Transforming Transit in V
V HB PARTNERED WITH
and off ers real-time tracking and
the city of Burlington and
Green Mountain Transit to
deliver the new Downtown
Transit Center in Burlington,
Vermont.
Th e DTC has been a project
more than 30 years in the
making. Th e original Cherry Street
terminal, completed in 1981, was
deemed by Chittenden County
Transportation Authority (now
GMT) as “too small the day it
opened.” In the 1990s, eff orts to relocate
the facility to the waterfront
were unsuccessful. In 2006, the
city of Burlington enlisted VHB’s
help in revisiting the project and
fi nding a more suitable site. Since
that time, working with both the
city and GMT, VHB conducted a
comprehensive search of more than
30 potential sites in the downtown
Burlington area that could accommodate
the new transit facility,
meet the project’s objectives and
long-term needs, and be acceptable
to all project stakeholders.
Aft er extensive planning, a
thorough alternatives analysis,
and numerous charrettes with the
public, the city and an advisory
group, the St. Paul Street location
— a public roadway just around the
corner from the Cherry Street terminal
— was identifi ed in 2012 as
the preferred location for the DTC.
Th is location off ered a number of
benefi ts, including its proximity to
the bustling Church Street Marketplace
and the minimal impact on
existing urban infrastructure.
Th e DTC features a modern
facility that supports growing
ridership, improves the rider experience
38 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | JUNE 2017
and promotes economic
development. Sen. Patrick Leahy
(D-VT), who attended the opening,
noted that the new transit
center is an excellent example of
public investment that will help
stimulate private development.
Th e new DTC provides a blocklong,
Wi-Fi-accessible platform,
an enclosed climate-controlled
lobby with a ticket window, vending
concessions and restrooms for
its passengers, as well as a break
room, restrooms, lounge and
kitchen facilities for its drivers.
Th e center also provides monitors
to maximize safety and security,
displays to assist passengers to and
from their destination.
Th e DTC provides the region
with a fi rst-class facility that provides
customers with an indoor
waiting area that is heated and
air conditioned.
Design & Construction
Containing all of the DTC elements
within the existing St. Paul
Street boundaries was a challenge.
While a great and accessible location
for a transit center, the
area was already established with
the Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception on one side and a state
offi ce building on the other. Transforming
a public roadway into a
dedicated transit mall, while still
maintaining access to the state offi
ce building, was a challenge that
required a resourceful approach.
Th e transit mall consists of
many elements, including two
bus travel lanes, two lines of bus
berths, a platform with amenities
for passengers, and a transit
building — all within the mostly
existing right-of-way. Locating the
THE NEW DTC
provides a
block-long,
Wi-Fi-accessible
platform,
an enclosed
climatecontrolled
lobby
with a ticket
window, vending
concessions and
restrooms for its
passengers, as
well as a break
room, restrooms,
lounge and
kitchen facilities
for its drivers.
By Steve Carlson, Mark Louro
An integrated approach
looked at the transit
center 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.
Photos by Lindsay Raymondjack Photography