Lecture No. 5: AECOM
Today, Jason Sobel gave a great presentation on the traffic engineering, analysis, and simulation for the preparation of the preliminary environmental studies involving the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Route in the Urban Ring Project. The purpose of the BRT route in the Urban Ring is to facilitate travel between the communities of Boston. The first step in the analysis of the project was to look at future traffic projections for bus routes and private shuttles in 2030. There will be greater employment in the area as well as a much greater population, increasing the demand for a system like this.
One of the advantages the BRT would have over the MBTA is having larger and more substantial stations that are spread further apart. Because they are space slightly less frequently, the busses would make fewer unnecessary stops and would therefore have less travel time for users. The BRT would also have better traffic controller information as well as still connecting with the MBTA and commuter rail.
The main focus of this presentation of the BRT was the engineering challenges faced at the critical location of Commonwealth Ave. at the Boston University Bridge. AECOM gave several proposed options for implementing the BRT in this area. Some options included ideas such as the creation of new structures, a separate route built for the BRT, and the relocation of the Boston University Academy building. AECOM also played a very interesting simulation video made for one of the proposed solutions.