CTfastrak Bus Rapid Transit Corridor

To encourage more environmentally conscious commuting, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) established a dedicated 9.4-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) facility, known as CTfastrak, between downtown New Britain and downtown Hartford. For 5 miles, the corridor runs parallel to an active Amtrak line and within the railroad right-of-way.

Lochner was responsible for the design of the 1-mile segment at the Hartford terminus. Lochner’s design plans encompassed a two-lane busway with variable width shoulders, predominantly paved with asphalt, with a concrete section at the Hartford station. Lochner’s design also included all drainage facilities, two new medium-span steel girder mainline bridges, and the reconstruction of a 150-foot multispan steel plate girder cross street bridge. Lochner also completed the design of 12 retaining walls and a commuter parking lot as part of this project.

The proximity of the active rail line required Lochner to maintain extensive coordination with Amtrak throughout the design process. Vertical track realignment beneath the reconstructed overpass was required to provide increased vertical clearance, and drainage improvements were required for the mainline and siding tracks.

ConnDOT had originally intended that within a highly constrained quarter-mile section of right-of-way, the CTfastrak route would reduce to a single signalized, reversible traffic lane. Lochner completed final design plans accordingly and included specialty signal design that accounted for changes in traffic volumes and direction of travel at different times of day. During the construction phase, however, community support and additional funding allowed ConnDOT to request a design modification to provide two travel lanes. To accommodate both lanes, Lochner designed the relocation and retrofit of two piers on the I-84 bridge over the BRT corridor. Lochner’s design for this bridge modification specified underpinning construction techniques to eliminate disruption to the overhead Interstate traffic. Lochner completed this major design revision within an extremely expedited timeframe to allow the project to continue on schedule.

Due to the project’s urban downtown location, detailed planning was required to minimize disruption to traffic, businesses, and pedestrians and to maintain access to Interstate ramps. Lochner created a comprehensive maintenance and protection of traffic plan after liaison with the many affected businesses and the City of Hartford to determine the best alternatives for pedestrian and vehicle traffic during construction.

To ensure homogeny of design, Lochner maintained close contact throughout the design period with the firms responsible for the adjoining corridor section and the stations. In this FTA-funded project, Lochner performed all work in adherence with the FTA-mandated, program-specific quality manual.