C250208_Exhibit_A_Scope_of_Work.pdf

RFP 250208

EXHIBIT A

SCOPE OF WORK

Freeway Bus Rapid Transit/Express Bus Study

INTRODUCTION:

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is seeking to conduct a study to develop a conceptual plan for a freeway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and express route network that could potentially serve both intra-county and inter-county destinations with freeway BRT being an express bus service enhanced by capital improvements. The study will focus on freeway BRT projects for the I-5 and SR 55 corridors and assess the feasibility of implementing express bus service on other Orange County freeways and toll roads. Express bus corridors may include SR 22, SR 57, SR 91, I-405 freeways and the 73, 133, 241, and 261 toll roads.

In 2021, OCTA published the Freeway BRT Concept Study which assessed the suitability of BRT service along the I-5 and SR 55 corridors. It focused on existing and projected conditions within the study area, lessons learned from other freeway BRT projects in Southern California, opportunities and constraints, and conceptual plans for the development of two potential BRT routes. The study concluded that capital improvements necessary for the implementation of freeway BRT are substantial, and projects should be implemented when larger managed lane freeway improvement projects enter the planning stage.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, OCTA operated five (5) express routes that served major employment centers inside and outside of Orange County. These routes operated primarily during morning and evening peak hours, taking commuters to key employment centers in Orange and LA counties. The five routes included the following:

• Route 206: Santa Ana – Lake Forest Express

• Route 213: Brea – Irvine Express

• Route 701: Huntington Beach – Downtown Los Angeles Express

• Route 721: Fullerton – Downtown Los Angeles Express

• Route 794: Riverside/Corona – South Coast Metro Express

In March 2020, OCTA implemented emergency service changes due to a sharp decline in ridership following the state’s stay-at-home order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This included reducing service levels, adjusting schedules, and suspending all express bus routes.

OCTA gradually restored local bus service, and by early 2025, ridership was close to one hundred percent of pre-pandemic levels. Regional commuting patterns, however, shifted as hybrid work schedules remained an option for many office workers. This change is evidenced by Metrolink weekday ridership which was about 60-70 percent below pre-pandemic levels by 2025.

OCTA staff recognizes that long-term market conditions and travel trends may continue to evolve, potentially reshaping future demand for premium transit service. The 2024 OC Transit Vision master plan, which outlines transit improvements over the next 30 years, recommends a Freeway Bus Rapid Transit/Express Bus Study. This express bus study will analyze long-term travel trends since the pandemic, update recommendations from the Freeway BRT Concept Study, and determine the feasibility of restoring discontinued express routes or establishing new express routes.

With a population of around 3.2 million, Orange County is the third most populous county in California and is second only to San Francisco for the most densely populated county in the state.

Combined with Los Angeles and Riverside counties, the regional population exceeds 15 million.

Orange County is also home to more than 900,000 low-income individuals. This equates to about 28 percent of Orange County’s total residents. Interstate 5 and State Route 55 are both bound by multiple low income and disadvantaged communities that would likely benefit from the improvements proposed for this study. The proposed freeway BRT corridors are crossed by a commuter rail line and five existing High-Quality Transit Corridors. Disadvantaged communities disproportionately burdened by long commutes would likely benefit from express bus service.

Limitations on Governmental Decisions

Nothing contained in this scope of work permits Consultant’s personnel to authorize or direct any actions, votes, appoint any person, obligate, or commit OCTA to any course of action or enter into any contractual agreement on behalf of OCTA. In addition, Consultant’s personnel shall not provide information, an opinion, or a recommendation for the purpose of affecting a decision without significant intervening substantive review by OCTA personnel, counsel, and management.

OVERALL PROJECT OBJECTIVES

This is a high-level study that will:

• Identify best practices for freeway BRT and/or express bus routes by reviewing peer agency programs and projects;

• Review the 2021 OCTA Freeway BRT Concept Study and discontinued OCTA express routes;

• Refine recommendations for route alignments and station locations for freeway BRT and define route alignments for potential express routes;

• Develop high level ridership and cost estimates for each route;

• Determine capital improvements required to maximize transit and ridesharing in the corridors;

• Refine route alignments based on feedback from the cities, stakeholders, and public along each route;

• Identify short and long-term recommendations for implementation.

