Presidential Inaugurations
Washington DC, USA
Service: Traffic Management, Pedestrian Planning and Wayfinding
Client: District Department of Transportation
Period: 2009, 2013 and 2017
Sam Schwartz, North American subsidiary of the GPO Group, served as lead consultant to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) for Transportation Logistics Planning for the 2009, 2013, and 2017 Presidential Inaugurations. Some of the included tasks were the overall management and production of DDOT’s Inauguration Traffic Operations Plans, interagency coordination, identification of TDM strategies to reduce reliance on passenger vehicles, including emphasis on transit, walking, and biking, and the design of special traffic signs, among others.
Extension of the Sabadell FGC line
Sabadell, Spain
Service: Construction Supervision
Client: Infraestructures de la Generalitat de Catalunya,
S.A.U. (Icat)
Period: 2008 – 2019
The Generalitat de Catalunya (autonomous government of Catalonia) improved the railway connection between the areas of Barcelona and Vallès Occidental (the two most populated in the region) with 2.5 million and 1 million inhabitants, respectively. The Barcelona – Vallès line is used by approximately 3.7 million passengers per year and it has a total length of 38 km.
GPO carried out the construction supervision for the extension of the Sabadell FGC line, with a total length of 5,247 m. It includes a double tunnel with two tubes of 6 m in diameter and 2,912 m of length, five new underground stations and approximately 2,000 m of artificial tunnel. The work also includes the new depots and shunting area, both structures with a length of 300 m.
Highway 407 East in Toronto
Toronto, Canada
Service: Detailed Design
Client: 407 East Construction General Partnership (Ferrovial – SNC Lavalin Consortium)
Period: 2012 – 2014
GPO was awarded with the Detailed Design (Phase I and II) for the extension of the Highway 407 East in Toronto, Canada, deemed as one of the world’s biggest road infrastructures under concession. The project entails the construction of 16.5 km of new highway, with certain stretches comprising up to five lanes per direction, with more than 36 km of branches and access roads, and 4 new links.
The alignment has been designed taking into account aesthetic and environmental matters, including gardened embankments, rainwater sewerage pools, as well as a system of drains and sewers for urban roads. The 407 ETR is pioneer in the implementation of the most modern toll systems, equipped with cameras and licence-recognition transponders, which replace traditional toll booths.
El Dorado Airport
Bogotá, Colombia
Service: Detailed Design
Client: OPAIN
Period: 2015 – 2016
The concessionaire company OPAIN trusted GPO to carry out the design of the new terminal with a surface of more than 62.000 m2 and 70.000 m2 of parking and maneuvering areas, which will be developed in this second phase of extension and renovation of the airport, that will increase its operative surface by 35%.
Analysis of the Breakwater of Poti Port
Poti, Georgia
Service: Review of Detailed Design
Client: APM Terminals Poti
Period: 2018 – 2019
The scope of services includes the review and analysis of the existing breakwater to sustain the breakwater for the next 25 years. The analysis covers: full physical surveys, identification of weak components in the structure, advice on repair design where needed. The project has the format of a Detailed Design, including all the details (foundations, berms, facing, top crest, etc.), priced bill of quantities, stretch of chainage, drawings, preliminary works like soil investigation/geotechnical studies compliant with local regulations, etc.
Brooklyn Streetcar
New York, USA
Service: Feasibility Study
Client: Friends of the Brooklyn-Queens Connector
Period: 2014 – 2016
In order to improve the transportation between the districts of Brooklyn and Queens, the local government of New York city proposed the construction of a 25 km long streetcar line, which joins the two districts through a tramway line running parallel to the East River coast of New York. Sam Schwartz, North American subsidiary of GPO Group, carried out the Feasibility Study for the implementation of the new streetcar, which includes the Preliminary Design, Environmental Impact Assessment, analysis of the available technologies and agency coordination.
The new streetcar system, which will run at 20 km/h, will run from Greenpoint to Dumbo in approximately 27 minutes, less than the current bus and metro lines, and it will carry 150 to 175 passengers, compared to the articulated buses that now have room for about 100 passengers. The construction of the line is expected to cost around 2.500 million dollars to the city, an investment that, according to the mayoral spokesman, will be paid out of real estate taxes on large residential and commercial owners served by the streetcar.
