Railroad
Jim Morrison is the NEW Director of the DTC Triangle office. He joined the firm in January 2011, He has an extensive background with Railroad, Planning and Design. Below is some of his experience.
NCDOT Rail Division - Engineering and Safety Branch, Crossing Safety Unit.
Administration of Hazard Elimination Projects & Transportation Separation Study (TSS) implementation. - Mr. Morrison prepared signal designs for railroad review and implementation. This required statewide coordination with State and Municipal stakeholders. Program includes design and coordination for the installation of gates, roadside signals and signage, overhead signals (cantilevers), and traffic-signal preemption. In some cases, recommendations are made to close a crossing and consolidate its traffic with another adjacent grade crossing or an existing bridge or underpass. Jim used defined protocol to determine high risk locations for best modification and upgrade methods to protect the public. Historic impact and planning documentation requirements were reviewed and documented before proposed designs were sent to Railroad Companies. Once the requested fully engineered plan, a materials list and a cost estimate were reviewed, the design package and any revisions or modifications are then released for construction. Projects related to crossings on municipal streets require further coordination with local governing body to meet their specifications, and gain approval for proposed design & cost.
NCDOT - High Speed Rail Initiative
Mr. Morrison coordinated signal modifications and crossing removal need to increase speeds and capacity for both passenger and freight trains and review highway projects that affect rail corridors. Through ARRA stimulus monies, NCDOT will fund over 30 projects in 11 counties for track improvements necessary to develop the SEHSR corridor. Projects include station improvements, rehabilitating locomotives and passenger equipment, and adding double-track, passing sidings, closing at-grade crossings and building bridges. As a member of the NCDOT Rail Division, Mr. Morrison worked with the North Carolina Railroad Company, Norfolk Southern Railway, and CSX Transportation to coordinate existing and future modification of signal systems.
NCDOT - Sealed Corridors
As part of NCDOT's role to protect citizens and enable higher train speeds, Mr. Morrison coordinated the "sealing" of the existing and future corridors by protecting every public and private crossing with median separators, longer gate arms, four-quadrant gates and other innovative signage and traffic-control devices. Jim assisted FRA staff on accident investigations and prevention measures to continually safeguard private crossings by installing improved signage and warning devices. The Federal Railroad Administration recently named the Sealed Corridor Program as the national standard for passenger train operation up to 110mph.
Triangle Transit Authority Regional Rail System, Wake and Durham Counties, North Carolina - Railroad Trackway Modification, Triangle Transit Authority is proposing to construct approximately 35 miles of light rail between Raleigh and Durham. Mr. Morrison performed designs services for two sections. These included Section Three in Durham and Section Six in Morrisville. Responsibilities included designs for light rail and freight track alignments and grades, roadway improvements and detours, signal and gate modifications, drainage design, utility location, and realignment. Additional coordination with various local and state agencies, utility companies, and railroad companies was required.
West Valley Light Rail Transit Project, Salt Lake City, Utah - Served as Team Engineer for the West Valley Light Rail Transit proposed five-mile light rail line with four proposed stations connecting West Valley City with the Salt Lake City/Sandy TRAX line. Worked for the Utah Transit Authority, a joint team lead, designing an extension to the original light rail TRAX system built for 2000 Olympics to support the increased in ridership demand. Mr. Morrison's responsibilities included preliminary design work in AutoCAD and Microstation for areas where track, stations, and roadway overlapped.
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) - Charlotte NC
LYNXRed line (North Corridor former purple line)-
The proposed North Corridor Commuter Rail Project is a new 25-mile commuter rail system operating over existing tracks owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS) and connects Charlotte with four of the region's fastest growing towns - Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville. Project goal is to build on initial rapid transit system integrated with land-use planning to create a sustainable, economic -environment which improves the quality of life and attracts businesses and people to the region. Improvements to the rail line would include replacement of ties and rail, signalization, protection of at-grade crossings, potential "Quiet Zones" within which train horns are not sounded, and construction of up to 12 stations and a vehicle maintenance facility (VMF). Mr. Morrison was a designer and the Utility Coordinator during preliminary design. Later coordination of track alignment changes for development and proposed signalization was coordinated as part of NCDOT oversight roles.
