Shaping our Community.
California High Speed Rail
PROJECT DETAILS
The California High-Speed Rail will enable travel from LA to SF at speeds up to 220mph
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Supporting Authority's Engineering Services Branch since 2023
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Driving active construction to the highest levels in the program’s history
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Incorporating lessons from past and current projects into the Authority's future
SERVICES PROVIDED
Link 21
PROJECT DETAILS
Link21 is a transportation program sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA). The goal is to transform the passenger rail network serving the 21-county Northern California Megaregion (Megaregion)
SERVICES PROVIDED
VST Engineering is responsible for the flagship conceptual rail alignment design for the Transbay Crossing, West San Francisco extension and the I-980 Rail Corridor Concept Study. These Corridors shall serve as the building blocks for development of the Program Concepts and will require large investments in underground infrastructure to serve desired markets while minimizing negative impacts to affected communities.
SUCCESS STORY
Prior to the Authority contracting the PDS team at the end of 2022, the Rail Delivery Partner (RDP) had been providing program management services to the Authority since 2015. The VST team had supported the RDP from 2019 to 2022 and transitioned to the PDS in 2023. Through the four years of experience as part of the RDP, the VST team has gained a thorough understanding of the Authority’s internal processes, procedures, and operations. This knowledge, along with lessons learned, has been shared with the greater PDS team during onboarding and continues to be referenced in day-to-day activities.
VST has brought a broad range of expertise and experience that has contributed to the success of the California HSR Authority Engineering Services Branch. They went above and beyond for us, stepping up and delivering whenever we asked. I would not hesitate to hire VST in the future.
Brian Sutliff, S.E.
Former Director of Engineering
California High-Speed Rail Authority
LA Metro
PROJECT
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) – Inspection of Structures (2021-present)
PROJECT DETAILS
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) owns and operates structures that require periodic inspection to ensure public safety and maintain reliability of the bus and rail system. There are approximately 235 structures, including bridges, tunnels, stations, retaining walls and other structures, that require on-going professional evaluation. Metro executive management identified State of Good Repair as a priority for the agency. In order to ensure that the assets required for safe operation of the rail and bus system are kept in good repair, it is necessary to provide periodic inspections of each asset on a rolling schedule of every three years, documenting structural deficiencies and routine maintenance items. VST provides structural engineering technical support as a sub-consultant to Atlas, and is responsible for performing bridge safety inspections, structural evaluations, provides recommendations to mitigate identified defects, and provides condition assessments for Metro’s Transit Asset Management (TAM) program. Each deficiency is assigned a condition state, a priority code, a quantity, a location, a detailed description, a recommendation, and a timeline in which the repair should be made. This information is critical in maintaining Metro’s assets and providing extended serviceability, while also considering Metro priorities, funding, and Standards. VST Engineering has taken their knowledge of Caltrans Bridge Preventative Maintenance Program (BPMP) and applied similar approaches with Metro infrastructure.
SERVICES PROVIDED
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Bridge Safety Inspection and Repair Recommendations
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Independent check (QA/QC)
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Technical Support
ROLE IN PROJECT
For the Hollywood Hills to Universal City Crossover Structure Tunnel as part of the Metro Red Line, VST coordinated with Atlas and repair product manufacturer, Sika, to recommend innovative techniques of repair of various cracking and seepage deficiencies in the existing tunnel, including specialized epoxy injection. This is a high traffic area of Metro and access is limited to the interior face of tunnel during brief maintenance windows. VST served our client by seeking to understand the underlying issues, relying on past relationships and experience with Sika, and providing a presentation to educate the client on options of repair, considering cost, schedule, and Metro accessibility and maintainability.
PROJECT
Traction Power Program. Oakland, CA.
PROJECT DETAILS
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is currently replacing critical Traction Power infrastructure throughout the system. This new infrastructure is vital to improving the customer experience by increasing service reliability.
SERVICES PROVIDED
VST Engineering serves as Project Manager for seven projects totaling $487.5M ranging from project planning to construction. VST is responsible for managing project schedules and budgets. VST Engineering is also responsible for coordinating among affected BART stakeholders for both contracted projects and projects being performed by in-house forces.
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
PROJECT
Embarcadero West Rail Safety and Access Improvements
PROJECT DETAILS
From Market Street to Oak Street, Embarcadero West in Oakland is currently open to vehicular, pedestrian, cyclist, and rail traffic with very limited physical separation between the modes of traffic. Resulting from numerous planning and outreach activities, the Embarcadero West Rail Safety and Access Improvements will provide a variety of safety enhancements to the one-mile mixed-use corridor in the form of:
SERVICES PROVIDED
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Reconstruction of existing at-grade crossings
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Fencing
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Traffic signals
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Reduced traffic movements and speed limits
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Multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists
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Sidewalk widening, Design of Curb Extensions and Pedestrian Islands
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Elimination of overweight trucking re-route along 7th Street
VST Engineering is scoped with collection of existing data, utility coordination, development of construction drawings, feasibility studies, bid support, and construction support. Deliverables under these activities include:
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Project exhibits
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Record of utility potholing
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35% Geometric Approval Plans
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65%, 95%, 100%, and Final PS&E packages
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Conceptual overcrossing designs for Adeline Street, Market Street, Brush Street, and Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT)
Caltrans
PROJECT
Caltrans Middle Mile Broadband Network (District 2,3, 4)
PROJECT DETAILS
Caltrans is spearheading the development of a Middle Mile Broadband Network (MMBN) across various districts in California. The MMBN is designed as an open-access, state-owned high-capacity fiber network aimed at efficiently transporting significant data volumes at higher speeds over extended distances between local networks. This initiative aims to bridge the digital divide by connecting homes and businesses with local networks, facilitating enhanced connectivity and access to broadband services.
SERVICES PROVIDED
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Project Management and Coordination
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Utility Coordination
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Plan Production Support
ROLE IN PROJECT
VST Engineering collectively handles various responsibilities across all districts involved in the Caltrans Middle Mile Broadband Network projects. Our team oversees plan production support activities across the districts, ensuring the seamless execution of project plans. VST Engineering has been tasked with utility identification/digitization, utility conflict identification, and review of utility sheets. This division of responsibilities ensures efficient project management and smooth progress across all project phases and districts. We also provide project management and coordination with identifying future tasks during the plan production stage for all districts.