Highway Engineering

RONALD F. TSUZUKI, P.E.

Phone Number: 808-***-**** Email Address: ******.*******@*****.***

Mailing Address: 939 E. Flamingo Rd. Apt. 17 Las Vegas, Nevada

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS:

•Over 40 years of transportation engineering experience, 39 of which was with the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT), in the development of many different projects and programs.

•With HDOT, served as the Head Planning Engineer of the Planning Branch of the Highways Division for over 21 years, supervising 3 different sections composed of 30 to 40 professionals (engineers and planners), white collar workers (statisticians and clerks), and blue-collar workers (engineering technicians and aids). See below for a more detailed breakdown of the responsibilities of each of these 3 sections.

•For over 15 years, supervised a staff of 4-7 engineers responsible for the preliminary and final design of many various types of transportation facilities, including major Interstate Freeways and Interchanges to numerous maintenance-type improvements (roadway surface improvements, shoulder improvements, drainage improvements, landscaping improvements, signing and pavement marking improvements). This included close coordination with our construction staff for interpretation of the plans and specs and help in contract change orders.

•Was HDOT’s point person in coordinating various projects and programs with City and County agencies, including coordination with the City and County of Honolulu’s Rapid Transit project, the development of Long Range Land Transportation Plans and the development of priorities for different types of projects and programs, including the funding of these projects and programs.

•Very familiar with various transportation issues including all types of funding.

•Have had a lot of experience in dealing with various public/private transportation agencies and stakeholders.

•Extensive experience in public outreach. Was responsible for development of HDOT’s Public Involvement Process. Have had much experience in dealing with controversial projects and facing an unhappy public at public meetings.

EDUCATION: B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Hawaii PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING LICENSES: No. PE – 5085 (Hawaii) and No. 019482 (Nevada) Both licenses have been inactive since retirement in 2014.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

•Stadium Engineer, State of Hawaii, Aloha Stadium (December 2012 to August 2014): I was an emergency hire, filling in until a permanent replacement could be found. I was responsible for developing and overseeing all new and proposed construction at Aloha Stadium. I also directed the construction of improvements needed for different events at the stadium. I reviewed and commented on the City’s plans to build a transit station on Stadium property. I helped develop a plan to optimize use of the Stadium property. I supervised all maintenance and cleanup of the aging Aloha Stadium, including its field, structures, stands, seats, offices, ticket offices, restrooms, locker rooms, storage areas, electrical systems, lighting, mechanical systems, elevators, escalators, air conditioning systems, hot water heating system, concession stands, grounds, ramps, walkways, landscaping, fencing, roadways, entrance booths, and parking lots. I began looking at conserving energy at the stadium. Lighting was a big consumer of electricity, so I began replacing existing light bulbs with more efficient ones. I began to investigate the use of the sun and wind to produce electricity and to heat water. I began a review of the stadium’s waste disposal operation to see how it could be improved. Recycling was also a big part of he stadium’s conservation program. Water conservation was another area that I Looked into. Our restrooms were modernized to reduce water and paper useage. I also began looking into use of recycled water rather than potable water.

•Project Engineer, SSFM International (March, 2012 to September, 2012): Assisted a State Resident Engineer in managing an $82 million design-build contract to design and construct a PM Contraflow Lane on the H-1 Freeway and to repair the concrete decks of the Pearl City anllu

Engineering Project Manager, City of Las Vegas (February, 2008 to July, 2008): Managed 2 consultant design projects and new energy and utility lines and either avoiding or relocating these lines as well as other existing facilities. Was also responsible for overseeing the work of a junior engineer for rehabilitating and upgrading streets in an older community (included identifying and minimizing the impact of the project on the existing energy and other utility lines and other existing facilities); and improving signing for an existing major arterial. Provided comments on the City’s Standard Special Provisions. Was also assigned to be the utility coordinator for the office. In that capacity, started the development of standard utility agreements and work orders that would eventually reduce the processing time for these agreements with the utility companies and the County Council. This work included close coordination with and participation in many meetings with the City’s energy and other utility companies. Was laid off on August 1, 2008 due to a reduction in force by the City. I was the last engineer hired and the first to be laid off.

•Head Planning Engineer, Highways Division of the Hawaii Department of Transportation (June, 1986 to January, 2008): Managed the Planning Branch of the Highways Division, composed of 3 sections, the Advance Planning Section, the Systems Planning Section and the Planning Survey Section.

