BCA holds a term contract with Amtrak for Environmental and Historic Preservation Services. BCA’s key responsibilities include: preparing Section 106 documentation packages; consulting with Amtrak project managers to determine Section 106 needs; coordinating with the NEPA process and Amtrak NEPA staff; conducting Section 106 consulting party outreach and follow-up; and applying technical expertise in reviewing consultant products and performing preservation design review on behalf of Amtrak.
Recent projects completed through BCA’s contract include an archeological assessment of the APE associated with a culvert replacement in Maryland, as well as supporting Amtrak’s signage upgrades at 17 historic and non-historic stations throughout the country. In addition, BCA is currently providing support for the roof replacement proposal at Penn Coach Maintenance Yard’s Building E. BCA completed a review of archival and existing conditions documentation and is reviewing the proposed scope of work for compliance with Section 106 and the Program Comment.
BCA is also part of a team of architects and engineers working to produce State of Good Repair (SOGR) Assessments for historic stations and yards. This multi-year project began in 2017 with Amtrak Southern Division including Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, then 2018 with the Southwest Division including Arizona, Southern California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas, finally, the 2019 – 2020 Northwest Division including Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Northern California. BCA is currently in the planning stages for the next set of SOGR Assessments for the Amtrak Southern Division.
BCA is responsible for architectural assessments of the various historic train stations. Working together, the project team developed a digital survey form to be used in the field to capture the relevant information about the train facilities and systems. The survey forms allows the project team to record the presence or absence of features and amenities, provide information about their condition, and take photographs of representative features and deficiencies. Recommendations are made about any deficiencies identified, and estimated repair quantities are noted so they can be included in the report as part of a cost estimate for planning purposes.
