The Greater Richmond Transit Company's (GRTC) Pulse is a bus rapid transit line that offers riders a faster commute. Previously, the city of Richmond was served by conventional buses.

The total project corridor in the City of Richmond is approximately 7.6 miles. The corridor begins on Broad Street near Willow Lawn Drive in Henrico County. It extends east to 14th Street in the City of Richmond. The corridor extends south on 14th Street to Main Street and continues east on Main Street to Orleans Drive in Rocketts Landing.

Technical Details:

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project includes 14 stations: five median stations and nine curbside stations. The two terminus stations include a single loading platform, while the remaining 12 stations have facilities for eastbound and westbound travel. The BRT route includes a combination of mixed flow, exclusive median running, and exclusive curb running BRT operations.

Scope of work included but was not limited to:

• Over 43,000 LF of Fiber Optic Cable
• Over 191,000 LF of Conductor
• Over 1,800 SF of Sign Panels
• ITS Devices including Cameras, LCS, Transit Signal Priority and System Integration
• Over 260 CY of Concrete Foundations
• Approximately 60 Luminaires, associated Light Poles and Electrical Services
• Over 50 Traffic Signal Intersections

Benefits/Positive Impact to Community:

As with any major transportation project, a proactive and comprehensive public outreach program keeps the public and key stakeholders fully engaged and informed throughout the construction phase of the project. The VSL team believes that an effective outreach process must be integrated into both design and construction.

Our approach to the project encouraged multiple communication channels that both pushed information out to the public and pulled it in to find news and information. This kind of open and transparent process that deals honestly with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and stakeholders helped create community buy-in on project timetables and milestones. This helped ease concerns and avoid potential issues regarding lane closures, detours, and impacts to the traveling public.

Our team collaborated with GRTC, VDOT, and project partners (Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, City of Richmond, and Henrico County) to build an environment of trust in the community, serving as a source of information.

Communication focused on safety, project awareness and its benefits, and traffic impacts.