Grant P. Johnson, TE
Principal
     Grant is a Civil Engineer with professional registration in Traffic Engineering in California. He has been a leader in transportation engineering in California for over 40 years, with the last 32 years as owner of PRISM Engineering.  He also spent 2.5 years in Mainland China (2013-2015) doing leadership-level engineering in transportation in the heart of mainland China at Chongqing, and also worked as Chief Site Engineer in Charge on a 70 km section of the China High Speed Rail (HSR) project from Beijing to Shenyang*.  He now focuses on building PRISM Engineering Traffic Engineering and Expert Witness Services with above and beyond capabilities involving extensive research and data collection using state of the art laser measurements, drone videography, and video editing / creation of graphics and movies.  He also is an experienced report writer and speaker, forming opinions and conclusions for use in MSJ, Declarations, Federal Reports, and EW Testimony and Deposition in California, Utah, Arizona, Hawaii and Washington.

     He has a very broad view of multimodal transportation based on direct experience in China, and now living in San Francisco, CA which have a lot of similarities. In China he worked on HSR construction inspection, rode the High Speed Rail systems there, incl. buses, monorail, taxis, bikes, electric scooters, and walking, and never once needed to drive a car. Grant has extensive Supervisory and Management experience in HSR engineering and construction. As Chief Site Engineer over 70 km of China's bullet train construction near Beijing, he oversaw and  supervised the work of hundreds of engineers and construction workers.  He has an international experience in traffic engineering. More recently Grant has been involved in numerous expert witness cases for accidents involving Traffic Engineering expertise.  His perspective of traffic safety comes from practical hands-on experience in the field, as well as a thorough understanding of design and safety principles contained in the MUTCD, AASHTO Green Book, and State Highway Design Manuals.
  *(see CHINA tab for more info on his China Traffic Engineering experience)

Grant P. Johnson, TE
WHY PRISM ENGINEERING ?
A more well-rounded experience in Transportation.
1980-1984--College Engineering Degree (BS in Civil)
1984-1994--Rose through ranks in major Traffic Engineering and Planning company to Regional Manager, #1 in sales in 1993-94.
1994 Started own engineering company, profitable in just over 1 year. Continues to present day as PRISM Engineering.
2013-2015--Spent nearly 3 years in China on very high profile contracts including Chief Engineer over High Speed Rail construction / inspection. Also worked on major Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning projects in China (City of Chongqing, 35 million people, 4th largest city there)
Has learned from both country's transportation systems the best of both worlds. Cars are great. Trains are great. Subways and Buses are great. All in their own proper place and implementation.  
Has a more complete understanding of transportation systems, their relative strengths and weaknesses, having lived in both worlds and used both systems extensively and for years at a time, and having experienced the differing cultures and why transportation choices in some cultures work and will NOT work in other cultures.  It depends so much on human behavior and choices. Too often engineers and planners in the US are trying to implement transportation systems in the US that are not a good match, even though they work elsewhere. The reason some systems work has to do with auto ownership, local economy, government control (or not), and density of where people live. When that is ignored, like it was in California when they tried to build a high speed rail train, it completely failed and now is a boondoggle of government wasteful spending while trying to do things that don't fit the local culture of transportation OR housing.
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Experience as a
Registered Traffic Engineer
40 Years
 
Professional Registration
Licensed Traffic Engineer
State of California (TR#1453)
since 1987
 
​Education             
California State University, Sacramento
BS Civil Engineering
1984
 
Professional Affiliations
American Public Works Association (APWA)
Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
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​TRAFFIC ENGINEERING EXPERT WITNESS Research and Testimony

A wide variety of Expert Witness cases involving:

►Examination of all roadway and traffic conditions, using state of the art data collection (laser measurements, elevations/grade), drone aerial photography, video editing software for creation of visuals and proof of opinions, etc. regarding safety conditions of the roadway and installations.
►Examining traffic control device installations (signs, striping, signals, etc.) for compliance to MUTCD standards, Highway Design Manual, AASHTO Green Book, etc.
►Measuring vehicle sight distance using state of the art methods in photography and laser measurements.
►vehicle speeds using radar at ground level and drone for aerial videography of speeds over a distance.
►traffic patterns using drone video to capture driver behavior in turns, braking, lane changes, reaction to signals or signs, sight distance constraints, etc.