Diagonal Tram Connection
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Feasibility Study and Detailed Design
Client: Barcelona d’Infraestructures Municipals, S.A (BIMSA)
Period: 2016 – 2019
The local government of Barcelona contracted the development of the Feasibility Study and the Detailed Design for the Trambaix and Trambesós connection to the consortium formed by GPO Ingeniería y Arquitectura – Sener Ingeniería y Sistemas – Técnica y Proyectos. Due to the social, economic and environmental effects the connection will carry, this project is considered one of the most important projects of public transport in Barcelona. The study, which joins the two tram lines running through Avenida Diagonal of Barcelona between Plaza Francesc Macià and Plaza de las Glorias, would have a construction cost of 175 million Euros, whose construction is planned to start at the end of 2017. The local government of Barcelona considers this proposal offering the best cost-benefit ratio, since “the social return of the investment is higher”. The connection is estimated to be used by 222.000 daily riders, who would reduce the circulation of 12.500 vehicles a day, and this would relieve traffic in 0,4%.
Río Magdalena 2 Toll Road
Colombia
Service: Detailed Design
Client: Obrascón Huarte Lain, S.A. (OHL)
Period: 2015 – 2016
GPO carried out the Feasibility Studies and Detailed Designs for the construction, refurbishment, operation, maintenance and reversion of the Río Magdalena 2 Toll Road concession, which belongs to the “Autopistas para la Prosperidad” Project, more precisely for the segment Remedios (Otú) – Alto de Dolores – Puerto Berrío – Puerto Berrío bypass. The project comprises the design of 144 km of divided roadway, which includes overpasses and underpasses, drainage works, a diamond interchange, U-turns, a toll station, tunnels with a total length of 2.406 m, and viaducts with a total length of 5.427 m.
Motorway D4 and Expressway R7 in Bratislava
Bratislava, Slovakia
Service: Tender Design and Detailed Design
Client: Ferrovial Agromán, S.A
Period: 2015 – Ongoing
GPO was awarded with the Tender Design and Detailed Design for the construction of 27 km of new Motorway D4 (sections Jarovce – Ivanka and Ivanka South – Raca), 32 km of Expressway R7 (sections Prievoz – Ketelec, KetelecDunajska and DunajskaLuzna – Holice) and 5 km diversion of Road II/572 in Bratislava, Slovakia. The works include 15 underpasses, 54 overpasses and 3 viaducts; special emphasis given to the viaduct situated over the Danube River, as it is 3 km long and has 190 m central spans built by successive cantilevers.
Parking Platform Barcelona Airport
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Construction Supervision
Client: Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA)
Period: 2006 – 2010
AENA awarded a consortium formed by GPO, among others, with the construction supervision for the new south parking platform for aircrafts of the Prat Airport’s Terminal 1 in Barcelona. The platform has a total surface of 65 ha and 104 parking spaces, 70 of which have direct access to the Terminal via walkways, and the remaining are in a remote location. All the parking spaces may be used by all the existing aircrafts in the market today, and two of them are adapted to the Airbus A380. Each space has access to all the necessary aircraft assistance services.
Santa Marta Airport
Santa Marta, Colombia
Service: Detailed Design
Client: Aeropuertos de Oriente
Period: 2015
Aeropuertos de Oriente awarded GPO with the Detailed Design Phase III for the new Santa Marta International Airport, the purpose of which is to define the general and detailed characteristics of the enlargement of the new terminal, including the buildings corresponding to the control tower, new warehouse for systems and handling, geometric definition and validation of the pavements for the extension of the corridor and underground parking, as well as the coordination and review of the technical studies of structure and systems.
Gdansk Port
Gdansk, Poland
Service: Geotechnical Investigation
Client: Dragados
Period: 2017
The purpose of this project is to design the solution of concrete caissons for the prolongation and free-floating dikes that constitute the new shelter works of the Port of Gdansk extension. The design considers the replacement of the prefabricated elements of the base solution with reinforced concrete caissons. The rest of elements remain the same, although a slight adaptation of the underside of the superstructure is made so that it rests on the interior walls of the caissons and works better from a structural point of view.
Freeway C-17 Vic – Ripoll
Girona, Spain
Service: Detailed Design
Client: GISA – Infrastructure Administration of Catalonia
Period: 2008 – 2009
GPO was awarded by GISA to take part in the DBO project for the Vic – Ripoll segment of the C-17 freeway. This 50 km segment was a concession awarded by the Catalan Autonomous Government.
The first segment (Centelles – Manlleu), 23 km long, had four lanes already. Consequently, construction consisted of minor improvements to improve road functionality and continuity with the rest of the project. The second segment (Manlleu – Masies de Voltrega), 8 km long, bypasses the city of Masies de Voltrega. And the third segment (Masies de Voltrega – Ripoll), 18 km long, required widening and construction of the second carriageway with the same cross section as the existing corridor.
