Our Response to COVID-19

UPDATE: 6/12/20

Please visit our COVID-19 Response and Analysis Center for the latest insights on mobility, planning, and engineering responses to the pandemic.

UPDATE: 3/31/20

Dear friends,

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well. Recently, I shared the steps Sam Schwartz was taking to protect the health and safety of our staff, clients, and communities. We continue to closely monitor the situation, and to follow expert guidance.

Today, I wanted to discuss how our firm plans to help healthcare facilities, transportation agencies, and other crucial actors responding to this crisis.

Emergency response and recovery has always been a key component of what we do. In the wake of 9/11, Superstorm Sandy, and other disasters, we were trusted by public and private clients to address unprecedentedly complex challenges. During these crises, we went to work immediately to ensure efficient and safe movement of people and goods. We have also helped governments around North America optimize operations and administrative structures for crisis response. Additionally, we have deployed highly-trained Pedestrian Traffic Managers and flaggers (many with law enforcement experience) to immediately assist with on-site movement safety and maintenance in a variety of scenarios.

In the coming days and weeks, we are anticipating significant needs touching on our areas of expertise, including:

  • Immediate implementation of modified transportation routes and service patterns

  • Operational capacity contingency planning

  • Repurposing of streets for new traffic patterns and/or emergency access

  • Emergency traffic and pedestrian management at healthcare facilities, delivery hubs, etc.

  • Freight traffic logistics for food, medical supplies, and other necessities

  • Rapid deployment of temporary bike infrastructure

  • Reorientation of streets and public spaces to support social distancing measures

  • Crisis communications to stakeholders and the public

  • Disaster grant planning and management

We are already helping public agencies, healthcare facilities, and other actors with many of the items above in response to this pandemic.

From the beginning, our firm has focused on two things: solving the most novel, complicated problems—and putting people first. In this moment, we are committed to doing everything we can to keep our first responders moving, our institutions operational, and our communities safe. Please let us know if we can be of assistance to you in this effort.

Sincerely,

Michael Shamma, President, Sam Schwartz

3/16/20

At this time, the health, safety and well-being of our staff, clients, families and communities is our highest priority.

To all our valued clients and partners,

At this challenging moment, we would like to reassure you that Sam Schwartz is taking proactive steps to protect the safety of our staff, collaborators, clients, and the communities in which we work.

With a robust IT system in place as part of our disaster preparedness plan, we remain 100% operational, are maintaining normal hours, and are doing everything we can to minimize disruptions while prioritizing the health and safety of our staff and partners. While working remotely or in the field, the entire Sam Schwartz team continues to be accessible and is fully connected to our servers, project information, programs, and apps. We are confident in our ability to continue delivering the same exceptional level of service.

Following CDC guidelines and all other measures recommended by local, state, and federal authorities, we are encouraging good hygiene practices, social distancing and limiting travel to mitigate the risk of infection. To this end, we will be moving all meetings and site visits to teleconferences if feasible. In cases in which this is not possible, staff have been asked to observe prescribed safety procedures. We are also continuously assessing the risks and feasibilities associated with field work. We pledge to remain in constant communication with clients about our ability to provide staff and meet deadlines in a safe and efficient manner.

As our founder Samuel I. Schwartz noted, this firm has weathered 9/11, the great blackout of 2003, Superstorm Sandy, and economic downturns. We have persevered through careful planning, clear communication, and an unyielding commitment to both our staff and our clients. We will bring this history of resilience to bear in navigating this present moment. 

If you require out-of-the-box thinking for outreach, data collection, traffic counts, etc., we are here to help. We look forward to our continued collaboration and offer our support and creative solutions to meet your project needs during this challenging time.

Very truly yours, 

Michael Shamma, President, and Your Friends at Sam Schwartz

Sam Schwartz Staff