 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
         
|
ARM CONSULTANT BIOGRAPHY James D. Dwyer Senior Consultant - Transit Specialist  Mr. Dwyer has more than 50 years of experience as a civil engineer, project manager, and director of quality control. As the Director of Technical Support and Special Projects for the Port Authority of Allegheny County, he was involved in various capital projects to enhance bus and rail service in the Pittsburgh area. Prior to joining the Port Authority staff, Mr. Dwyer had a 30-year engineering career with the U.S. Steel Corporation's American Bridge Division and was involved in all aspects of design, manufacturing, construction, and facility engineering. His positions ranged from Project Engineer, Project Manager, and Assistant District Engineer to Director of Quality Control for the Fabrication Division. Rail Project Experience Port Authority of Allegheny County Director of Technical Support and Special Projects – 1991-2006 Responsible for providing engineering support and training to the Operations Division and supervising a 24-person technical staff. Mr. Dwyer oversaw various capital projects to support Pittsburgh’s bus/rail transit service infrastructure including two of the country’s few inclines. Infrastructure projects included 16 miles of private busways, a 25-mile light-rail system, a rail storage yard and railcar maintenance facility, five garages for bus operations, a central bus maintenance facility, 80 bridges, a downtown subway and four tunnels. During his tenure, Mr. Dwyer worked with various bus manufacturers to procure more than 2,500 buses. As part of his procurement responsibilities, Mr. Dwyer established procedures to verify ongoing compliance with the “Buy American” requirements of the contracts throughout the manufacturing process. He was also involved with reviewing technical requirements and the bid process for a number of studies and developing training and maintenance manuals for both rail cars and buses. Port Authority of Allegheny County North Shore Connector Rail - Technical Advisor – 2003-2005 Reviewed design for the $350 million, 3-mile light rail line extension, including an underwater tunnel and an elevated section, to provide access to the North Shore of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh. Mr. Dwyer participated in the review of the 30-percent, 60-percent and 90-percent design drawings for this project. Port Authority of Allegheny County Overbrook Line Reconstruction - Technical Advisor - 2000 Provided technical advice during the design of five miles of new double-track rail to rebuild the Overbrook Line, an abandoned trolley line in Pittsburgh. Port Authority of Allegheny County Light Rail Vehicle/Track Interface Study - Project Manager - 1995 Developed and wrote the criteria and bid documents presented in the request for proposals used to find qualified firms to perform this light rail vehicle/track interface study. Mr. Dwyer worked closely with the consultants during this analysis to study the way cars interact with the track and how to reduce noise, wear and formation of corrugations on the railroad tracks. The study resulted in the implementation of a particular type of railcar equipped with grinding stones to profile the head of the rail, significantly reducing wheel-generated noise in Pittsburgh’s central business district subway. The track maintenance standards established by this study have been used in the railroad industry for more than a decade. Publications “Rail/Wheel Practices to Improve Ride Quality,” APTA Transit Rail Conference (2005) “APTA Rail Standards Update Fixed Facilities,” APTA Annual Meeting (2003) “Design of Curved Street Bridges for the Pittsburgh Light Rail” Co-Author, International Bridge Conference (2001)/Civil Engineering Magazine (8/02) “Noise Abatement: A Hands-On Approach,” Co-Author, APTA Transit Conference (2000) “Light Rail Vehicle Interface Study,” APTA Transit Rail Conference (1997) “Fifty-Year Development: Construction of Steel Suspension Bridges,” ASCE Journal of the Construction Division (3/75) Work History January 1991 – February 2006 Port Authority of Allegheny County - Director/Manager Technical Support and Special Projects December 1986 – January 1991 Tensor Incorporated, Pittsburgh, PA - Director of Marketing July 1956 – November 1986 United States Steel Corporation, American Bridge Division - Project Engineer; Project Manager; Assistant District Engineer (Chicago); Director of Quality Control for USS Fabrication Division; and Director of Marketing for Bridge and Highway Engineering Education Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering; Manhattan College (1956) Memberships American Society of Civil Engineers (Life Member) Rail Transit Standards Fixed Structures Inspection and Maintenance Committee, Chairman Engineer’s Society of Western Pennsylvania, Former President International Bridge Conference, Chairman RSAC (Bridge Group) RETURN TO MAIN CONSULTANTS PAGE Please contact us for information on ARM's advanced solutions to your wheel/rail interface challenges. |
|
|