Besalú – Argelaguer A-26 Road
Girona, Spain
Service: Construction Supervision
Client: Spanish Ministry of Public Works
Period: 2004 – 2008
Section of 5,950 metres in length with a double roadway section and two 3.5-metre-wide lanes in each direction, for a travel speed of 100 km/h, on a new layout and enabling the existing N-260 as a service road. The work included 5 interchanges, including the connection with the C-66 road. It was necessary to build 3 underpasses, 2 overpasses with 3 spans and a maximum span of 40 m, built with post-tensioned in situ slab panels and 3 viaducts.
M-40 Ring Road in Madrid
Madrid, Spain
Service: Detailed Design
Client: Spanish Ministry of Public Works
Period: 2003 – 2006
GPO provided the detailed design for a new interchange between M-40, a high capacity ring road, and M-511 road in Madrid. The main motivation for remodeling this interchange was to improve the safety conditions and service level.
The existing layout of the interchange consisted of an at grade roundabout between M-511 and the access/exit ramps of M-40. The central lanes of M-40 crossed M-511 by the use of two viaducts. Because the existing roundabout limited the capacity to provide the required eight turning movements between M-511 and M-40, traffic on M-511 was particularly impacted, as well as for cars exiting M-40. The project included: six viaducts between 75 and 115 m long, 4 overpasses and 12 drainage structures. The average daily traffic of this interchange is 74,000 vehicles/day.
Valencia Airport Control Tower
Valencia, Spain
Service: Detailed Design and Construction Supervision
Client: Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA)
Period: 1997 – 1998
The Valencia Airport control tower was constructed in 1958, and consists of a four-story vertical communication core, with an interior staircase, an elevator, control room, technical offices, and control tower hall. The project provided renovation and repairs to such items as small cracks on the concrete shaft, serious sealing problems in the carpentry, leaks from water infiltration on terraces, metallic oxidation, and lack of drainage surrounding the tower. It also ensured compliance with fire regulations in the new tower.
Bucaramanga International Airport
Bucaramanga, Colombia
Service: Preliminary Design and Detailed Design
Client: Aeropuertos de Oriente
Period: 2014 – 2015
GPO developed the Preliminary Design and the Detailed Design for the extension of the Palonegro International Airport in Colombia. The purpose of the contract is the extension of the terminal, including the buildings corresponding to the new fire department and the new cargo terminal, the expansion of the regular and non-regular aviation corridor, the access designs, and the urbanization of the station for the transfer of fuels.
Reus Airport Control Tower
Tarragona, Spain
Service: Detailed Design and Construction Supervision
Client: Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA)
Period: 1997 – 1998
This airport control tower is part of the Reus’ military afirfield facility. The existing tower required many repairs and improvements. In response, GPO proposed the demolition of the existing landing light and the construction of a replacement. This is a challenging intervention because it prevents the airport control tower from being used during the four months of construction. The new tower is designed as a hexagon with 15-foot sides.
El Dorado Airport Hangar
Bogotá, Colombia
Service: Detailed Design
Client: OPAIN
Period: 2015 – 2017
GPO as part of the consortium with CEMOSA developed the Detailed Design for the construction of a hangar for the civil aeronautics OPAIN of the El Dorado International Airport.
The building consists of a rectangular building of 50 by 32 meters, which contains the hangar area on one floor and the administrative area consisting of a basement, first and second floors.
The hangar volume consists of a single floor of 1,300 m2 and is intended only to house aircraft. It has a clear height of 11.60 m at its highest point and 8 m at the side edges.
The office building with a rectangular floor plan of 32 by 8.50 meters consists of three levels: the basement corresponding to level -3.61; the first floor at level 0.00; and the second floor at level +4.05.
Mega Yatch Harbor in the Vilanova Port
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Preliminary Design and Detailed Design
Client: Club Nàutic Vilanova
Period: 2004 – 2005
GPO developed the Preliminary and Detailed Designs for the mega yatch harbor in the Port of Vilanova i la Geltru.
The works covered the creation of a harbor for mega yachts up to 50 m with space for 94 boats, aimed at their hibernation. The construction of the new infrastructure forced the relocation of small crafts, so 4 new docks were designed with space for 300 boats of 7 m in length.
With the aim of providing the harbor with maintenance facilities which became a reference for other Mediterranean ports, an esplanade over 30.000 m2 and two large travel lifts up to 800 tons were designed. The dock area was completed with two large workshops.
A dry dock and a sailing school completed the regeneration of an unused area in the existing port.
