People News: MDOT MTA, HNTB

Martha Gross, Executive Director of Transit Development and Delivery, MDOT MTA (left); and Victor Rivas, Transportation Asset Management Senior Project Management, HNTB (right). (Photos Courtesy of LinkedIn and HNTB)

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) names Martha Gross as Executive Director of Transit Development and Delivery. Also, Victor Rivas joins HNTB as Transportation Asset Management Senior Project Management.

MDOT MTA

The MDOT MTA announced May 30 that it has named Martha Gross as the agency’s Executive Director of Transit Development and Delivery. She will oversee the project teams managing the Purple Line, Baltimore’s Red Line, Southern Maryland Rapid Transit, and other mega-projects at the agency. 

In her previous public- and private-sector roles, Gross made “significant contributions” toward the development, procurement, and delivery of more than $10 billion of transportation infrastructure projects throughout the U.S., “integrating perspectives from more than 20 years of experience as contractor, consultant, academic and business owner,” according to the agency.

Prior to joining MDOT MTA, Gross worked for the Virginia Department of Transportation where she led the state’s development of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel harbor crossing and later served in senior commercial and technical roles onsite following award of the project’s $3.3 billion design-build contract.

Gross previously worked for an engineering consulting firm, holding key positions in the design-build procurement of New York City transit projects, as well as in commercial management for the $3.1 billion Tappan Zee Bridge replacement. Earlier in her career, she worked in numerous field roles for a heavy-civil transportation contractor, starting as a field surveyor and concrete-testing technician.

Gross is a published author in the practical implementation of alternative project -delivery methods, particularly for design-build and public-private partnership contracts. She remains closely connected with academia, having served on advisory boards for multiple universities and having taught as an adjunct professor at The Citadel.

She is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and has also earned recognition from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), and Eno Center for Transportation. A licensed engineer, Gross holds advanced degrees in civil engineering and business from Penn State and Virginia Tech. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Stuttgart, Germany.  

“We are delighted to welcome Martha Gross to our management team at this important time for transit,” said Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold. “Her expertise at delivering multi-billion-dollar transportation projects will be invaluable as we continue to advance major transit investments throughout the state.”

HNTB

HNTB announced May 30 that Victor Rivas has joined the firm as a Transportation Asset Management Senior Project Manager.

Rivas brings more than 22 years of experience as a program manager and researcher, with a strong focus on transportation-related solutions. His expertise includes transportation asset management, transit systems operations, capital programming and resilience planning.

Rivas will be responsible for the delivery of innovative asset management solutions, as well as climate and infrastructure resilience planning projects.

Prior to joining HNTB, Rivas was “pivotal” in implementing the Transit Asset Management Plan for SunRail in Orlando, which included the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) National Transit Database Asset Inventory Module submission process. In this role, Rivas also oversaw project compliance with federal grants, coordinated construction updates, and analyzed project reports to address deviations for the SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit System. Rivas’ broader industry involvement includes contributions to the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Committee on Transportation Resilience Metrics, helping develop well-understood metrics for measuring transportation system resilience.

“Victor’s remarkable track record in spearheading major capital improvement programs, as well as operations and maintenance initiatives, have brought about transportation solutions on a range of programs,” said Jeff Siegel, GISP, HNTB’s Digital Transformation Solutions Director and Senior Vice President. “His comprehensive problem-solving approach, spanning both the public and private sectors, helps clients advance infrastructure management strategies alongside effective digital transformation.”