1. Project Management

Task 1.1: Consultant Team Management

• The Consultant Project Manager (CPM) will be the primary point of contact with OCTA’s project manager (PM); and will manage all communication correspondence with OCTA on a day-to-day basis.

• The CPM will ensure that deliverables are high-quality and completed on time.

• The CPM shall check in with OCTA’s PM every week, unless otherwise determined, to report study progress, review deliverables, and brainstorm opportunities and issues.

Task 1.2 Project Schedule, Invoicing, and Progress Monitoring

• The CPM shall prepare and submit a Project Schedule that will be maintained throughout the contract to reflect status and anticipated changes.

o The Project Schedule should indicate, at minimum, major milestones, meetings, data acquisition/development lead times, critical path items, and deliverable review/refinement lead times.

• The CPM is responsible for tracking expended and available budget and for ensuring cost containment.

• The CPM shall prepare and submit monthly invoices and monthly progress reports summarizing work completed for the invoice period and any potential issues that could impact schedule or budget.

Task 1.3 Project Kick-Off Meeting

• The CPM will coordinate with the OCTA PM to conduct a kick-off meeting with OCTA staff to discuss procedures and project expectations including invoicing, progress reports, and all other relevant project information.

o Meeting materials shall be provided to the OCTA PM prior to the kick-off meeting with adequate time for review and edits.

o Action minutes shall be provided to the OCTA PM within three (3) business days following the kick-off meeting.

Task 1.4 Project Team Coordination

• The CPM will coordinate with the OCTA PM to conduct project team meetings, ensuring good communication with the project team on project status and development and review of deliverables. The project team will consist of OCTA staff (long range planning, traffic modeling, transit planning, GIS, operations, and other departments as needed).

o Meeting materials to be provided to OCTA PM prior to distribution to the project team members, allowing adequate time for review and edits.

o Action minutes shall be provided to the project team within three (3) business days of a project team meeting.

o Meetings will be conducted monthly, unless otherwise agreed upon.

o If these meetings are conducted virtually, the Consultant shall use Microsoft

Teams or another agreed upon virtual meeting platform.

Task 1.5 Stakeholder Coordination

• The CPM shall coordinate with OCTA PM and the OCTA People & Community Engagement team to establish a stakeholder group and outreach plan. The stakeholder group may involve local agencies, the County of Orange, Caltrans, elected officials, and/or other relevant advisory review committees.

• The stakeholder outreach process may include, but is not limited to, conducting interviews, surveys, and/or meetings. The OCTA People & Community Engagement team and a separate outreach consultant will lead outreach planning, mail meeting materials, and facilitate meetings for stakeholders. The Consultant is expected to provide technical support to the OCTA team by attending and participating in events or meetings and preparing technical materials.

o The CPM shall not contact or distribute materials to stakeholders without consent from the OCTA PM.

• The stakeholder group and outreach plan may be refined as the project progresses.

• If these meetings are conducted virtually, the Consultant shall use Microsoft Teams or another agreed upon virtual meeting platform.

Task 1.6 Deliverables and Data

• Technical memoranda shall provide a detailed description of the methodologies, assumptions, justifications, findings, and other information relevant to the study.

• The CPM is responsible for distributing drafts of deliverables to the project team with ample time for review and comment prior to finalizing any materials.

• The CPM shall not distribute materials to the project team without consent from the OCTA

PM.

• The CPM shall provide OCTA with a minimum two-week review period for draft deliverables. The CPM shall also provide a comment tracking sheet to compile OCTA’s comments by date and the name of the commenter, and the Consultant’s responses to each comment for draft deliverables.

• Deliverables are not to be considered final until approved by the OCTA PM.

• All data, maps, and other materials developed as part of this study shall be provided to OCTA in formats that are compatible with OCTA’s software and systems.

