Los Angeles transit authority LA Metro has picked an Aecom-led joint venture to advance plans for a bus rapid transit system along Vermont Avenue, one of the city’s most congested roads.
In the short term, the city wants to boost bus capacity along a 12.4-mile section from Hollywood Boulevard in the north to 120th Street in the south.
Under discussion since 2013, the plan envisages dedicated bus lanes with improved stops for modern, articulated buses, which the city has termed “trains on rubber tires”.
Longer term, the city will consider converting it to a rail-based system along the corridor, at or below grade.
Aecom and two minority-owned small businesses, Terry A. Hayes Associates and RAW International, will do the Vermont Corridor planning and environmental study.
They’ll design the bus system, obtain state environmental clearance for both the bus and future rail systems, and assess requirements for the rail conversion.
“This transformation along the Vermont corridor is one of the most critical projects on LA Metro’s horizon,” said Matt Crane, chief executive of Aecom’s western US region.
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