HNTB Corp. tapped to design Orange County Streetcar

The board of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) last week selected HNTB Corp. to design the proposed OC Streetcar project.

The move marks the "next major step" toward developing the county's first modern streetcar, OCTA officials said in a press release.

The OC Streetcar is slated to run a 4-mile route between Santa Ana and Garden Grove, Calif.

Proposals were evaluated based on qualifications, staffing, project organization and work plan. HNTB has worked on several streetcar and light-rail projects across the U.S.

Additionally, the project manager proposed by the firm has served in various design management roles on 12 streetcar projects, OCTA officials said.

In August, HNTB spoke with Progressive Railroading about streetcar developments in greater detail.