LONG BEACH TRANSIT MALL PROJECT WINS McGRAW-HILL / ENR CALIFORNIA BEST PROJECTS OF 2011 MERIT AWARD
Congratulations to MIG Architects on receiving the McGraw-Hill / ENR California Best Projects of 2011 Merit Award for the Long Beach Transit Mall project. The goals of the Transit Mall Improvement Project were to replace the existing bus shelters and informational kiosks, create and enhance safe waiting areas, and improve transit information displays to visually promote public bus transportation and connections with regional bus and light rail service. Under a subcontract to MIG Architects, KOA provided transportation planning and engineering design services to Long Beach Transit. KOA prepared lighting and sidewalk improvement plan specifications and cost estimates, mobilized a structural engineer to design the new bus stop structure, and conducted a transit operations analysis to make recommendations on transit stop locations and to analyze bus routes and pedestrian connections during the construction phase.

CITY OF LONG BEACH WINS APWA 2011 PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR BROADWAY & THIRD STREET SEPARATED BIKEWAYS (CYCLE TRACK)
The City of Long Beach received the APWA 2011 Project of the Year Award for their Broadway and Third Street Separated Bikeways Project. Broadway and Third Street forms a one-way couplet providing important access from the downtown core of Long Beach to the I-710 Freeway. The City retained KOA to develop a protected bikeway facility, also known in Europe as a cycle track, to provide an enhanced facility for bicyclists accessing the downtown area. The protected bikeway shifts parking away from the curb line and provides a bikeway located between parked vehicles and the left-side curb. Special left-turn signals are provided to reduce conflicts between left-turn vehicles and the bikeway and adjacent crosswalk. The project required approval by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the use of bicycle signal indications and green pavement paint in certain conflict zones. The grand opening of the project was held on April 23, 2011.

Dailybreeze.com's Article
LA.StreetsBlog.org's Post

KOA LONG BEACH BICYCLE TOUR
In order to share innovative bicycle design experience with other jurisdictions, KOA Corporation organized a bicycle tour of the various innovative bicycle facilities in Long Beach. On June 3rd, a group of bicycle enthusiasts and professionals took to the streets of Long Beach in a tour led by Charlie Gandy, the Long Beach Bicycle Coordinator.

KOA OBTAINS FHWA AUTHORIZATIONS TO EXPERIMENT FOR LONG BEACH BIKEWAYS - “SHARROWS”
KOA has obtained two authorizations from the Federal Highway Administration to use experimental traffic control devices to assist the City of Long Beach in implementation of innovative bikeway treatments.  KOA is assisting the City to become a leader in development and implementation of bikeway facilities.  One experiment will provide a unique protected bicycle lane along the left side of a one-way street in the downtown Long Beach area.  The other experiment allows for use of a green painted pavement treatment, called a “sharrow”, and a variant of the Share the Road sign along Second Street, the main street for the City’s vibrant Belmont Shore retail and entertainment community.  The green shared lane has been implemented. For more information on Long Beach’s bicycle-friendly program please click here.

Press Telegram "Sharrow" Article 06-26-09

KOA SELECTED FOR HONOLULU TRAFFIC SIGNAL OPTIMIZATION PROGRAM, PHASE 3a
After completing Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the signal timing projects for the City and County of Honolulu, KOA was awarded Phase 3a of the Traffic Signal Optimization Project for the City and County of Honolulu in late 2009. The project proposes to re-time and optimize 154 traffic signals on the Island of Oahu (see intersections in blue). Currently, approximately half of the intersections are not connected to the Traffic Control Center (TCC). Field implementation will be necessary for the signals which are not connected to the TCC. About 67 study intersections primarily located in the Kapiolani and East Oahu study areas require weekend traffic counts and weekend signal timing plans. GPS clocks will be required for some of the signal locations in order to implement the optimized signal timing coordination. Implementation of new timing plans should be completed in 2011.

OCTA WINS APWA SO. CAL. CHAPTER 2009 B.E.S.T PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR TRAFFIC CONGESTION / MITIGATION
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) received the 2009 B.E.S.T. Project of the Year Award for the Traffic Signal Synchronization Master Plan for Orange County. As part of the passage of the Renewed Measure M by the voters of Orange County in 2006, OCTA, with the assistance of KOA Corporation, has completed the Traffic Signal Synchronization Master Plan. The plan provides a comprehensive signal synchronization program for 2,000 traffic signals on 800 miles of arterial highways throughout Orange County.

The master plan is a cooperative effort between OCTA, all 34 incorporated cities within the County, the County of Orange, and Caltrans District 12, whose goal is to achieve reductions in motorist travel time and number of stops at red lights, with the added benefits of fuel savings, and reduction of vehicle emissions pollutants.

CULVER CITY WINS APWA SO. CAL. CHAPTER 2009 B.E.S.T. PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD
The City of Culver City received the 2009 B.E.S.T. Project of the Year Award for the Washington Boulevard Realignment Project. CBM Consulting (now KOA Corporation) provided design engineering and project management for this project that involved the abandonment of the section of Washington Boulevard at Culver Boulevard and widening of the adjacent section of Ince Boulevard to accommodate the increased traffic load. This major undertaking by the City of Culver City will allow for the development of the parcel between Washington Boulevard and Culver Boulevard into a mixed use office / retail building and the expansion of Culver Town Park.

McCARRELL CANYON DRAINAGE SYSTEM WINS APWA SO. CAL. CHAPTER 2009 B.E.S.T PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD
Mr. Alan Braatvedt of CBM Consulting (now KOA Corporation) served as the project manager for a $7.5 million construction cost storm drain project for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes to convey water from the steep McCarrell Canyon through 3,000 feet of pipeline to the beach. CBM was involved in the development of the concept design, selection of the design engineering firm Harris & Associates, and managing the project all the way through the design phase. The design was developed into an extremely innovative design with numerous fail-safe components to protect the environment and local residences.