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HDR | iTRANS Wins NY States Traffic Safety Assessment Project HDR | iTRANS, in partnership with Bergmann, was recently awarded a traffic safety project by Ontario County of New York State to conduct four safety assessments of problem intersections in their County. HDR | iTRANS will serve as Safety Assessment Team Leader, guiding Bergmann and County staff in conducting these assessments. Our international reputation as Road Safety Auditor leader continues to grow, as this assignment builds on previous work in developing a Guideline for conducting Safety Assessments for a broad range of transportation facilities (e.g., roads, pedestrian and bikeways, transit facilities, schools, and private developments with public access / uses) for the New York Metropolitan Planning Associations.
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Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Transit Downtown Bus Terminal iTRANS Consulting was recently awarded its first very first design-bid-build project for a downtown bus terminal facility in Fort McMurray. iTRANS will help determine a facility location most ideal for transit customers, businesses and residents, ensuring the location and design are sustainable to future growth, as well as compatible with the Transportation Master Plan Phases 1 and 2, which are both iTRANS projects. The new facility is expected to be built in 2010, with the anticipation of making transit a more viable alternative mode of transportation for residents of Fort McMurray. Stemming from the strength of transportation engineering and transit planning expertise we have built in Canada, iTRANS has joined forces with HDR to provide architectural services where required. |
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iTRANS Consulting joins HDR Tyrone Gan, President of iTRANS, is pleased to announce the merger of iTRANS Consulting with HDR, an employee-owned architectural, engineering and consulting firm with more than 8,000 professionals in 186 locations worldwide. HDR is ranked No. 13 overall in the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms survey for 2009 and No. 8 in transportation. Under the new corporate structure, Mr. Gan will be a senior vice president, leading the HDR | iTRANS transportation consulting practice in Canada. For further information, please see the following media release http://www.hdrinc.com/8/34/default.aspx?entry=559.
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Transit Signal Priority - Brampton The City of Brampton, Brampton Transit, Region of Peel, and Brampton Fire Department are undertaking a multi-year project to provide transit signal priority and emergency vehicle pre-emption at signalized intersections within the City of Brampton for the implementation of the first phase of Brampton’s Zum bus rapid transit network. iTRANS has been selected to provide design and implementation services for this project. This project will provide transit signal priority (TSP) using a combination of advanced equipment technologies, wireless communications to relay information from transit / emergency vehicles to the roadside, GPS technology for vehicle tracking, interface with the transit’s on-vehicle Automatic Vehicle Location System, and interface to a central server / database for monitoring, control and reporting. This server, located at Brampton’s Traffic Operations Centre (TOC), will also provide connections to the Region of Peel Traffic operations Group, Brampton Transit, and Brampton Fire Department for reporting and operations management.
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2009 CITE iTRANS Consulting Undergraduate Scholarships Awarded July 2009 iTRANS is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2009 CITE iTRANS Undergraduate Scholarship is Mark Hearson from the University of Manitoba. Mark is a Civil Engineering student at the U of M, having just completed his second year. He is currently employed with the University of Manitoba Transport Information Group. The award was presented to Mark at the 2009 CITE Conference in Montreal, QC on Wednesday, June 2. We wish Mark much success as he completes his studies and embarks on his future career.
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Anthony Reitmeier joins iTRANS Consulting Tyrone Gan, President of iTRANS Consulting, is pleased to announce that Anthony Reitmeier P.Eng, has joined our Toronto office as a Senior Project Manager, focusing on transportation and municipal infrastructure projects. He brings to iTRANS strength in the field of water resources engineering with expertise in drainage, stormwater management, watershed planning, sanitary and water distribution systems. His skills in these areas are complemented by his experience in the management and coordination of environmental assessment studies, planning studies and the design of linear transportation and municipal infrastructure systems.
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Smart Work Zones – York Region The Regional Municipality of York has retained iTRANS Consulting to identify, implement, and perform ‘before-after’ studies on various ITS technologies at work zones. The objectives of this study are to enhance worker and road user safety, reduce delays, reduce congestion, and provide real-time information to travellers. The study will take place over the 2009 summer at selected construction sites throughout the Region.
