Traffic engineer follows entrepreneurial path

Using that experience and work with Mathews and Associates Inc. from 1999 to 2005, Wynn opened CJW Transportation Consultants LLC March 21 at 3051 S. Kimbrough, Ste. A. His services include project and infrastructure management, traffic impact studies, circulation studies, transportation planning, corridor studies and traffic simulation.

“Mainly, I’m focusing on traffic signal design and timing,” he said. “I don’t do a lot of roadway and geometric design necessarily, but I provide the traffic engineering services that determine them, and the analyses, and then if there’s a traffic control device needed, I provide that as well.”

The majority of CJW Transportation Consultants’ work comes from area municipalities, but Wynn also works for developers and as a subcontractor for other consulting firms.

He collects traffic information data, assimilates it and studies it to determine the infrastructure needed to support development.

“A lot of times big developments have gone in without determining the infrastructure needed, whether or not intersections or signals are needed,” he said.

The streets of Nixa

The city of Nixa has retained Wynn as a transportation engineering consultant on an as-needed basis.

“We felt that it was quite important to the city of Nixa to have a professional transportation engineer assist (the city) to better understand its transportation system, circulation system, streets, prioritization, functionality, as well as to provide assistance to the city in working with MoDOT,” said Brian Bingle, Nixa city administrator.

Nixa’s growth presents a welcome challenge to Wynn.

“It’s one of my best projects because I get to assist them in helping determine their transportation infrastructure over the next 20 years,” he said.

Planning ahead, Wynn said, is vital for communities.

“You can’t build yourself out of a problem. Nobody has enough money to build yourself out of it,” he said, adding that issues such as poorly planned left-turn lanes can cause businesses to fail. “There is a sphere of influence around a development. If people are able to get easy access into and out of it, it really benefits their development.”

Wynn’s services help the city of Nixa make sure its money is spent efficiently and effectively, Bingle said. “Which streets are most deserving of the attention? What street systems need to be planned in advance so that we’re ahead of the curve and when we do have difficulties within our community? We certainly can use his expertise to provide assistance on signalization, roundabout, right-of-way acquisition, things of that nature.”

Education and experience

Wynn earned a Master of Science in civil engineering in 1994 and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering in 1987, from the University of Kentucky. He is a registered professional engineer in both Missouri and Arkansas, and he is a professional traffic operations engineer, a certification that is rare.

“It is very limited because there’s only 1,000 or so PTOEs in the country,” said Earl Newman, assistant director of Public Works for the city of Springfield, who also holds the certification.

Wynn, Newman said, was instrumental in putting together the transportation management center at the Discovery Center. “He’s part of a consulting team that is reviewing how we bring intelligent transportation systems strategies into our transportation

management center.”

Wynn still works on projects for his former employers, the city of Springfield and Mathews and Associates, as a subcontractor, in addition to accepting projects for other firms.

Current projects include acting as a subconsultant to Tri-State Engineering in Joplin to provide traffic modeling, traffic signal design and traffic control plans for the intersection of 32nd and Main streets in Joplin, a $4 million project. CJW also is assisting Tri-State Engineering with similar duties for the $6 million Murphy’s Road project in Joplin and is providing a subdivision traffic impact study for Tuscany Hills in Christian County.

“My goal is to specialize in the designing of the infrastructure needed to sustain a viable community,” Wynn said. “Really, my business plan is to provide other consulting firms with traffic and transportation services.”

The staff at CJW includes Wynn’s wife, Mary Wynn, as bookkeeper, and one engineer-in-training, Dane Seiler. While he hopes to grow the business, becoming large isn’t a priority.

“I really want to keep it small – 10 people – because you can address a lot of stuff and you’ve got to be able to focus on quality more than quantity,” Wynn said.

“As long as there’s growth, there’s always work. Even when the economy’s slow, traffic’s going to be around for a while,” he said.

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