Rapid Route A

Serving as construction manager, HNTB partnered with the City of Madison to deliver the city’s first-ever bus-rapid transit line.

The Madison East-West BRT, also known as Rapid Route A, creates a new connection between more than 120,000 jobs and 80,000 residents located within a 10-minute walk of the corridor. The line travels through Madison’s key activity centers, such as Madison College, downtown Madison, the UW-Madison campus, the Capitol and government buildings. Major employers located throughout the corridor include CUNA Mutual, University Research Park and several shopping centers.

The enhanced BRT system features dedicated bus lanes (both center-running and curbside), priority traffic signals and a new fleet of 60-foot battery-electric buses (BEBs) that effectively double passenger capacity. Additionally, the introduction of a new tap FastFare collection system and dual-side boarding options will speed up boarding times.

HNTB oversaw the construction of over 18 miles of BRT service, including:

• 35 stations
• Route termini with overhead charging infrastructure for the new fleet of BEBs
• Bus operator break facilities
• A 2.5-mile multiuse trail
• A new park-n-ride facility

As the City of Madison prepares for a substantial increase in new jobs and residents over the next two decades, the Rapid Route A BRT project has established a simplified public transit system that will continue to serve the growing and expanding community.