Orange, Calif. — J.L. Patterson & Associates, Inc. (JLP), a transportation engineering firm dedicated to the rail industry, received the 2014 Bentley “Be Inspired” award for Innovation in Project Performance. The award honors the extraordinary work of Bentley users improving the world’s infrastructure. The award was presented to the firm on Nov. 5, 2014, at a ceremony during The Year in Infrastructure 2014 Conference held in London.
JLP earned the award for its innovative work on the Tehachapi Mountains Double Track Project. The $80 million project aimed to improve the transport capacities of freight movement from the San Joaquin Valley in California to the Eastern United States in an efficient and timely manner while reducing operational constraints. With a partnership between the State of California and private railroads, the project encompassed the construction of double-track segments in five locations. Due to funding and permitting constraints, only two of five segments will be constructed in 2014-2015.
The design was performed using MicroStation and Bentley Rail Track, which quickly defined areas of potentially adverse effects on the environmental footprint by minimizing excessive cuts and fills, impacts to wetlands, and sensitive species. By using ProjectWise to share information between offices and MicroStation GeoGraphics to shorten the field verification process, JLP reduced the time that staff would spend working on an active freight rail corridor, thereby reducing the risk of job-site injuries, and also reducing project delivery, design and construction time.
Greg Bentley, CEO of Bentley Systems, stated in his keynote address that through their project, “JLP pushes the boundaries of interoperability.” Marc Cañas, Vice President of JLP said, “We are ecstatic to win this award, and it is especially rewarding to win twice in consecutive years.”
The Bentley awards ceremony is a global gathering of leading executives in the world of infrastructure design, construction and operations featured presentations and interactive sessions exploring the intersection of technology and business drivers, and how they are shaping the future of infrastructure delivery and return on investment. Nine independent panels of jurors, comprising distinguished industry experts, selected the “Be Inspired” award winners from 54 project finalists. These finalists had been previously chosen from submissions by organizations in 49 countries.