HNTB, Wilbur Smith Assoc. to manage Fla. HSR

The Florida Department of Transportation, through its newly created Florida Rail Enterprise, selected HNTB Corp. and Wilbur Smith Associates (WSA), in a joint partnership, as its program manager for passenger rail in the state of Florida. The primary assignment for this team will be assisting with implementation of Florida's high-speed rail program, which recently received a grant award of $1.25 billion for Phase 1: Tampa-Orlando.

The Florida Rail Enterprise is responsible for planning, constructing, maintaining, operating and promoting Florida's high-speed rail system. Created in December 2009 by the Florida Legislature, it also coordinates the development and operation of Florida's publicly funded passenger rail systems.

The HNTB/WSA team will provide overall program support and oversight for planning, design, public outreach, vehicle and systems integration, operations, construction, project controls and procurement of all contracts on the Florida high-speed rail program.

"It's exciting to see the return on the investment we made in high-speed rail," said Peter Gertler, HNTB's high-speed rail services chair. "I'm confident that our momentum will continue to grow as more funding is released."