Senior Engineer
EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS
- B.S. in Civil Engineering, University of Virginia, 1994
- Professional Engineer in Virginia and Maryland
- Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE)
- Member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers
BIO
Charles has more than 20 years of experience in traffic engineering and transportation planning, serving as a municipal traffic engineer and as the lead traffic engineer with transportation consulting firms. He has been involved in a variety of transportation projects, including corridor studies, long-range and regional plans, integrated land use and multimodal plans, bicycle and pedestrian planning, arterial roadway projects, interchange projects, and intelligent transportation systems projects.
Charles also has extensive experience in traffic engineering, operations, and analysis, including traffic impact analysis, traffic signal design, signing and marking design, traffic signal timing, operational analysis, and simulation. As a professional traffic operations engineer who has led the traffic analysis discipline for transportation firms, Charles has focused on applying traffic engineering principles to develop context-sensitive, sustainable solutions. He is highly proficient in traffic theory, design standards, and industry software applications.
EXAMPLE PROJECTS
Dulles Rail Corridor Environmental Impact Statement, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
The proposed Dulles Rail Corridor was planned to include numerous new station areas around Tysons Corner—one of the nation’s largest office and commercial areas—and the Dulles Access Road. As part of the environmental documentation effort, Charles was responsible for technical traffic analyses along the heavily congested Tysons Corner arterial network and at several station areas. This included assessing shifts in travel patterns, potential impacts to surrounding neighborhoods, station access, pedestrian and bicycle access, and arterial roadway impacts.
Traffic Engineering On-Call Services, City of Charlottesville, VA
Charles provided traffic engineering assistance to the City for 12 years. Assignments included a citywide signal system evaluation, signal timing optimization, traffic operations analysis, neighborhood traffic calming, pedestrian and bicycle planning studies around the historic downtown pedestrian mall and the University of Virginia, traffic study review, and assistance with the City’s long-range transportation plan update.
Virginia Beach Convention Center and 19th Street Corridor Study, City of Virginia Beach, VA
Charles was the lead traffic engineer on a large team tasked with developing site design plans for the new Virginia Beach Convention Center. The project also included a corridor study for 19th Street, which connects the convention center to the oceanfront. The studies included redesigning access to the project area, planning for a state-of-the-art permissive pedestrian crossing, and evaluating multimodal connections to the resort area.
Laskin Road Resort Gateway, City of Virginia Beach, VA
Charles was the lead traffic engineer for this project to revitalize and improve a major gateway to the Virginia Beach resort area. He developed several traffic simulation models to evaluate how parallel corridors entering the area could best support multimodal travel.
Bridgeport Intermodal Center Study and Design, Bridgeport, CT
Charles was a lead traffic engineer on a team that planned and designed a major intermodal transportation center and transit garage in Bridgeport. The center serves Amtrak, commuter rail, interregional bus, local bus, and ferry service. His work included demand analysis, transportation planning, traffic analysis, parking analysis, and traffic circulation, including bus routing.
Spotsylvania Countywide Safety and Movement Study, Spotsylvania, VA
Charles served as the lead traffic engineer for the analysis of 50 intersections throughout Spotsylvania County. The study identified short- and mid-term safety and capacity improvements that could be implemented at relatively low cost. Traffic volume and safety data were presented graphically using an innovative aerial-based reporting format, with recommended mitigation measures shown as functional designs. The County has since implemented many of the recommended measures. The project also produced a standalone toolbox of transportation demand management strategies.
Hampton Roads Tolling Alternatives Study, Hampton Roads Region, VA
To identify feasible transportation funding solutions for congestion relief, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission initiated a study of alternative strategies for tolling major arterial facilities. Charles served as the lead transportation engineer, analyzing key roadway links for each tolling strategy. Each strategy produced different traffic-volume projections and shifts in travel origins and destinations. The results were mapped in GIS to show anticipated changes in travel patterns and future levels of service.
Richmond Road Corridor Study, Staunton, VA
Charles served as the lead traffic engineer for this land use and transportation study. The project helped the community develop a feasible long-term vision for the corridor that integrated land use and transportation objectives. Charles led the trip-generation work associated with scenario planning, as well as the simulation modeling and analysis.
Virginia Route 360 Corridor Preservation Study, Amelia County, VA
Charles served as the lead traffic engineer for an analysis of the Route 360 corridor in Amelia County. The study sought to preserve the corridor’s capacity, safety, and rural character as suburban growth from neighboring Chesterfield County began to affect its character and function. Recommendations included access management strategies, new connector roadways, and land use implementation guidance.
Transportation Engineering On-Call Services, City of Lynchburg, VA
Charles worked with the City of Lynchburg for 10 years, providing traffic engineering and transportation planning services. Assignments included traffic operations analysis, signal timing optimization, signal warrant analyses, circulation studies, detour design, and traffic impact studies for private development projects.
Liberty University Transportation Plan
Charles served as the lead traffic engineer for an update to the university’s transportation plan. The update examined the transportation improvements needed to accommodate a 50 percent increase in enrollment, from 10,000 to 15,000 on-campus students. The study considered vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle, and transit travel and produced a prioritized schedule of improvements.
Massaponax Corridor Study, Spotsylvania County, VA
Charles served as the lead traffic engineer for this study of a corridor extending more than 10 miles parallel to I-95 in an area with substantial development potential. He developed traffic operations models to evaluate potential near- and long-term arterial, intersection, and interchange improvements.
I-95 Commuter Shoulders Study, Connecticut Department of Transportation
Charles served as a technical resource engineer overseeing complex traffic simulation exercises. The study evaluated the potential operational effects of allowing motorists to travel on the shoulder during peak periods. Interchange operations were a key measure of effectiveness because shoulder use changed the available roadway geometry at ramp junctions.