Task Deliverable

1.2 Project Schedule, Monthly Invoicing and Progress Reports

1.3 Kick-Off Meeting Materials and Notes

1.4 Project Team Meeting Materials and Notes

Task 2: Purpose and Need

Task 2.1: Prior Studies and Data Collection

• The Consultant shall review and synthesize all relevant previous studies, plans, and other documents to provide a historical context for the current study. The Consultant shall gather data and conduct a data review of all existing information related to the project area including, but not limited to:

o 2024 OC Transit Vision o Freeway BRT Concept Study o OCTA Making Better Connections Study o 2019 OCTA Bus Books (express routes) o Thorough analysis of existing OC Bus Route 83 performance o Orange County Mobility Hubs Study o Planned projects in Caltrans right-of-way o Caltrans planning documents including managed lanes studies o Existing freeway geometrics o Metrolink and Los Angeles-San Diego (LOSSAN) rail corridor improvement plans o Current and future roadway improvement plans (near proposed station/stop areas) o Travel flows using anonymized location-based data o Student zip code data for major universities (Cal State University, Fullerton; UC

Irvine; Cal State University, Long Beach) o Transit ridership, performance, and service characteristics o Corridor demographics (near proposed station/stop areas) o Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics o Other OCTA studies, relevant master plans, general plans, TOD/specific plans, and redevelopment plans that would potentially intersect/affect the freeway BRT corridors.

Task 2.2: Freeway BRT Peer Review

• The Consultant shall conduct a peer review of freeway BRT systems throughout the country but focusing on projects in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Consultant shall synthesize best practices and lessons learned (including lessons since the coronavirus pandemic) into a memo.

Task 2.3: Express Bus Service Peer Review

• The Consultant shall conduct a peer review of express bus systems throughout the country but focusing on projects in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Consultant shall synthesize best practices, lessons learned, and performance trends since the pandemic.

Consultant shall synthesize best practices and findings into a technical memo that includes successes, failures, and general market trends

Task 2.4: Mobility Problem and Travel Market Assessment

• The Consultant shall collect appropriate data to be used in defining the transportation mobility problem along the proposed freeway BRT and express bus corridors and evaluating the potential benefits of a major transit corridor investment. The purpose of this task is to quantify the current mobility problem in the corridor in terms that can be commonly understood by the average citizen and to lay the foundation for the identification and evaluation of alternative transit solutions to be evaluated later in the study. The Consultant shall use graphics, charts, and other visual media as critical communication tools for making the case for capital and operational improvements in the corridor.

• Based on the review of prior studies and data collection, the Consultant shall quantify existing and future baseline conditions and describe the mobility problem to lay the foundation for identification and evaluation of alternative strategies to be evaluated in the study.

Task 2.5: Goals, Objectives, and Performance Measures

• Using the mobility problem definition as a guide, along with PDT input, the Consultant shall develop goals, objectives, and performance measures to address the mobility issues identified and to support the Alternatives Development (Task 3). Specific goals should be developed for the corridor, which may include but is not limited to:

o Potential Ridership o Mobility Benefits for Transit Riders o Environmental Benefits o Traffic Operations o Cost Effectiveness & Financial Viability o Community Input o Title VI & Environmental Justice Impacts

• The Consultant shall develop objectives as more specific statements of desired approaches to attain each goal. The Consultant shall develop evaluation criteria and an analysis methodology (consistent with FTA funding guidelines) to measure how alternatives would fulfill the goals and objectives and address the purpose and need.

Task 2.6: Purpose and Need Statement

• Based on the work performed in this task, the Consultant shall prepare a report defining the transportation mobility issues in the study area and confirming the project's purpose and need.

2.1 Prior Studies Technical Memo

2.2 Freeway BRT Peer Review Memo

2.3 Express Bus Peer Review Memo

2.4 Corridor Market Assessment Report

2.5 Goals, Objectives, and Performance Measure Memo

2.6 Purpose and Need Statement

Task 3: Alternatives Development

Task 3.1: Evaluation Criteria

• Review data collected in Task 2 and work with the PDT to develop criteria to evaluate the freeway BRT and express bus alternatives. This shall include detailed descriptions of the methodology and specific justifications used to develop the proposed criteria. A draft and final memo shall be provided to the PDT for review.

Task 3.2: Alternatives Definition

• Freeway BRT: The consultant shall build off the conceptual freeway BRT routes and station locations identified in the OCTA Freeway BRT Concept Study and use the information developed in Task 3 of this scope to refine each conceptual alternative. For each of the proposed freeway BRT corridors (I-5 and SR-55), the Consultant shall develop up to four alternatives consisting of various route, station and feature options. The alternatives should at a minimum identify the route, location of bus stops and transit stations, access ramps, and parking required to maximize transit and ridesharing in the corridors.

