DKS Associates

Culture and ownership

• DKS is a 100% employee-owned company.
• Employee-owners share responsibility for leading the firm to success and delivering quality results for clients.
• The firm focuses on transportation systems that serve all members of the community, including people who walk, bike, take transit, drive, or transport goods.
• The company culture emphasizes collaboration, curiosity, technical excellence, and a community-minded approach.

Values

DKS highlights the following core values:

• Lead with curiosity
• Elevate excellence
• Embrace a growth mindset
• Make impact that matters
• Earn trust every day
• Build success together

Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB)

• DKS recognizes that transportation planning and engineering affect diverse and complex communities with many perspectives.
• The firm has a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee made up of rotating employee-owners.
• The DEIB Committee provides input and recommends actions on DEIB initiatives to DKS leadership.

History

Key milestones in DKS Associates' history include:

• 1979 – DKS Associates is founded in Oakland, California by Charles E. DeLeuw Jr., William H. Dietrich, Hans W. Korve, Michael A. Kennedy, Richard Sauve, and Daniel T. Smith Jr. as a consulting firm in traffic engineering, transportation planning, and parking.
• 1985 – Selected to lead traffic engineering design and transit priority for the Long Beach Los Angeles Blue Line LRT, the first light rail line in the LA Metro area.
• 1989 – Opens the Sacramento office, serving regional clients including SACOG, the City and County of Sacramento, and Caltrans.
• 1990 – Opens the Portland, Oregon office, the firm's first office outside California.
• 1995 – Opens the Tampa, Florida office, expanding work with the Florida Department of Transportation.
• 1999 – Opens the Puget Sound office after securing the Seattle Central Link LRT Final Traffic Engineering project with Sound Transit.
• 2005 – Opens the Texas office after winning the DART/City of Dallas Downtown LRT Traffic Signal System project.
• 2008 – Opens the Salem, Oregon office, strengthening relationships with the City of Salem, ODOT, and Marion County.
• 2011 – Becomes a 100% employee-owned corporation as an S-Corp ESOP.
• 2017 – Leadership transition with Peter Coffey elected President and Chris Maciejewski becoming Chief Operating Officer.
• 2019 – Celebrates 40 years in transportation planning and engineering.
• 2024 – Celebrates 45 years in transportation planning and engineering.

Awards and recognition (selected)

DKS Associates and its projects have received numerous awards from industry organizations, including:

• Client experience awards recognizing service quality.
• Project of the Year awards from Institute of Transportation Engineers chapters.
• Diversity and equity awards from organizations such as WTS and ACEC.
• Planning and economic development awards from the American Planning Association.
• Transportation and infrastructure awards from APWA and ASCE chapters.

These recognitions reflect the firm's focus on technical excellence, innovation, and community impact.

Smart mobility approach

Smart mobility solutions at DKS are focused on:

• Providing better transportation services to the public at lower cost.
• Using technologies that span building, energy, water, and transportation systems.
• Applying big data analytics and new modeling tools to inform decisions.
• Designing and delivering practical, implementable solutions for cities and regions.

Key elements of the smart mobility approach include:

• Public and private partnerships – Supporting collaboration between public agencies, corporations, technology companies, and start-ups to plan for new mobility futures.
• Big data analytics – Using large-scale movement and operations data, along with tools such as DB4IoT, to support in-depth network analysis and data-driven planning.
• Design, construction, and administration – Applying transportation and technology expertise to design and implement smart mobility projects.

Smart mobility focus areas

Examples of how DKS applies smart mobility concepts include:

• Smart vehicle and connected vehicle strategies.
• Corridor and network operations that use real-time data.
• Integrated corridor management and multimodal operations strategies.
• Data platforms and analytics that support ongoing performance monitoring.

These efforts aim to create safer, more efficient, and more sustainable transportation systems.

