VHB co-founder John Kennedy honored for contributions to transportation engineering

Watertown, Mass. — VHB Co-Founder and Senior Principal John Kennedy, PE, PTOE, received the Burton W. Marsh Distinguished Service Award at the 2017 Institute for Transportation Engineers (ITE) Annual Meeting held in Toronto July 30-August 2. The Burton W. Marsh Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual who has contributed to the advancement of ITE over a period of years in an outstanding fashion.

Kennedy has made significant contributions to ITE since joining the organization in 1975. He has been actively involved, serving at all levels of leadership at the chapter (co-founder of the Massachusetts Chapter), New England Section, and Northeastern District levels, as well as on the International Board of Direction — most recently as International President in 2015. He chaired the local arrangements committee for the 1997 Annual Meeting in Boston and served as co-chair when the Annual Meeting returned to Boston in 2013. Kennedy is a member and former chair of the Consultant’s Council’s Executive Committee.

“What John has accomplished during his professional career at VHB and in serving ITE is truly remarkable. John is dedicated to VHB and our people, and I admire how he takes the time to listen intently and offer assistance, guidance, and support to anyone who seeks him out,” said President & CEO Mike Carragher. “John truly is a selfless leader — this honor is very well-deserved.”

Kennedy has focused his 45-year career on traffic operations on large-scale, high-profile projects, including the award-winning Central Artery/Tunnel (Big Dig) in Boston — one of the nation’s largest and most complex transportation and civil works projects.

“John is the most creative transportation engineer I have ever known. He always seems to find the right unique solution to any transportation/traffic operations design challenge—no matter how complex,” said fellow VHB founder and Strategic Advisor, Bill Roache.

In addition to keeping traffic moving throughout Boston’s Big Dig, Kennedy played an integral role in Massachusetts’ first design-build project ($385 million widening of a 23-mile freeway) and provided traffic management strategies for MassDOT’s Fast14 accelerated bridge project. He remains technically engaged in the firm providing advice, strategic review of documents, and mentoring on a wide array of transportation projects ranging from operations and planning to design and implementation, as well as peer reviews.

“I am privileged to have someone of John’s caliber as a mentor, and my career, as well as the careers of countless others, has been greatly influenced by John,” shared Don Cooke, Transportation Systems Services Leader.