Some of the most rewarding work we do at Foursquare ITP is our collaboration with long-time clients. There are many situations where we are fortunate enough to establish long-term relationships with our clients where we feel like an extension of their staff and have a front-row seat to the results of our work and how it has helped our clients and the people that they serve.
Foursquare ITP began working with Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) in 2010 when we initiated work on their 2011 Transit Development Plan (TDP). Since then, we have worked almost continuously with the agency on a range of projects: helping HRT plan for a better bus network through the regional Transit Transformation Project and Transit Development and Transit Strategic Plans; developing HRT’s first comprehensive capital improvement plan (CIP) to help better identify and prioritize its capital needs; creating a regional transit vision plan known as Connect Hampton Roads; assisting with planning and environmental assessments for extending the Tide Light Rail; and providing additional technical and strategic planning support on a range of smaller tasks.
I have really valued the special working relationships and mutual respect and trust that I’ve been able to develop with the entire HRT executive leadership team and many of their staff.
Lora Byala, AICP, President & CEO
Through these integrated projects, Foursquare ITP has assisted HRT in developing a vision for the future system, including a regional high-frequency network, new service design standards, and on-demand transit options; provided detailed bus service plans to support the new network, including operating costs and other elements; strategically guided the agency’s capital investments to support the new service and other agency needs; and helped HRT strategize and plan for implementation of their many initiatives.
It has been extremely gratifying to work closely for more than a decade with the agency’s dedicated staff and leadership, including President & CEO William Harrell; Ray Amoruso, HRT’s Chief Planning and Development Officer; Brian Smith, Deputy CEO; and Keisha Branch, the Director of the Office of Program and Project Excellence. Together we have planned and implemented many transit improvements for the residents of the Hampton Roads region. As someone who has been involved from the beginning and continues to work closely with the team at HRT, I have really valued the special working relationships and mutual respect and trust that I’ve been able to develop with the entire HRT executive leadership team and many of their staff.
Together, we shared in the excitement of the region successfully obtaining $30 million in annual dedicated capital and operating funding that came about after many years of planning and advocacy. We have worked through challenges, from addressing funding shortfalls and maintaining service during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, to helping HRT expand its service in the face of a nationwide operator shortage. Whether I am facilitating a work session with the executive leadership team or the Commissioners of the Board, I find myself using the pronoun “we”—because I, along with the rest of my colleagues at Foursquare ITP who work with HRT, feel like we are part of the HRT family.