Rehabilitation San Sebastian Breakwaters
San Sebastian, Spain
Service: Detailed Design
Client: Basque Government
Period: 2018
The noses of the breakwaters of the Port have been monitored topographically since 2011 to evaluate the progress of the damages until then detected, mainly cracks on the pavements and undercuts on the base of the docks.
The scope of the project included the rehabilitation of both noses, placing 73 concrete piles of 85 cm of diameter in front of the noses, the dredging of the mouth, and the placing of protection blocks at the bed of the mouth. The blocks weighted 500kg when placed in a single layer, and 200kg when placed in a doubled layer.
Várzea Paulista Urban Mobility Plan
São Paulo, Brazil
Service: Mobility Plan
Client: Várzea Paulista Municipal Council
Period: 2012
Elaboration of the urban mobility plan for Várzea Paulista, including the study of mobility of the city, study of occupation in mass transportation, transpositions, bicycle lane, road hierarchy and concluding with strategic and structural actions in the medium and long term.
Campinas Transportation Network
São Paulo, Brazil
Service: Functional Study, Feasibility Study and Analysis of Alternatives
Client:Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos – CPTM
Period: 2013 – 2015
Technical feasibility studies were carried out for the implementation of a railway network in the metropolitan region of Campinas. The functional study for the Campinas – Jundiaí regional train connection was also developed, which included regional characterization studies, mobility studies, urban planning, demand and supply studies. More specifically, transport models and simulations were carried out with EMME, environmental assessment, analysis of physical, operational and technological alternatives, systems studies, and technology recommendations.
La Sagrera Intermodal Station
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Feasibility Study, Preliminary Design, Detailed Design and Construction Supervision
Client: Barcelona Sagrera Alta Velocidad, S.A. (BSAVE) and ADIF – Spanish Railway Administrator
Period: 2005 – 2015
La Sagrera intermodal station is the biggest in Spain for international routes and the second for national routes with over 90 million passengers a year. The station is a gateway for European high-speed trains. The scope of works, on a 162 hectares surface, includes the covering of the rail yard, the creation of over 48 Ha for parks and green areas, 1,720,000 m2 for building height and 266,000 m2 for a railway station. GPO has taken part in the inception and design of the Sagrera Station and its high-speed rail access points in the north of Barcelona.
Nairobi Commuter Network
Nairobi, Kenya
Service: Railway Master Plan
Client: Kenya Railways
Period: 2017 – Ongoing
GPO developed the Commuter Rail Master Plan for the Nairobi Metropolitan Region. The project has the objective of carrying out a modernization and expansion of under-utilized railway transport infrastructure facilities within Nairobi in order to attract passenger traffic from the roads and, therefore, reduce congestion and create an efficient and affordable mass rapid transit transport system for the city. It will integrate rail transport with other modes of transport, such as road and air transport.
The new Commuter system will have the capacity to handle 60 million passengers annually, compared to the current 5 million passengers. It will provide modern stations, a renovated rolling stock fleet, upgraded tracks and signaling systems. Trains will have higher speed, safety, comfort and reliability. New stations such as Pipeline, Umoja, Githurai and Donholm will be constructed.
Cadiz bay Tram-Train
Cádiz, Spain
Service: Commissioning, Precommissioning and Operation
Client: Agencia de Obra Pública de la Junta de Andalucía (AOPJA)
Period: 2015 – 2017
GPO was awarded in consortium with Metropolitano de Tenerife with the commissioning, precommissioning and operation services for the Tram-Train that runs from Chiclana to San Fernando in the Cadiz bay, Spain. The contract includes the services for the comprehensive development of the dynamic testing phase, the training of future drivers, operators and sales agents, as well as the required regulations and certifications for the commissioning of the new railway system. The new railway line is 14 km long, it has 16 stops, and runs from Chiclana de la Frontera to San Fernando. Additionally, there is an 11 km section which travels on the current conventional line (RFIG), and stops at the 5 current stations which drive to capital Cadiz. The circulation speed is set around 30 km/h.
Málaga Metro
Málaga, Spain
Service: Commissioning
Client: Metro de Málaga, S.A
Period: 2012 – 2014
Málaga Metro is an infrastructure under concession, promoted by Ferrocarriles de la Junta de Andalucía (Railroads of the Andalusian Regional Government) and managed by the concessionaire Metro de Málaga. In July 2014, the two first lines were opened, which account for 81% of the planned network, with a total length of 12 km and 17 stations – stops, and an investment of over 600 million euros. Upon completion of the whole network, scheduled by 2017, Málaga metro will be 14.8 km long, will have 23 stations and will cater to 20.7 million passengers per year.
