Rail & Transit Projects
OmniTrans E-Street Corridor sbX Bus Rapid Transit
San Bernardino to Loma Linda, California




OmniTrans' E-Street Corridor sbX Bus Rapid Transit project is the first express bus service in the Inland Empire. The 15.7-mile corridor between Palm Drive near California State San Bernardino University and Veterans Administration Hospital in Loma Linda has 5.4 miles of dedicated rapid transit lanes and 16 stations and 23 platforms at key facilities including colleges, medical centers, government centers, Carousel and Inland Center Malls, Orange Show Fairgrounds, retail businesses, and 4 park-and-ride locations. Service of the first segment of the intermodal public transport system opened in April 2014. With this improvement, the project has become a major arterial in the cities of San Bernardino and Loma Linda.

The project won "Best Urban Street Transformation of 2014" by USA Streetsblog in a nation-wide poll (The Sun article).

EMI provided geotechnical engineering services from preliminary design through construction support. Geotechnical services included:
  • Review of existing geotechnical, geological, groundwater, and seismological data
  • Field investigation and surface water infiltration testing at over 50 sites
  • Geotechnical design for roadway, park-and-ride lots, at-grade bus stations, and signal/sign poles
  • Evaluations of existing bridge evaluations, soil liquefaction and corrosion, pavement design options
  • Storm water management studies for site screening and stormwater collection system design.

Challenges included variable ground conditions, shallow utilities, and traffic demands, requiring multiple pavement sections and special subgrade preparation. A new innovative geogrid reinforcement solution was used under pavement sections to increase longevity, minimize the depth of earthwork, accelerate construction and significantly reduce project cost.