New Orleans — PB to Manage Streetcar Projects

Rail Transit Online, September 2011

Construction management on the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority's three-phase expansion of its streetcar system will be overseen by Parsons Brinckerhoff, the company announced on Sept. 7. The projects include:

• A 1.5-mi. (2.4 km) line along Loyola Avenue from Canal Street to the Union Passenger Terminal;

• A four-mile (6.4 km) loop through the French Quarter along North Rampart Street and St. Claude Avenue between Canal Street and Press Street, plus a 1.2-mi. (1.93 km) branch on Elysian Fields Avenue connecting with the Riverfront Line at Esplanade Avenue;

• A 1.8-mi. (2.9 km) Convention Center Boulevard loop serving the convention center and its hotel district and also connecting with the Riverfront Line.

The first two have been funded and the Loyola route is under construction. The PB team will be responsible for providing management and support staff throughout construction and close-out, monitoring and controlling schedules and budgets.

Construction on the Loyola Avenue phase of the streetcar expansion began last month, with completion slated for June 2012. Parsons Brinckerhoff worked with the RTA during reconstruction of the historic St. Charles Avenue streetcar line in the 1980s and on design of the restored Canal Street route, which resumed revenue service in 2004 after a 40-year absence.