Transportation projects are essential to public safety and a strong economy. Our team helps them move forward, no matter how challenging or complex – from highway construction to transit to waterways to airports, and all points in between.
SWCA has developed a transportation consulting practice with highly skilled project managers supported by teams of scientists, planners, and subject matter experts. From environmental planning to permitting and compliance, SWCA has the experience to help move transportation projects forward.
SWCA has contracts that support departments of transportation and public works, port and airport authorities, regional transportation authorities, and engineering firms throughout the country. In every case, wherever the project and however large or small, our single focus is to provide meaningful transportation consulting, constructive ideas, and active project management to support our clients’ projects through completion, efficiently and successfully.
Association Involvement
• Arizona Airports Association
• Arizona Transportation Builders Association
• Association of Pacific Ports (APP)
• Transportation Advocacy Group Houston
• Women in Transportation
Relevant Services
Planning
- Constraints and Feasibility Studies
- GIS Mapping and Alternatives Analyses
- Owner’s Environmental Representative and Staff Augmentation
- Community-based Transportation Plans and Land Use Needs Assessments
- Section 4(f)/6(f) Evaluations
Licensing and Permitting
- Comprehensive National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Analyses, Document Preparation, and Agency Collaboration
- Complete Permit Compliance Strategy Development, Tracking, and Data Management
- Preparation of Supporting Documentation and Permit Application Packages
biological resources
- Airport Wildlife Hazard Assessments
- Wildlife Habitat Connectivity and Crossing Assessments
- Wetlands Studies
- Wetland and Stream Mitigation Banking
- Habitat Restoration
- Special Status Species Surveys, Reports, and Agency Consultations
cultural and historic resources
- National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Compliance
- Indigenous Relations and Ethnography
- Archaeological Studies, Documentation, and Reports
construction environmental compliance
- Comprehensive Environmental Compliance Management Plan Development
- Construction Compliance Team Staffing, Management, Mitigation Tracking, and Reporting
- Invasive Species Control and Prevention
- Restoration Plan Preparation and Success Monitoring
- Development of Best Management Practices (BMP) and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP)
Project Spotlights
Coastal Restoration
Driving Nature-Based Solutions Forward: Living Shorelines Stabilize Critical Evacuation Route Along North Carolina Coastal Highway
Following a devastating hurricane season in 2018, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) partnered with SWCA to stabilize and restore a particularly vulnerable portion of highway using a living shoreline.
Modeling by NCDOT’s Hydraulics Unit showed that in the likely event of a future hurricane, a 830-foot section of shoreline along NC 24 in Swansboro, North Carolina, could become unstable and lead to the roadway becoming unsafe for residential evacuation. The roadway’s designation as critical infrastructure and a primary evacuation route led NCDOT to emphasize the need for increased resiliency measures.
Archaeological Investigation
Life Along the Llano River: Data Recovery Excavations Record Prehistoric Community
Drawn by plentiful resources found along the Llano River, prehistoric peoples camped and thrived on the adjacent river terraces for thousands of years. Evidence of their activities accumulated, forming a significant archaeological resource, the Llano River Crossing Site, located south of the City of Mason in the west-central Texas Hill Country.
The development of a new bridge to cross the river along an existing roadway had the potential to affect the area so the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) turned to long-standing partner SWCA. With a relationship spanning decades, TxDOT selected SWCA to mitigate impacts through an extensive and innovative archaeological investigation.
SWCA assembled a team of seasoned Texas archaeologists well-versed in the regulatory requirements of the Antiquities Code of Texas and the National Historic Preservation Act, including Kevin Miller, Steve Carpenter, Tina Nielsen, and geoarchaeologist Ken Lawrence, to tackle this challenging project.
Planning
Angoon Airport EIS Takes Graphical Approach
In January 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) — produced in close coordination with SWCA — for the proposed Angoon Airport in Alaska. The document’s use of plain language, easy-to-understand graphics, and a navigable structure has earned praise from EIS readers and reviewers.
Cultural & Historic Resources
Alameda Corridor - East San Gabriel Trench Project
The Mission San Gabriel was founded in what is today San Gabriel, CA, by Franciscan priests at the end of the 18th century. As the city has grown, however, the need for infrastructure came in conflict with the history of the site. SWCA has conducted extensive cultural resources surveys and evaluations, mitigation, and monitoring to meet the needs of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and various stakeholders.
Transportation
Footprints Discovery at Sunset Road
Every once in a while, a project that started as a routine compliance effort takes an unanticipated turn. SWCA Tucson’s Sunset Road Cultural Resources Data Recovery Project did exactly that when a backhoe operator uncovered human footprints dating ca. 1000 B.C. The team went on to earn an award for their handling of the find.
Meet the Experts