Thru the use of transit-oriented development (TOD) a pedestrian-friendly environment has been created with connections to rapid transit stations and the community. This high-quality environment was carefully planned and designed to attract and retain transit ridership; which helps reduce pollution and vehicle miles traveled to ensure cohesive and complementary growth that benefits the entire region.
The Service would consist of 20-30 minute headways during the morning and afternoon rush hour period and hourly service during the remainder of the day. The new service is projected to have some 5,000 commuters ride the trains daily to or from Charlotte by 2030. The vast majority of these commuters currently travel by single-occupancy vehicle along I-77 and/or NC 115 (Old Statesville Road) or US 21 (Statesville Road).
The Blue Line Extension (Northeast Corridor) is an extension of the LYNX Blue Line light rail service. The 11-mile alignment extends from Ninth Street in Center City through the North Davidson ("NoDa") and University areas to I-485 north of UNC Charlotte. By including the LYNX Blue Line Extension in a comprehensive transportation system that includes roads, buses, bus rapid transit and commuter rail, we can offer more choices and alternatives to congestion on I-85.Mr. Morrison served as NCDOT oversight of signal design and aided in coordination of crossing removal and track realignment.
The Charlotte Transportation Center is the main connecting hub for CATS bus and rail routes; including future and existing LYNX Blue Line, theregion's first light rail service. It is 9.6 miles long and operates from I-485 at South Boulevard to Uptown Charlotte. With 15 stations including seven park and ride locations, the LYNX Blue Line provides a congestion free commute with a consistent travel time. Mr. Morrison worked on the team to implement the Charlotte Gateway Station.
Piedmont & Northern Railroad Reactivation - Gastonia NC
The NCDOT Rail Division proposes to reactivate freight rail service on the existing Piedmont & Northern (P&N) Railroad between Mt. Holly and Gastonia in Gaston County. Mr. Morrison coordinated the contracts and initial phase of restoration of signal systems along former CSX line owned by NCDOT, dormant for 20 years. As a part of this project, there are potential plans to made improvements to the Cedar Yard facility (near Bank of America Stadium) facility in Charlotte in anticipation that passenger rail service may be reactivated. Plans to reactivate freight service on the P&N Railroad have resulted in new railroad business and associated business growth.
B-3881 Replacement of Bridge # 26 over CSX Transportation railroad on US 117-NC 133 in New Hanover County - Project coordination with Wilmington's Silas Creek/MLK Parkway project included Context Sensitive Solutions for wetland mitigation, noise and vibration avoidance, hazardous material waste/distribution avoidance, and railway corridor accommodation
B-2655 Hillsborough Street (SR 3008) bridge replacement in downtown Raleigh North Carolina - Bridge over CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railroads included the addition proposed future TTA track to link Raleigh and Durham, NC. Project required additional public involvement due to business relocations and request made by the City of Raleigh's Appearance Commission. Rail traffic was maintained thru good utility coordination and innovative cantilever bridge construction. Offsite detours were achieved by changing one-way streets back to two-way with extensive pavement marking and signal/signing modifications. Compressed project schedule require only one Raleigh Christmas parade be affected.
Holloway Street (NC98) (U-4010), Durham, North Carolina - Mr. Morrison served as Roadway Project Engineer for this urban widening to improve congestion by adding a center turn lane, improving development access and improving railroad crossing grade. Jim worked with personnel installing and inspecting railroad signals during final construction years later.
Morrisville-Carpenter Road, Morrisville/Cary, North Carolina - Served as Project Engineer for the Town of Morrisville road widening with railroad coordination, culvert related permits, and historic property impacts. Project changed an existing rural two-lane road to a five-lane cross section utilizing differentially striped lanes (11' inner, 14' outer) a sidewalk on one side and a multi-use path on the other side. Final designs provided good non-vehicular connections to encourage walking and cycling while maintaining the heavy peak hour traffic volume. It also aided in the town goal to create a village core that will ultimately include future transit and greenway improvements. Project obstacles included one major railroad crossing and culvert in wetlands. In addition, the protection of historic properties was achieved thru avoidance and retaining walls. Success of this design required additional lanes thru the railroad crossing, which were accommodated by offsite crossing closures.
