John Haussmann joins HDR as principal project manager






John Haussmann, P.E., has
joined HDR as a vice president and principal project manager based in the
company’s Walnut Creek, Calif. office. He will focus on major transit projects
in California and throughout the western United States. Prior to
joining HDR, Haussmann was the regional transit manager for PBS&J’s west
and central regions. From 1997 to 2008 he served first as chief operating
officer and then CEO/president of T.Y. Lin International.

Graham Construction begins Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project






Graham Construction
Services, Inc., is working on several transit projects that will transform
Minnesota’s commuter landscape. These include Graham’s activities on the
Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (CCLRT) Advanced Traffic Improvements
project and on the 4th Street Advanced Utility Construction project. In
addition, the company has completed the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit line
extension to Target Field.

Expert: NS hub noise to be minimal






Noise from the operation of
Norfolk Southern’s railroad hub in McCalla, Ala., would have no impact on an
adjacent elementary school or many of the surrounding homes and only a minimal
impact on other homes, an expert said May 25, according to The Birmingham News.

Lindley Avenue crossing closed on Metrolink Ventura County Line






Metrolink maintenance
crews will be performing work along Metrolink’s Ventura Line railroad tracks in
Southern California over Memorial Day weekend. The track maintenance activities
will include the removal and replacement of crossties, rail and concrete panels
at the railroad crossing at Lindley Avenue between Parthenia and Napa Streets.

Norfolk light-rail crews to rebuild Fort Norfolk intersection






Light-rail
construction crews, who are working toward a mid-July completion deadline in downtown
Norfolk, Va., must rebuild an intersection after flooding caused the underpinnings
to settle, The Virginian-Pilot reports. The
at-grade crossing at Brambleton Avenue and 2nd Street in the Fort Norfolk area
will be torn out for two weeks starting June 1, Hampton Roads Transit spokesman
Tom Holden said. The work will not affect traffic on Brambleton but will detour
2nd Street traffic.

 

Council to consider temporary lane closure






A municipally owned lane
leading to Kalamalka Lake in Oyama, B.C., is facing a temporary closure this
summer. A council decision on the matter will be made on June 15 after public
input has been collected, the Lake
Country Calendar reported. Individuals seeking beach access have been mistaking
a private driveway for the public lane and unknowingly trespassing on private
property.

APTA urges Congress to pass emergency transit assistance






(Statement by American Public Transportation
Association President William Millar) "On behalf of the American Public
Transportation Association’s more than 1,500 member organizations, we commend
Senators Dodd, Durbin, Schumer, Menendez, Lautenberg and Brown for introducing
the ‘Public Transportation Preservation Act of 2010,’ which authorizes $2 billion
in funds for emergency transit operating assistance.  APTA strongly
supports this legislation and stands ready to help secure its immediate
passage.

Craig Paylor retires as president of JLG; Wilson Jones named successor











JLG Industries, Inc., an
Oshkosh Corporation company, said Craig Paylor is retiring as president of JLG
and executive vice-president Oshkosh Corporation. The company also said Wilson
Jones, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president of Oshkosh’s
Fire and Emergency segment has been named to succeed Craig Paylor as president
of JLG and executive vice-president of the Access Equipment segment of Oshkosh
Corporation. Craig Paylor will step down on July 1, 2010

Los Angeles Metro appoints two top officers






Los Angeles Metro CEO Art
Leahy said the agency appointed Chief Operations Officer Colonus "Lonnie"
Mitchell to the position he has held on an interim basis since December 2009
and hired architect and urban planner Martha Welborne to the Authority’s top
planning job..

MTA LIRR breaks ground on $25-million train wash in Babylon, N.Y.






MTA Long Island Rail Road
President Helena Williams and Babylon Mayor Ralph Scordino and other public officials
broke ground today on a new $25.5 million train wash facility located in the
Village of Babylon. The project, which promises to create between 20 and 30
construction jobs, is being financed with federal stimulus funds through the
Federal Transit Administration. The Babylon Train Wash Facility was selected by
Governor David Paterson and the MTA as a shovel-ready project that represented
the best use of federal stimulus funds.

CN will repair 11 crossings in Fox Cities this year






The railroad responsible for
maintaining the rails in and near the Fox Cities in Wisconsin will fix or replace
11 crossings in and near the Fox Cities, including the two deemed worst of the
bunch by Post-Crescent readers in April, the Appleton Post-Crescent reports.

The Andersons makes investment in Iowa Northern






The Andersons, Inc., and
the Iowa Northern Railway Company said that The Andersons, Inc., recently made
a significant minority investment in the railway company and its subsidiaries.
The investment is expected to be accretive to earnings this year.

Seattle City Light upgrading power lines in Capitol Hill






Seattle City Light will
be upgrading power lines in Capitol Hill during the next year to increase their
power capacity. The work is designed to meet local power needs, improve
reliability, and provide electricity to the Sound Transit light rail station
now under construction.