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State of Aggregate Resource in Ontario - Ministry of Natural Resources The demand for aggregates continues to grow as Ontario develops. To date, aggregate sources have tended to be located close to urban centres. However, the available sources are beginning to run out, and – together with growing environmental and other concerns – the Province is examining the feasibility of sourcing aggregates from more remote locations in northern Ontario. iTRANS, in association with HDR, is part of a team that is assessing this feasibility. iTRANS’ role is to develop a GIS analytical framework that is being used to assess the impacts of costs, travel times and emissions of moving aggregates from northern Ontario to the south-central urban areas, via road (truck), rail, marine, or combinations of these three modes. iTRANS is building on the GIS framework it developed for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to do a similar assessment across the Province’s entire highway network.
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2nd Annual Bike 2 Work Day – Smart Commute 404-7 May 25, 2009 It was an early start for a Monday morning, but it was well worth it for the free water bottle & lunch bag set, as eight iTRANS staff brought their bikes to work and participated in the 2nd Annual Bike 2 Work Day. This annual event is put on by Smart Commute 404-7, and co-hosted by MMM Group and iTRANS Consulting to encourage people to get out of their cars and find alternate modes to get to / from work, and help reduce congestion. Photos: http://www.smartcommute404-7.ca/B2WDayPhotos.htm Rogers TV: http://www.rogerstv.com/common/playlist.asx?gid=54918 (7:17 – 9:16) The message today was clear Awareness about Smart Commuting is growing, as shown by 20% more cyclists participating this year. We can all make a difference by carpooling or choosing alternate modes of travel just one day each week, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and congestion on our streets by 20%. To learn more about how you can make a difference in reducing congestion and greenhouse gases in your travel plans, visit www.smartcommute404-7.ca
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Traffic Control Systems for GTA & Hamilton – Metrolinx
iTRANS has been retained by Metrolinx to establish a common time reference for traffic control systems throughout the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. This common time reference will result in a quick win for Metrolinx and will provide a fundamental platform for future inter-agency initiatives. In addition to identifying, procuring and deploying common time reference sources for each municipality, iTRANS will also inventory operational policies, technologies and opportunities for cross border initiatives between municipalities and road agencies. This inventory will be presented to Metrolinx in the form of a plan with proposed priorities, timeframes and high-level work plans. Lastly, iTRANS will establish a forum for municipalities, the Province and Metrolinx to continue to communicate with each other.
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Transit Ridership Growth Plan & Asset Management Plan – Wins CUTA Award iTRANS Consulting completed the Transit Ridership Growth Plan and Transit Asset Management Plan for the Town of Cobourg’s Transit Conventional Service and the Wheels Specialized Transit Service. The Plan recommended a 5-year Conventional Transit Service Plan, complemented by a similar service plan that was designed to better accommodate the demand for door-to-door accessible Wheels service. The iTRANS plan specifically recommended that Wheels should maintain current accessible weekday service, while wheelchair accessible taxis would provide service during mid-day and extended into evenings and Saturdays. As a result of the initiative, in 2009 (Year 3 of the 5-year plan), the Town’s Councillor, Dean McCaughey, announced that Cobourg Transit was awarded the 2009 Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) National Transit Corporate Recognition Award. The award recognizes the Town’s exemplary performance and outstanding achievement for its special needs transit program.
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Traffic Safety Database Feasibility Study – State of Colorado iTRANS Consulting, in partnership with the Dye Management Group (Prime), has been engaged by the State of Colorado to conduct a feasibility study for the development of a Traffic (Safety) Records Virtual Data Warehouse. iTRANS’ role is to provide subject matter expertise in the area of traffic safety records and facilitate the collaboration between multiple stakeholders in support of traffic records and other safety management and analysis initiatives. This is a new dimension to our Transportation Safety practice, whereby we have teamed with an information technology company. With the advent of the new Highway Safety Manual, and the SafetyAnalyst tool we are now positioned to help State DOTs and large US Municipalities to build their safety databases. Dye Management Group and iTRANS have also recently won a similar contract for the State of Montana. Including Utah, this now makes three states that iTRANS is directly involved with the State’s traffic records systems. Dye Management Group http://www.dyemanagement.com/
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Pavement Rehabilitation – Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) The Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) recently awarded iTRANS the detail design assignment for the following Pavement Rehabilitation projects:
These “shave and pave” projects are on an extremely aggressive schedule and will use the Ministry’s “Limited Plans Format”. We are looking forward to this opportunity to demonstrate iTRANS’ proficiency in high profile traffic management and design/contract tender preparation on a fast-tracked schedule.