GPO was the company selected to support the concessionaire throughout the commissioning of the line, designed as light metro. Our services have encompassed aspects as diverse as inspection and handover of rolling stock, empty running tests, training of engine drivers and future trainers, start-up of control center and training of their operators, design of protocols and Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) and maintenance documents, and depot management.
Barcelona Metro L9
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Detailed Design, Project Monitoring and Health and Safety Coordination
Client: Infraestructures de la Generalitat de Catalunya,
S.A.U. (Icat)
Period: 2008 – 2015
Line 9 of the Barcelona Metro, 47,8 km long, is the longest metro line in Europe and it connects Barcelona with the municipalities of Santa Coloma de Gramanet, Badalona, Hospitalet de Llobregat and Prat de Llobregat. The line has 52 stations, 20 of which are intermodal, and it connects with other railway systems such as commuter lines, high speed lines, other metro lines and the tram.
GPO has taken part in many projects of the Barcelona Metro Line 9, among which there are Detailed Designs for stations and maintenance facilities, the Project Monitoring for the design of 13 stations in segments I and IIa, and the Health and Safety Coordination of the Airport – Parc Logistic segment.
Marmaray Project
Istanbul, Turkey
Service: Preliminary Design and Detailed Design
Client: Eptisa Servicios de Ingeniería, S.A.
Period: 2012 – 2017
Marmaray is a high-speed and commuter rail project in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The line has an approximate length of 78 km, it consists of 42 passenger stations, 3 workshops, and 6 traction substations. GPO took part in the preliminary and detailed design phases. The scope includes the design of six traction substations and a temporary substation for the partial opening of the tunnel. This design comprises both the substation equipment and civil works and the electromechanical facilities of the building, including the interface management with the other systems, and the connection with the catenary and energy supplier. The scope also includes the drafting of the technical specifications for the workshop equipment and line maintenance vehicles. It includes the support to the client during the procurement of the equipment and the management of the interfaces with the civil works of the workshops and the electromechanical facilities.
Signaling and Electrification Systems
Spain
Service: Independent Safety Assessment (ISA)
Client: ADIF – Spanish Railway Administrator
Period: 2017 – 2019
ADIF is the public entity responsible for the construction and operation management of Spanish railway lines. In December 2015, it was managing 15,384 kilometers of railways and 1,903 stations, 41 of them were high speed. The conventional network has a length of 11,471 km of Iberian gauge tracks, with a maximum speed of 200 km/h.
GPO was awarded with the Independent Safety Assessment for the upgrading of signaling and electrification systems for ADIF. Specific reports on the established processes in each phase are issued for each of the projects to be assessed. Subsequently, a safety assessment report is prepared for each of the subsystems to be included in the safety dossier, as well as a non-regression independent evaluation report of the modifications.
High Speed Rail Line Madrid – Barcelona – French Border
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Construction Supervision
Client: Gestor de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (GIF)
Period: 2005 – 2011
HSR Line Madrid – Barcelona – French Border, 804 km long, is one of the main transportation axes connecting Spain and Europe. Five years after the beginning of its operation, the line has been used by more than 27 million of passengers, 16 million of which correspond to Barcelona – Madrid connections. GPO provided Construction Supervision services for the high speed railway segment Sant Joan Despí – Sant Boi de Llobregat in the Delta del Llobregat area. It has a composite bridge, which goes over the transportation infrastructures in the area of Sant Boi de Llobregat, and a cut and cover tunnel which runs through the agricultural environmentally protected area of the Delta del Llobregat Agricultural Park.
Madrid – Galicia High Speed Railway Line
Requejo, Spain
Service: Construction Supervision
Client: Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF)
Period: 2012 – 2019
The high speed corridor between Madrid and Galicia is a high capacity infrastructure that allows access to the northwestern quadrant of the peninsula from Madrid, in a competitive time compared to the plane. This new axis replaces the existing non-electrified single-track railway line with an electrified double-track with a maximum speed of 350 km/h. Thanks to this new infrastructure, travel times are reduced by two-thirds, and travelers can reach Santiago de Compostela from Madrid in two hours and a half, instead of the seven hours and a half it used to take.
This project comprises the construction of the right railway track from Requejo till Padornelo Tunnel. It consists of a single-track corridor, 4130 m long. After the Requejo Tunnel, there is the Pedregales Viaduct, 880 m long.
