Transportation

Highways and Streets

From single lane rural roads to interstate highways and everything in between, C&S’s highway department performs aspects of planning and design services, including traffic analysis, pavement design, and detailing of any infrastructure elements associated with roads—drainage, signs, pavement markings, erosion control, stormwater treatment, guiderailing, traffic signals, lighting, retaining walls, curbing, sidewalks, landscaping, driveways, parking facilities, fencing, barriers, railroad crossings, and utilities. We emphasize multi-modal pedestrian-friendly facilities that conform with ADAAG and PROWAG accessibility requirements, keeping with the trend toward complete streets that provide safe passage for all users. One of our specialties is trails for non-motorized travel. We combine paved thoroughfares of all sizes with ecologically minded features that protect and sustain the environment.

Bridges and Structures

The C&S Bridge Team works closely with our clients as a trusted partner to deliver full service design and administration for their critical infrastructure projects. Our dedicated experts work effectively with local governments and major state transportation agencies and authorities, whether for replacement of a county culvert or complex bridge replacement on the expansive Interstate 81 Viaduct Project in the City of Syracuse. From decades of practical experience, we are intimately familiar with the locally administered federal aid (LAFA) design and administration processes as well as state agency standards.

Our wide range of design capabilities includes:

• Bridge Inspection
• Load Rating
• Bridge Replacement
• Bridge Rehabilitation
• Culvert Replacement
• Culvert Lining
• Large Retaining Walls
• Pedestrian/Trail Bridges
• Port Seawall Design
• Diagnostic Load Testing
• Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Bridges
• Airport Tunnels

Rail

C&S provides engineering, architectural, planning, and construction management services for the rail, highway, port, and aviation industries. Since 1968, C&S’s diverse group of experts have served the needs of the railroad industry. Our professionals provide the crucial inspection and design services that freight, passenger railroads, and railroad served industry require.

• Develop and Support Railroad Bridge Management Programs
• Fixed Structure Inspection Services
• Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal Program Planning (Long and Short Range)
• Construction Support/Construction Management
• Environmental Assessment and Remediation
• Public Works Projects
• Rail Modernization Projects
• Industrial Facility Design and Construction Support

Transportation Planning

From initial data collection and analysis to comprehensive planning, C&S develops practical, creative, and responsive solutions that will serve travelers far into the future. We have significant experience in all aspects of traffic forecasting and analysis. Traffic operational analysis and simulation are performed using sophisticated software, including Synchro/SimTraffic and VISSIM. We even developed a unique application of VISSIM to simulate curbside drop-off and pick-up activity. We offer:

• Transportation corridor studies
• Circulation studies
• Transportation master plans
• Travel demand modeling
• Parking supply and demand management studies
• Bicycle and pedestrian access and mobility studies
• Transportation-land use studies
• Transportation Models
• Traffic Engineering
• Traffic Impact Analysis
• Public Participation

Traffic Engineering

C&S’s dedicated team of traffic engineers and transportation planners includes Professional Traffic Operations Engineers (PTOE) and members of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). We offer:

• Intersection improvement design
• Traffic calming
• Access management
• Traffic simulation
• Traffic signal design and coordination
• Accident/safety studies
• Traffic impact studies

Trails and Multi-Modal Transportation

Trail systems are an alternative to traditional motor vehicle transportation and offer many recreational and community benefits. Separate funding streams are available for trails in recognition of their value. C&S’s transportation professionals specialize in transforming visions of trails into reality, starting with TEA and TAP applications and working with the local sponsor through preliminary and final design and construction inspection and administration. We design bicycle trails, walking trails, cycle tracks, and shared use paths in a variety of settings, from quiet rural treescapes to urban railroad rights-of-way. We are adept at finding solutions for unique challenges that these projects often bring with them, including environmental assessments, property acquisitions, and public outreach and acceptance.

Complete Streets

Complete streets accommodate all forms of transportation to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Complete streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, and bicycle to work. They allow buses to run on time and make it safe for people to walk to and from transit and bus hub. A complete street may include sidewalks, cycle tracks, bike lanes (or wide paved shoulders), special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, roundabouts, and more. C&S focuses on affordable improvements on all street and roadway projects. A midblock pedestrian crossing that serves a school may benefit from a rectangular rapid clashing beacon system, a high-intensity activated crosswalk beacon, or other pedestrian safety improvement. Understanding the community and the present and future transportation needs help identify the types of mobility and improvements to include.

Road Diets and Streetscapes

Streets and highways were historically designed for motorists, streamlining roadways for quick and efficient movement of vehicles, with little regard for pedestrians and bicyclists. Today, we consider other modes of transportation and design roadways to be complete streets for all users.  A common complete street treatment is a road diet—a reduction of vehicular travel lanes to allow room for bike lanes. This is often done on a four-lane roadway where one travel lanes in each direction is removed, leaving room for a center turn lane and bike lanes on the outer edge. Crosswalks are also a very important consideration for pedestrians, including ensuring curb ramps and sidewalks meet ADA requirements, and that uncontrolled crosswalks are appropriately signed and delineated with pavement markings. Streetscaping is another important component to complete street design, involving enhancements to the roadway corridor, making it aesthetically pleasant for users.

Construction Inspection

Our construction services group is well versed in the Federal Aid process and our clients rely on our expertise. Our clients include towns, cities, counties, and state government. Our experienced staff work with you starting with the pre-construction meeting, through construction, to project closeout, working hand in hand to ensure a successful project. Our daily reports, contractor payments, change orders, and submittal management are filed in a paperless workspace that is accessible to our clients. We have a strong focus on the reporting and record keeping requirements that both state DOTs and FHWA look for, with a goal of eliminating the risk to your reimbursements. At the same time, we realize that the construction phase is where the most money is spent in the least amount of time, placing a priority on coordination, quality, and maintaining budgets.

Environmental and Permitting

Our in-house environmental service group works closely with our transportation engineers to conduct the specialized environmental studies and screenings required by projects facing the SEQR and NEPA approval processes. These studies vary in complexity from project to project, and are necessary for approval by regulatory agencies, so their importance cannot be underestimated. C&S has the tools to address the greener side of any road or bridge project, and ensure a successfully completed design that fits in harmony with the natural environment. Some of the more common services include:

• Wetland delineation and remediation
• Floodplain analysis
• Asbestos sampling, testing, and mitigation
• Endangered and threatened species screening
• Cultural resources Section 106 approval
• Aquifer analysis
• NYSDEC permits and SWPPPs
• USACOE permits (individual and nationwide)
• Hazardous waste and contaminated materials assessment