​​Recent cases involve:
  1. Driver hits a young Pedestrian running across a crosswalk.  There was no signal control at the crosswalk, and blind spots were numerous on this busy 4-lane boulevard.  Took photos at grade, and drone video over an hour to capture other video. Sample walking in the crosswalk at peak hours revealed that many drivers do not see you when you step in the crosswalk.   For Defense of Driver
  2. Light Rail Train Crashes into Vehicle at a poorly designed railroad crossing.  The crossing is oversaturated with signs and lights, but the parallel street has no signage to instruct a driver on proper motion across the tracks or whether a train crossing is present.  No warning sign in place as required by MUTCD on the parallel street. Extensively examining signal timing with drone footage.   For Plaintiff against City.
  3. Freeway Flooding after Rainfall.  This case examined a huge (200' across) two-foot deep large puddle that formed after rainfall in the dark hours of 5 am on the freeway.  A semi-truck comes along, overturns, and crashes.  The puddle was caused by clogged drains that were not maintained.  The puddle remained for hours after the rain stopped.  We took photos of the freeway, with drone footage capturing the difficult-to-film parts over the drains.  For Plaintiff against Caltrans
  4. Car pulls out of driveway and cuts off motorcycle,  a pole was in the way for a split second.   We determined the precise locations using drone footage combined with line-of-sight photos on the ground, at 3.5 feet above the ground, and the available sight distance.   For Defense of Public Utility Company.
  5. Freeway Lane Closure Dispute over whether one lane was sufficient to close or two lanes.  Semi hit the Attenuator Truck and spun out of control hitting a Construction Worker on the edge of the road.  Examining whether a MUTCD violation existed in the construction traffic control.  For Plaintiff against Contractor and Caltrans
  6. Rear-End Accident at Construction Road Closure.  The road closure was on a 40 mph stretch, but the road was partially closed. There is a liability question in the Orange Cone/Traffic Sign combination.  For Defense of County.
  7. Pedestrian J-Walking fatality, Speed Change from 50 to 45 mph, MUTCD violation, Signs improperly installed.  For Plaintiff against City
  8. Pedestrian fatality on Hawaii State Highway, four lanes with inadequate lighting for a crosswalk;  the crosswalk was in an improper location. Was not subject to a motion for summary judgment. Mistakes were made by the defense and discovered by PRISM on their review of lighting data. Used a light meter to measure luminaire lumens in the field at night.  Involved extensive research and data collection using nighttime drone aerial videography, CAD creation of infographics of speeds and distances.  Created before and after diagrams of the installations of the crosswalk and striping. For plaintiff against HI DOT.
  9. Severe nighttime vehicle broadside accident at a major intersection in Huntington Beach.  Alleged fault of signal timing/function. Use of drone aerial video to document signal operation, nighttime operations, and vehicle behavior and response. Full field inspection of all signs, striping, and signals.  For Defense of City.
  10. Nighttime trucking accident at a major food company distribution center, with poor lighting in the truck parking lot.  Found unsafe lighting (measured with light meter), unsafe U-Turns, and crowded conditions. Used a drone to capture evidence of dangerous turning maneuvers with dangerous results to truck drivers.  For Plaintiff against Corporation. 
  11. Car/motorcycle accident at a large intersection in an industrial park with some sight distance constraints and an alleged lane striping deficiency. Used a drone to sync the sight distance video to the position of the vehicle.  For Defense of City.
  12. Vehicle hits a cattle herd crossing the AZ State highway at night. No fences, no lights, horizontal and vertical curves. There are a few warning signs on a 10-mile stretch. Nighttime vision was so limited (no street lights available) that large animals could not be seen in time to satisfy safe stopping sight distance.  For Plaintiff versus AZ State DOT.
  13. Truck overturn accident on improperly designed and negligently maintained county highway.  The shoulders were a steep drop-off, causing the vehicle to tip due to multiple decades of repaving.  For Plaintiff against CA County.
  14. Skateboard hits Vehicle in San Francisco on Market St. Investigation of all traffic signal operations, signing and striping, and driver behavior/maneuvers at the major Market Street intersection mixed with rail and bus traffic. For Defense of driver of vehicle.  
  15. Sight distance issues on neighborhood collector / arterial intersection. Wall, bushes, and roadway design. For plaintiff against CA City.
  16. Vehicle hit by Light Rail, signal dispute. Railroad crossing complexities, controlling signals, and signs. For Defense of CA City
  17. Signal Timing issue on Expressway w/Car/Car fatality. For Defense of Driver and finding liability on CA city.
  18. UT State highway pedestrian fatality on sidewalk of connecting street.  Design flaws. Safety flaws. Lighting. High-speed freeway-type speeds.  Improper TCDI installations. For Plaintiff versus driver and UT State DOT.
  19. Railroad crossing at a major intersection with pedestrian fatality, skewed intersection. No pedestrian gates. For Defense of City.
  20. High school Crosswalk w/severe pedestrian injury, Sight distance constraints due to sunrise blinding sunlight. Examine the crosswalk, street.  For Defense of City.
  21. Absence of guardrail and motorist runs off the freeway fatality. An open ditch awaits the run-off vehicle that resulted in a head-on collision with the embankment. For Plaintiff versus CA State DOT.
  22. Motorcycle ran off freeway offramp, alleged poor design. Examined ramp and approach speed, super-elevation of ramp, sight distance, and used drone video to measure all angles and speeds of traffic. Ramp was properly set to 45 mph.   For Defense of Caltrans CA DOT working with Caltrans attorneys.
  23. Absence of sufficient guardrail on a high-speed rural freeway. Vehicle exits freeway, plunges into dry canal, and strikes a concrete wall, resulting in a fatal accident. For Plaintiff versus CA DOT (Caltrans).
  24. Multiple close signals near freeway ramp w/Ped fatality hit by a semi-truck turning into the crosswalk.    For Defense of City.
  25. Pedestrian killed in crosswalk. Alleged signal timing deficiency. Sun glare. For Plaintiff against CA City.
  26. Motorcycle ran off the road, hit a utility pole. For Defense of local CA Utility Company.
  27. Motorcycle fatality in a construction zone. Review of Contractor's Temporary Traffic Control plan sheets. For Defense of Contractor.



