VAG Transportation Engineering Consultants, PSC

VAG Transportation Engineering Consultants, PSC, is an engineering firm established in Puerto Rico in 2010. Our purpose is to provide traffic and transportation engineering consulting services. At the time, we felt there was a void in the local market and an opportunity for a firm willing to provide high-quality and reliable services in this field.

Initially, our projects consisted almost exclusively of performing traffic engineering studies for new developments. We subcontracted the collection of traffic data, as we felt this deviated from our main line of work. Eventually we began collecting our own traffic data, and soon we started collecting traffic data for other entities as a service. In time, the collection of traffic data became a substantial part of our business. We have incorporated new services and clients through the years. In 2018, we signed our first two contracts with the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority (PRHTA). We have developed a solid working relationship with the agency and look forward to other opportunities in the future.

Originally, our offices were in Hato Rey in a 144 square feet room. In 2014, we acquired 570 square feet of office space in Santurce, five minutes away from the Roberto Sánchez Vilella (Minillas) Government Center. As our firm continues to grow, in 2020 we purchased an additional 1,153 square feet of office space in the same building. Therefore, we currently own a total of 1,723 square feet of office space in two locales.

​

In the last decade, our uncompromising dedication and commitment to quality have made us the consultant of choice of several developers, architects, engineers, and real estate owners. With over 45 years of combined experience, our principals are registered professional engineers with proven track records in the field. We have successfully completed numerous professional services contracts for both private and public entities, including three (3) projects for the PRHTA (AC-301133, AC-821541 and AC-824541). Dr. Vanessa Amado, our president, has managed several PRHTA design projects both with our firm and as an employee of other local engineering firms. She has a thorough understanding of the agency’s policies, standards and procedures. We have a solid professional relationship with some of the PRHTA’s project managers and other members of the agency’s staff.

Our firm participated as a sub-consultant in the project “Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) for the San Juan Metropolitan Area,” Puerto Rico’s largest ITS project to date. As part of this effort, we played a vital role in the development and implementation of the Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Program, worked in the stakeholder engagement process, and developed the Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) Business Plan.

​

Our firm has performed several complex traffic engineering studies for projects such as the Science City in Río Piedras, the Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Juan’s Paseo Lineal, Development of Congestion Managed Lanes Dynamic Toll Operation from Caguas to San Juan PR-52/PR-18/PR-30 (AC-800489), Connector PR-158 in Cayey (AC-015801), Geometrical Improvements to PR-2 in Peñuelas (AC-000265), DTL Expansion and Geometric Improvements PR-22 Eastbound and Westbound, and the Feasibility Study for Improvements to PR-3 from Río Grande to Fajardo (AC-301133). We have also completed over 100 traffic impact studies for private developments around the island, including hospitals, hotels, vertical and detached housing, retail centers, and mixed-use developments, among others. Most of these studies have been evaluated and approved by the PRHTA.

Our traffic engineers have extensive experience conducting traffic flow modeling and analysis. We analyze roadway capacity, level of service (LOS), delay, queue length, and other measures of effectiveness (MOE) that define the performance of roads, highways and intersections in both rural and urban areas (including freeways). We use the methodology of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM2000). We are able to model facilities using the software capabilities of the Highway Capacity Software (HCS), TSIS-CORSIM, Synchro and Sidra.

As part of our services, we provide solutions for our clients’ traffic signal needs to ensure effective operation, whether as standalone intersections or in coordination as part of complex networks. Our team has designed over 20 traffic signal systems (TSS) for private and government entities across Puerto Rico, either as new systems or upgrades to existing systems. We are familiar and frequently work with PRHTA’s TSS design standards and specifications, including Special Provision to Standard Specification 654.

​

Since 2014, our firm has assembled a strong traffic data collection and analysis department. We have successfully collected automatic traffic counts at over 1,000 locations throughout Puerto Rico’s roadway network for both private and public entities, including PRHTA and Metropistas, for compliance with both the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) and the Surface Transportation Program (STP). We have ample experience conducting 48-hour, 72-hour, 7-day and permanent (30-day) automatic traffic counts. In the past six years, we are likely the entity that has collected the most traffic data in Puerto Rico.

In terms of turning movement counts, we are currently the only entity in Puerto Rico that records videos of intersections and road segments in order to have the counts processed remotely. We can process over 100 hours of video daily. Videos can be recorded for up to 100 consecutive hours. Turnaround for turning movement counts is usually 72 hours from the day the videos are recorded. Traffic counts from these videos are guaranteed to be over 97% accurate and are classified into four categories: light vehicles, heavy vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. The videos are stored in our servers for a period of one (1) year and are available for inspection by the client upon request.

​

We analyze traffic-generated data from different perspectives to obtain useful information, generate suitable models, and provide accurate data summaries. We generate working databases and review traffic data for completeness and accuracy. We conduct the necessary surveys, and analyze and provide summaries of major findings.

​

We are a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) certified by the PRHTA’s Civil Rights Office. All work contracted to our firm qualifies as being 100% performed by a small, woman-owned, disadvantaged business concern.