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TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA)-
Third Street Light Rail Transit MR-1142 Acumen led the scheduling and claim analysis for MTA’s Third Street Light Rail Transit project in 2006. Based on MTA’s 2.5 years (January 2003 to June 2006) of data for the monthly progress schedule updates to the Third Street Light Rail (Segment C) project, Acumen developed an integrated as built schedule and created a hindsight baseline schedule as a base for delay claim analysis for the project. Acumen also led the claim analysis team that
reviewed and researched the Request for Information (RFI) documents, letters of transmittal,
daily inspection reports, and other delay-related documents. Acumen input the findings into
the hindsight baseline schedule for further analysis on direct delays and/or ripple impacts.
All the delays and impacts were quantified. The team completed the analysis and report for MTA
team’s negotiation and decision making. The task order was successfully completed in July 2006
with extreme satisfaction from MTA management and the on-site project management team. BART - San Francisco International Airport Airline Employee Smart Card System Development Acumen was responsible for creating a smart card based discount program
for SFIA airline employees to use for discounted fares when riding BART during their
commutes to work. The scope of services involved the creation of a Linux-based database,
seamless integration with the BART network, web server and application creation. Acumen
was the point of contact with the equipment providers, performed custom antenna
development and fabrication, configured the badging station, including camera, signature
pad, smart card printer/encoder/reader and C++ based user application, and will develop a
custom reporting engine to meet the needs of BART Treasury. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Regional Smart Card Program Acumen is participating in the production of a proof-of-concept for the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Regional Interoperability Standard (RIS).
The purpose of this RIS is to provide PANYNJ with options for smart card usage,
integration, and applications for Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) systems and additional
agency or retail use. Acumen’s role on the project will be to test the
interoperability of smart cards and card readers from different manufacturers and to
develop software to prove and quantify interoperability. An evaluation of both smart cards
and associated operating systems shall be completed to identify those areas that present
difficulties or unnecessary challenges to achieve RIS compliance. Acumen shall also be
responsible for the procurement of necessary materials associated with this testing as
well as to provide detailed reports documenting the results. Miami-Dade Transit Acumen is supporting the Miami-Dade Transit Universal Fare Collection
System (UAFCS) in the area of system integration and smart card management. The
scope of the program includes procuring a $80 million regional fare collection system
replacing bus fareboxes, rail faregates, vending equipment and parking equipment in
addition to installing a communications and computer network. The UAFCS will provide
a regional magnetic and smart card based system for seamless fare integration between
Miami Dade Transit (MDT), South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), Broward
County Division of Mass Transit (BCT), and Palm Beach County Surface Transportation
Department (Palm Tran) systems. Transit Cooperative Research Program Acumen has been selected to perform research for the Transportation
Research Board of the National Academies on “Smart Card Interoperability Issues for
the Transit Industry.” The first task will be to identify key information needed by
public agencies to implement smart card payment systems interoperability. The second will
be to outline the needed flow of information between agencies. The last step will involve
the development of a standard public domain application programming interface (API) that
may be used in the development of a uniform application protocol data unit (APDU) and the
development of a prototype for a proposed public domain API and an APDU that demonstrates
"proof-of-concept" for International Organization for Standardization
(ISO)-compliant Type A and Type B cards. Metropolitan Transportation Commission, TransLink® Engineering Oversight, San Francisco Bay Area TransLink® is an automated fare collection program centered on smart
card technology, which will be accepted for fare payment by nine Bay Area transit
operators for both intra/inter operator trips. As a member of the Engineering Oversight
Team, Acumen is providing oversight of site preparation and equipment installation. The
firm will also provide expertise in claims management and dispute resolution. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Los Angeles, CA Acumen is a member of the project management team that is providing
program management services for Phase IV of the Universal Fare System (UFS) Implementation
Program. Acumen’s staff members assisted with testing and installation of fare
collection equipment. The firm is also providing field and quality control/quality
assurance services and technical support assistance. Alameda County Congestion Management Authority, FAIR Lanes Feasibility Study Acumen was part of a development team that performed research on the
feasibility of implementing toll lanes on two of the more heavily congested corridors in
the Bay Area, I-580 and I-680. The Alameda County Congestion Management Authority
requested that this study address ridership equity and low income motorists be integrated
into the overall solution. During the commute hours the increased congestion has prompted
demands for solutions to increase the traffic flow of these corridors. Toll lanes have
become the viable option for motorists willing to pay for access to fast freeway lanes,
