Otak Blog

The Tempe Transportation Center is the centerpiece of the City of Tempe’s award-winning transportation program. The 40,300-square-foot, three-story transit center houses Tempe’s Transportation Offices, Traffic Management Center, Community Room and Transit Store, as well as Arizona’s first bicycle commuter facility, the Bicycle Cellar. Ground floor retail and food service provide amenities for bus and rail patrons, Arizona State University students, and visitors. The Center is a strategic hub for rail, bus, and bike transportation, serving the new 20-mile METRO light rail system. The project is designed to use 52% less energy and is seeking LEED Platinum certification.

Otak served as the prime consultant and lead architect on this project and collaborated with local Tempe firm, Architekton. To date, the Tempe Transportation Center has won nine awards, which include:

American Institute of Architects - Arizona, Kemper Goodwin Collaboration Award

American Institute of Architects - Arizona, SRP Sustainability Award

American Institute of Architects - Oregon, Design Award

Arizona Masonry Guild, Honor Award

Metal Architecture, Design Award

RED Awards, Arizona Real Estate Development Awards, Best Sustainable Project

Valley Forward Association, Crescordia Award, Buildings and Structures, Industrial & Public Works

Valley Forward Association, Crescordia Award, Site Devel. & Landscape, Industrial & Public Works

Tempe Mayor’s Disability Awards, Architecture Accessibility Award

Earlier this month, Otak engineers and construction managers coordinated and watched crews connect the City of Tualatin’s Blue Lot Parking Lot and the Tualatin City Park with an 80-foot pedestrian bridge. To minimize disruptions to the existing businesses, construction workers maneuvered a 100-ton-capactiy crane at 9 o’clock at night that unloaded the new steel bridge into place. After three and a half hours of hard work (even the contractor’s dog was supervising!), including maneuvering the bridge around light poles and under an existing tree canopy, the bridge was set. The City of Tualatin now has a valuable new entrance to the City Park while restoring the stream and wetland functions previously impacted by the trail and culvert.

Melissa Robelo Moncada, PE, was presented the Young Engineer of the Year award by the Oregon Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) at their Annual Gala last month. This is a well-deserved recognition for Melissa’s active support and ongoing contributions to the civil engineering community, involvement in ASCE, and great project work at Otak. Melissa started at Otak in September 2006 and has been a key player on many bridge projects, including Diamond Creek Bridge, Perry Arch Bridge, and the US395: McKay Creek to Silvies Slough Design-Build Bundle 414 project. Solid technical skills accompanied with great problem solving and communication skills has contributed to Melissa’s early successes in engineering. Melissa currently serves as the ASCE Oregon Section Secretary.