Parsons Awarded $25MM Contract from City of Oakland
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Courtesy of Parsons
OAKLAND, Calif. – The City of Oakland awarded a $25 million contract to Parsons Corp. to complete the engineering design for the Embarcadero West Rail Safety and Access Improvements project.
Parsons Corporation announced it was awarded a $25 million transit improvement contract from the City of Oakland Department of Transportation. Parsons will complete the engineering design and cost estimates of the Embarcadero West Rail Safety and Access Improvements project. According to the City of Oakland, the project will improve multi-modal safety and accessibility along the corridor (co-operated by Union Pacific and Amtrak/Capitol Corridor) by reconstructing eight at-grade crossings, installing fencing, removing on-street parking along Clay Street, reducing vehicle speeds near the rail right-of-way, installing new traffic signals with preemption (required by UPRR), and constructing a multi-use path. The $25 million contract will include designs for the eight at-grade intersections, multiuse trail, and traffic signal plans.
These improvements will improve safety and “increase access to Oakland’s Downtown, Chinatown, West Oakland, the Port of Oakland (Port) and the historic waterfront in Jack London District.” In addition to the improvements listed above, Parsons will also “deliver feasibility studies to analyze grade separated railroad crossing features, geometric configurations and equipment upgrades.”
President of Infrastructure North America for Parsons, Mark Fialkowski, said, “We’re excited to work with the City of Oakland to improve transit reliability, reduce conflicts between pedestrians, bicycles, motor vehicles, and freight and passenger rail, and enhance goods movement around the Port, providing greater opportunities for heavy truck and rail capacity expansion. . . Parsons is proud to continue serving the Oakland community in helping imagine what’s next for the development of their transportation infrastructure.”
According to the press release, Parsons has decades of experience designing infrastructure including more than “10,000 miles of roadways, 4,500 bridges, and more than 50 advanced traffic management system deployments that help cities and states improve safety and travel efficiency while also reducing emissions and energy costs to enhance the quality of life.”
