Challenge
In preparation for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)’s scheduled bus network redesign rollout, the agency faced a tight timeline to implement critical bus priority treatments that would support the success of the new service enhancements across multiple municipalities in the Boston area.
Solution
Our team worked closely with the MBTA and its municipal partners to identify and prioritize segments along key high-frequency corridors where bus priority treatments would protect and enhance bus performance. From planning and concept development to design and implementation, we helped the MBTA to deliver targeted bus priority treatments, including a bus lane that spanned two different municipalities, requiring careful coordination across jurisdictional boundaries to align on design standards, approvals, and implementation logistics. Teaming with HNTB, we also developed transit signals for a new bus passenger transfer location that intersected two high-frequency routes in the City of Revere, designing the signals in tandem with the team designing the new bus stops.
The Outcome
Accelerating the Success of a Bus Network Redesign
The bus priority treatments were rolled out with the first phase of the bus network redesign. Although the new passenger transfer location and accompanying transit signals were initially planned as a six-month pilot project, the City of Revere approved its permanent installation after just three months. The before/analysis showed negligible impacts on auto travel times and improved bus movements through the area. Anecdotal feedback, including a positive report from a local school crossing guard, further reinforced the project’s value.
