Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Anthony Davies, P.E. recently visited a 6th grade STEM class in Banks, OR to share an introduction to bridge engineering and earthquake preparedness, including the potential impacts of the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake off the west coast. 💥 To bring the lesson to life, students participated in a hands-on activity where they built towers out of toothpicks and gum drops and then tested their designs by simulating the effects of an earthquake. 🏙️ It was exciting to see how engaged and curious the students were, reminding us how early exposure to STEM concepts is so important to inspire the next generation of engineers! 💡

Access management involves the coordinated planning, regulation, and design of access points between roadways and land developments. Effective access management is built on four key pillars: safety, economy, mobility, and livability. ✅ Safety: Access management has the potential to significantly enhance road safety by reducing crash rates. By implementing appropriate treatments, crashes at intersections or along corridors can be significantly reduced. 📈 Economy: Effective access management boosts the economy by increasing the market area of businesses. Well-managed corridors allow people to traverse more safely in less time, making them more likely to visit businesses along these routes. 🌐 Mobility: Access management can improve mobility by minimizing speed differential. Properly spaced access points and signals help maintain free flow speeds and reduce travel time. 🌱 Livability: Access management can enhance livability by creating more pleasant and functional environments. Corridors with fewer conflict points and slower speeds contribute to a better quality of life.

🚲 𝗚𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 & 𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗰𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗻! 🚲 Kittelson & Associates, Inc. is proud to partner with the City of Boca Raton for its first-ever Bike Rodeo, celebrating National Bike Month! 🎉 👧🏽🧑🏿🦱 Calling all young riders ages 6–10! Join us on 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟯 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟵–𝟭𝟭𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 for a morning of: ✅ Bicycle safety education ✅ Helmet giveaways ✅ Bike inspections ✅ Fun, skill-building activities ✅ A guided trail ride! Whether you’re bringing your own wheels or borrowing from “Jack the Bike Man,” we’ll have everything you need to ride safely and confidently. 🚴🏽♀️✨ 🔗 Pre-registration is required and spots are limited – don’t miss out! 👉 www.myboca.us/BikeRodeo Let’s ride into Bike Month the right way – safely and joyfully! 💙💛 #BikeRodeo #BikeMonth #Kittelson #BocaRaton #YouthCycling #BicycleSafety #CommunityEvent #KittelsonCares

Our work spans a broad range of transportation projects and one of these efforts is currently under construction: a new interchange on US 97 in Terrebonne, Oregon. 🛠️ This section of US 97 has seen a high number of reported crashes, and the project aims to improve safety for everyone who uses the corridor. ✅ The Terrebonne Refinement Plan—developed in partnership with Deschutes County, Jefferson County, Oregon, and the local community—seeks to identify both immediate and long-term transportation needs. It incorporates and updates earlier planning efforts, including the 2010 Terrebonne Community Plan and the 2012 Deschutes County Transportation System Plan. 🤝

This week, we take time to recognize the incredible contributions of our specialist teams in administration, business services, communications, creative services, marketing, and people operations. 🎉 These teams play a vital role in keeping Kittelson running smoothly by developing proposals, managing invoicing, writing and editing content, maintaining our offices, designing graphics, supporting onboarding, and carrying out many other essential tasks. Their work often happens behind the scenes, but its impact is felt across every part of the firm. ⚡️ To all of our specialists: thank you. Your dedication allows our engineers and planners to focus on delivering meaningful work in communities, and we’re deeply grateful for everything you do. 🙌

This week is the 2025 Oregon Active Transportation Summit, and we’re looking forward to a range of thoughtful discussions about the future of walking, biking, and rolling in Oregon. Several of our team members will be sharing research and lessons learned from their work. Check out the sessions below. 💬 April 24, 1–2 pm Cameron Bennett, EIT will join the panel discussion “The Future of Micromobility in Oregon,” which explores how micromobility is evolving and what that means for communities across the state. 🚲 April 25, 1–2 pm Lekshmy Hirandas, AICP will present “Understanding Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Trends in the Post-Pandemic Era,” sharing findings from her graduate research on how walking and biking fatalities have changed before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. 🚉 April 25, 2:30–3:30 pm Nick Meltzer, PE will present in an interactive session on “Inspiration to Implementation: Streets for People Through Collective Problem Solving.” This session explores successful bike and transit project implementation and how attendees can overcome barriers on similar projects in their communities. We’re grateful to be part of these conversations and to continue learning alongside others working to make active transportation safer and more accessible for all. #OATS2025

Access management is the coordinated planning, regulation, and design of access points between roadways and land developments. It includes anything that holistically manages access points to optimize traffic flow and safety, considering the needs of people walking, biking, driving, and taking transit. 🤔 Here are some of the benefits of access management: ⬇️ 🌀 Improved traffic flow: It can reduce traffic congestion through the proper spacing of intersections and traffic signals. ✅ Enhanced safety: It can reduce the likelihood of crashes by managing conflict points. 🛠️ Support for development: It can facilitate smoother integration of new developments with existing transportation networks.

Working in the transportation industry means we not only think about how people move through space, but also about how to keep people safe when things go wrong. 💭 Crash testing may not be something most of us think about often, but it plays a critical role in designing safer systems. This test, which a few of our team members had the opportunity to watch, evaluated a new design for a temporary work zone sign, as part of an active NCHRP research project. 💡 The goal was to reduce the risk of injury during a crash. The sign’s support pole was designed to “wrap around” a vehicle and remain attached to it, rather than detaching and potentially striking the windshield or roof. This test specifically looked for signs of piercing, cutting, and deformation in the windshield, as well as risk of injury to people inside the vehicle. This research is still ongoing, but this particular test was a success! ✅ Moments like this highlight how many details go into keeping people safe on the road. It’s important that even temporary elements of our transportation system are being thoughtfully engineered with safety in mind for everyone. ⭐

How do we keep important projects moving forward in the face of roadblocks? On our blog last week, we published tips for getting ahead of challenges and paving the way for faster, safer, and more impactful project delivery. 📊 Navigating Design & Regulatory Constraints 📊 Proactivity is key to getting ahead. Invest early in concept development, planning-level cost estimates, and cost-benefit analysis. This also better position projects for competitive grant programs and private investment. 🤝 Building Trust & Support with the Community 🤝 Proposed infrastructure changes can often generate community concerns. Engage with the community early, preferably during the planning process, so they are well-informed about why a project is being built and also have opportunities to weigh in. 💰 Securing Funding 💰 There are many ways projects can be funded on local, state, and federal levels. Try developing conceptual designs by aligning with leadership priorities and funding programs to position yourself to seize grant and other funding opportunities as they arise. 🛠️ Planning with Implementation in Mind 🛠️ Successful project delivery requires anticipating barriers and charting a clear path forward. And when it comes to implementation, setting realistic timelines to account for five-to-seven-year project cycles helps agencies manage expectations and sustain momentum.

Maybe you've heard the term ✨ access management ✨ mentioned in project scopes, transportation guidebooks, and Transportation Research Board session titles, but what does this work actually entail? Check out our 10-minute primer to learn the fundamentals of this critical consideration at the intersection of land use and transportation. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gUH5n6Bp