Major news on the streetcar front. The City of Fort Worth has formally issued a Request for Qualifications, or RFQ, about the streetcar project. This means that the city is actively seeking a firm to do the finalized engineering & design work on the modern streetcar system, from track design and layout to operating and funding processes. Proposals from prospective firms must be received by the City of Fort Worth Purchasing Division no later than October 22. The city states that once the selected firm receives a Notice to Proceed, they must deliver the complete streetcar design & operations package in no more than 365 days.

The RFQ calls for the selected firm to conduct engineering, design, and operational work for the proposed starter system:

The recommended starter alignment includes a downtown one-way loop (including an extension to Trinity Bluff), a West 7th Street route to the Cultural District, and a Near Southside route to the Medical District and the Evans and Rosedale Urban Village. This starter alignment would connect Fort Worth’s two largest employment centers, numerous world-class cultural destinations, and four urban villages.

The RFQ also notes a planned next phase of the streetcar network:

A subsequent phase of the streetcar network would include a route to Texas Wesleyan University on East Rosedale Street and a route to the Historic Stockyards District on North Main Street.

The RFQ is, in total, 14 pages in PDF format. It can be downloaded from the City of Fort Worth’s web site here.

This is where it starts getting real. The city has just gone from the “talk” phase to the “create a complete system design and select an engineering firm” phase. Fort Worth has made some remarkable progress, and we’re now significantly farther into the process than we’ve ever been. Once this process is complete, the city will have a real, detailed streetcar system design specified, from the routes to the vehicles to the fare collection boxes to the operating procedures and everything in between.

It is conceivable that, due to the time frame of the RFQ and the federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant Fort Worth applied for to get some “jump start” money, we could be stepping on to the first phase of a Fort Worth modern streetcar in less than three years.

Below, we’ve copied the text of the main part of the RFQ for easier searching and reading.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
The City of Fort Worth is accepting responses to this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a limited time from qualified consultants to perform the work described herein. Responses that do not comply with the requirements described in this RFQ may, at the City’s sole discretion, be deemed non-responsive.

1.0 PROJECT STATEMENT
The City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) are interested in selecting a qualified consultant for planning and design work related to potential streetcar routes within the central city (generally the area inside Loop 820).

2.0 PROJECT BACKGROUND
2.1 A Modern Streetcar Study Committee appointed by Mayor Mike Moncrief and the Fort Worth City Council has investigated the feasibility of modern streetcars as a transit mode for Fort Worth’s central city. The study committee visited modern streetcar systems and learned from local experts in Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, and Tacoma, WA. City staff provided background information pertaining to transit technologies, peer city streetcar systems, estimated capital and operating costs, and increased valuation of property taxes. A set of 12 objective criteria were developed by City staff to assist the study committee in evaluating potential streetcar routes. Based on this information, the study committee determined that a streetcar system is desirable for Fort Worth. With support from City staff, the committee identified a starter alignment, outlined potential funding sources, developed a preliminary funding strategy, and determined the next steps needed for implementation. The committee presented its recommendations to City Council on December 16th, 2008.

2.2 The recommended starter alignment includes a downtown one-way loop (including an extension to Trinity Bluff), a West 7th Street route to the Cultural District, and a Near Southside route to the Medical District and the Evans and Rosedale Urban Village. This starter alignment would connect Fort Worth’s two largest employment centers, numerous world-class cultural destinations, and four urban villages. Seamless streetcar transitions with existing Trinity Railway Express (TRE) and future Southwest-to-Northeast (SW2NE) commuter rail stations would connect central city Fort Worth with the rest of the Metroplex by rail, furthering the effectiveness of the streetcar system within the context of the regional rail plans of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and Metroplex jurisdictions. A subsequent phase of the streetcar network would include a route to Texas Wesleyan University on East Rosedale Street and a route to the Historic Stockyards District on North Main Street.

2.3 The total cost of the starter project, if built as recommended by the study committee, is estimated at $250 million. This preliminary cost estimate assumes that most of the alignment is double-tracked at $20 million per track mile and includes procurement of vehicles and construction of a maintenance facility. The starter alignment would rely on multiple sources of local funding, including existing tax-increment financing districts and new or existing public improvement districts. The City does not currently anticipate using any New Starts or Small Starts federal funding for the starter project. However, the City has joined with NCTCOG and the City of Dallas in a regional TIGER grant application that could provide some limited funding for Fort Worth’s streetcar system.

2.4 The City of Fort Worth envisions modern streetcars serving as an urban circulator for the central city, providing an important alternative transportation option for employees, residents and visitors. Due to its unique characteristics as a transit mode, streetcars have been recognized as a strong catalyst for compact, walkable, high-density, sustainable developments. The streetcars would operate in mixed traffic within street rights-of-way, stopping every two-to-four blocks at curbside with 15-minute or less headways. The City of Fort Worth has established policies, goals, and objectives, such as an urban village program, mixed-use zoning, and designated mixed-use growth centers, which promote walkable urbanism in our central city. Award-winning form-based codes for the Trinity Uptown and Near Southside areas require mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly districts. Yet, most of the development occurring in the central city still is built with automobile parking facilities sized to meet the demand of a drivable suburban location. As the study committee learned on the fact-finding trip to the Pacific Northwest, developments within walking distance of a streetcar route are built successfully with significantly lower parking ratios and significantly higher residential densities than developments not located near a streetcar route.

3.0 PROJECT SCOPE OF SERVICES/TASKS
The following scope and approach is provided as basic guidance for responding to this RFQ. The chosen consultant will be provided with all of the information and documents produced by the study committee, including pertinent GIS shapefiles. Consultant proposals should identify the work that would be undertaken for each task item, and briefly describe how the work would be accomplished. The combined network of the recommended starter alignment should be evaluated as a whole. Additionally, the individual route alignments (Downtown, Near Southside, and West 7th Street.) should be evaluated separately for construction phasing purposes. Estimates should also be totaled for the recommended starter alignment as a whole. The timeline for this project shall not exceed 365 days in length from the Notice to Proceed and should advance as expeditiously as possible.

