Meet the new consultant…

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is selecting a familiar firm to be its latest general planning consultant. On Monday, the board of directors voted 7-0 with Council Member Delia Garza absent to approve a contract with HNTB worth $3.5 million over three years, with two optional one-year extensions worth $1 million each. The firm will provide planning and engineering services for Capital Metro on a variety of initiatives including Project Connect and Connections 2025. Astute readers will recognize HNTB as the lead consultant on the original iteration of Project Connect that delivered the doomed urban rail proposal of 2014.