Iris Ortiz Joins HNTB as Tolls Project Manager
ATLANTA – Iris Ortiz joined HNTB Corporation as tolls project manager, based in the firm’s Atlanta office. She is responsible for supporting strategic planning and delivery of a network of express lane projects as part of the Georgia Department of Transportation’s $11B Major Mobility Investment Program.
Ortiz’ background includes extensive experience evaluating and forecasting funding solutions for transportation projects. She has more than 17 years of experience in transportation finance and alternatives analysis, and has served in a variety of rolls on funding and finance studies, toll studies, and New Starts/Small Starts submittals for transit projects.
“Iris is an incredibly driven individual who systematically evaluates financing and funding strategies to deliver transportation projects, including toll projects,” said Tom Hutchinson, AICP, HNTB project manager. “Her extensive national experience in evaluating financial alternatives, and applying strategic approaches to project delivery, will bring tremendous value to our clients in Georgia.”
Prior to joining HNTB, Ortiz served as senior associate for another consulting firm, where she helped determine the financial feasibility of infrastructure projects; performed traffic forecasting; and conducted toll studies in Massachusetts and North Carolina, among other states.
“The current U.S. infrastructure climate demands a mix of funding and financing solutions, and tolling represents a key component of the funding mix,” said David Dye, PE, HNTB senior project director and vice president. “Georgia prioritizes a variety of infrastructure financing methods, including tolling, making it an ideal location for Iris and HNTB to provide consultation.”
Ortiz is a member of the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Revenue and Finance. She is active in Women’s Transportation Seminar, having served in leadership roles for chapters in Boston and Washington, D.C.
She earned a Master of Science in Transportation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Puerto Rico.
HNTB has been or is currently involved in several significant transportation projects in the Atlanta region, including 30 major highway improvement projects for the Georgia Department of Transportation, general planning consultation for Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and State Road and Tollway Authority, and on-call transit planning and engineering for Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.
About HNTB
HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure solutions firm serving public and private owners and construction contractors. With more than a century of service in the United States and nearly 50 years in Atlanta, HNTB continues to grow in size and service offerings to clients, currently employing more than 120 full-time professionals in the Atlanta area. The firm HNTB understands the life cycle of infrastructure and addresses clients’ most complex technical, financial and operational challenges. Professionals nationwide deliver a full range of infrastructure-related services, including award-winning planning, design, program management and construction management. For more information, visit www.hntb.com.