PHASE ONE
3.1. Task 1 — Recommended Alignment Evaluation and Development of Design and Operation Assumptions
The purpose of this task is to review the recommended starter alignment for issues that limit its effectiveness as an urban circulation transit mode and provide assumptions to be used for developing the necessary schematic design work for alignment refinement and cost estimate preparation.
A. Provide design assumptions of the starter alignment including an evaluation of recommended alignment, traction power system standards, typical sections, guideway selection, substation requirements, station/stop locations and appropriate guidelines for utility relocation, signal modifications, and roadway reconstruction.
B. Provide operational assumptions of the starter alignment including headways, hours of service, fare system, maintenance facility needs and potential maintenance facility locations.
C. Provide preferred technology options including vehicle specifications, propulsion system, fare collection method, and information and communication requirements.
D. Assess vehicle procurement timelines and preferred vehicle selection process.
E. Identify the specific alignment and circulation direction of the downtown one- way loop.
F. Identify the preferred connection to the Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC).
G. Identify potential benefits and issues associated with initially single-tracking all or parts of the West 7th Street and Near Southside routes.
H. Assess issues with any necessary railroad and bridge crossings and clearances.
I. Assess issues with operation of the starter alignment in relation to multiple routes and termini and the interface of the multiple routes with the downtown one-way loop.
J. Evaluate Bus-Rapid Transit as a mode for the recommended starter alignment and provide a preferred scheme for the best utilization of existing or new bus routes to complement the recommended starter alignment.
K. Conduct a basic utility review indicating those utilities that will likely need to be relocated based on the utility relocation guidelines developed in the design assumptions.
L. Conduct a basic environmental assessment for all or portions of the recommended route.
M. Provide recommendation on phasing of the project.
N. Present streetcar information relating to regional transit systems, economic development, and growth management at the Fort Worth Rail and Economic Development Conference on December 11, 2009.

3.2 Task 2 — Economic Development Impact Analysis
The purpose of this task is to provide an analysis of economic development potential of properties within a 1000-foot buffer of all five lines identified by the Study Committee as possible routes (Downtown, Near Southside, West 7th Street, East Rosedale Street, and North Main Street.). Items to be considered should include:
A. Analysis of vacant and under-developed sites and their development potential.
B. Projected property value appreciation and forecasted increase in property tax revenues over a no-build scenario.
C. Projected new residential units.
D. Projected new commercial square feet.
E. Identify the effect on Fort Worth Convention Center scheduling and general attendance.
F. Evaluation of impact on parking demand.
G. Projected total economic impact of the starter alignment.

3.3 Task 3 — Ridership and Operating Cost Estimates
The purpose of this task is to provide estimated ridership and operating costs of the starter alignment based on the findings and assumptions developed in Task 1 and the economic development projected in Task 2.
A. Estimated ridership for opening year of service. B. Estimated ridership for the 5th year of service. C. Estimated 5-year operating and maintenance cost forecast.
PHASE TWO
3.4 Task 4 — Business Plan
The purpose of this task is to provide the framework for the organizational and financial structures necessary for a streetcar system in Fort Worth.
A. Organizational Plan
1) Identify the preferred organizational structure including defined roles for the City of Fort Worth, The T, Tarrant County, and others as necessary.
2) Identify the preferred administrative structure including management roles, staffing demands, training requirements, etc.
B. Financial Plan
1) Review and assess Modern Streetcar Study Committee funding recommendations.
2) Provide recommendation regarding the most viable and expedient financial package.
3) Provide a timeline and step-by-step procedures to implement the recommended financial package.
4) Assist in assessment of stakeholder willingness to participate in financing options.

PHASE THREE
3.5 Task 5 — Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Assessment
The purpose of this task is to provide schematic design and preliminary engineering for all recommended alignments or a selected first phase as determined by Task 1.M.
A. Drainage report
B. Floodplain study
C. Surveying and mapping
D. Geotechnical survey and analysis
E. Utility relocation
F. Typical track sections
G. Grade crossing layout
H. Stop locations and layouts
I. Traffic signalization plans
J. Site civil design
K. Right-of-way engineering and plans
L. Maintenance facility specifications
M. NEPA Environmental Assessment for selected first phase
N. Coordination with streetscape, street/bridge reconstruction, and adjacent private construction projects.

3.6 Task 6 — Public Involvement
The purpose of this task is to ensure transparency in the planning process while receiving input and building consensus among stakeholders. The City’s Community Relations Department will take an active role in organizing and executing pertinent portions of this task. A steering committee will be formed with representatives from key stakeholder groups to provide guidance to the consultant throughout the process.
A. Conduct up to ten meetings with the steering committee and pertinent City and The T staff.
B. Provide briefings at the conclusion of Phases One and Two to the City Council and The T Board of Directors, and provide final briefings to the City Council and The T Board of Directors.

4.0
5.0
C. Provide up to three briefings to pertinent TIF boards.
D. Conduct up to three community meetings to update and receive feedback from citizens.
E. Prepare meeting displays and conduct the technical presentation of these displays. Document the community meeting by transcription summary of pertinent comments. Prepare necessary written responses to questions received at the community meetings.
F. Communicate with the Project Managers (City and The T) on a regular basis to report on the progress of the project. Prepare monthly written progress report for use in the City’s computerized project management system; combined with evidence of the work accomplished since the previous report. The report must contain bar charts indicating the percentage of work completion of each task.
G. Establish guiding principles for the project.