As a transportation engineer based in CH2M’s Los Angeles, CA office,
Charlie Hetland has worked on some of the most complex and innovative
transportation projects in the U.S, such as California High-Speed Rail, SR710 Tunnel Study, and the Santa Clara-Alum Rock BRT. Due to the
demanding and political landscape of these projects he’s worked on,
Charlie has a strong understanding of the implications of politics and
policy decisions have on transportation projects. His on the job
experience allows him to visualize and articulate complex problems and
trends in a way that’s accessible to a general audience. This skill has
allowed him to take on meaningful leadership roles in the industry and
community and grow his understanding and interest in transportation policy and politics.
As the Government Relations Chair for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Charlie has
brought to light the need for transportation infrastructure funding in Los Angeles. Charlie led a group of
15 transportation advocates to Los Angeles City Hall to meet with each of the 15 councilmembers to
advocate about the sales tax measure for transportation funding and public-private partnership. Charlie
gave public testimony to City Hall on the $250 billion of unmet transportation infrastructure
improvements needs in the region and the need to identify funding sources.
In addition, Charlie has made several trips to both Sacramento, CA and Washington D.C. with various
coalitions such as Mobility 21 and ASCE to advocate for transportation funding. In October 2015, he
hosted an event called “Infrastructure Funding in the 21st Century: The Path Forward”. For the event,
Charlie personally invited Congressman Tony Cardenas and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano to be the
keynote speakers. Both Cardenas and Napolitano addressed the 100 plus transportation advocates at
the event about the need to pass a long-term surface transportation bill and pledged to whip up the
votes by the end of the year. Because of the event, Charlie has developed solid professional
relationships with members of Congress and their staff.
Local leaders in Los Angeles are considering a potential ballot measure to increase sales tax to fund
transportation infrastructure. This was tried in 2012, but the measure failed by half a percentage.
Because of this Charlie has been going to local universities educating students about the sales tax
measure and what it would mean for them in hopes of encouraging new voters to help pass the ballot
measure in the upcoming election. Charlie has been active in the community as a stakeholder for the Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Long Range Transportation Plan in order to help
set up the framework of the potential sales tax measure for transportation funding in 2016.
In addition, Charlie regularly attends transportation summits hosted by California State Senator Bob
Hertzberg to be a voice for the community in regards to transportation. Charlie writes quarterly articles
to ASCE newsletters entitled “Infrastructure Hill to give updates about infrastructure policy in
Washington D.C., Sacramento, and Los Angeles City Hall.
Charlie has a deep passion for transportation and is fascinated to see how the future of transportation
will be significantly influenced by the current global trends and technology. Global trends such as
migratory shifts into urban cores, demographics changes, generational preferences, climate change, and
technology intrigue him and these trends, combined with financing shortfalls and deferred
maintenance, help him imagine the major challenges ahead for future transportation leaders. Charlie
excitedly takes on all opportunities he can to assist with the efforts of setting policy to address these
challenges to ensure the country has a robust, effective and sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Charlie M. Hetland
Transportation Engineer, CH2M
Education
B.S., Civil Engineering, University of California, Irvine, 2013
Professional Registration
Engineer-In-Training: California
Relevant Experience
Mr. Hetland has 3 years of engineering experience on various transportation projects throughout California. His
knowledge includes transit design, roadway/highway design, transit safety, stage construction, and cost
estimating. Mr. Hetland was heavily involved with the alternative analysis, conceptual engineering, and
environmental clearance for transit alternative of the SR 710 North Study. He has also worked in various phases
of transit and highway projects and has understanding of local, State, and Federal design standards and best
practices.
Representative Experience
Project Engineer; BRT Alternative of the SR-710 North Study; Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation
Authority; Los Angeles, CA. Responsible for the preliminary design of the SR-710 North BRT alternative on
behalf of Metro. In the process of developing a BRT operational performance tool to measure run times and
model future travel times for the BRT alternative. She worked on developing the preliminary geometric design of
the BRT, evaluated right-of-way impacts, evaluated parking impacts, prepared project report, and performed
field survey data collection.
Planner; Los Angeles to San Diego High-Speed Rail Phase II Project Section; California High-Speed Rail
Authority, Sacramento, CA. Provided consulting for the development of the Implementation Plan for the Los
Angeles to San Diego High-Speed Rail Section. This work includes refinement of alignments, planning for station
areas, developing blended service concepts, and phasing strategies for the 170-mile section. The work
performed will help the Authority provide a path forward for environmental clearance for the LA-SD project
section of the High Speed Rail.
