Over his 28-year career, seasoned engineer Angel Chavarria has shifted his focus from roadways and bridges to his true calling: transit projects.
Here, his passion for energy transition translates into designing electric transit facilities with zero emissions, leading to cleaner air, reduced greenhouse gases and quieter communities. This is exemplified by Angel’s work on the all-electric South Dade Transit Operations Center, which improves Miami's transit accessibility and quality of life for this busy city’s residents.
Describe the responsibilities of your position and your background/experience.
I am the alternative delivery project director for WSP’s Southeast region, and I work for the transportation national business line. My background, as the title alluded to, is in alternative delivery projects, with a specialty in design-build and focusing mostly on transit and transportation projects.
Throughout my career I have been interested in learning as much as I could about engineering, and I was fortunate to try different disciplines within the transportation field. I began with roadways and bridges and then I stumbled upon transit. I really developed a liking for it, and I expanded my involvement in transit projects. With my experience came additional responsibility and the opportunity to work on some very significant projects over the past 15-20 years.
What inspires or motivates you in your career?
I feel that many people enter engineering to help others. A lot of people benefit from the projects that we do and what motivates me is seeing these projects actually built. Often in our field, people work on the planning or design of the project, which might be where their participation ends. The exciting thing about design-build delivery is that we are involved with the project all the way through construction. We experience the benefits of what we’ve created and built being brought to the community. It’s very rewarding from that standpoint.
What's the biggest challenge in your field that you're working to help resolve right now?
I would say that it’s not a technical one, but one that concerns the delivery process. There can be a lot of politics involved with some projects and they are often delayed or put on a shelf. But once they are out for bid, the biggest challenge is making sure the project stays on schedule. From an agency or owner standpoint, when projects are deferred, that can significantly increase project costs. Supply chain issues and maintaining the project schedule are the biggest challenges in our field right now.
What are some impactful projects that you've been a part of?
An impactful project for me earlier in my career was the design and construction of a section of the 25-kilometer elevated rail transit system in Panama City, Panama. Before this project was built, the average commute time was three to four hours each way. After we built the transit line, their commute time was reduced to 45 minutes to an hour each way. It was a big improvement in the quality of life for passengers and people benefited immediately. It was pretty neat to see.
My current project, the new South Dade Transit Operation Center in Miami-Dade County, Florida, is exciting and impactful. This new facility is central to the electrification of the Metrobus fleet and key to the County’s climate action strategy. The county is growing quickly, and the facility will house, maintain and operate 100 new 60-foot articulated battery-electric buses to serve the community’s needs.