Vitoria – Bilbao – San Sebastián H.S. Railway Line
Vizcaya, Spain
Service: Detailed Design
Client: Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF)
Period: 2010 – 2012
The segment has a total length of 3 km and it goes through the municipality of Elorrio (Bizkaia province) from West to East, one km away from the urban nucleus. The segment will link the three province capitals of the Basque Country. Therefore, 5 railway axes, 2 single-track platforms which become one double-track platform in the middle and 2 single-track platforms again in the last 200 m are designed for the 3 km segment. The design takes into account a very complicated orography, the severe slopes forced the design of 5 viaducts, some of them 500 m long and 75 m high (Zumelegui viaduct).
Ipiranga Monorail Station
São Paulo, Brazil
Service: BIM Detailed Design
Client: Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo – METRÔ
Period: 2014 – 2018
For better user comfort, a 2.1 km extension was proposed to the Ipiranga Station on the Line 15 of the monorail system next to the Ipiranga Station on Line 10 of the CPTM for an integration between Line 15 and Line 10, making Metro monorail Line 15 a total of 26.6 km. The project contracted out to GPO Sistran, Brazilian subsidiary of GPO Group, consisted of the development of the Preliminary Design and Detailed Design through BIM for the Ipiranga Station on Line 15 of the monorail system of Metro.
The new Ipiranga Station of the São Paulo Metro has a total built surface area of 16,000 m² and an altitude of 30 m. It is distributed into 5 floors including technical rooms, a boarding and deboarding platform and an intermediate level for user connection. The Preliminary Design was recognised with the BIM 1st Prize granted by the Brazilian Public Administration to Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo – METRÔ for the use of such an innovative design technology.
LaGuardia Airport
New York, USA
Service: Transportation Planning, Traffic Engineering, Outreach and Agency Coordination
Client: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Period: 2016 – Ongoing
Sam Schwartz Consulting, North American subsidiary of GPO Group, is supporting The Port Authority of NY & NJ (PANYNJ) in its efforts to ensure that the airport landside transportation network remains functioning and resilient during the redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport. The airport remains fully operational during the extensive, $8B capital redevelopment program, which includes a new Central Terminal Building and upgrades to other facilities throughout the airport. To assist PANYNJ, Sam Schwartz assembled an interdisciplinary team of traffic engineers, urban planners, and urban designers to anticipate the impacts of construction to the transportation network; propose plans and mitigations to improve travel to and from the airport; assist in monitoring the airport during high-volume travel days; study and develop recommendations for landside operations; and assist in planning and executing customer experience improvements. The firm’s deep understanding of traffic engineering, coupled with expertise in strategic problem solving and experience with outreach for large-scale infrastructure projects, allows for adaptive responses to changing client needs.
Second Avenue Subway in New York
New York, USA
Service: Community Outreach, Permitting Services, Maintenance and Protection of Traffic
Client: Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Period: 2006 – Ongoing
Sam Schwartz, North American subsidiary of GPO Group leading the transportation planning and traffic engineering markets, has provided for this project community outreach, permitting, maintenance and protection of traffic (MPT), inspection and design, and traffic engineering services.
The Second Avenue Subway has resulted in a 4,000 million $ investment and it runs a 2.4 km stretch including three new stations: 72 St, 86 St and 96 St of the Q train. The extension is expected to provide service to approximately 200,000 daily riders on an average weekday, and it will decrease crowding in lines 4, 5 and 6, which run parallel through Lexington Avenue, by as much as 13%. The original project considered a second phase which would reach Harlem, planned for the future.
Chicago Bike Sharing System
Chicago, USA
Service: Transportation Planning
Client: Chicago Department of Transportation
Period: 2012 – Ongoing
Sam Schwartz, North American subsidiary of GPO Group, was retained by the City of Chicago’s Department of Transportation to plan and design the city’s bike sharing system. The planning process began with an analysis of the ideal service area and station densities, based on neighborhood characteristics. Individual station locations were selected based on criteria including safety factors, connectivity to transit, user experience, system operation, funding availability, advertisement value, and impact on pedestrian mobility, among others. The Divvy bikeshare program launched in 2013 with 300 stations and 3,000 bikes.
Guarujá Mobility Plan
São Paulo, Brazil
Service: Master Plan for Urban and Transportation Mobility
Client: Prefeitura do Município de Guarujá
Period: 2015 – 2016
Preparation of an Urban Mobility and Transportation Plan for Guarujá, a municipality with 290,000 inhabitants of the Metropolitan Region of Baixada Santista. The project includes transportation research through Big Data and CDR (Call Detail Records), simulation of mathematical networks and transportation models, diagnosis, forecasting, proposals and structuring of the Mobility Plan.
