Traffic

Our projects are designed based on an understanding of national standards, regional priorities, and accepted practices. Each aspect of a design is completed in-house. From signal design to signing and pavement markings that meet The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Our designs are checked thoroughly so surprises during construction are minimized.  | CLICK FOR MORE INFO |

Highways & Streets

Whether rehabilitating local roadways, designing major expressways, or improving the flow of traffic through urban environments, our experts take pride in delivering responsive, innovative, and sustainable transportation solutions that connect communities, enhance mobility, and increase the safety of our highways and streets. We understand the challenges faced by our clients in managing transportation investment decisions, supporting system preservation, and

maintaining the quality of service. We work diligently to exceed expectations.  | CLICK FOR MORE INFO |

Bridges

Our goal is to extend the life of bridges and make them operate smoothly and safely. We provide expansive and innovative bridge engineering services to achieve successful, cost-effective results. Our bridge team offers design, rehabilitation, inspection, and evaluation services for bridges.   | CLICK FOR MORE INFO |

Transit

We produce cost-effective, sustainable, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant solutions for new intermodal transportation hubs and historic station renovations. Our diverse team includes railroad designers who focus on track, electrification systems, and wayside facilities; engineers who understand bus/rail maintenance facilities and operations; and engineers, architects, and LEED-certified professionals.

Whether it’s maintaining a streetcar/trolley, implementing or expanding a light rail or passenger rail system, or developing new transit solutions, such as bus rapid transit (BRT) and high speed rail, we have the depth of experience and expertise to meet your goals. We strive for early collaboration between our experts in design and construction, so the result is often reduced costs and construction time for you.  | CLICK FOR MORE INFO |

Public interaction with a development or facility often begins with the site. We support clients with innovative and cost-effective land development solutions. Our site/civil professionals offer land planning, site layout and design, stormwater management design, condition assessments, environmental permitting, utility and infrastructure design, and sustainable design services.

Urban’s site and land development services include:

• Site investigation
• Feasibility studies
• Surveying
  • American Land Title Association (ALTA)American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) Plan Preparation
  • Boundary and Topographic Surveys
  • Construction Stakeout
• Utility assessments, design, and mapping
  • Geographic Information System (GIS), capacity determination/projections, relocation
  • Sanitary sewer collection/conveyance, sewage pump stations, on-site treatment, potable and fire protection water
• Geological/geotechnical engineering
  • Geology, surface, and groundwater hydrology
  • Infiltration testing, subsoil condition analysis, geotechnical exploration and testing
  • Foundation engineering/recommendations, retaining wall design
• Environmental
  • Natural resource inventories
  • Flood plain analysis, wetland determinations/coordination
• Site Layout
  • Grading
  • Parking lot and roadway design
  • Pavement design
  • Lighting
• Stormwater management/drainage design
  • Regulatory requirements
  • Best Management Practices (BMPs)
  • Above- and below-ground stormwater basins
  • Stream relocations
  • Hydrologic and hydraulic analysis
• Regulatory coordination
  • Permitting, zoning, and land use
  • Interagency liaison
  • Site plan approval

From energy-efficient street lighting to technological upgrades for a historic library, our mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP/FP) practice is focused on improving safety, security, and quality of life in communities nationwide. Our designs help streamline operations and sustain economic viability.

Working with North America's leading architecture firms, our building system designs are currently helping preserve centuries-old artifacts at internationally-recognized museums, lighting the stages of prominent performing arts centers, and enhancing the learning environment of elite cultural institutions.

Our team of integrated, responsive professionals are experienced collaborators and use Building Information Modeling (BIM) and other 3-D building modeling software, such as Autodesk Revit MEP, to prepare construction documents. 

We believe that a project’s structure should enhance one's vision, not interfere with or obstruct it. Urban offers structural engineering expertise on projects of all sizes and complexity.

We reduce time and costs by communicating with the project team at all stages of the project. Working with the construction team during the design phase often leads to better results. Our structural engineering experts use innovative programs for Building Information Modeling (BIM) and 3-D modeling, such as Autodesk® Revit, to provide detailed, comprehensive analyses that assist stakeholders in envisioning a project’s desired future.

Urban’s award-winning projects focus on our clients’ particular needs while remaining sensitive to the architect’s design. Receiving national recognition, our efforts have garnered awards from the American Institute of Steel Construction, the Steel Joist Institute, and the American Council of Engineering Companies.  Our projects have also appeared in national publications such as Modern Steel Construction, Structural Engineer, Engineering News-Record, and The New York Times.

