This project supports the CTA’s electric bus fleet expansion by providing power distribution buildings and protype overhead charging systems for busses compliant to the newly developing SAE J3105 Electric Bus standard for overhead charging systems.

Power distribution buildings at existing bus turnarounds, from the City’s western limit at Chicago Austin to the eastern limit at Lake Michigan’s Navy Pier along with modifications at the Chicago Bus Garage in the middle, provided three locations with overhead charging masts to support the new rapid charging electric buses along CTA’s Chicago Avenue bus route.

Utilizing the Design Build project delivery system, the project is a part of CTA’s ongoing work to reduce the carbon footprint of their services as related to society’s overall efforts to reduce emissions in the combat of climate change. The project provides construction of power distribution buildings to support the CTA’s electric bus fleet expansion.

One challenge at Chicago Bus Garage, Chicago-Austin and Navy Pier involves designing and constructing improvements that will cause minimal interruptions to CTA operations and installing features within sites dense with existing underground utilities.

Ardmore Roderick is responsible for site civil design, topographic survey, utility relocation design, structural design and various agency permit development and submissions. To support the design, Office of Underground Coordination (OUC) information requests were reviewed leading to subsequent SUE investigations from potholing to televising of underground lines to determine the precise vertical and horizontal locations of underground utilities. The process proactively alleviated potential utility conflicts during the design allowing construction without unforeseen underground utility delays. Post design, Ardmore Roderick was responsible for coordinating work from other contributing firms for various submittals and design support services during construction.

Ardmore Roderick’s team, in conjunction with the Design-Build Contractor (Proterra and Mortenson) and the Owner (CTA) developed a strong team to deliver this emerging technology design-build project for a vastly developing bus rapid charging technology.