Steve Carlson is project
manager with GMT.
Mark Louro is the
project manager for
DTC with VHB.
JUNE 2017 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 39
building, which includes a ticket
booth, vending concessions, a
lobby, and employee space was a
signifi cant challenge. To accommodate
all of the needs, VHB
reconfi gured the parking garage
access, still allowing the mix of
public and bus use, and reduced
the existing sidewalk widths on
both sides of the roadway.
Another solution to better
use the space was to provide the
employee space and mechanical
functions below ground.
Traffic Impact Mitigation
One of the challenges for traffi c
during design was the proposed
contra-fl ow operation of the buses
and vehicles along the roadway. Th e
proposed center island platform,
which provides the best solution
for bus transfers and passenger
access to the ticket building, made
it challenging for bus circulation.
Th e buses that berth on the west
side of the platform now enter from
the south and buses that berth on
the east side of the platform now
enter from the north. Th is was
something that needed to be handled
carefully with both the bus
drivers and the state agency drivers,
who would continue to access the
parking garage at the state building.
Distinct signal indications at the
north and southern intersections
and appropriate signs were provided
to make it clear to the traveling
public that St. Paul Street was now
a full-scale bus facility with limited
public vehicle access and counter
fl ow movements.
To minimize traffi c impacts
during construction, constant communication
across team members
was key. Th e team worked closely
with the city to control traffi c, particularly
during the construction
and reconstruction of utilities in
Cherry and Pearl Streets. Proposed
utilities within both roadways were
redesigned to minimize the amount
of construction on the roadways
and thereby reduce impacts to traffi
c. All work done on Cherry and
Pearl Streets was generally done at
night and on weekends to further
reduce traffi c impacts.
Environmental
Challenges
Th e biggest environmental challenge
that the project faced was
addressing issues raised by the
historic preservation community
during the planning and early
design phases of the project. Th ere
were concerns that the proposed facility
would have visual and physical
impacts on the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception, located
along the west side of the transit
center. Th e concern was not just
for the cathedral building itself, but
also the unique landscape on the
grounds of the cathedral. In 1977,
125 Th ornless Honey Locust trees
were planted in a distinct pattern
around the cathedral. Only 103 of
the original 125 trees remain due to
a variety of environmental issues,
including poor soils.
GMT went through multiple
station redesigns to minimize
impacts on the Cathedral property.
Th e station design went from
a two-story above-ground structure
to a building with one story
above ground and one story below
ground. As part of the construction
phase of the project, GMT also
implemented a variety of remedial
actions to restore the remaining
trees, including planting four new
trees and providing tree protection
for trees adjacent to the construction.
GMT hired an arborist to
prune deadwood; aerate the soil
using hydro-fracturing; inject
fertilizer into the soil to replenish
much needed nutrients; and monitor
the trees during construction.
Th e special eff ort made by GMT to
redesign the DTC and to revitalize
the cathedral landscape received
strong support from the historic
community and allowed the project
to advance into fi nal design.
Project Management
To keep the project on time and on
budget, a combination of regular
communication between the team
and other stakeholders was necessary,
including rigorous monitoring
and review; task, milestone
and deliverable review; as well as
anticipation of next steps, issues,
or other potential challenges that
needed to be addressed during
the process. Weekly meetings
were held with the project team
to review project status and to
make adjustments to the schedule.
GMT’s project manager regularly
met with the board of commissioners
to apprise them of the
project schedule and budget. All
expenses were tracked against the
budget to make certain the project
remained on track. Th ere is never
too much communication and coordination
on these projects when
multiple stakeholders are involved.
VHB’s integrated approach
looked at the project from every
perspective so that design, environmental,
cost, constructability
and public concerns were identifi
ed and planned for as the project
advanced into each stage of design
and construction. Th is was crucial
to the project’s success. VHB
was instrumental in making the
DTC a reality for GMT and the
region; they provided a smooth
ride throughout the project lifecycle
and helped GMT achieve
its goal of transforming transit
in Vermont.
Vermont
THE DTC opened
on October
13, 2016, and
offers a safe
and convenient
central hub
and attractive
gateway to the
transit system.