Urban’s project portfolio includes educational, public/commercial, liturgical, historic renovation, transportation, manufacturing, and industrial facilities. Additionally, we are equipped to lend our expertise in the following areas:

• Existing condition evaluation
• Forensic engineering
• Foundations
• Retaining walls
• Equipment supports
• OSHA crane/monorail load rating
• Floor/roof load rating
• Parking garages
• Structural steel design
• Concrete design
• Masonry design
• Aluminum design
• Timber construction design
• Fire Escape/Fire Escape Balcony Inspection (Section F-1011.1 of the Philadelphia Code)

The best engineers raise the bar when it comes to sustainability. Our integrated team has decades of experience developing inspired, context-sensitive design and engineering solutions that meet or exceed sustainable goals. Our staff includes dozens of LEED Accredited Professionals who create a dynamic base from which your project team is custom assembled. We take a collaborative, holistic approach to projects, and our ability to understand and interpret the missions of our clients leads to innovative and functional design and engineering solutions.

Our diverse portfolio of services includes brownfield remediation, smart site planning, high-performance MEP systems, transportation planning and design, and sustainable planning and management. We support these services with a firm of experts that are highly skilled in complex project management and all facets of construction project delivery.

The following principles guide our design:

• Social, economic, and environmental issues are interrelated
• Designs should protect and enhance the natural environment, as well as cultural, historical, and community assets and resources
• Commitment to minimizing the project’s environmental footprint as much as possible 

Surveying has evolved from a crew with a tripod and level instruments into use of Geospatial Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). For decades, Urban has employed state-of-the-art technology and highly trained surveying staff to the satisfaction of our clients.

Our land surveying expertise includes thorough county courthouse research. We examine deeds, maps, road returns, and orphan court rulings to obtain current property descriptions, determine intent, and identify order of precedence in old lot divisions and areas of conflict. We investigate the existence of missing properties and lots with no known current owner. We have drawn subdivision and right-of-way maps conforming to various municipal, county, and state planning standards, and we have written legal descriptions for conveyance by deed.

Our field work involves:

• Topographic surveys
• Cross-sections
• Construction, route, and design field surveys
• Ground control
• Field editing
• Stockpile volume calculations
• Geodetic traverse control surveys

Using GPS and GIS for data collection and maintenance is essential for timely and efficient decision-making. Throughout the world, these systems help government agencies, scientific organizations, and utility companies stay up-to-date and competitive. We use a suite of Trimble products which are  reliable and flexible.

Urban offers energy and shale professional services on mid-stream and wellhead projects. We understand the special permitting requirements needed for high-quality and exceptional-value (special protection) watersheds. In addition, we have proven experience obtaining environmental permits and coordinating with agencies, county conservation districts, and federal, state, interstate, county, and municipal agencies. Our staff can provide the following services:

• NPDES permitting
• Surveying
• Oil and gas well permitting
• Environmental impact statements
• Stream and wetland encroachment permitting
• Erosion and sediment control design  
• USACE/PADEP joint permitting
• Baseline monitoring
• Air quality permitting
• Pollution prevention and control plans
• Water resources and permitting
• Wetland delineation

Urban has conducted more than 600 geotechnical investigations and provided designs for buildings, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure. Our geotechnical engineers have undertaken soil and foundation investigations and design of buildings, public infrastructure, marine facilities, and water supply and dewatering systems. They have completed geotechnical design and engineering for highway projects; bulkhead restoration design; foundation pile re-use investigations; and vibracore surveys for channel maintenance and dredging. These projects involved both shallow and deep foundations, varied earth structures, special techniques of foundation construction, and soil erosion/sediment control plan preparation.

Our geotechnical services include:

• Test borings & field exploration
• Laboratory testing & analysis
• Soil & foundation investigations & reports
• Soil & rock mechanics
• Foundation engineering
• Load tests
• Subsurface investigations
• Geology, geohydrology, and geothermal reviews

We believe airports provide a direct link to the economic growth of a community and metropolitan area. We listen to our client’s needs and apply our experience, knowledge, and innovative thinking to turn ideas into reality.

For over forty years, we have provided planning, engineering and construction services for airports and aviation facilities. This includes planning and design of runways, taxiways and aprons; terminals; maintenance facilities; hangars; roadways, bridges, and landside facilities; and construction services and inspection of both horizontal and vertical construction.  | CLICK FOR MORE INFO |

Urban is adept at delivering economical, innovative design solutions for port operating facilities, private enterprises, and federal entities. We are dedicated to improving the economic viability of our waterfront facilities by providing engineering solutions today that will continue to meet the infrastructure demands of tomorrow.  We offer a full-range of services, including planning, inspection, surveying, environmental, permit acquisition, structural design, construction management, and claim/litigation support.

We are proud to have built a reputation based on dependability and delivery of innovative, timely, and cost-effective solutions to the challenges faced by the nation's international and domestic ports.​ | CLICK FOR MORE INFO |