PB Waterloo LRT contract extended
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefThe Regional Municipality of Waterloo has voted to exercise a three-year option to extend its existing light rail transit general engineering contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff and its Montreal-based parent company, WSP.
The C$818 million (U.S. $1 billion), two-stage project will bring light rail to the Waterloo Region, which includes the cities of Cambridge, Waterloo, and Kitchener. Stage 1 is a 36-km (22.4-mile) corridor that features a 19-km (11.8-mile) LRT system called “ION” linking the urban cores of Kitchener and Waterloo, plus 17 km (10.6 miles) of “adapted bus rapid transit” (aBRT) connecting the southern terminus of the LRT system in Kitchener to Cambridge. In Stage 2, the aBRT service will be converted to LRT.
Parsons Brinckerhoff and WSP are responsible for developing the output specifications for procurement, supporting the public-private partnership procurement process, and for managing the overall program, including construction management services. Construction commenced in August 2014. Upon completion in late 2017, it will be one of the first LRT systems to open in Canada’s Ontario Province since the 1970s.
“This continues to be an important project for Parsons Brinckerhoff,” said PB Senior Vice President Kevin George. “The Council’s decision to extend our agreement demonstrates the confidence that the Region has in our team in Waterloo and the joint success that we have so far achieved. It is a terrific example of the complementary skills that exist between Parsons Brinckerhoff and WSP. Our partnership began on this project in early 2012 and now we have merged into one tremendous business.”