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District of West Vancouver Strategic Transportation Plan The District of West Vancouver recently commissioned iTRANS to develop a Strategic Transportation Plan (STP) to guide the District in emphasizing the use of alternative modes and active transportation to facilitate a modal shift away from the private automobile. This is underpinned by the air quality objectives within the plan to fulfil transportation commitments set forth in the 2004 District of West Vancouver Official Community Plan and in accordance with recommended tasks outlined in the Environmental Strategy work plan completed in 2007. The main objectives of the project are to develop a strategic plan that:
The involvement of the community and stakeholders throughout the plan development process is crucial to a successful STP. Representatives from the community at large will be gathered to form a high level STP Working Group to ensure that the voice of the public is heard and that all interests are considered in the development of the plan. The plan will address mobility for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users as a main part of the multi-modal options.
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iTRANS at UBC ITE Industry Night! February 25, 2009 This annual industry event helps spark interest in many graduating engineers by promoting transportation engineering and connecting students with industry professionals. The event gives students the opportunity to network with professionals and potential employers. iTRANS was pleased to attend the UBC ITE Industry Night and meet so many great students, with bright futures, and afforded the opportunity to explain to them all the qualities of iTRANS that makes it one of the Best Workplaces in Canada. We look forward to these young engineers joining the industry.
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iTRANS Powers Down For EARTH HOUR
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Chris Philp is Director of ITS Canada for the Second Year iTRANS is pleased to announce that Chris Philp will be retaining his position as Director of ITS Canada for a second term. Chris has been active on the Board as Chair of the Annual Conference Planning Committee and Vice-Chair on the Promotions Committee. Chris says that he is honoured to be part of the ITS Canada organization during such an exciting time with the recent hiring of a new Executive Director, the Conferences and Events that are planned for the upcoming year, and the opportunity to work with the new Directors on the ITS Canada Board.
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Yonge Street Traffic Management Study iTRANS was retained by the City of Toronto to conduct the Yonge Street Area Traffic Management Study within the developing are of the North York south Downtown. The intent of this study was to identify a comprehensive strategy to plan traffic control and new infrastructure, and coordinate it with anticipated development-related traffic impacts. The study was aimed at addressing the needs and community concerns over the traffic operations and safety in the area.
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Integration of Pedestrians and Bicycles at Interchanges in the GGHA and Niagara Regions iTRANS Consulting was awarded a study by the Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) for the Integration of Pedestrians and Bicycles at Freeway Interchanges. Municipalities across Ontario are incorporating “active transportation” into balanced and integrated transportation strategies. The promotion of cycling and walking as alternative travel modes and healthy activities has been initiated through municipal policies, as well as proactive bicycle and pedestrian master plans. iTRANS will be leading research into best practices for safe and efficient pedestrian and cycling crossings at interchanges. The study will develop design standards, traffic control measures, and innovative design approaches for a range of interchange environments.
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School Zone Traffic Safety Study in Alberta The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo retained iTRANS to conduct an in-depth traffic safety assessment of their school network, which includes 26 existing school sites and five planned school sites. Also included in this assignment is the development of a framework for a Pedestrian Code of Conduct and a Pedestrian Charter.
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iTRANS Delivers The Science of Crash Reduction Factors for NHI (FHWA) iTRANS Consulting has developed The Science of Crash Reduction Factors course for the National Highway Institute, the training arm of the Federal Highway Administration. This three hour web-based course goes in-depth and provides participants with the knowledge and skills needed to critically assess the quality of Crash Reduction Factors (CRFs). This course is intended for the safety practitioner who wants to know more than how to simply apply a CRF value, but wants to determine whether the CRF value itself is reliable, and to understand how it was derived. For this course, iTRANS also developed a checklist for participants to use in evaluating the quality of a published CRF. The professionals who would be most interested in completing this course are those who are responsible for identifying, recommending, selecting, and installing appropriate countermeasures to help reduce the number of crashes. iTRANS delivered the pilot session in November 2008.
