Transdyn's Role in Devil's Slide Bypass Approaches Fruition

By Nicole Zaro Stahl, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

If they have lived here any length of time, most Bay Area residents know about Devil's Slide, the geologically unstable coastal stretch of Highway 1 south of Pacifica that periodically fails during the winter rains.

The long-awaited remedy to this seasonal obstacle is a scheme of two 4,200 foot long tunnels and a bridge to re-route that section of highway a few miles inland. After decades of planning, the bypass is finally approaching completion. Unexpected site conditions delayed the opening until the end of 2012, instead of the beginning, but one Hacienda tenant will be putting the final touches on its portion of the project shortly.

Transdyn, a systems integrator of "control, communication, information management, and security/surveillance systems," has been part of the Caltrans Devil's Slide contracting team since 2008. It has been involved during construction and will continue as the tunnels and bridge become operational. "Along with the electrical contractors, we are now preparing to deploy the traffic management and tunnel control system," says Jim Montgomery, Transdyn's Western Region Business Development Manager. "We're scheduled to have a factory test of our tunnel and traffic control system and technology in January, and then it will be deployed to the field for installation and commissioning."

The company's expertise in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) is reflected in the multiple functions its slice of the project encompasses: managing traffic in the tunnel through the use of lane control signs; deploying messages to electronic signs with information about various traffic conditions; and ensuring all lighting, emergency phones, water remediation, and ventilation systems work properly. "We assembled the necessary hardware components such as servers, workstations, network infrastructure, roadside signs, cameras, and traffic detection equipment," Montgomery relates. "Operation is integrated through our software, DYNAC, a state-of-the-art, open source-based product, which we use in all our ITS projects. We are able to customize and tailor the software to suit each client's needs, adding modules to deal with system requirements, in order to manage mission-critical systems efficiently and cost effectively."

Other local projects include Bay Bridge improvements and the Presidio Parkway upgrade. Further afield, Transdyn is working on intelligent traffic systems for two major motorways in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, among other contracts.

Transdyn's U.S. projects represent just a fraction of the infrastructure work taking place across the country. It might come as a surprise, but Montgomery reports that "our industry has continued to remain healthy, viable, and strong." He attributes that vitality to the continued government focus on infrastructure investment. "It's important not to allow infrastructure to suffer and deteriorate to the condition where it would be beyond repair. In the long term, that would be a disaster. Not all infrastructure can be simultaneously repaired or updated, but the good news is that the effort is being made to improve and maintain the country's infrastructure as best as possible."

Transdyn's Hacienda office formerly served as corporate headquarters, but the recent retirement of its president prompted its move to Duluth, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta. Transdyn's parent, Powell Industries, is headquartered in Houston, Texas. The Pleasanton facility has approximately 50 employees. The company also has regional offices in East Rutherford, N.J., and Chantilly, Va., near Washington, D.C.

For more information, visit www.transdyn.com.

Photo: Transdyn's Jim Montgomery with some of the equipment that will manage Devil's Slide.

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