The Fresno County community-census-designated place of Biola, CA,  one of the poorest U.S. communities with a 42 percent poverty rate and some of the worst air pollution, lacks a fully-developed infrastructure with social amenities and requires that residents travel to nearby cities for essential services such as groceries, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare, without a reliable transit option. Residents rely on private vehicles for travel, and many spend a disproportionately high percentages of their income on transportation.

To address the poverty issue, Walker worked with the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) to plan and implement an innovative, low-cost electric vehicle micro-transit service.  The micro-transit service includes transportation provided on demand and without adherence to a fixed schedule. A generous grant supplied by the League of Women Voters of Fresno is helping subsidize rides for residents. This micro-transit service provides a lower-cost alternative to traveling via private automobile.

The plan’s outcome resulted in the addition of a dedicated micro-transit electric vehicle and EV charging station located at the Biola Community Services Center.

Walker’s plan development included multiple outreach efforts in Biola to gain input to plan the electrified, micro-transit service.

Walker Webinar–Root Cause: The Value of Forensic Engineering

Thank you to all who participated in our webinar on November 10.  The recording is below, watch Walker Consultants’ forensic engineering experts Al Bustamante and Charles Hammond explore:

1. Why is forensic engineering important to facility owners, property managers, and attorneys?: We provide a background that explains the value of an effective forensics investigation.
2. Defects vs deficiency: A structure can have many defects and still not be deficient. We share why the ability to differentiate between these two concepts is valuable for dispute resolution and to properly solve structural, materials, and architectural problems.
3. Case studies: Our team presents several examples of thorough forensics investigations, including up-close field observations, material sampling and testing, non-destructive evaluation and structural analysis.

Originally recorded on November 10, this webinar is free and open to all.  Al and Charles are available for additional webinars by request.

Al Bustamante, PE
Senior Vice President/Managing Director

Charles Hammond, PE, SE, CWI, LEED AP
Senior Restoration Consultant  

You can read more about Walker’s Forensics, Restoration and Building Envelope services here:

Walker Forensics, Restoration and Building Envelope Services