Sorocaba BRT System
São Paulo, Brazil
Service: Construction Certification Company (design, construction and operation phases)
Client: URBES
Period: 2018
GPO Sistran, Brazilian subsidiary of GPO Group, was awarded with the contract to work as a Construction Certification Company for the new BRT system for Sorocaba in São Paulo, Brazil. The local government of Sorocaba, through the municipal public transportation and traffic company URBES, awarded the construction, operation and maintenance of the new BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) for the city of Sorocaba. The BRT system will count with three new exclusive BRT lines, over 16 km long, three new terminal stations, four intermodal stations, a new garage, 26 km of bus exclusive lanes for other lines, and 28 new BRT stations.
Papal Visit 2015
Philadelphia, USA
Service: Traffic Control, Travel Demand Reduction, Strategies Pedestrian, Emergency/Incident Management Plan Mitigations, Communications
Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT)
Period: 2015
Sam Schwartz, North American subsidiary of GPO Group, provided a high level assessment of the various operations plans for the September 2015 visit of Pope Francis in Philadelphia for the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The New Jersey Operation Plan identified and focused on strategies to relieve and minimize the impacts within New Jersey. SSC worked on improvements to road, ramp, and highways closures, transit and vehicular routing plans, and dynamic sign plans for the state’s highways. It also assisted the Department in developing a media strategy.
AP-7 Highway Extension
Gerona, Spain
Service: Health and Safety Coordination
Client: AUTOPISTAS, Concesionaria Española, S.A.
(ACESA)
Period: 2010 – 2014
The project consisted of the extension of a third and fourth lane along the AP-7 toll highway near Girona. The construction was carried out by widening both the outside and inside of the roadways. All the extensions were carried out with the highway in service and with considerable earthworks in clearing and embankment. The work includes drainage works, bridges and channels, overpasses and underpasses, and the enlargement of three major viaducts: the viaduct over the River Ter, the viaduct over the River Xunclà and the viaduct over the River Guilana.
‘Rodovia dos Calçados’ Road in Brazil
São Paulo, Brazil
Service: Due Diligence
Client: ARTERIS / BNDES Concessionaire
Period: Ongoing
GPO was awarded with the Due Diligence of the ARTERIS proposal for the “Rodovia dos Calçados” concession requested by the BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development), including traffic studies, cost reviews, construction supervision and environmental impact assessments. The project aim is to provide two studies: Preliminar Study and Detailed Design.
Campinas Metropolitan Corridor
São Paulo, Brazil
Service: Project Management, Construction Supervision and Environmental Impact Assessment
Client: Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos – EMTU
Period: 2016
The Northwest Corridor is a strategic project of the Government of the State of São Paulo, led by Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos – EMTU, with the purpose of providing the municipalities of Santa Barbara d’Oeste, Americana and Nova Odessa (members of the Metropolitan Region of Campinas) with a collective transportation solution to meet metropolitan demands for public transportation. This solution is based on the implementation of an integrated network of metropolitan and municipal lines, exclusively for the circulation of buses.
Bracons Tunnel
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Detailed Design, Construction Supervision and Health and Safety Coordination
Client: GISA – Infrastructure Administration of Catalonia
Period: 2004 – 2009
GPO provided construction supervision services for a 16.5 km long segment between Torelló and Olot. The alignment was designed to minimize environmental impact and to integrate the road into the landscape. This new section was designed as a conventional two-lane road, with one lane for each direction, and access control to the surrounding properties. The most significant part of this project was the Bracons Tunnel, a 4.6 km long, two lane tunnel. The project included four other tunnels between 90 and 520 m. All tunnels, including Bracons, were constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling Method. The structures along this segment included: two cut and cover tunnels and three viaducts, the longest called Les Salines.
A-11 Highway in Valladolid
Valladolid, Spain
Service: Detailed Design
Client: Spanish Ministry of Public Works
Period: 2008 – 2016
GPO developed the Detailed Design for Duero’s Highway A-11, between Quintanilla de Arriba (Valladolid) and the Burgos border. This 28 km segment contains a four-lane cross-section, with two lanes for each direction. It is designed for speeds of 120 km/h. The project includes 3 interchanges to provide connections to the local road network. The first 3 km of the segment follows the alignment of the existing N-122 road. The remainder of the segment follows a new corridor. The project contains 39 structures including four viaducts, the longest being 460 m long.
