Transit
STV-Jacobs-WRA Joint Venture Wins Baltimore Red Line Design Contract
The proposed Red Line light rail would provide an east-west route for travelers in Baltimore.
Rendering courtesy Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has selected Transit Delivery Partners, a team of STV, Jacobs and WRA, as general engineer consultants to design its Red Line light rail transit project, STV announced Dec. 4.
The firms will be responsible for designing road, track, structures, utilities and other infrastructure associated with the planned 14-mile line between Woodlawn in Baltimore County at its west end and Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital in East Baltimore, as well as related maintenance buildings and park-and-ride facilities. STV will also provide cost estimating services in future stages of the project.
“The Red Line will be a major improvement to Baltimore’s connectivity, especially for communities that rely on public transit to access employment, education and other essential services,” Ryan Barth, principal and project manager at STV, said in a statement.
Other teams that submitted for the general engineer consultant contract include Transit Opportunities Partnership and JMT-AECOM Corridor GEC JV, records show.
Officials originally began the process of planning the Red Line in the early 2000s, but the then-governor canceled the project in 2015 and put funding toward roads and bridges elsewhere in the state. STV, Jacobs and WRA had all been involved in the project prior to its cancellation. Last year, Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced that state officials were reviving the plan, saying it is time to “seize this moment in our nation’s history when the stars are aligned to invest in public transit.”
Moore announced in June that the Maryland Transit Administration had recommended light rail as the transit mode for the route following technical analysis and public outreach. Officials touted light rail’s greater capacity compared to bus rapid transit as an advantage in the high-density corridor.
Transit officials have said they aim to select a preferred alignment this winter. They have already narrowed it down to three alternatives.
Map courtesy Maryland Transit AdministrationMost of the route is likely to be surface running within the existing Baltimore road network. The first alternative would include tunnels under downtown Baltimore and part of the western portion of the route, while the others would build along existing roads. Portions of the line could also include dedicated “transitway” right-of-way sections.
State officials have estimated costs between $4.7 billion and as high as $9 billion for the alternative with tunneling.