https://admin.na3.acrobat.com/_a55098539/n380094clip/
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iTRANS’ Role in Port Mann Bridge PPP Lauded In February 2009, the Premier of British Columbia announced a major project to replace the aging Port Mann Bridge and the upgrade of 37km of Highway 1, a key expressway in the Greater Vancouver region. This Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project will be carried out by the Connect BC consortium, for which iTRANS is pleased to have developed the investment-grade traffic and revenue forecasts, as well as providing traffic engineering, micro-simulation modelling, and value engineering services. Highway 1 is the principal commuter corridor linking Greater Vancouver with its Fraser Valley suburbs. Highway 1 also provides trade access to the region’s ports and the rest of Canada. In the face of pervasive congestion, and in order to accommodate fast-growing auto and truck traffic demand, the Province of British Columbia proposed a PPP in 2007 to upgrade this 40-year-old expressway and twin the existing Port Mann Bridge across the Fraser River – a key bottleneck on Highway 1. The new bridge will have 10 lanes accommodating rapid-buses, pedestrians, and cyclists, and is expected to reduce travel time and congestion by one third. To pay for this, the Province proposed a new toll at the Bridge. This $3.3 billion dollar project is the largest new PPP toll highway project in North America today. The replacement of the Port Mann Bridge is to be completed by 2013. iTRANS prepared an investment grade traffic and revenue forecast for Connect BC, to support the consortium’s bid to upgrade the highway and the Bridge. This entailed the recalibration and update of the existing regional travel demand forecasting model to international investment-grade standards, the collection of extensive new data to support this modelling work, the preparation of defensible traffic and revenue forecasts under a variety of schemes, and the presentation of the forecasts to bankers and bond raters from around the world. iTRANS’ approach emphasized the development of realistic, credible, and transparent traffic forecasts and models as the basis for the work. iTRANS also provided traffic engineering, micro-simulation modelling, and value engineering services to the consortium’s design team. This team was announced as the winning bid in July 2008. iTRANS’ work was lauded by the client, the financial community, and the owner for its thoroughness, comprehensiveness, and credibility. iTRANS continues to provide ongoing services to the team.
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iTRANS Wins major Road Safety Audit Work in Quebec iTRANS Consulting, in partnership with SM International Group of Montreal, has been awarded the Road Safety Audit work for the new A30 Autoroute in Quebec. iTRANS will conduct over 70 road safety audits for this new toll road facility covering preliminary design, detailed design, and pre-opening audits.
Winning this exciting new work fits well with iTRANS’ strategy to increase its involvement in P3 projects, and allows iTRANS to continue to demonstrate its broad and integrated road safety, operations, and design knowledge and expertise. The A30 Autoroute project is being delivered through the P3 consortium, Nouvelle Autoroute 30, S.E.N.C., which is made up of the following companies: Acciona Concessions Canada Inc., Iridium Concessions Canada Inc., Acciona Infrastructures Canada Inc., Dragados Canada Inc., S.I.C.E., Arup Canada Inc., Construction DJL Inc., and Verreault Inc.
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Brampton TTMP iTRANS Consulting has been retained by the City of Brampton to carry out the Brampton Transit and Transportation Master Plan (TTMP) Study Update. The City approved its TTMP in the fall of 2004, which envisioned the integration of all modes and elements of transportation to provide a "Balanced Transportation System". Building on the transportation vision and strategy that was developed in the 2004 TTMP, this study will update and prepare recommendations in keeping with the sustainable transportation principles and develop an integrated transportation network required to support Brampton's growth up to 2031, as well as accommodate provincial and regional planning goals. The TTMP Sustainable Update will form a part of the overall Growth Plan conformity exercise and provide the basis for revisions / input to the transportation components of the Brampton Official Plan in the context of recent provincial policies. The first PIC for this project will be held on Tuesday, September 23 at the City Hall Atrium (see attached PDF). First Public Information Centre held for the Brampton TTMP Study Update The first Public Information Centre (PIC) for this project, co-hosted by the City staff and the iTRANS team, was recently heldduring the evening of Tuesday, September 23, 2008 in the Brampton City Hall Atrium. The high quality graphics and easy to interpret information display boards were well received and helped to encourage input from the public and other stakeholders throughout the evening. The PIC provided an opportunity to introduce and receive feedback regarding the study's purpose, the problem and issues that need to be addressed, as well as strategic alternatives that could be implemented to address the issues. Public consultation is a key element of the study and will continue through the duration of the project. More information on this PIC is available at http://www.brampton.ca/GrowthPlanResponse/ The second PIC for the subject study is scheduled for February 04, 2008 at Brampton City Hall Atrium between 5.30 PM and 8.30 PM (see attached PDF).
