GAI Consultants to assist WSK on high-profile train line extension

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has retained the joint venture of White Skanska Kiewit (WSK) as the construction manager/general contractor for the much-anticipated Green Line Extension Project (GLX). National engineering and environmental consulting firm GAI Consultants, Inc. (GAI) will serve as a subconsultant to WSK. This high-profile project involves extending the existing north Green Line branch from its existing terminus at Lechmere Station to College Avenue in Medford, MA. The Green Line extension project is located within the cities of Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford, MA.

Five new stations will be added along this branch as well as a single-stop branch at Union Square and construction of a new station at Lechmere. The extension program will be implemented by J.F. White Contracting Co., Skanska USA Civil Northeast, Inc., and Kiewit Infrastructure Co. (WSK), who will serve as the construction manager/general contractor for the MBTA.

As a subconsultant, GAI’s Train Control Systems Group will provide final design and engineering, procure equipment, support equipment installation, documentation, and factory testing of complete Commuter Rail Signal Instrument Houses. GAI will assist WSK on three contracts with the MBTA related to the Green Line extension, including procurement of long-lead items; signal installation support, testing, and commissioning for the Fitchburg Mainline; and signal installation support, testing, and commissioning for the New Hampshire Mainline. GAI established its Train Control Systems Group in early 2013 to expand the firm’s transportation services.

Founded in 1958, GAI is an employee-owned planning, engineering, and environmental consulting firm providing local expertise to worldwide clients in the energy, transportation, development, government, and industrial markets. The firm has offices in FL, IN, KY, MI, NC, OH, PA, VA, WV, and WI. For more information visit www.gaiconsultants.com.

McMahon Associates supports the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

At a recent employer event, the staff of McMahon Associates, a transportation engineering and planning firm, completed a team-building challenge that resulted in the donation of ten children’s bicycles to the Early Head Start at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). 

The McMahon employees of the mid-Atlantic regional offices recently held their annual, regional planning meeting in Lafayette Hill, PA. As part of a team-building exercise, the employees were tasked to assemble ten children’s bicycles. Casey Moore, P.E., vice president and mid-Atlantic regional manager stated “McMahon is proud to continue charitable support to CHOP.  Our employees worked as a unit to support this amazing hospital and the services it provides to help children in our area.”

Established in 1855, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is one of the world’s largest and oldest hospitals devoted exclusively to the care of children. The hospital has fostered medical discoveries and innovations that have improved pediatric healthcare and saved countless children’s lives. CHOP has been ranked as the best children’s hospital in the United States by U.S. News World Report andParents Magazine.

McMahon Associates’ mid-Atlantic offices are located in Fort Washington (corporate headquarters), Exton, Camp Hill, Lehigh Valley, and Pittsburgh, PA; Yardville, NJ; and Bowie, MD and employ 85 staff of the company’s 120 full-time employees.  The firm also has three offices in Florida and three in the New England region (Massachusetts and Rhode Island). McMahon’s primary services include transportation planning/traffic studies, traffic signal and ITS design and permitting, highway design and permitting, bridge design and inspection, transit planning, expert witness testimony, land surveying, geographic information systems and software development, IT infrastructure consulting, and construction services for public and private clients. For more information, visit to www.mcmahonassociates.com.

Updated career resource for engineering students

The data experts and editors at LearnHowToBecome.org recently updated their guides for several engineering-related careers. Their resource was created for students and jobseekers looking for in-depth career information and guidance and has been expanded to include more comprehensive data such as:

-          An overview of requirements for those pursuing a career in engineering

-          Available on-campus and online engineering programs

-          Related job salary comparisons

-          Job growth outlook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

-          Additional resources for students and job seekers

Anyone can view our the career guides at the following pages:

How to Become a Mechanical Engineer

http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/mechanical-engineer/

How to Become an Electrical Engineer

http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/electrical-engineer/

Learn How to Become is a non-commercial organization focused on creating valuable career planning tools and content for jobseekers and students. Their mission is to help students and other aspiring professionals understand what it takes to land their perfect career, from picking the right school to climbing the company ladder. They are passionate about creating comprehensive resources that can guide individuals through each step they need to take to begin and further their career path.

Sewall advocates for water protection, forms water team

LaMarr Clannon, stormwater engineer at James W. Sewall Company, is educating communities and institutions throughout Maine on the benefits of using low impact development (LID) techniques to protect clean drinking water, reduce stormwater impacts, and increase community resiliency to changing weather patterns. She joins a newly formed Water Team at Sewall that offers clients complete, integrated services and solutions that bridge the gap from project design to the maintenance and inspection of system assets.  

In partnership with NOAA and the Maine Coastal Program, Clannon discussed LID for community climate change resiliency at workshops held in Ellsworth and Wells; partnered with the Maine Drinking Water Program and EPA Region 1 on workshops to protect drinking water in Bangor, Lewiston and Presque Isle; presented to the planning board and downtown revitalization committee in Damariscotta on LID for redesigning the riverfront; and, in partnership with the Saco River Corridor Commission and partially funded by the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, presented on LID and local stormwater utilities in 16 towns along the Saco River to protect the River’s drinking water and recreational resources.

