January 25, 2012
The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD) is a volunteer organization that provides input to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on issues related to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The NCUTCD convenes twice a year: once in January in Arlington, VA preceding the annual Transportation Research Board (TRB) conference and once in the summer. Kittelson & Associates, Inc. staff actively contributes to the NCUTCD and uses that involvement as a way to contribute directly back to the profession.
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January 19, 2012
The Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting is big, attracting more than 11,000 transportation professionals from around the globe and sprawling across three hotels in the nation’s capital.
It’s encompassing, with thousands of presentations, many of which will focus on the meeting’s theme, “Transportation: Putting Innovation and People to Work.”
For attendees such as Adam Burghdoff, an engineer in Kittelson & Associates Inc.’s Orlando, Fla., office, this year’s TRB annual meeting will be his first, offering an abundance of networking and professional opportunities in a city he’s never before visited.
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January 18, 2012
In 2006, Lee Rodegerdts delivered a presentation about roundabouts to the Transportation Research Board’s Highway Capacity and Quality of Service Committee. For Rodegerdts, an associate engineer with Kittelson & Associates, Inc. (KAI), the presentation – a progress report on research regarding a new procedure to analyze roundabouts in the United States – was heady stuff. He was principal investigator on the KAI-led research, and committee members were individuals for whom Rodegerdts had the utmost respect.
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January 17, 2012
Kittelson & Associates, Inc. (KAI) and Dowling Associates, Inc. are joining forces in a merger that will provide broader service capabilities and geographic presence for both firms. The agreement builds on a collaborative relationship that dates back more than 25 years.
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January 16, 2012
Continuing our coverage of the upcoming 2012 TRB Annual Conference, we look at the event through the eyes of a Principal Engineer from Kittelson & Associates, Inc..
Knowledge about tort law and risk management, interaction with teaming partners, university professors and the people behind transportation research – the opportunities presented by the upcoming Transportation Research Board’s 91st Annual Meeting abound for Christopher Brehmer.
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January 13, 2012
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) will kick off their Annual Meeting in Washington DC on Jan 22nd. This one-of-a-kind meeting attracts more than 11,000 transportation professionals from around the globe and this year marks the 91st anniversary of the event. The TRB Annual Meeting program covers all transportation modes, with more than 4,000 presentations in nearly 650 sessions and workshops addressing topics of interest to all attendees—policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. A number of sessions and workshops will address the spotlight theme for 2012: Transportation: Putting Innovation and People to Work.
Transportation professionals from Kittelson & Associates, Inc. have a long history of participation at the annual conference and the firm plans to send a variety of team members again this year. As a way to provide more insight to TRB, Streetwise interviewed several first-time and veteran TRB attendees from KAI. The following is the first of these interviews which will continue daily as we lead up to the start of TRB.
For Erin Ferguson, the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting is an invaluable source of knowledge and inspiration. And what she has contributed and gleaned from the international event has evolved with her career.
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December 16, 2011
Secretary LaHood Announces Funding for 46 Innovative Transportation Projects Through Third Round of Popular TIGER Program Job-Creating Grants Announced Months Ahead of Schedule as Part of the Obama Administration's "We Can't Wait" Initiative.
Complete list of projects, by state, included in full article.
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December 07, 2011
Kittelson & Associates, Inc. (KAI) is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. James A. Bonneson, P.E. to the KAI team. Dr. Bonneson brings to the firm nearly 30 years of experience as a researcher, educator, and consultant in the transportation industry, with expertise in arterial traffic operations, highway safety, and highway geometric design.
Jim joins KAI after 17 years with the Texas A&M University System, where he served as a professor and Senior Research Engineer in the Signal Operations Program at the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). Over that period, he has acted as a partner and advisor to KAI on numerous national research efforts, including development of the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual and the AASHTO Highway Safety Manual. He has also been a principal investigator for multiple research projects, such as NCHRP 3-79: Measuring and Predicting the Performance of Automobile Traffic on Urban Streets. Through this experience, he has developed expertise in intersection capacity analysis, traffic flow theory, simulation, traffic data collection, highway geometric design, and road safety.
As a Senior Principal Engineer based in College Station, Texas, James will work with all KAI offices to help clients nationwide achieve better transportation system performance. He can be reached at (979) 319-1886 or jbonneson@kittelson.com.
November 17, 2011
Use of the Flashing Yellow Arrow (FYA) at signalized intersections is a safe, low-cost approach to reducing delay and greenhouse gas emissions. The Portland office of Kittelson & Associates, Inc. hosted a recent presentation that highlighted benefits and considerations supporting the use of FYA protected-permissive left-turn (PPLT) signal control. A brief overview of the FYA PPLT control was presented along with key implementation considerations. Washington County, Oregon’s effort to implement FYA PPLT at 372 locations was profiled through a case study that offers a sampling of the relative delay and greenhouse gas emissions reduction achieved. This information should be of particular interest to agencies exploring use of FYA PPLT control.
Presentation slides included.
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November 03, 2011
Co-written by Kittelson & Associates 2011 Intern, Amy Cavaretta, and Senior Marketing Coordinator, Allison Collins
The Amazing Career of Ronald W. Failmezger, P.E.
Anyone working in or visiting the Portland office of Kittelson & Associates, Inc. is probably familiar with Ron. Crossing paths with him in the kitchen as he pours himself another cup of tea, he always gives a nod and a smile before quietly heading back to his office—a space filled to the brim with rolled up plans, scales, pens and pencils. He is a steadfast worker, devoutly spiritual, and thoughtful in every word that he says. But he is not one to talk about himself—a fact that made the interviewing for this article all the more intriguing, given that, stored in the man’s head is firsthand knowledge of the last 50 years of transportation planning in the state of Oregon. Many know that Ron has been with the company for several years—18 to be exact. However, the majority of Kittelson employees are probably not aware that, prior to joining KAI, Ron spent over three decades working with the Oregon Department of Transportation—a young man who started as one of a handful of traffic engineers and left as the head of a department that he built from the ground up.
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