Using Data and Public Outreach to Achieve Positive Outcomes in Transportation
View recorded webinar on YouTube
Kittelson and Associates, Inc. is a national consultant in transportation planning, engineering, and research. Tampa staff – Jake Mirabella, Jennifer Musselman, and Franco Saraceno – will present exciting projects they have conducted on both Florida coasts. Two years ago, the City of Tampa embarked on a mission to change the way it identifies and prioritizes projects that equitably respond to community needs and helps the city achieve its vision for the future. Driven by Mayor Jane Castor’s Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow Initiative, the city worked with the community to identify a set of guiding principles that will guide their transportation decisions moving forward. Jennifer will show how Kittelson is helping the city combine input from stakeholders and the community along with data to shape recommendations in the Citywide Mobility and Vision Zero Action Plan. The second project to be presented by Kittelson staff was accomplished for the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW). The DTPW recently completed the planning for a massive overhaul of the county’s fixed route bus system, making it accessible to more people, with more efficient operations. Kittelson & Associates was retained by DTPW to help carry the project across the finish line for final adoption by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Franco will show how Kittelson led extensive public, stakeholder outreach, and Title VI analysis, while also using ArcGIS StoryMap to disseminate large amounts of data to the public and communities affected by the system changes to help prepare final network recommendations for the BOCC public hearing.
Jennifer Musselman holds a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Virginia. She has participated in a variety of transportation planning and engineering projects throughout Florida, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Jennifer has a passion for combining data analytics with public input to solve complex multimodal problems. She has contributed to several corridor planning studies through stakeholder involvement, identification of corridor needs and opportunities, and operational analysis. Most recently, Jennifer has been working with the Florida Department of Transportation to implement their Complete Streets policy locally and at the statewide level. Her experience also includes transit planning, intersection operations, transit signal priority (TSP), and traffic impact analysis. Outside of work, Jennifer is an active member of WTS Tampa and enjoys exploring the local farmers markets around Tampa Bay.
For most of his 20-year career as a city and regional planner, Franco has focused on creative technical and collaborative strategies in corridor and system planning studies. His fundamental belief is that planning, as both art and science, requires a certain creativity to fully understand and identify appropriate practical solutions. It also requires a technical rigor that can reliably inform and support those findings. Franco’s areas of specific expertise include: metropolitan planning organization short- and long-range system planning; Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) regional, freight and multimodal corridor studies; and innovative public and stakeholder engagement techniques. One example in his innovative portfolio is his pioneering work using multimodal accessibility as the technical framework for long-range transportation plan updates. Franco leads an active lifestyle as a runner, cyclist, and dad, all of which contribute to a strong personal experience of multimodalism that both informs and inspires his professional work as a planner.
Jake Mirabella is a senior engineer and experienced project manager in transportation engineering, planning, and traffic operations. He holds his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from the University of South Florida and is a licensed professional engineer in Florida. Jake enjoys the challenges that come with each unique transportation study and the opportunity to contribute to planning, building, and maintaining an efficient and safe transportation system that is equitable for all users. Jake’s project experience includes transportation impact studies, pedestrian and bike safety research, interchange access requests, warrant studies, traffic calming and safety evaluations, and parking analyses throughout Florida and California. Outside of work, Jake enjoys board games and exploring Florida with his wife and two young kids.