Clannon joins Sewall staff members in forming the new Water Team, which combines three areas of expertise, including water/wastewater engineering, stormwater engineering and GIS/asset management capabilities. The team consists of Clannon; Mike Riley, P.E.; and Rick Martens, GISP. Clannon guides clients on MS4 permitting, low impact design, and stormwater utilities development. Riley specializes in water system design, utility master plans, and new source development. Martens consults and designs GIS and asset management systems to support water and wastewater infrastructure, typically as part of a water engineering or stormwater project. The Water Team provides integrated services for water system/plant design, construction administration, and maintenance evaluation using the latest in technology and workflows. 

Founded in 1880, Sewall is an international professional consulting organization specializing in infrastructure, energy, and natural resources. The company’s diverse portfolio is based on 134 years experience in civil engineering, surveying, and forest appraisal; 65 years in remote sensing; and 30 years in GIS and application development. For more information, visit www.sewall.com.

Parsons Brinckerhoff designing new Hudson Park and Boulevard in NYC

Parsons Brinckerhoff has been awarded a New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) contract to design the second phase of the Hudson Park & Boulevard project, which runs between 10th and 11th Avenues from West 36th to West 37th Streets. NYCEDC is managing the design and construction of the project on behalf of the City of New York.

As prime consultant for phase two, Parsons Brinckerhoff will lead a team of 11 subconsultants for design and construction administration, performing civil, mechanical, structural, and electrical engineering while overseeing design performed by the subconsultant team. The first phase of the Hudson Park & Boulevard is currently under construction between West 33rd Street and West 36th Street.

The new four-acre Hudson Park & Boulevard complements additional work by the city to transform the Hudson Yards area into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly mixed-use district. Entrances through each of the newly reconstructed east-west side streets will provide access to much-needed open space for area residents, workers, and visitors. The new boulevard will run the length of the park with a portion constructed over a section of an Amtrak rail line.

Parsons Brinckerhoff develops and operates infrastructure around the world, with approximately 14,000 employees in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia-Pacific regions. The firm offers skills and resources in strategic consulting, planning, engineering, program/construction management, and operations for transportation, power, mining, water/wastewater, and community development projects (www.pbworld.com).

Terry Keene, P.E. joins MSW Consultants

MSW Consultants is excited to announce the addition of Terry Keene to its staff as senior project manager.  Keene is a registered Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania and brings with him over thirty years of experience serving public and private clients with environmental project needs.

Keene has dedicated his career to helping municipalities and authorities throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Maryland in solid waste planning, hauling cost analyses, procurement, and facility and system optimization.  He has extensive engineering experience on a range of technical issues associated with collection and recycling systems, material recovery facilities, waste-to-energy facilities, landfills, transfer stations, and yard waste/organics processing and composting facilities.  He combines analytical skills with an understanding of the solid waste management planning process.

In Pennsylvania, his home state of operations, Keene is also a Certified Recycling Professional and a Certified Sewage Enforcement Officer.  He sits on the board of the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP) and co-chairs PROP's State Organics Committee.  He has an undergraduate degree in environmental resource management from Penn State University and has taken graduate coursework in environmental pollution control, environmental engineering, and agronomy from Penn State.

"I have admired the work MSW Consultants has provided across the MidAtlantic region and am looking forward to helping our clients develop sustainable diversion programs and optimize their waste management systems," says Keene, who will work closely with MSW Consultant's Pennsylvania-based team in addition to supporting projects originating in the firm's Orlando, FL headquarters. 

Colorado Department of Transportation chief engineer joins Beam, Longest and Neff engineering team

Colorado Department of Transportation veteran Tim Harris has joined engineering firm Beam, Longest and Neff (BNL) as Western Region Director. Harris, who most recently served as CDOT's chief engineer, is responsible for short and long-term strategic planning, growth, operations, and overall management of the engineering staff in Colorado.

"Tim brings solid experience and a unique perspective to our firm," says Tom Longest, chief executive of BLN, the full-service engineering firm headquartered in Indianapolis. "We know Tim's work from his tenure at CDOT, and we value his capabilities and oversight skills in transportation maintenance operations, engineering, construction, and consulting."

Throughout his 33-year career at CDOT, Harris focused on supporting the agency's mission to provide the best multi-modal transportation system to effectively move people, goods, and information across the 9,144-mile highway system and 3,419 bridges the department maintains. He served as program engineer for the I-25/I-70 Interchange project and region director in Colorado Springs for the I-25 Interstate Expansion Design-Build Project, and he led the $60 million Viaduct Project in Trinidad.

"My experience with CDOT has provided me with invaluable skills that I will continue to use to expand BLN's work in the transportation and maintenance industries throughout the western region," Harris says. "After working for decades in the public sector, this was the perfect opportunity to transition and utilize my experience."

Following his graduation from Georgia Tech with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering, Harris joined CDOT as a roadway designer. Four years later, he transitioned into the contracting office, where he spent 10 years managing construction, design, maintenance, and funding contracts. Harris next moved to CDOT headquarters, where he spent six years in pre-construction management focusing on manuals and specification books. He then became program engineer overseeing design and construction before returning to headquarters as staff services director administering policies and procedures. He then served as region director before being named chief engineer in July 2011.

Founded in 1945, Beam, Longest & Neff has expanded from a traditional civil engineering and surveying firm to one that provides a full complement of in-house engineering and consulting services including environmental engineering, right-of-way engineering, and construction inspection.