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Midland Transit Service Plan iTRANS was retained by the Town of Midland to undertake a Transit Service Plan designed to expand and improve upon the service that was in place. One major issue was being able to provide service to Georgian College, which was faced with expanding enrolment. iTRANS conducted an operational review complemented by a community-wide survey and stakeholder consultation that resulted in:
A Midland Transit 5-year service plan and fleet plan was subsequently developed. Local News on the Transit Service Plan: http://www.midlandmirror.com/midlandmirror/article/126742
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iTRANS Awarded MTO VE Retainers The Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) (MTO) has awarded 2-year retainers for future Value Engineering studies for three separate categories. iTRANS Consulting Inc. was awarded retainers in two categories: Traffic Operations and Safety Studies, and Preliminary Design. iTRANS has been on retainer to MTO for four previous years in providing VE services on Traffic Operations and Safety Studies, and we look forward to providing continued services on retainer for the next two years for these types of studies, as well as providing additional VE services for Preliminary Design Studies. For additional information on the retainer, or how iTRANS’ Value Engineering services can assist your organization in the cost-effective delivery of capital projects and/or business processes, contact us at professionalservices@itransconsulting.com .
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Functional Planning Study in Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure retained iTRANS Consulting for the planning study prior to future construction of the interchanges on Highway 5 at McOrmond Drive, Highway 41, and Perimeter Highway. McOrmond Drive and Highway 41 are classified as service interchanges, while Perimeter Highway interchange will be constructed as a system interchange. The objective of this study was to develop, evaluate, and select the most desirable configuration alternative for each of the future three interchanges based on functionality, capacity, constructability, cost, right-of-way requirements, and environmental impact.
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Value Engineering / Management Training - Toronto, January 26 - 30, 2009 Value Engineering (VE) is a systematic, organized system of investigation, using trained, multi-disciplined teams to analyze the functional requirements of a project for the purpose of achieving the essential functions at the lowest total cost (capital, operating and maintenance) over the life of the project. By using creative techniques and current technical information on new materials and methods, alternative solutions are developed for specific functions, eliminating or modifying components and their costs that are not essential to required performance. iTRANS Consulting, in partnership with Faithful+Gould, is pleased to provide highly specialized Value Engineering expertise in offerin a 5-day SAVE International approved Module 1 Value Engineering / Management training course. This course offers detailed instruction in the VE/VM methodology, an organized system of investigation using trained, multi-disciplined teams to analyze functional requirements of a project, product, system, or procedure to achieve essential functions at the lowest total cost over the life cycle. Participants will have the opportunity to gain a clear understanding and working knowledge of the VE/VM methodology, including special topics such as Risk Registers, Premise Plateaus, and Performance Criteria and Measures. Participants will be well prepared for the optional Associate Value Specialist (AVS) exam, which will be offered at the end of the training workshop. This session will be of interest to all private and public sector engineers, supervisors, and managers. Brochure - Module 1 (PDF 5 Mb)
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Kingston Road Transit Improvements Environmental Assessment - City of Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission The City of Toronto retained iTRANS to identify potential transit improvements along the Kingston Road Corridor. The study is investigating how to best improve transit service along Kingston Road, between Victoria Park and Eglinton Avenue East, as well as integrating existing streetcar service along Kingston Road with other transit services in the area. This project began as an individual environmental assessment, then became a Schedule "C" Class Environmental Assessment for transit improvements, and is now following the new Transit Project Assessment Study Process (O.Reg. 231/08). The study includes the review and assessment of various transit routes including: alternative terminal points with the Bloor-Danforth Subway, existing streetcar and bus service, and future planned light rail transit (Scarborough-Malvern LRT). Various transit technologies are also being assessed, including: bus in mixed traffic, bus in reserved lanes, streetcar in mixed traffic, streetcar in dedicated right-of-way, and light rail transit. The project is on-going, and more information can be found at: http://www.toronto.ca/involved/projects/kingston_road_ea/index.htm
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