Project Engineer; Santa Clara - Alum Rock BRT Project; Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority; San Jose,
California. Supported the final design of plans and estimates for a 7.1-mile BRT corridor with side-running in
mixed traffic with bus bulb-outs, median-running, and side-running in an HOV lane. Design of the roadway
geometrics used VTA’s standards and BRT Guidelines. This will be the first BRT corridor in Santa Clara County,
and the station architecture and design will provide a consistent branding throughout this corridor and future
BRT corridors in Santa Clara County.
Planner; Regional Short Range Transit Plan; Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles,
CA. Assisted Metro in identifying the regional transit service and capital improvements planned over the next
five years and highlight opportunities for improved service coordination and reduced service overlap among the
multiple transit agencies. This short-term transit strategy is designed to advance the region toward Metro’s 30year vision for addressing growth and traffic in Los Angeles County.
Safety Engineer; South Sacramento Corridor Phase 2; Sacramento Regional Transit; Sacramento, CA. Provided
support in the safety certification and analysis of the light-rail extension in Sacramento. Assisted in the
preparation of the Preliminary Hazard Analysis and Threat Vulnerability Analysis. Prepared and helped with the
approval of the Safety Certification Checklists and Safety Certification Verification Report. Assisted with the
coordination of running safety certification meetings with the client.
Charlie M. Hetland
Safety Engineer; TEX Rail; Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T); Fort Worth, TX. Provided support in
the safety certification and analysis of the light-rail extension in Sacramento. Assisted in the preparation of the
Preliminary Hazard Analysis and Threat Vulnerability Analysis. Prepared the Safety Certification Checklists for the
project. Assisted with the Collision Hazard Analysis and Fire/Life Safety Analysis. Assisted with the coordination
of running safety certification meetings with the client.
Project Engineer; Sampson Way Roadway Improvement Project; Port of Los Angeles; San Pedro, CA.
Responsible for the roadway design to expand and realign Sampson Way, realign the Waterfront Red Car Line,
and improve traffic intersections. The project included final conceptual planning and final engineering using the
City’s latest sustainable design principles. A major part of the roadway design incorporates features to make the
project area more pedestrian friendly.
Project Engineer; I-710 Corridor Early Action Sound Wall Project; Metropolitan Transportation Authority; Los
Angeles, CA. Assisted in the preparation of the roadway plans and estimates for the preliminary design of the
sound walls. Calculated sound wall quantities of the 19-mile corridor and created exhibits for non-standard
features through the use of Microstation. Provided support with addressing Caltrans design comments for
project approval. Examined the feasibility of proposed sound walls with the future design alternatives for the
corridor.
Project Engineer; Riverside Drive Viaduct Replacement; City of Los Angeles; Los Angeles, CA. Provided design
support during construction for roadway and drainage. Responsible for the permitting and clearances with the
City of Los Angeles. The project includes widening and retrofitting the existing four-lane bridge to correct
existing geometrical design deficiencies, address seismic vulnerabilities, and improve pedestrian and bicycle
travel.
Project Engineer; SR-101/23 Interchange Improvement; City of Thousand Oaks; Thousand Oaks, CA. Assisted in
the preparation of the roadway plans, specifications, and estimates for the 4.5-mile stretch along the Route 101.
Conducted a field study of the existing curb ramps in the project site. Developed traffic handling details, traffic
control plans, updated the designs and quantities for support during construction.
Project Engineer; I-680 HOV Direct Access Ramps; Contra Costa Transportation Authority; San Ramon, CA.
Responsible for developing the exhibits for the design exceptions fact sheets and designing the stage
construction indexes for each alternative. Helped develop the stage construction plans and the Transportation
Management Plan. Provided inputs to perform a Life Cycle Cost Analysis.
Professional Orgnaizations and Affiliations
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American Public Transportation Association – (APTA)
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American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
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Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT)
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Mobility 21
Charlie M. Hetland
Leadership and Volunteerism
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ASCE Los Angeles Branch – Government Affairs Chair (2014 – Current)
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CH2M’s Junior and Mid-Level Professionals Program – One of the six panel members for the firm (2014Current) (2014 – Current)
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Volunteer at El Centro de Ninos in Bolye Heights (2014 – Current)
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LA Mayor’s Volunteer Corps (2015 – Current)
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Voluteenter for ACEC’s Annual E-Week High School presentation “Become an Engineer” (2014)
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Volunteer for DIY Girls – Encouraging STEM careers for underprivelaged students (2015 – Current)
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Mentor for HYPE – High School Student Program (2015 – Current)
Awards
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2016 ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineer National Advocate of the Year
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ASCE Los Angeles Branch – 2015 Outstanding Civil Engineer in Legislative Activities