    Partial List of Recently Completed Cases (alphabetized):
  28. Arcadia, CA, Liu v. Alhambra Motors, Ped/Car/X-Walk
  29. Antioch, CA, Nartea v Sabedra, Car hits Skateboarder at Traffic Signal
  30. Arizona Grand Canyon, AZ, PARTHASARATHI v. STATE OF ARIZONA & UNITED STATES. Car hits Cow, Head-on Car
  31. Calaveras County, CA, Bowser vs Reed, Car/Ambulance fatality, sun was factor in sight distance
  32. Dixon, CA, Glenda Dew vs Caltrans, Head-on, fatal
  33. Emeryville, CA, Abad vs City, Fatal truck accident in Xwalk
  34. Fairfield, CA, Coppes v CALTRANS
  35. Fort Duchesne, UT US vs Austin, Construction Zone Temporary Traffic Control, Signage improperly installed.
  36. Fresno, CA, Paulino vs Jensen/Car hits long truck crossing two close spaced intersections
  37. Harriman, UT, High speed fatality on Utah DOT expressway, signal dilemma zone, sight distance
  38. Harriman, UT, Hancock v Holbrook, Car hits Pedestrian
  39. Honolulu, HI, Farrington Hwy, hit fixed obj., no guardrail
  40. Honolulu, HI, Farrington Hwy, Ped killed in crosswalk, poor lighting, mistakes in roadway design work.
  41. Hollywood, CA, Babak vs Grace & Frankie, Car/Truck
  42. Inglewood, CA, Pamela Passion Kennedy Ballou vs Shaikeith Lavaile Reed, Tesla Motors Inc. and City of Inglewood: for Defense of City
  43. Lancaster, CA, Romines vs Lancaster/Broadside fatality
  44. Laguna Hills, CA, John Doe vs Orange County Fire Authority/Fire Truck hits car at signal, high speeds
  45. Los Angeles CALTRANS vs Blanca Cavazos Motorcycle/Car
  46. Manteca, CA, Roundabout: Motorcycle fatal accident
  47. Manteca, CA, School Ped/Car accident in X-Walk
  48. Marin County, CA, CALTRANS Pino vs State, Car/CHP
  49. Marin County, CA, Goralka, Speed and Stopping sight distance on Panoramic Highway
  50. Marin County, CA, Rosenthal vs Johnson, Bike/Car accident @ Four Corners intersection
  51. Martinez, CA Daniel Nall vs CALTRANS, Motorcycle/Car
  52. Modesto, CA, Bernal vs Mendez, City, County, CALTRANS
  53. Newport Beach, CA, Heyer v Sosa, Broadside Car at Signal
  54. Oakley, CA, Vancil vs City, Bike/Car
  55. Pittsburg, CA, Sandoval vs City, Guardrail: Run off road
  56. Pittsburg, CA, Delta View vc Blue Wave Car Wash: Improper level of traffic
  57. Richmond, CA, Melida Diaz, RR Xing Ped/Train fatality
  58. Richmond, CA, Sakura Sims vs City, Ped/Car at X-Walk
  59. Richmond, CA, Jones & Randall, Motorcycle/Truck
  60. Richmond, CA, Ms Norma Supapo, Ped/Car fatality at unmarked intersection, sight distance issues
  61. Rocklin, CA, Googooian vs Anastasia, Car/Car stop sign
  62. San Francisco, CA, MICHAEL GUERRERO v MILESTONE CONTRACTORS, Truck hits Scooter at Signal
  63. San Bernadino County, CA, Tufesa USA v Rafael Guerrero Serratos, Carpool Van veers off freeway at night, fatality.
  64. San Rafael, CA, Ketron vs City, Ped/Car at X-Walk
  65. San Rafael, CA, Zaslavski vs City, Ped/Truck fatality
  66. Riverside County, CA, Penelope v Caltrans/Riverside County, Motorcycle hits Car on Highway intersection
  67. Temecula, CA, Romero vs Kimco/Parking Lot Accident
  68. Tulare, CA, Jathan Quiroz (plaintiff) vs CALTRANS, City of Tulare, Elizabeth Perez: Construction Traffic Control. Sight Distance Issues.  Striping was not installed during construction.  Signs poorly placed. For defense of Driver.
  69. Turlock, CA, Sederquist vs Turlock/Flooding Accident
  70. Vacaville, CA, Glenda Dew vs State of CA, Ped/Car
  71. Washington State, U.S. Department of Justice, FBI car
  72. West Jordan, UT, Fair vs Flake, Chick-Fil-A, Construction Zone accident (broadside, two cars) Signal/Obstruction
  • Radar Speed Surveys in City of Angels Camp, CA.  Traffic Engineer  (2022/2023)
  • UNITED STATES, DOJ (Department of Justice) contract for EXPERT WITNESS services as Traffic Engineer, Accident Review, Analysis, Deposition, Court Testimony (2018)  
  • PRISM Engineering ON-CALL Traffic Engineering Services contract with Marin County Public Works: 1) Panoramic Highway intersection design study and report, 2) sight distance analyses and report, level of service analysis. (2017 - 2019)
  • EXPERT WITNESS as Traffic Engineer, Numerous Cities and Counties throughout northern and southern California, and Utah. Reviews, Analysis, Declarations for MSJ, Depositions, Testimony.  Accidents, Sight Distance, Construction Traffic Control, Railroad Crossings, Signing / Striping, Roadway Design, Pedestrians and Bikes
  • Traffic Operations Missouri Flat Corridor Analysis in El Dorado County, CA,  comprehensive traffic systems studies completed for several development projects.  Highly detailed SimTraffic models, calibrated with real world traffic data.
  • US 101/SR 131 Interchange in Marin County.  Traffic Operations Study and Microsimulation, working with Bob Goralka of Marin County DPW.  Project Engineer/Manager (2016)
  • Charter School Traffic Impact Study, City of Vallejo, Project Engineer/Manager.  Developed custom trip generation, custom GIS trip distribution, innovative mitigations and Transportation Demand Management (TDM)  (2016)
  • ​​Radar Speed Surveys in City of Shasta Lake, 52 locations.  Traffic Engineer  (2016)
  • Chico SR 99/Eaton Rd Interchange Traffic Operations Study with NW Specific Plan Analysis (2015/16). Signal Installations, timing study. Realignment of Frontage Road. MicroSimulation
  • Video Origin/Destination Study, RenHe/JinKai Intchg. Chongqing, CN (2014)
  • Trip Generation Survey (1900 DU) LongHuXiYuan, Chongqing, CN (2014)
  • YueLai  Conference Center Parking Study, Chongqing, CN (2014)
  • Five (5) intersections Signal Design, Chongqing, CN (2013)
  • ON-CALL Traffic Engineering, NCTC Nevada County (2001-2012)
  • ON-CALL Traffic Engineering,  City of Los Banos, CA (2007-09)
  • Signal Design: Alamo Drive 7 intersections, Vacaville, CA (2007)
  • Signal Design: Green Valley Road Interconnect, El Dorado Co. (2006)
  • ON-CALL Traffic Engineering and Peer Review, El Dorado County

TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Experience
  • PRISM Engineering On-Call Traffic Engineering Services Contract with City of Vacaville Public Works (2017-2018): “The Farm at Alamo Creek” Residential Annexation (780 DU), Project Engineer.  Used Cube traffic model to develop future traffic, traffic impact study, freeway and intersection analyses using Synchro 9 HCM 2010.  Traffic report.
  • Comprehensive Traffic Study: Residential Subdivision (361 units), Diamond Springs in El Dorado County.  Traffic Operations Analysis, Microsimulation and analysis of traffic impacts along high demand corridor.  New Roadways and Regional Bypass. Freeway Interchange operations analysis and data collection, measure Saturation Flow Rates, etc.  Mitigations.  Various Reports. (2017/18)
  • Commercial Development. Interchange modifications in El Dorado County (signals, widen ramps, coordinated intersection analysis, microsimulation analysis results).  Create innovative and cost-saving roadway designs that work!  Custom engineering.
  • Charter School (1400 stu) Traffic Impact Study, City of Vallejo, Project Engineer/Manager.  Developed custom trip generation, custom GIS trip distribution, innovative intersection  and street calming mitigations and Transportation Demand Management (TDM)  (2015/16). Research and documentation in Reports.
  • YueLai Newtown VISSUM Traffic Model Development, ChongQing, CN (2013-14)
  • Quinn Crossing Apartments TIS, Vacaville, CA (2012)
  • 4200 DU and School Annexation, Leisure Town East, Vacaville, CA (2011)
  • Leisure Bypass, Traffic Model Alternatives, Vacaville, CA (2010)
  • TRANSCAD Model, 600 zones, City of Los Banos, CA (2007)
  • Transportation Master Plan, City of Los Banos, CA (2007-08)
  • On-Call Transportation Planning, Numerous planning studies, RTP assistance, NCTC in Nevada County (2001-2012 continuously)
  • TRANSCAD Model Services, NCTC in Nevada County (2001-2012 cont.)
HIGH SPEED RAIL, HSR, Experience.  Engineering Design and Construction Management, China (380 km/hr=240 mph)
  • Chief Site Engineer (CSE), management over Engineering Design and Construction Inspection, incl. “Stop Order” authority for 70 km of China's Beijing to Shenyang HSR train construction of tunnels, bridges, viaduct, foundations, piers, towers, and stations centered around Fuxin Station.  Oversaw QC of concrete batch plants, rebar fitting, etc.  Held regular meetings with Chinese government officials pertaining to HSR construction and methods.  Worked with Chinese engineers in an all-Mandarin environment.
  • (see HSR tab for more info on his China Traffic Engineering experience)
  • Duties Included: 
    • Manage and work alongside all HSR engineers, oversee work,
    • Lead meetings at multiple levels with local staff, Chinese partner firm staff, Construction company leadership and staff, and also with Chinese government officials overseeing train construction.  
    • Keep daily detailed journal, and Excel database w/ photos and video log of each relevant inspection.
    • Inspected tunnels, bridges, track, foundations, and train stations. 
    • Prepared weekly inspection summary reports to the Chinese Government authorities over high speed rail (HSR) construction.  His reports were detailed with graphics and Chinese Mandarin text as well as English text, and contained recommendations to the government on where improvements were necessary.  These also documented training sessions, and other meetings.
    • Filed CSE NOTICE and STOP ORDER reports as needed to ensure construction company compliance to government quality and safety and management regulations on the site whether it be in the tunnels, at the batching plant, the girder and viaduct yard, foundation construction, or pier assembly, etc.

