Mass Transit - 12

PEOPLE & PLACES
FEIS, ROD issued for
Long Bridge project

The Rapid

THE LAKER Line began service in late August.

The Rapid begins service on the Laker Line
▶ Michigan Grand Valley State University (GVSU) students, faculty and staff have a
new transit option to travel between GVSU's Allendale campus and downtown Grand
Rapids: the Laker Line. The Lake Line is The Rapid's - and the state of Michigan's -
second bus rapid transit (BRT) line. The Rapid calls the opening of the Laker Line "the
next innovative step in the 20-year partnership between The Rapid and Grand Valley
State University." The Laker Line serves 13 stations and features 16 high-capacity,
articulated compressed natural gas buses. The $72.8-million project was funded
with a grant covering 80 percent of the cost from the Federal Transit Administration
through the Capital Investment Grant Program and a 20-percent match from the
Michigan Department of Transportation.
MassTransitmag.com/21151659

▶ The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD)
were published for the Long Bridge rail
project, which calls for two new bridges to
be constructed across the Potomac River to
improve passenger and freight rail capacity
and provide pedestrians and cyclists with
their own bridge. Owned and operated by
CSX, the existing Long Bridge is the only
railroad bridge connecting Virginia to the
District of Columbia and is one of the most
significant passenger and freight rail choke
points along on the East Coast. Normally,
the bridge functions at 98-percent capacity
during peak periods, preventing an increase
in passenger and commuter rail service. The
project will also create a new, independent
pedestrian and bicycle bridge crossing of
the Potomac River between the Mount
Vernon Trail, Crystal City and the core of
District of Columbia.
MassTransitmag.com/21153140

Continued ▶

People in the News

Johnson

Butler

Braun

Harris

Thomas

Regional
Transportation District
(RTD) of Denver

Transit Authority of
River City (TARC)

Cincinnati Metro

Memphis Area Transit
Authority (MATA)

GoTriangle

Denver RTD has
named Debra Johnson to be the agency's
next general manager
and CEO. Johnson will
serve as the first woman to lead the agency.
She began her career
in public outreach and
community relations
before moving to
communications and
then to executive
leadership in the transit
industry. She has held
executive positions
at several agencies.
She currently serves
as the deputy CEO at
Long Beach Transit in
California. Denver RTD
will announce her start
date once it has been
determined.

MassTransitmag.
com/21151855

12 |

Carrie Butler has
been appointed
as the executive
director of TARC
following an extensive
national search. Butler
concluded her role
as general manager
at Lextran on Sept. 16
and began her new
position at TARC on
Sept. 21. Butler brings
more than 20 years
of transit and public
service experience,
including serving as
TARC's director of
planning from 20022010. The mayor of
Louisville says Butler
is expected to bring
"stability and energy"
at a time when the
agency is in need of
both.

MassTransitmag.
com/21153838

Cincinnati Metro
has selected David
Braun to be the
director of transit
operations, where
he will be responsible for managing the
delivery of the agency's
fixed-route services
to the region. He will
oversee all operators,
service delivery and
quality, supervision,
dispatching, support
operations and Government Square. Braun
will also develop and
recommend programs,
operating practices,
employee development and training to
improve the overall
customer experience,
as well as the efficiency
and the responsiveness
of Cincinnati Metro's
fixed-route services.

MassTransitmag.
com/21151117

Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

Ted Harris has joined
MATA as the chief
operations officer,
where he will provide
oversight of key
operations including fixed-route bus,
trolley and MATAplus
services, as well as the
maintenance, security
and facilities departments. With nearly 40
years of transportation
experience, including
more than 25 years
of experience in the
public transportation
sector, Harris recently
served as chief
customer experience
officer at the Hillsborough Area Regional
Transit Authority in
Tampa, Fla. He began
his new role Aug. 25.

MassTransitmag.
com/21152853

GoTriangle has
chosen Scott Thomas
to be the chief
communications
officer, where he will
provide leadership and
direction for GoTriangle's communications,
marketing, public involvement, community
relations and employer
services and oversee
the communications
and public affairs team.
He will serve as the
chief media spokesperson and public
information officer. He
also oversees customer
information and agency publications; directs
agency programs with
external stakeholders;
and advises the agency's senior management team and board
members.

MassTransitmag.
com/21150721
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