• Express Routes: The consultant shall review the five express bus routes discontinued during the coronavirus pandemic and use the other information developed in Task 2 of this scope to develop various conceptual alternatives. The consultant shall develop up to ten express route alternatives consisting of various routes, stops, and amenity options.

The alternatives should at a minimum identify the location of express route transit stops/stations, transit connections, and parking required to maximize transit and ridesharing in the corridors.

• The existing transit service and proposed projects will serve as the “Baseline” alternative for purposes of comparison with the proposed alternatives.

• The Consultant shall define the alternatives at a sufficient level of detail to compare one alternative against the other (grouping and analyzing freeway BRT and express bus alternatives separately). The alternatives will be summarized in a Draft Conceptual Alternatives Report. The Consultant shall then revise, supplement, and/or modify the alternatives into a revised set of alternatives for further review and analysis. The Consultant shall prepare a conceptual level of definition for each alternative that shall include, at a minimum, alignment maps, station type and location, and general operating characteristics.

• This task includes the definition of the route alignment, along with surface and elevated stations, structures, and major surface improvements. Conceptual maps of the alignments shall be prepared at a level necessary to facilitate technical feasibility, cost analysis, and documentation of alternatives.

• The Consultant shall identify multi-modal improvements and describe how each alternative would serve transit, mobility hubs, high-occupancy vehicles, and toll customers.

• Consultant shall develop a Final Conceptual Alternatives Report based on feedback from the PDT.

Task 3.3 Constraints Analysis

• The Consultant shall identify physical and policy constraints to refine the physical description of the proposed alternatives and identify implications for the feasibility of transit operations. Constraints to be addressed include, but are not limited to: local, state, and federal regulatory policies; utility and railroad operational policies; major property ownership boundaries; right-of-way width and grade crossings; and current transportation, community, and environmental characteristics. Constraints will also be identified based upon comments from the PDT, field investigations, parcel maps, aerial photographs, land use maps, and floodplain maps. Constraints on design elements shall be documented on maps and in a technical report.

Task 3.4 Cost Estimates and Ridership Projections

• Based on the definition and operating characteristics of the alternatives as defined in prior tasks, the Consultant shall prepare capital and operating and maintenance (O&M) cost estimates for each alternative. The Consultant shall provide quantity estimates to support the cost estimates for review and approval by OCTA. The Consultant shall prepare cost estimates in accordance with the latest FTA Standard Cost Category (SCC) Estimate for Capital Projects.

• OCTA will use the latest version of the Orange County Transportation Analysis Model (OCTAM) to estimate ridership for each of the alternatives. Consultant shall be responsible for generating conceptual alternatives that include sufficient detail on the BRT alignment, service frequency, span of service, stops, and operating characteristics to support ridership modeling. The Consultant shall document all assumptions related to the development of the input files in a technical memo prior to delivering the files to the OCTA.

• Consultant shall summarize the cost estimate and projected ridership into a report.

3.1 Draft and Final Evaluation Criteria Memo

3.2 Draft and Final Conceptual Alternatives Report

3.3 Constraints Analysis Memo

3.4 Cost and Ridership Estimate Report

Task 4: Alternatives Evaluation and Recommendations

Task 4.1 Alternative Evaluation Report

• The Consultant shall use the Final Conceptual Alternatives and the Evaluation Criteria established in Task 3 to evaluate the performance of each alternative. The Consultant shall consider the FTA and State of California funding programs when developing the evaluation report so that sufficient level of detail is included to pursue funding for futures project phases. This evaluation will provide the basis for the comparative assessment of alternatives that will be summarized in the final study report.

Task 4.2 Draft and Final Project Report

• Consultant shall prepare a Draft Project Report for review by the PDT, stakeholders, and public that documents the study process and findings, is professionally presented and organized and understandable to all audiences.

• Consultant shall solicit feedback on the Draft Project Report, track comments received, and document how each comment was addressed.

• Consultant shall develop short-term bus service recommendations for both freeway BRT and express bus service. For freeway BRT, develop short-term bus service recommendations along each corridor using the existing infrastructure.

• Consultant shall develop Final Project Report based on feedback and OCTA Board Direction.

4.1 Draft and Final Alternatives Evaluation Report

4.2 Draft and Final Project Report