USI, A Registered SPSF with the NCDOT

USI is a registered small professional services firm (SPSF) with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).  We are currently working with the NCDOT through an On-Call Agreement to provide engineering services for improvements to the Tryon Road and Regency Parkway Intersection in the Town of Cary.  The project also involves improvements to the Highway 64 on-ramp to Highway 1.

USI is always on the lookout to partner with other engineering firms on NCDOT projects as an SPSF.  We are currently prequalified in the following areas:

• 00070            Erosion & Sediment Control Design---Roadside Environmental – Soil & Water Engineering Section
• 00097            Guide Sign Design- Conventional Roads---Transportation Mobility and Safety Division
• 00132            Landscape & Streetscape Design---Bicycle & Pedestrian
• 00150            Pavement Condition Surveys---Pavement Management
• 00155            Pavement Marking Plans---Transportation Mobility and Safety Division
• 00173            Public Water Distribution Systems---Utilities
• 00174            Public Water Transmissions Systems---Utilities
• 00195            Roadway Construction Engineering & Inspection---Construction Services
• 00201            Rural Roadway Design---Preconstruction
• 00203            Sanitary Sewer Collection Systems---Utilities
• 00204            Sanitary Sewer Outfall Systems---Utilities
• 00231            Stream Restoration/Mitigation Monitoring---Roadside Environmental - Soil & Water Engineering Section
• 00269            Urban Roadway Design---Preconstruction
• 00316            Multi-Use Trail Design, Survey & Layout---Bicycle & Pedestrian
• 00338            Building Site Design---General Services Division
• 00405            Quality Assurance for High Speed Data Collection---Pavement Management
• 00467            Low Impact Division Managed Roadway Design---Preconstruction 

If your company is interested in teaming with USI on any NCDOT projects, please contact either Bob Wilson, PE at (704) 342-3007 or John Fersner, PE at (336) 272-3402.  We look forward to working with you.

Project Feature: Belmont Revitalization - A Century's Worth of Changes

The Belmont community was built during the turn of the century and was the setting for homes and businesses that sustained the livelihood for some of Charlotte’s first laborers.  The proximity to local textile mills and other industries of the time made the neighborhood location well-suited for many families that wanted to own their homes and be within walking distance to neighborhood stores, churches, schools, their jobs, and the streetcar.

The community thrived for many years until the mills and industries closed and jobs slowly left the area.  In May 2003, the Charlotte City Council adopted the Belmont Area Revitalization Plan.  The long-range plan for guiding the community and enhancing the quality of life for residents was developed with input from many stakeholders including Belmont residents, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department, the Charlotte Housing Authority, the Neighborhood and Business Services Department, area churches and businesses, etc. The City received a 20 million dollar HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2004 to redevelop and create new housing options at the Piedmont Courts location and to reinvest in the Belmont Community.

USI was retained to provide planning and design services to help implement streetscape improvements identified in the Revitalization Plan.  Working with City/County staff, the team applied the Urban Street Design Guidelines (USDG) Six-Step Process during planning and design efforts for the streetscape such that land use and transportation goals were integrated into improvement recommendations to consider the needs of various users.  The results of the overall process included a comprehensive collection of design recommendations to the corridor as a whole. 

Today, many of the strategies identified in the Belmont Revitalization Plan have been realized.  The streetscape improvements have been constructed.  The new mixed-income development Seigle Point is fully functional and providing housing at the previous Piedmont Courts location.  The Charlotte Housing Authority has constructed two smaller public housing sites in the northern portion of the corridor appropriately named McAden Park. These improvements are an example of thoughtful planning and re-investment which are able to preserve the historical value and character of neighborhood assets, and make them viable and relevant for the future.