LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT FACILITIES DESIGN COURSE
Instructor Bios
Ann Becklund, TriMet Director of Community Affairs
Ann Becklund is the director for Community Affairs for TriMet. She directs staff in the design and implementation of comprehensive programs to mitigate the impact of construction on neighboring residents and businesses. Since she began working at TriMet in 1992, Ann works to inform and educate communities about future and current capital projects and associated activities developed community outreach strategies and construction mitigation programs for five major rail projects. She holds a bachelor's in psychology, with honors, from Baylor University.
John Griffiths
John came to TriMet’s Planning Department in 1980 from the Capital Region Council of Governments in Hartford, Connecticut where he was the Fixed-Guideway Planner. His first assignment at TriMet was Westside Light Rail Pre-Engineering and Draft EIS work. Since then he has worked on light rail system planning, engineering, construction and operations. Currently, he is the Manager of Rail Operations Planning and serves as TriMet’s design engineer for the expansion of the light rail system’s operations and maintenance facilities. John earned his M. S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1979.
Robert W. Hastings, FAIA
Robert Hastings, FAIA, is TriMet's Agency Architect. Bob has been with TriMet for a decade after working with the agency as a consulting project architect on the Westside MAX Light Rail Project from 1992-98. Bob is responsible for coordinating the agency's multi-modal efforts in station and urban design, including signage & graphics, and art & architecture coordination. He also coordinates TriMet’s sustainability initiatives for light rail projects. He was a past president of the AIA/Oregon and AIA/Portland chapters, and Chair of the Oregon Design Conferences (2000-08). Bob is a frequent guest lecturer at Portland State University and the University of Oregon’s Portland Architecture Program. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon in 1979, and Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania (1983).
Don Irwin, P.E.
Mr. Irwin has more than 38 years of experience in design and construction management. He was the implementation director of capital projects design and construction implementation for TriMet for seven years, overseeing development and implementation of design criteria, safety certification, and startup on major transit projects. His work included overseeing preliminary engineering, procurement management and design/construction planning on TriMet’s South Corridor light rail extension; CMGC for the Gateway Transit Center expansion; numerous light rail safety and security improvements; design and construction of the Interstate Max light rail extension including roadway and utility reconstruction and a 3/4-mile-long elevated light rail structure; construction management and resident engineer of the 17-mile Westside light rail extension, which included contracts for twin 3-mile tunnels, structures, rail, roadways, utilities, and electrical systems. He also oversaw operations and maintenance facilities expansions including the Portland State University (PSU) transit center and the Merlo facility expansion. Mr. Irwin is president of Aadland Evans Constructors, Inc., a subsidiary of David Evans Enterprises, Inc. He has a J.D. from Northwestern School of Law and is a member of the Oregon State Bar.
Ken Kirse
As TriMet’s Program Design Director, Ken Kirse is responsible for the design of light rail facilities for TriMet Capital Projects. Ken began work at TriMet in 1988 during Preliminary Engineering for the Westside Light Rail Project. He has provided design, construction management and oversight for TriMet’s light rail projects since that time. Prior to TriMet, he worked for the Illinois Central Railroad and on the DART Light Rail Project in Dallas. Ken has a Civil Engineering degree from Iowa State University.
John Lackey, P.E.
Mr. Lackey has more than 34 years of experience in planning, design, and construction management of transit systems, with an emphasis in light rail transit design. John currently serves as DEA’s project manager for project development and implementation services for Sonoma-Marin Area Rapid Transit (SMART). He has also served as principal-in-charge of DEA’s PMO contract with the FTA; principal-in-charge of the final design of the 12-mile West Corridor light rail project in Denver; design manager for the 6-mile South Corridor light rail extension in Portland; project manager of several light rail projects for TriMet in Portland such as tunnel feasibility studies for the light rail tunnel through Portland’s West Hills, and civil design services for final design and construction of the 18-mile Westside LRT extension. He is a senior vice president of DEA and a member of ASCE, APTA, and the APTA Rail Transit Committee. John has a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Colorado.