•The Advance Planning Section: Was responsible for the preliminary engineering for all major highway projects from the feasibility stage; the development of preliminary engineering alternatives; consideration of social, economic and environmental impacts; preparation of required environmental documents (Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements) to the final Record of Decision. All of this required consideration of the projects’ impacts on the environment, preservation of natural, cultural and historical resources, prevention of pollution, environmental restoration, compliance with NEPA and HEPA (Hawaii Chapter 343), and existing energy and utility resources. This required extensive knowledge of environmental laws, regulations and policies. The section was also responsible for analyzing traffic operational problems and coming up with traffic engineering solutions. Under my guidance and direction, the section was able to conceive and implement several innovative traffic engineering initiatives to address traffic congestion. For our most-congested Interstate Freeway with extensive development on both sides of the freeway, we developed several different concepts to significantly add more capacity without any major construction or cost. First, we reduced the widths of the freeway’s shoulders as well as the freeway’s lane widths to add a new lane for high occupancy vehicles during the traffic peak periods. Next we utilized the paved right shoulder of the freeway for usage as a travel lane during the morning peak period. Later, we used a contra flow concept, which used two outbound lanes during the morning peak period for an additional inbound lane and separated this inbound lane from the outbound lanes with a moveable concrete barrier. On an adjacent major arterial, we also used a contra flow concept to also add additional capacity. This required careful analysis of the arterial’s intersections and the removal of certain left turn movements during the operation as well as traffic signal, signing and pavement marking modifications. At two other congested locations on our major Interstate Freeway, we used traffic engineering computer simulation programs to analyze alternatives to help reduce congestion. Both locations were successfully modified and produced significant congestion relief. These innovative traffic engineering solutions significantly improved traffic flow for the motoring public and we were highly commended for this. I also assigned the Advance Planning Section a very important responsibility to develop and manage HDOT’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), which our administration felt was not being properly managed by another office. The STIP is a required program that identifies and prioritizes all projects and programs that are seeking Federal funds, including those for maintenance type projects. I assigned this responsibility to one of my young engineers and had to personally mentor this person to develop and manage this important federal aid program. Before we took over this program, it was always submitted late to the FHWA and FTA. Soon after we took over the program, we were able to finally submit the program to FHWA and FTA on time with the cooperation of our partners in the process, the counties and our MPO and my assigned coordinator continues to improve the program even after I left the HDOT in early 2008.

•The Systems Planning Section: The major function of the section was to review proposals for major new land developments (residential subdivisions, shopping centers and other commercial developments) to determine their impacts on the highway system and how these developers can mitigate these impacts. This involved review of environmental impact statements and traffic impact analysis reports together with meetings with these developers and their consultants. The traffic impact analysis reports included use of traffic engineering software to project future traffic volumes caused by the developments and their impacts on the future traffic on the existing highway system. My staff would provide me with recommendations on these reports and what we wanted these developers to do for us. The section was also in the process of developing guidelines for a standardized traffic impact analysis report when I left them. The section also was responsible for the development and maintenance of the State Highway System and the functional classification of all public roads. Up-to-date Functional Classification is important as it determines whether a roadway is eligible to use federal funds. Another major responsibility was the development of the Long Range Land Transportation Plans and the traffic engineering forecasting models used to forecast future traffic volumes for assessing the future needs of the highway system. The section was also responsible for development and maintenance of two new federal aid programs, the Transportation Enhancement and Scenic Highway System, which can also be used for County projects.

•The Planning Survey Section: Was responsible for the collection and dissemination of all sorts of required traffic data (including traffic counts, inventory data, traffic projections, etc.). The section also was responsible for the development and maintenance of the Highways Division’s Geographical Information System, video-logging system and various maps. The video-logging system is used by some of the counties for inventory purposes. The section was also responsible for the preparation and submittal of all statistical reports required by the FHWA. Another major responsibility was to provide the future traffic forecasts for projects managed by the Advance Planning Section and the Design Branch.

•Other Duties and Responsibilities: I had to periodically act as the Highways Administrator of the Highways Division in his absence while on leave or out of state on business. My overall responsibility in the development and maintenance of the STIP, the Oahu TIP, the Long Range Land Transportation Plans, land use reviews, and management of many large highway improvement projects required me to take the lead in these efforts in making presentations to and answering questions from various agencies, groups, committees, elected officials, developers, and the general public. As the Engineering Program Manager of my branch, I was involved in resolving grievances and other personnel problems within my branch.

•Unit Head and Section Head in the Design Branch of the Highways Division of the Hawaii Department of Transportation (April, 1970 to June, 1986): Managed 4 to 7 engineers in the preliminary engineering and final design (preparation of the final plans, specifications and estimates) of many different types of projects, including major Interstate Highways, Interchanges, major arterials, intersection improvements, drainage improvements, widening, rehabilitation (including various types of repairs), resurfacing, utility relocation, traffic signals, and signing projects. All of these projects included initial scoping activities, preliminary cost estimates, preparing preliminary designs, traffic engineering for signal modifications, signing, pavement markings, lighting requirements, drainage requirements, structural designs, obtaining environmental clearances and permits, preparation of and coordination of the execution of utility agreements and the acquisition of any required rights-of-way. During construction of the projects, we provided assistance to our construction management personnel for interpretation of the plans and specs and consultation on proposed contract change orders.

•Engineer III and IV in the Design Branch of the Highways Division of the Hawaii Department of Transportation (August, 1968 to March, 1970): Worked on the design of a drainage improvement project and the widening of a major arterial highway. This included relocation of existing utility lines, coordination with utility companies and execution of utility agreements.

•Engineer with a private engineering consultant (May, 1965 to July, 1968): Worked on the design plans for a new residential subdivision, including the layout, grading plans, drainage plans, utility plans, roadway plans and other required infrastructure plans. Worked on the parking plans for a major shopping center. Prepared final plans, specifications and estimates for a major highway widening project including utility relocations.

REFERENCES:

Alvin Takeshita, PE

Retired Administrator,

Hawaii Department of Transportation

869 Punchbowl Street

Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Glenn Yasui, PE

Retired Administrator,

Highways Division

Hawaii Department of Transportation

869 Punchbowl Street

Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Gordon Lum, PE

Retired Executive Director,

Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization

707 Richards Street, Suite 200

Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Wayne Yoshioka, PE

Former Director,

City Department of Transportation Services

650 South King Street

Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Toru Hamayasu, PE

Administrator,

City Department of Transportation Services

650 South King Street

Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

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