainment Complex. Future phases will see the JTA converting the entire elevated Skyway superstructure and expanding the network to 10 miles through neighborhood extensions. Lea+Elliott, as a subconsultant to Reynolds Smith and Hills (RS&H), has been involved with the U2C Program since its inception. Lea+Elliott developed the AV section of the Transit Concept and Alternatives Review Report (TCAR) that evaluated alternatives for conversion of the existing 2.5-mile infrastructure to accommodate autonomous vehicles. Lea+Elliott’s scope consisted of reviewing vehicle design criteria, system capacity, wireless communications, cybersecurity, and safety certification requirements. Lea+Elliott also led a workshop with the JTA to identify and review the U2C Operations and Maintenance (O&M) requirements. Lea+Elliott developed an outline for O&M basic requirements for the U2C and wrote a report that outlined O&M procurement options. Since 2014, Lea+Elliott has provided engineering consulting services, including procurement, project structuring strategies, and system planning to the JTA. As the prime consultant, Lea+Elliott led the condition assessment of the existing Skyway

In Motion

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