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COPTA updates: admin building remodel, Family Landing work, bus-stop pads and a surge in BRT ridership; city to benefit from $19M federal shelter grant
Summary
COPTA staff reported progress on the admin building remodel, Family Landing construction and bus-stop concrete pads and shelters. Rapid Northwest BRT ridership surpassed launch expectations and staff said a $19 million federal grant will expand bus shelters across the city.
COPTA trustees on Feb. 7 received updates on capital improvement projects and system-wide transit performance, including an admin building remodel procurement timeline, progress at Family Landing, completion of dozens of bus-stop concrete pads, and continued growth in Rapid Northwest BRT ridership. Staff also described a federal grant expected to fund hundreds of additional bus-stop shelters.
Kristen, the capital projects presenter, told trustees the mandatory pre-bid meeting for the admin building remodel was well attended; questions were due in early February and bids are due in February, with construction planned to begin in spring 2025. On the Family Landing shoreline project Kristen showed recent drone photos and reported sheet piling had been removed, dewatering and backfill were complete, concrete work was scheduled the coming week and the pedestrian bridge had its first beams placed.
Kristen reported work on bus stops under the Atlas contract: 76 concrete pads for bus stops are complete (about 75% of the project), and shelter installation is underway for 45 locations that will include shelters, trash receptacles and bike racks; pads include ADA ramp and sidewalk connections where possible. For the BRT connection to Penn Square Mall, Kristen said only the connection segment remained to be finished and that staff were arranging meetings with mall stakeholders about safe pedestrian crossings and striping.
Transit presenter Jesse reported system ridership figures for December: Rapid Northwest cumulative monthly total was roughly 41,000 with average daily Rapid ridership just over 1,300 — a 25% increase over the launch month (December 2023). Systemwide fixed-route ridership for December was about 221,000 riders, slightly below December 2023 fixed-route totals but higher than 2022. Streetcar ridership was reported at 26,664 for December and showed year-over-year increases, aided by downtown events and complimentary-ride promotions during the holiday season.
Jesse and Kristen noted a partnership with the MAPS office and the city to obtain a federal grant that the presenters said will help fund bus-stop pads, shelters and ADA connections. Jesse described the grant as a $19,000,000 award to the city that will support roughly 500 additional bus-stop shelters, bringing total shelters to over half of the city’s ~1,400 stops once implemented. Jesse said the city will receive the grant and COPTA will benefit from the added shelters and associated pedestrian connections.
Trustees asked whether mall management had been engaged on the Penn Square connection; Kristen said she was arranging a meeting and would place the result on a future agenda. Kristen also noted this was her final update to the trustees; she will remain with the City in another role.
Ending: Trustees received the capital and transit updates and asked staff to continue stakeholder outreach on the Penn Square connection and to bring any stakeholder agreements back to the board for review.
