INTRODUCTION

The City of Birmingham, Alabama (City), in collaboration with the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA), is requesting qualifications from interested engineering and planning firms experienced in public transit and multimodal transportation planning. Traditional traffic engineers need not apply.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PLANNING PROJECT – THE TRANSPORTATION CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN (PLAN) – IS TO DEVELOP A VISION AND PLAN THAT ANSWERS THIS QUESTION:

If Birmingham is truly going to be a multimodal city – meaning a significant portion of our population moves around by walking, using public transportation, and cycling – what does our City need to look like from a:

• Physical perspective regarding transportation facilities
• Physical perspective regarding land use
• Policy perspective

To achieve that vision, what are the specific actions the City needs to take:

• Immediately
• One year from now
• Five years from now
• Longer term

The selected consultant will assist with defining the vision, selecting and prioritizing projects and policies, conducting outreach, and developing an implementation strategy.

The development of the Plan will be funded using a $1 million ($800K grant funded and $200K locally funded) U.S. Department of Transportation grant and aims to implement transportation outlined in the ImagineBham framework plans, existing planning documents, and other transportation plans.

PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK

A. Development Of A Project Management Plan

At the outset of the planning process the selected firm will work with the Project Team to develop a project management plan for the overall project. This plan will involve refinement of strategy, project schedule, reporting structure, and other factors necessary for the successful completion of the project.

B. Robust Public Engagement

The selected firm will work with the Project Team to develop a public engagement plan for the overall project. The public engagement plan should help to generate interest in the overall discussion of transportation, educate the community on the advantages of building a multimodal city, and actively involve the community in the development of the Plan. This outreach will also involve establishing connections with local anchor institutions, non-profits, small businesses, and other organizations.

Citizen involvement and engagement could include surveys, interviews, focus groups, media outreach, direct communication, and virtual or face-to-face meetings. Innovative ideas on how to engage the public are welcome.

In addition to collecting input, the public involvement process should also be used to generate buy-in and momentum around the resulting vision and high-priority projects. This engagement process should result in marketing materials that could be used by the Project Team to promote walkability and multimodal transportation systems.

C. Development Of The Vision And Justification

The selected firm will facilitate the development of an overall vision for Birmingham's transportation system. From there the firm will assist with defining the basic metrics and methods that can be used to track progress over time. What are the metrics Birmingham should use to track our transformation into a multimodal city?

D. High Level Assessment Of Existing Conditions

The selected firm should work with the Project Team to assemble a high-level overview of existing data, studies, and other resources to build a foundation for the remainder of the planning process. Significant effort has already been invested in the evaluation of sidewalks, transit, bridges, trails, paving conditions, safety data, rail crossings, and other assets. The Project Team will work with consultants to gather this information so that it can be summarized effectively. This Plan is not intended to be a granular evaluation of every street and transportation asset. The level of mapping that needs to result from this plan can be worked through after the consultant selection process.

E. Solidify A Plan For A High Frequency Core Transit Network

The Project Team is seeking a firm that is highly experienced in planning public transit systems for urban areas. An effective public transit network will be a core component of Birmingham's future multimodal transportation system. This planning effort should guide the creation of that network through recommendations around network design, land use planning, and system operations.

F. Develop A Street Classification System

The Plan should result in a street classification system that makes a distinction between roads and local streets and identifies key transit corridors. Part of the Project Team's goal is to minimize the number of roadways that are performing as both local access streets and facilitators of regional transportation movement. It is the aim of the Project Team to adjust roadways over time to serve one purpose primarily over the other.

G. Identify And Define A Priority Fire Access Network

The selected firm will work with Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS), other emergency responders, and related stakeholders to identify corridors that need to be designed for efficient emergency access across the city.

H. Capital Project Plan

At a planning level, define the major capital projects that will be needed over the coming years and decades to develop a truly multimodal city. For example, which corridors need to be redesigned over the coming years and decades to serve as high-capacity transit corridors? What planning-level cross sections are recommended?

The Plan should also identify a small number of the highest priority projects and provide initial feasibility and engineering analyses. This Plan is not intended to be a granular investigation of every street in the city and every potential transportation project. The Plan should outline a phased implementation strategy to steer the Project Team's short and long-term priorities for enhancing citywide mobility and connectivity.

I. Develop High-Level Land Use Recommendations

Develop land use recommendations at a high level that will complement the transportation network. This Plan is not intended to result in specific detailed land use changes; however, the Plan should identify broadly where density and special uses should be centered. The City's Department of Planning, Engineering & Permits can then use this information as a tool to further refine specific land use plans and goals.

J. Policy And Program Recommendations

Define the complementary policies and programs that will be needed to facilitate large scale access to walking, public transportation, and cycling. For example, the City just removed required parking minimums for new developments across the city. As a different example, Birmingham was the first organization in the state to implement microtransit. What other types of policies or programs should the Project Team be considering?

K. Implementation Strategy

The firm will define a step-by-step five-year plan for project and policy implementation that leads Birmingham towards the goal of becoming a truly multimodal city.

L. Identify Other Needed Plans

The firm will also identify other plans that the Project Team will need to complete in the future but are beyond the scope of this project. For example, a freight study, inter-city rail study, or more detailed feasibility studies for key capital projects may be needed beyond this planning effort.