Neil McFarlane
As TriMet’s Executive Director for Capital Projects, Neil leads the development, design and construction of the agency’s capital facilities. Under his direction, TriMet completed the I-205/Portland Mall Light Rail Project and WES Commuter Rail in 2009, and the Interstate MAX light rail extension in May 2004—four months ahead of schedule and under budget. Additionally, Neil represented TriMet in the unique public-private partnership with Bechtel Enterprises for the Airport MAX extension. TriMet’s sixth light rail extension, Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project is in design and is scheduled to open in 2015. Prior to becoming Executive Director of Capital Projects in 1998, he was Project Control Director for the 18-mile, $963 million Westside light rail project. Neil earned his Master in Urban Planning from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1977.
Vicky Smith, P.E.
Ms. Smith has more than 20 years of experience as an engineer and project manager in design and construction, primarily on large light rail infrastructure projects. She is currently DEA's transit project manager for the Columbia River Crossing and manages the transit portion of this project to replace the I-5 bridge between Washington and Oregon and extend light rail from Portland's EXPO station into the heart of downtown Vancouver. Vicky's involvement in light rail projects covers all phases from conceptual to construction, and includes managing development of full contract documents and providing construction management services in both the owner and consultant roles. She has provided comprehensive reviews of light rail operations, safety, and design quality, and has worked closely with operations and maintenance staff to design and implement line extensions and overall system upgrades along with facility expansions. Vicky's experience in contract delivery methods for light rail includes low bid, CMGC, and Design-Build, which provides her with an understanding of both the opportunities and potentials for risk at different phases of a project. Vicky is an associate of DEA and has a B.E. degree in civil engineering from Portland State University.
Joel Tubbs, P.E., S.E.
Mr. Tubbs has 11 years of experience in bridge design, including load rating, bridge replacement, structural rehabilitation, and new bridge design of structures carrying light rail, heavy rail, highway, and pedestrian traffic. Joel is an engineer of record for the OMSI Viaduct Bridge, which will become the sole streetcar-only bridge on the Portland Streetcar Loop once construction of the extension from downtown Portland across the Willamette River to OMSI is completed. On the Columbia River Crossing project, he is providing conceptual design services for landside transit and highway bridges. Joel was the structures task lead for TriMet’s South Corridor I-205 Segment Design-Build project, which included design and construction of 10 new bridges, over 200,000 square feet of new retaining walls, and modifications to seven additional existing structures. On the Interstate MAX LRT Extension Line Section 10C (Expo Segment), he performed final design of the 3/4-mile-long 28-span bridge, including a linear elastic 3D model that accounted for rail-structure interaction, designed the substructure for the interior bents of all 28 spans, and provided engineering assistance and inspection during construction. Joel has a B.S. and an M.S. degree in civil engineering from Washington State University.
Dan Sosnovske
Acting Stimulus Project Director Dan Sosnovske supervises design, construction and compliance on TriMet’s 29 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects. He came to TriMet in 1999 as an engineer on the Interstate MAX project and went on to work on design and construction of the I-205 light rail projects. Previously, he worked as a project manager for Group Mackenzie Engineering and as an engineer for the Oregon Department of Transportation. Dan has a master’s degree in Transportation Engineering from Oregon State University.
Denis Van Dyke, TriMet
Denis Van Dyke has worked for TriMet for 30 years. He started as a bus operator, working his way up to Manager of Rail Training and Manager of the Operations Command Center. Van Dyke was recently named interim Director of Operations Support, which includes systems safety and security.
Lyn Wylder, P.E.
Ms. Wylder has more than 35 years of experience on major transportation projects, ranging from conceptual engineering through construction. She is currently DEA’s project manager for the Columbia River Crossing, a project to replace the I-5 bridge between Washington and Oregon, extend light rail from Portland to Vancouver, enhance pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and improve interchanges. She is also contract manager for DEA’s program management oversight (PMO) contract with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), currently working with the Lower Manhattan Recovery Office (LMRO) to oversee the reconstruction of transit and highway infrastructure damaged in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Previously, as chief engineer and then vice president for operations and development with MARTA in Atlanta, Lyn was responsible for design, construction, schedule, budget, and overall quality of a $700 million transit line extension – completed early and under budget. She is a vice president of DEA and a member of ASCE, WTS, and the Georgia Engineering Foundation. She has an M.S. and B. E. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and serves on the advisory board of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
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