Corridor Studies/Multi-modal Improvements
  • YueLai  Ave. Corridor Operations Study, Synchro / SimTraffic Intersection Design and Signal Design (China and USA Standard Plans in custom Hybrid), China (2014)
  • El Dorado Hills Corridor and US 50 Interchange Operations Study & Design, El Dorado Co.  On-Call Services (2008)
  • Collector Distributor and Roundabout SR 20/49 Fwy, Grass Valley (2006)

Public Transit Systems Planning in China, Major Projects
  • Grant Johnson designed in AutoCAD layers: 1) Bus Transit Routes & Stations Plan,  2) Bike Trails and Striping Plan, 3) Complete Streets and Traffic Calming Striping and Pavement Markings, 4) Crosswalk and all Onstreet Parking and Traffic Control,  YueLai Newtown, Chongqing, CN (2013-14)
  • Transit Hub with Subway Monorail Access by escalator, Taxi Lanes, Bus Stop Lanes, Ped Bridges, Bike Lanes and Roundabout Circling Transit Hub, YueLai Newtown, Chongqing, CN (2013-14)

Roundabouts
  • SR 49 / Pleasant Valley Rd Roundabout Design, El Dorado County, CA (2022)
  • I-80 Lewis Rd/Weber Rd Roundabout Study, Solano County, CA (2012)
  • SR 49 Fwy Ramps/Main Street Roundabout Design, Grass Valley, CA (2002)
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