Baker Wins Outstanding Collaborative Planning Project/Program Category from Federal Planning Division of the American Planning Association

Michael Baker Jr., Inc., an engineering unit of Michael Baker Corporation (NYSE Amex: BKR), has been recognized for its "Planning Framework for the Evacuation of Transportation Needs Population of Central Ohio” Project for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) in the Outstanding Collaborative Planning Project/Program category from the Federal Planning Division (FPD) of the American Planning Association (APA).

"The project was one of only two pilot programs funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that examined evacuation issues for transportation needs populations,” said Ken Zaklukiewicz, project manager. "In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita revealed a number of shortcomings in evacuating transportation needs populations and emphasized the importance of having such plans in place.”

"The Planning Framework for the Evacuation of the Transportation Needs Populations in Central Ohio” allows various emergency plans in the region to be consistent with a regional strategy and focuses on the transportation needs populations who cannot drive or have access to a vehicle and require transportation support to evacuate. While not intended to replace existing private sector, governmental or other local emergency preparedness plans, it enhances existing plans by identifying potential conflicts and providing improvement and coordination recommendations to agencies, minimizing the potential dangers of miscommunications or inconsistencies between plans.

MORPC is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Columbus, Ohio, region. In 2007, MORPC was awarded $375,000 from the FTA to create a seven-county evacuation plan in central Ohio. The project was completed in September 2010, and has been distributed throughout the region. To find out more about the plan, visit www.morpc.org/evac.

Baker will make a presentation on the project following acceptance of the award at the 2011 National Training Conference for Federal Planners in Boston on April 5-8.

Michael Baker Corporation (www.mbakercorp.com) provides engineering, design, planning and construction services for its clients’ most complex challenges worldwide. The firm's primary business areas are architecture, aviation, defense, environmental, geospatial, homeland security, municipal & civil, pipelines & utilities, rail & transit, transportation and water. With more than 2,900 employees in nearly 90 offices across the United States, Baker is focused on creating value by delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for infrastructure and the environment.