allowing for faster commute times. Acumen was responsible for the technical factors
associated with developing the system’s fare payment, equity credit distribution,
enforcement and monitoring. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Transit Access Program Acumen
will be installing 850 smart card compact Point of Sale (POS) Devices as a part of the
Transit Access Pass (TAP) program. These devices will allow public transit patrons
to purchase and add value to existing fare media at retail locations throughout Los
Angeles County. Acumen will also provide maintenance support when POS devices become
inoperative. We will develop and operate a material return program by which
replacement units will be sent to vendors and returned via overnight mail. Acumen is performing several tasks under the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans’) GoCalifornia Industry Capacity Expansion (ICE) action plan. Primavera software Project Manager Version 5 (P3e) is used as a project scheduling tool to control the progress and budget for the tasks. The details of these tasks are highlighted below: Task Order Number 4: Industry Input for Applicable Building Code Standards (Completed in February 2007) Acumen was part of a team responsible for identifying key standards and specifications used in Caltrans construction projects to help align the Caltrans’ specifications with other industry standards. The scope of services for Task Order Number 4 includes developing and implementing a Web-based questionnaire to solicit industry input concerning building codes and standards. Industry representatives completed the questionnaire, and the Acumen team tabulated, analyzed, and reported on the collected data. The Final Report was completed and submitted to the Department on February 20, 2007. Task Order Number 9: Implementation Specification Uniformity Plan Acumen is assisting Caltrans in rewriting its Standard Specifications, Standard Plans, Standard Special Provisions (SSPs), and Non-Standard Special Provisions (nSSPs) in “plain language” (PL) to comply with state and federal mandates, reduce bidder risk and hidden costs, and increase contractor participation. Over 800 SSPs, 400 nSSPs, and various amendments will be reviewed and incorporated into the PL version of the Standard Specifications. Acumen has been performing this rewrite, which includes conducting and documenting industry and state research on best practices for PL conversions, and developed training for Caltrans staff on how to understand and use the new specifications. Task Order Number 15: Tracking Recycled Crumb rubber Usage Acumen is assisting Caltrans in tracking and
analyzing the use of crumb rubber modifiers (CRM) in asphalt in Caltrans’ construction projects.
Acumen is developing a methodology to collect data from Caltrans’ contract administration system.
Once the methodology is approved and data is collected, Acumen will then analyze the information
to determine the number of contracts using CRM material, the type of asphalt product being evaluated,
the amount of CRM that is contained in each product, the lifespan of the asphalt materials, the
maintenance cost of the asphalt materials, potential cost savings to Caltrans, and the differences
among the types of asphalt containing CRM. Acumen will complete the reporting system by July 2008,
and Caltrans will use this system to report CRM material usage annually. BART Seismic-Marine Vibro-Replacement-Compaction Demonstration Program Acumen Building Enterprise, Inc. is providing resident engineering services as a part of the BART Earthquake Safety Program. The firm’s responsibilities include project oversight and interfacing with the program manager, Bechtel; the contractor, a joint venture between Hayward Baker, Traylor, and Sloetanche; and the geotechnical engineer of record, Geomatrix. The firm’s resident engineer (RE) manages the contract, coordinates, and acts as liaison between BART and all parties involved. The RE also facilitates construction meetings; manages the inspection teams; reviews and makes payment recommendations to BART; and manages the administrative staff. The RE reports to the BART project manager in charge of all Transbay Tube-related activities. This pilot portion of the Transbay Tube project is designed to provide insight into the entire seismic retrofit project. The lessons learned will be applied to the 31/2 mile underwater section of the tube. Geotechnical in nature, the project
utilizes stone columns that are constructed as a means to prevent liquefaction in a
seismic event. The work is performed from a large barge anchored over the Transbay
Tube. Geotechnical analysis is performed on surrounding soils before and after the
densification is performed. Acumen’s development
team created a tabletop demonstration application which illustrates the concept of a
contactless smart card with transit fare collection capabilities integrated into the VISA
financial payment model. Project deliverables included a CD that contained
installation software of the tabletop demonstration software executable code only.
Phase I consisted of Test Card 1 (magstripe data card) and Test Card 2 (file system
card). Phase II consisted of Test Card 3 (magstripe data and file system card).
Acumen provided development with the OTI Saturn 5000 reader with firmware level
2.06. C++/SQL were the primary programming languages used. The development
team will be assigned additional tasks in the future. BART NFC Demo The development team at Acumen
successfully integrated contactless smart card technology into a conventional cell phone
on behalf of BART. The cell phone that Acumen modified was the device used in the
local television news reports of October 30, 2006. The cell phone remained operable
for both voice and data, however it had additional RFID capabilities that also allowed it
to act as a secure form of fare media, thus opening the BART faregates in the
demonstration. Acumen is currently developing more NFC (Near Field Communication)
projects to help advance this emerging technology.
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