Testing the operating case. Recovering the paper trail. Interrogating the assumptions behind major infrastructure decisions.
Major transportation plans often arrive with a finished story: the project is necessary, the alternatives were tested, and the agency has no better choice. I work on what sits behind that story.
I help civic organizations, legal teams, funders, and reporters test operating claims and recover the documents that show how decisions were actually made. My practice focuses on rail systems, public authorities, capital programs, and public-records law.
The railroads claimed the region needed to demolish Block 780 because there was no practical alternative. Through the City Club of New York, I combine public-records practice, federal engagement, media work, and operating-plan review to test that claim.
When the railroads' October 2024 feasibility study stated that simulations proved a wide-platform concept failed, we pushed for the underlying data. The investigation has focused on what the agencies said they tested, what records actually exist, and how the public case was built.
"The railroads faked the math. Their October 2024 feasibility study said simulations showed the wide-platform concept failed. But when my organization filed a Freedom of Information Act request, Amtrak admitted 'no simulations or modeling data' exist."— From Fix Penn Station and Build Sunnyside (NY Daily News)
I partner with organizations and professionals who need to cut through institutional opacity and build evidence-based cases regarding transit and infrastructure.
Reconstructing the paper trail through strategic FOIL/FOIA requests, administrative appeals, and identifying material gaps in Environmental Impact Statements.
Providing rapid analysis of agency claims, capital program documents, and operating plans for rigorous, on-deadline reporting.
Translating complex technical frameworks and operating models into actionable advocacy campaigns and plain-English public arguments.
Evaluating the technical viability, operating assumptions, and institutional risks of proposed transportation infrastructure grants.
A multi-year, record-based challenge to the stated case for Penn Station expansion. Combines public-records appeals, operating-plan review, and federal engagement to secure withheld Amtrak documents.
Produced concept renderings, reviewed financial models, and supported Off-Ramp NYC's case for removing the BQE rather than rebuilding it. Turned a highway debate into a choice about urban space.
Primary author of the foundational report advancing the Tri-State Solution for through-running operations at Penn Station and a more connected regional rail network.
Twelve years working on rail systems and the institutions that run them, spanning research, organizational management, and public-interest advocacy.
Directing committee research, federal policy engagement, public-records practice, and external communications on Penn Station and regional rail.
Led strategic planning, legislative tracking, and commuter rail fare policy research during an organizational transition.
Authored the NJ Transit reform blueprint, worked on congestion pricing advocacy, and produced regional rail policy analysis.
Developed low-cost rail corridor feasibility methods for testing underused and abandoned rights-of-way across the Northeast.