Barcelona Airport Flight Field Expansion
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Construction Supervision
Client: Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA)
Period: 2002 – 2007
The consortium in which GPO took part was awarded by AENA (the public company that operates the Spanish airports) for the Supervision of Construction of the airfield’s expansion. The project included the construction of a new 2.660 m long and 75 m wide runway (07R-25 L), the 550 m expansion of an existing runway (07L-25R), which was also widened 15 m, as well as the construction of all the connecting lanes between the new terminal and the runways. One of the main challenges of the project was that all the construction works had to be done while the airport was operating at full capacity, which is why the works needed to be planned and executed so that they did not interfere with aerial operations. Another challenge of the project was the location of the airport, placed on the delta of Llobregat River, formed by compressible materials and with a water table level very close to the surface. This fact required to use a large preload to ensure minimal settlement of the terrain in 25 cm and prevent future deformations, once the pavement was completed.
Barcelona South Breakwater
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Detailed Design
Client: Autoritat Portuària de Barcelona
Period: 1999 – 2000
GPO was awarded by the Port Authority of Barcelona with the Detailed Design of the new Southern Breakwater. The new infrastructure is 4,794 m long and it is divided into three segments: the first segment is perpendicular to the shore with a short straight alignment and a curve (2,000 m long). The second segment is parallel to the shore (2,100 m long) and it has a fully straight alignment. Finally, the third segment has also a straight alignment of 694 m to get to the port entrance. Along the project, it was necessary to carry out the analysis for the configuration of the port’s entrance, the maneuverability analysis for vessels up to 400 m in length, internal agitation studies and bidimensional scale models.
Alcudiamar Port Extension
Mallorca, Spain
Service: Detailed Design
Client: Alcudiamar, S.L.
Period: 2017
The Detailed Design developed the following actions aimed at the renewal for 12 years of the concession of Alcudiamar:
- Design of the new dry dock with a surface of 12.000 m2 which can accommodate 50 m length ships.
- Urban layout of the port area which encloses the longitudinal pedestrian promenade, the principal square and all docks.
- Construction of the new bar, the new gas station, a technologic building, various enclosures with pergolas, and the storerooms for the boats.
Inspection of Balearic Islands Ports
Balearic Islands, Spain
Service: Hydraulic Study
Client: Port Authority of the Balearic Islands
Period: 2016
The project aimed to evaluate the preservation of the docks managed by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands in the Ports of Palma, Alcudia, Maó, Ibiza and La Savina, as well as updating the bathymetry under the docks, basins and maneuvering areas. A total of 15,310 linear meters of docks have been inspected and bathymetries have been carried out in an area of 532 Ha. After the field surveys, a level of representative service of the preservation was assigned for each one of the analyzed docks. A diagnosis of the state and causes of its deterioration were established in order to carry out the necessary repairs of the damaged docks. Service indexes were established for each dock and global ones for each port in order to prioritize actions and have an overview of their preservation state.
Intermodal Terminal Barcelona Port
Barcelona, Spain
Service: Demand Analysis, Traffic Study and Preliminary Design
Client: Autoritat Portuària de Barcelona
Period: 2009 – 2010
The Port Authority of Barcelona awarded GPO with the preliminary design for the Intermodal Terminal of Barcelona’s Port. The terminal is expected to improve the rail-truck connectivity. The solution designed by GPO optimized the capacity of the future facility according to the existing constrains. The selected alternative has 2 terminals for loading/unloading and 2 terminals for shipping/receiving with a total capacity of 865,000 TEUs/year (1,332,000 with automated storage system). The access to the terminals was designed through the rail loop that connects with the general network.
Railway connection São Paulo – Santos
São Paulo, Brazil
Service: Feasibility Study and Analysis of Alternatives
Client: Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos – CPTM
Period: 2011 – 2013
Study of layout, technical, operational and environmental feasibility, urban insertion and functional project of railway infrastructure in double track, with an extension of 58 kilometers and a maximum speed of 160 km/h. São Carlos, Santos, San Vicente and ABC terminals project.
Granollers Ring Road Covering
Granollers, Spain
Service: Detailed Design
Client: GISA – Infrastructure Administration of Catalonia
Period: 2003 – 2005
GPO was awarded with the detailed design for a 717 m segment of the Granollers bypass. The objective of the project was to prevent long vehicles from circulating on the surface of urban areas.
Since the new road crossed under two roundabouts in the road N-152a and under the Francesc Marcia roundabout, the design included bypasses which linked both roundabouts on surface with the underground segment. Three longitudinal structural solutions were defined to adapt the project to the geometry of the underground road, the surface lanes and the existing infrastructures.