Otak Blog

Otak is proud to announce that Dan Dawson, principal in Otak’s Kirkland office, is the recipient of the 2010 Washington Section ITE Award for Outstanding Service to the community and the transportation profession. The award was announced at the 2010 Annual Meeting held June 7 in Bellevue, Washington. Dan is a long-standing member of the Institute with a career focus on transportation design and mobility for all travel modes. Dan’s contributions to the practice of transportation engineering include co-authoring the Washington State Pedestrian Facilities Guidebook for WSDOT, developing the design guidelines for pedestrian safety and accessibility, and contributing to Transportation Research Board publications, as well as the Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee (PROWAAC) Special Report: Accessible Public Rights-of-Way, Planning and Designing for Alterations. He has authored a number of articles for the ITE Journal and regularly presents technical papers and training sessions at ITE conferences to continue the education of the membership in designing for full accessibility and mobility.

Melissa Moncada, bridge engineer, and Scott Larsen, construction group manager, at Otak recently attended the Oregon Concrete and Aggregate Producers Association (OCAPA) Excellence in Concrete Awards gala in Salem. Upper Perry Arch Bridge, a project that Otak worked on, was nominated as one of only three finalists under the Historic Bridges category. The gala attracted designers and contractors from all over the state for an evening full of cocktails, good food, and the awards ceremony.

This unique bridge rehabilitation was designed by Otak and constructed by Wildish Standard Paving. The bridge was originally designed by the famous bridge engineer, Conde B. McCullough, in the early 1920’s. If you are traveling on I-84, be sure to stop by and see this beautiful bridge. From I-84 eastbound, take exit 256 (about 4 miles west of La Grande), follow Hamilton Creek Frontage Road until you cross over the bridge.

The April issue of Passenger Transport highlights Swift BRT’s video storytelling campaign. Six videos that each ran less than two minutes were created that feature business leaders, chamber presidents, and the mayor discussing the benefits of the new BRT line.

Otak’s services for the Swift BRT project included project management, surveying, civil engineering, landscape architecture, planning, and construction support.

To view the videos, please click here.

Otak recently participated in the official launch of Community Transit’s Swift bus rapid transit (BRT) system, which serves Lynnwood, Edmonds, Everett, and Snohomish County. Swift is the first BRT to operate in the state of Washington, and one of 22 nationwide. Dan Dawson, Otak’s lead on the project, was on hand to speak at the opening festivities. The party included Swift bus tours, carnival games, face painting, balloon animals, a photo booth and a visit from Community Transit’s super hero, Oxy Gene.

In addition, a surprise dance party broke out! Click here to watch the video.

BRT projects around the world are gaining in popularity because they provide the frequency and fast boarding of light rail, with the flexibility of a bus system — at a lower cost. Otak’s role in the project was to lead station design and station site construction for 30 station locations. Overall, Otak’s services included project management, surveying, civil engineering, landscape architecture, planning, and construction support services.

GreenSource online recently posted a video of the award-winning Tempe Transportation Center. Otak served as prime consultant and lead architect on this project, and collaborated with Tempe firm, Architekton.

The new Tempe Transportation Center serves Valley METRO bus and light-rail riders, pedestrians, and bike commuters. This video is narrated by The City of Tempe’s Bonnie Richardson, AIA, and it includes an informative tour of the facility’s interior spaces, public plaza, art installations, and passenger stations. The project is seeking LEED Platinum certification, and has earned nine awards to date — an Otak record!

To watch the video, please click here.

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.

The Diamond Creek Bridge was recently completed in southern Oregon. Spanning a 65-foot deep canyon, this bridge serves logging trucks and through traffic along the Tiller-Trail Highway (Oregon 227). The new bridge is two spans and 260-feet in length with many aesthetic features. Otak prepared the structural and approach roadway engineering, as well as utility coordination and construction management. This project was honored at the 2009 ACEC Oregon Engineering Excellence Awards ceremony.

On October 20th the City of Aspen and Colorado Department of Transportation celebrated the completion of two landmark projects: the new Maroon Creek Bridge and the dedicated bus lanes on State Highway 82. The highway is the primary transportation corridor that links communities and provides access to a multitude of recreational amenities in the Roaring Fork River Valley. Replacement of the historic bridge, originally built by the Midland Railroad in 1888, required more than a decade of planning and budgeting and a unique financial partnership between the City and State. Its new support structure was designed to echo the style of the original bridge, which is located just to the south and will remain in place. Otak provided landscape architecture, wetland delineation, and environmental clearance services for the project, including realignment of a highly popular paved multi-use trail that connects to both ends of the new bridge. Otak also provided landscape architecture and irrigation design for the bus lane project, which added two transit-only lanes to the heavily congested segment of SH 82 from the Buttermilk ski area to the Maroon Creek roundabout. Services continued through construction administration.