Metro Orange Line BRT Improvements
Photo Credits: LA Metro, The Source
The Metro Orange Line (MOL) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Improvements Project pursues to provide safe and cost-effective strategies to improve operating speeds, capacity and safety, while addressing passenger needs and minimizing disruption to the San Fernando Valley residents. The technical study BA Inc. also participated in recommended improvements that will enhance the BRT Line’s speed, safety, reliability and ridership.
The proposed improvements that were evaluated include grade separations on major streets, minor street closures, better signal priority technology, electronic bus connectivity and a four-quadrant gating system. Coordination with the City of Los Angeles is underway in implementing a pilot installation of railroad gates at a non-public, traffic signal-controlled intersection on the MOL to test and verify the reliable activation and proper operation of gates for BRT application.
In conjunction with the pilot gates, a traffic impact analysis is being conducted with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to evaluate potential impacts of gating on traffic in the MOL corridor and to ensure that the proposed gating system achieves the stated project goals while minimizing delays for Valley vehicle traffic. The proposed gating-system will reduce or eliminate incidents between vehicles and MOL buses, as well as increase the speeds of buses along the corridor and reduce travel times for riders.
Description of Role:
As subconsultant, BA Inc. provided Civil Engineering services including preliminary discovery research to identify utility groups and obtain records and documents relative to as-builts and substructures; field surveys to verify all existing underground and overhead facilities; potholing to identify the size, location, and depth of underground utilities; 3rd party coordination; composite utility drawings for existing facilities, and utility relocations/rearrangements including the design of water, sewer, and telephone lines, and preliminary design of power lines.
Role required extensive interaction with utility companies and agencies, including but not limited to LADWP, LABOE, Time Warner, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, and Level 3 to identify conflicts, define clear solutions, gather estimated costs, and produce Preliminary Engineering and construction drawings.
Project Highlights
BA Inc. prepared preliminary design of LADWP facilities, proposing two design alternatives which included (1) the relocation of power lines underground crossing existing bridge structure and Metrolink tracks and (2) raising poles to maximum height of 110’ to provide minimum clearance over proposed bridge structure. Designs considered staging, constructability, scheduling, and cost.
Coordinated design efforts concurrently with three major agencies including Metro, Metrolink, and LADWP.
Prepared responses to RFIs from the design-build team, reviewed as-built data and performed constructability reviews for material submittals.
Agency/Owner:
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Project Amount:
$361,000,000
Project Completed:
Anticipated Completion Date: 2025
BA’s Role:
Utility Survey
Mapping
Design
Third-party coordination