A View on the Future of Transportation: A Q&A with Caitlin Johnson

Major transportation infrastructure programs are getting bigger, and clients expect them to be delivered faster and cheaper. 

Whether by air, sea or land, Jacobs creates equitable, sustainable solutions for smart, integrated transportation infrastructure that connects people and communities around the world and stimulates economic development. From aviation, rail & transit, highways & bridges, to ports & maritime, we keep future generations moving forward.

In this Q&A, we chat with one of our teammates, newly appointed Vice President and Director of Operations for Transportation in the U.S. Northeast, Caitlin Johnson. Caitlin brings global and multi market experience and a new perspective to the U.S. Northeast region to delivering transportation of the future and supporting clients to solve their toughest challenges. Read her thoughts on the trends and opportunities shaping the delivery of major transportation projects. 

Tell us a bit about what a day in the life is like as Jacobs Director for U.S. Northeast Transportation, and what we offer to our clients in this area.

I started my career studying civil engineering because I had a passion for construction and seeing things get built! I’ve worked in North America and Europe, delivering infrastructure projects in the transportation, water, defense and nuclear markets across the whole asset lifecycle. Now, as the Director of Transportation for the U.S. Northeast, a typical day for me involves listening and understanding our client’s objectives and connecting the best talent and technology to continually support our client’s mission. 

Jacobs partners with our clients to balance maintaining and revitalizing aging critical infrastructure assets, with delivering future infrastructure that improve accessibility, reliability, safety and travel times. Our clients trust our experience and our knowledge of their operations, to keep their users moving all while achieving their bigger mission of connecting communities and stimulating economic development. 

You mention your experience in nuclear and defense, what can the transportation industry learn from these other markets? 

In my career, I’ve delivered projects and programs across surface ships, submarine, aviation platforms, supporting infrastructure and more. Much like the transportation industry, nuclear and defense include the operation of complex systems in high hazard environments that, when things go wrong, have the potential for significant, even catastrophic consequences. The defense and nuclear industries put specific focus on the quality of delivery and getting things right the first time. These industries bring simple, but effective, methodical and standardized approaches to how they deliver work – leading to less errors and quality issues, ultimately saving cost and schedule delays. 

Over the past several decades, these two industries have tirelessly documented and operationalized lessons learned from previous programs allowing true learning from both positive and negative events. The transportation industry can benefit from learning from and not repeating past mistakes to best drive efficiency. Coupling my learnings from the defense market with Jacobs’ vast global infrastructure delivery experience, we are well positioned to deliver to a high standard that is both cost and schedule efficient across our transportation portfolio in the Northeast. 

What are some trends you are seeing as transportation authorities seek to deliver larger capital programs in more cost-effective ways? 

Transportation authorities have the responsibility to their customers to provide dependable service throughout a reliable system. I see clients continually juggling the repairs and upgrades of aging assets, future demands of users including fare ticketing technology or innovation in communication-based train control, and the need to connect communities and stimulate economic development. All of this within a finite budget. 

We need to partner and collaborate with our clients to deliver programs in ways that push efficiency in cost and schedule. Major transportation authorities are choosing alternative delivery models, and Jacobs has been leading this shift in delivery across Design-Build, Progressive Design-Build and Delivery Partner models.

As Amtrak’s first Delivery Partner working on Frederick Douglass Tunnel, Jacobs is addressing complex challenges quickly without disrupting service on one of Amtrak’s busiest routes. As the designer on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)’s first Progressive Design-Build program, we’re prioritizing upgrades across 43 New York City Transit stations, developing a coordinated design to deliver the project faster and cheaper. Working alongside the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, we’re also delivering the first Design-Build Program in Newton and Weston, Massachusetts along the I-95/I-90 interchange to meet an accelerated schedule.

In addition to innovation in delivery models, riders also expect the best user experience, and our clients are following those trends. Whether it is contactless fare payment system like MTA’s OMNY in New York or Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority contactless fare ticketing task, or access to free, reliable Wi-Fi while using the system, we need to focus on new technologies to improve the rider experience. 

Jacobs brings national and global delivery experience to each of these models – we know through experience, that successful delivery only occurs where collaboration and communication are at the core.   

How do we set up major transportation programs for success?   

In my career, I’ve focused on project and program initiation, and I’m acutely aware that this critical phase sets the stage for overall success. My experience includes delivering and leading innovations, but also honing the Jacobs’ blueprint – culminating decades of experience in delivering projects, mega and giga programs globally. At the core of every initiation is culture – with a focus on collaboration and communication. Creating the right environment with the owner, key stakeholders, and the supply chain ensures alignment on project goals and outcomes. We also prioritize putting the right people in the right roles so that they are empowered to deliver. Great people are at the heart of solving complex challenges. More broadly, we have standardized processes, tools and systems to make the initiation phase efficient and to operationalize our global lessons learned. While we appreciate the tailored needs to ensure focus on each project, this supports an efficient ramp up to best in class delivery. 

What are some of the challenges and opportunities facing transportation in the Northeast?  

Transportation in the Northeast is one of the largest geographic markets in the Americas and covers rail & transit, highways & bridges, ports & maritime, and aviation. Some of the biggest transit authorities and agencies in the Americas are located within the geography. By itself, New York City represents the most population dense area in the U.S – and we also have Boston which is home to America’s first subway built in1897. 

The major challenges facing the transportation industry are not unique as they are common across all markets. The ones at the forefront are aging infrastructure, quickly and efficiently improving accessibility for all and ensuring resiliency against water level rise and excessive temperatures. We’re positioned to bring best practices from across markets and apply those innovations here in the Northeast. 

Is there a project you’re particularly proud of? 

I recently worked as the project manager for the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal project – a future hub for offshore wind on the U.S. East Coast that will revitalize more than 70 acres of underutilized property in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and will create upward of 1,000 jobs in the renewable energy market. This project will have profound impacts on New York – bringing green energy and local economic benefits to the city.

We’ve built strong relationships with our client and have fully integrated our team to successfully deliver that project. This collaborative culture, along with the contractor, has been beneficial in solving technical challenges we faced when developing an historic port operations site that has a unique blend of requirements. 

When I reflect on this project, I’m proud of the team that has been dedicated to this project from the offset, proud of the open and collaborative relationship we have with a talented client team and also proud of the rapport we are building with the contractor – to support open dialogue and quick resolution of issues that arise in the field.