SESSION 6A: 1.5 PDH CREDITS
PART 1: MASSACHUSETTS STATEWIDE ADA PEDESTRIAN CURB RAMP RECONSTRUCTION PRIORITIZATION PLAN
To comply with FHWA regulations, MassDOT has been implementing programs to bring their pedestrian assets into compliance. This presentation summarized how the Fuss & O’Neill team has been working with the MassDOT Complete Streets team to develop a program that captures locations too complicated for the existing pedestrian curb ramp (PCR) retrofit program but not so complicated that they involve intersection redesigns. The presentation discusses the planning, funding sources, and conceptual design processes that has taken the 3,000 previously identified deficient PCR locations and developed 16 programmed projects currently being scoped to 25 percent design. Additionally, this presentation outlines the challenges encountered through the different phases of the project as well as the next steps for the program itself and accessibility improvements under MassDOT. This presentation is relevant for Engineers and Planners that want to learn about the planning and design effort required to improve pedestrian assets throughout differing communities across the State to comply with FHWA regulations.
PRESENTERS
HOLLY RUSSELL, EIT
Ms. Russell is a Transportation Engineer with Fuss & O’Neill. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst), she has both a Bachelors and Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering. Her master’s thesis focused on the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for Road Safety Audits (RSAs). She is an Engineer in Training (EIT) with two years of professional experience in Traffic Engineering, Highway Design, & Transportation Planning. Holly has been involved in a wide range of traffic engineering projects, from traffic impact studies, safety studies and “Complete Street” Planning, to the design of traffic signals, roadways, utilities, and pedestrian/bicycle facilities. Her clients include State Agencies, Municipalities, and Private Developers. She is active in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), currently serving as the Southeastern New England ITE (SENEITE) Student Chapter Liaison as well as the Northeastern District (NED) Student Chapter Liaison. Additionally, Holly is a part of the young member and traffic bowl committees at the ITE International level.
LORENZO VARONE
Lorenzo Varone is a Transportation Engineer at MassDOT. He graduated with his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut with a focus in Transportation and Urban Engineering. Lorenzo manages and develops MassDOT's Trails (Shared-Use Paths) and Accessibility Improvements Programs through the Massachusetts State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). He identifyies, initiates, and scopes projects that address the needs of all users with robust accessible multi-modal facilities. He focuses on the long term sustainability of Massachusetts' transportation system by building out the off-road bicycle and pedestrian network and improving multi-modal access and mobility statewide. As part of his role at MassDOT he is proud to be a member of the passionate inter-agency MassTrails Team which strives to expand, connect, and modernize the Commonwealth's network of shared use paths for people of all ages and abilities.
ZACHARY VEANER
Mr. Veaner is the State Accessibility Engineer for MassDOT. He has worked for MassDOT for over 16 years in various roles in several divisions, including Statewide Pavement Management, District 6 Civil Design and Review, and most recently in Headquarters Highway Design. In his current role he oversees reviews of design submissions for projects of all sizes across the state for compliance with ADA requirements, provides input during scoping sessions on how to best steer projects towards successful accessible design, and works to train MassDOT staff on what it takes to design for people with different abilities. Working closely with the Program Management team, Zach tracks the status of the connected accessible network across the commonwealth and supports the efforts to eliminate deficiencies for all people using our next work for transportation. A Graduate of McGill University in Montreal with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Zach enjoys the challenges of seeing the world from different viewpoints and working together to achieve solutions for everyone.
PART 2: TRANSIT FACILITY VISSIM SIMULATION MODELING
In order to conduct a capacity analysis and assess the active transportation management strategies set out for a large urban transit facility, a VISSIM model was created of the terminal floors and optimized operations to meet high levels of congestion during peak hours. The VISSIM models set out to incorporate bus schedules. However, to conduct a more conservative analysis and to mimic the nature of many transit facilities in densely urban areas, bus bunching and arrival delays were built into the models to create a more realistic assessment of how well the terminal will handle large amount of fleet with random arrival patterns. The model accounted for real-time conditions such as bus arrival times and gate availability, current congestion, and availably of layover space by using complex routing decisions, user-defined attributes, and attribute modifications to simulate fleet assignment, movements and gate occupancy. This analysis used creative VISSIM tools to investigate the capacity of the terminal, assess the active traffic management strategy, and recommend operational changes to improve the system.
PRESENTER
SHERRY J. LEE (FORMERLY KIM), PE, PTOE
Sherry J. Lee, PE, PTOE, is a seasoned Traffic Engineer with a wealth of experience in New York City. Throughout her career, Sherry has played a pivotal role in numerous high-profile projects, including airports, bus depots, and major arterials in the New York metropolitan area. Her expertise spans traffic engineering and planning, traffic simulation and modeling, transportation design and engineering, and multimodal transportation analysis. Sherry is passionate about microsimulation and has shared her work on various platforms. Currently, she is dedicated to energy projects, where she collaborates across disciplines and leads the traffic, logistics, and construction coordination efforts with agencies, stakeholders, and clients. In her free time, Sherry dives into NBA drama and indoctrinates her niece of traffic engineering philosophies.