Electromobility services

DKS provides a range of electromobility services for public and transit agencies and other clients, such as:

• Fleet electrification planning for buses, municipal fleets, and other vehicles.
• Public EV charging roadmaps and planning efforts (including NEVI-related planning).
• Transit fleet electrification (battery electric and related technologies).
• Workplace EV charging planning and design.
• Multifamily residential EV charging planning.
• Heavy-duty truck electrification, including freight and logistics applications.
• Port electrification planning and design.
• EV charger installation design and associated power and civil infrastructure.
• Electromobility load forecasting and integration with utility planning.
• Transportation decarbonization strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Smart mobility tools and benefits

DKS uses a variety of tools and data sources to support smart mobility, including:

• High-resolution movement and operations data.
• Connected and autonomous vehicle planning resources.
• Integrated corridor management concepts.

The firm highlights that smart mobility solutions can:

• Improve safety.
• Enhance quality of life and mobility.
• Reduce environmental impacts from transportation.

Example smart mobility and electromobility work

Representative projects and focus areas include:

• Transit signal priority and traffic signal optimization for large transit networks.
• Transportation technology strategic planning for transit agencies.
• Connected vehicle data portal development and related analytics.
• Adaptive signal systems that respond to real-time conditions.
• EV charging program planning and zero-emission mobility strategies for cities and regions.

These examples illustrate DKS's role in applying smart mobility and electromobility concepts to real-world transportation systems.

Transit services overview

DKS Associates provides transit-focused planning, engineering, and technology services that help agencies deliver frequent, reliable, and safe transit service. The firm supports agencies in improving transit speed and reliability, providing accurate real-time information, and planning for future needs.

Goals and outcomes

DKS's transit services are designed to:

• Provide frequent and dependable transit service.
• Reduce travel times and improve schedule reliability.
• Improve passenger safety and access to transit.
• Enhance rider information through real-time tools and data.

Use of technology

DKS applies a range of technologies to support transit operations, including:

• Transit signal priority (TSP).
• Transit intelligent transportation systems (transit ITS).
• Communication networks linking vehicles, signals, and information systems.
• Traffic signal systems designed with transit operations in mind.

These tools are used to improve transit travel times, reliability, and rider experience.

Transit service areas

Representative service areas include:

• Alternatives analysis.
• Transit planning (corridor, network, and service planning).
• Communication systems for transit vehicles and roadside equipment.
• Proof-of-concept planning and pilot implementations.
• Transit signal priority planning, design, and operations.
• Data and information management and standards for transit.
• Fare and open payment management planning.
• Real-time passenger information systems.
• Safety analysis for transit corridors and access points.
• Transit demand modeling and ridership forecasting.
• Visual simulation modeling to support decision-making and public engagement.

Modes served

DKS works with multiple transit modes, such as:

• Local and express bus.
• Bus rapid transit (BRT).
• Streetcar.
• Light rail transit (LRT).
• Commuter rail.
• High-speed rail planning support.
• Park-and-ride facilities and access.

Example project: King County RapidRide BRT

DKS's work on King County Metro's RapidRide bus rapid transit network illustrates its transit capabilities:

• Supported vehicle-to-roadside communication networks for RapidRide corridors.
• Designed ITS and communications over more than 30 miles of fiber optic infrastructure and at over 100 traffic signals.
• Developed transit signal priority and passenger information systems using a wireless Ethernet platform.
• Coordinated with multiple cities on communication installation and electrical design.
• Implemented new coordinated signal timing and TSP for RapidRide lines to reduce transit travel times and keep riders moving.

This example reflects DKS's experience integrating transit operations, ITS, and traffic engineering to improve bus rapid transit performance.

Overview of services

DKS Associates is a consulting firm providing transportation planning and engineering services for all modes of ground transportation. The firm partners with public agencies, regional organizations, and communities to enhance mobility, safety, and reliability across multimodal transportation networks.

Approach

• Smart mobility is central to DKS's approach.
• The firm focuses on helping cities provide better transportation services at lower cost by using advanced technologies and data-driven analysis.
• Solutions are developed to be integrated, functional, and implementable, with an emphasis on serving all users, including people walking, biking, taking transit, driving, or moving goods.

Core practice areas

Planning and analysis

Strategic transportation planning and analysis services to:

• Move all modes of travel effectively and efficiently.
• Support communities built for people.
• Inform long-range plans, corridor studies, and multimodal system planning.

Design

Transportation engineering design and operations services to:

• Build safe, efficient, and reliable transportation networks.
• Support implementation of roadway, transit, and active transportation projects.

Operations technology

Operations technology services to:

• Create smart cities and manage multimodal transportation corridors.
• Provide real-time travel conditions so travelers can make informed choices.
• Deploy intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and advanced traffic management strategies.

Discipline and specialty areas

DKS provides services across multiple disciplines, including:

Tolling

• Pricing, tolling, and road usage charge (RUC) services from design through delivery and operations.

Transit services

• Planning and operational support to restore, optimize, and increase transit performance.
• Technology applications such as transit signal priority and transit ITS.

Active transportation

• Planning and design support to ensure transportation systems serve people who walk, bike, and use other non-motorized modes.
• Focus on safe, comfortable, and connected walking and biking networks.

Transportation safety

• Safety-focused planning, analysis, and design to modernize infrastructure.
• Systemic and corridor-level safety improvements to reduce serious and fatal crashes.

Electromobility

Smart mobility services related to vehicle electrification, such as:

• Fleet electrification planning for public and private fleets.
• Public EV charging roadmaps and NEVI-related planning.
• Transit electrification planning.
• Workplace and multifamily residential EV charging planning.
• Heavy-duty truck and port electrification.
• EV charger installation design and load forecasting.
• Transportation decarbonization strategies.

Public engagement

• Transportation-centric outreach to help agencies connect with communities.
• Support for inclusive and accessible engagement on transportation projects and plans.

Climate services

• Services to track and reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions.
• Integration of climate and resiliency considerations into transportation planning.

IIJA funding support

• Assistance navigating Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding and grant opportunities.

Typical clients and project types

• Cities, counties, and state departments of transportation.
• Transit agencies and regional transportation organizations.
• Multimodal corridor studies, safety programs, smart city initiatives, and long-range transportation plans.

For details on a specific service area, see the more focused documents on transit services, smart mobility, and electromobility.

• General email: ContactDKS@dksassociates.com

California offices

Oakland office

• Address: 1970 Broadway, Suite 740, Oakland, CA 94612-2219
• Phone: (510) 763-2061

Sacramento office

• Address: 428 J Street, Suite 340, Sacramento, CA 95814
• Phone: (916) 368-2000

Anaheim office

• Address: 2401 E. Katella Avenue, Suite 425, Anaheim, CA 92806
• Phone: (657) 284-2620

Oregon offices

Portland office (corporate office)

• Address: 1050 SW 6th Avenue, Suite 600, Portland, OR 97204
• Phone: (503) 243-3500

Salem office

• Address: 117 Commercial Street NE, Suite 310, Salem, OR 97301
• Phone: (503) 391-8773

Texas office

Austin office

• Address: 305 Camp Craft Road, Suite 525, West Lake Hills, TX 78746
• Phone: (737) 202-4360

Washington office

Seattle office

• Address: 719 Second Avenue, Suite 1250, Seattle, WA 98104-1706
• Phone: (206) 382-9800

Idaho office

Boise office

• Address: 704 E. United Heritage Court, Suite 204, Meridian, ID 83642
• Phone: (208) 378-0654

Privacy policy

DKS Associates states that it respects and is committed to protecting visitors' privacy. Any personal information collected through the website is kept confidential and is not shared or sold to third parties. If someone believes the policy has been misrepresented, they are invited to contact the firm.

Lists Tampa, Austin, Dallas, Marion, Anaheim, La Mesa, Long Beach, and Oakland as a location. Names California, Florida, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, Washington, United States, and Sacramento as a service area. Areas beyond these are not published.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.