Infrastructure Engineering and Deployment

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s Infrastructure Engineering and Deployment Division are industry leaders in providing hands-on infrastructure engineering solutions for the National Air Space, marine engineering, integrated systems security, surface and rail systems, and emergency management. 

We enhance and protect transportation infrastructure through engineering design, testing, assessment, installation, integration, and implementation. We provide technical, analytical, engineering, and project management support for systems that support transportation infrastructure, equipment, and facilities, including vehicles and vessels, railways, waterways and ports, and surface structures.

Some highlights of our work include:

• Providing National Air Space (NAS) implementation and systems modernization support to DOD air traffic control and landing systems at more than 177 U.S. Air Force (USAF) sites worldwide along with joint program efforts for FAA for more than 20 years
• Serving as lead engineer on all phases of select USAF Foreign Military Sales programs for air traffic control, navigational aids, and landing systems in cooperation with the USAF Security Assistance Command and U.S. State Department to U.S. allies
• Providing 30+ years of engineering, infrastructure upgrades, and rail equipment acquisition support to address critical DOD rail equipment and infrastructure modernization needs 
• Providing engineering, design, testing, and implementation efforts to modernize federal maritime programs, systems, and processes—critical for enforcing laws and treaties, marine safety, environmental protection, and port security
• Providing lifecycle engineering and implementation support to improve the overall security posture and resiliency of multimodal transportation infrastructure against all-hazard incidents and maximize the effectiveness of response and recovery operations
• Providing fire protection and life safety engineering support, which includes designing, testing, upgrading, and managing building features and systems to minimize risk and help prevent interruptions, loss, injuries, and death from fire, electrical, and other hazards for: 
  • FAA to protect life, mission (National Air Space), property, and the safety of the flying public
  • FRA on the benefits of fire detection and suppression systems on railcars

Our team of mechanical engineers, electronics engineers, general engineers, operations research analysts, and IT specialists work together to implement operational enhancements and improve infrastructure safety, security, and resilience on behalf of our sponsors, which include FAA, DHS, DOD, NPS, MARAD, NOAA, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, FTA, GSA, FHWA, and other federal, state, and local agencies. 

Our Capabilities

Engineering and Technology Deployment to Enhance Transportation

• Deliver technical, analytical, architectural engineering, and project management support for improvements to transportation infrastructure, equipment, facilities, vehicles, vessels, and their systems
• Provide key transportation system lifecycle support, including systems requirement development, performance evaluation, operational test implementation, and change management
• Provide business case and lifecycle cost analysis on system recapitalization
• Provide infrastructure engineering support to include assessment, planning, site preparation, design, prototype development, deployment, implementation integration, removal/decommissioning of legacy elements, training, acceptance testing, construction oversight, maintenance and operational enhancements, command/control, and evaluation

Systems and Infrastructure Modernization and Optimization

• Provide system development, modernization, deployment, and sustainment solutions 
• Deploy systems and support problem resolution sustainment
• Implementation of infrastructure and systems modernization plans and programs to improve safety and security
• Conduct systems and business case analysis, develop system requirements, evaluate performance, and resolve operational problems and interface issues associated with system deployment and sustainment 
• Support system acquisition and development through requirements development, engineering change proposal management, and operational test and acceptance
• Provide full-service lifecycle marine engineering support including ship disposal analysis, fire life safety systems design and installation, ballast water management, navigational infrastructure, ferry and modular causeway system design, harbormaster command and control center support, and port infrastructure development grant support

Safety and Security Assessments

• Implement infrastructure and systems modernization plans and programs to improve safety and security
• Provide analytical support, including training programs (course development, materials, and workshops), risk assessments, regulatory assessments, and safety evaluations 
• Provide integrated system security support including physical and cybersecurity system assessments, non-intrusive inspection technology implementation, urban explosive blast assessments, integrated physical security design and deployment, GPS/PNT resiliency assessments, freight safety and security operational assessment, and emerging security risk assessments 

Meet Our Team

View selected staff biographies.

John Wojtowicz

Acting Chief, Infrastructure Engineering and Deployment

John Wojtowicz is a program manager/senior engineer for security and resiliency systems and the acting chief of Infrastructure Engineering and Deployment at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center. 

He started his career at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center in 1987. Wojtowicz has supported many federal agencies, primarily multiple DOD organizations, DHS’ Science & Technology Directorate, Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, FHWA on vehicle security barriers, MARAD on facility infrastructure modernization and resiliency, and the Delaware Department of Transportation on counter human trafficking in commercial vehicles.  

His primary focus is research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) initiatives to counter emerging and improvised threats against the transportation sector and improve the safety and resiliency of the nation’s transportation enterprise. Recent programs include assessing/prototyping emerging threats and risks of remotely operated and autonomous vehicles (maritime/aviation/surface sectors), assessing operational technology/industrial control systems security, researching civilian technology to meet mission requirements and potential adverse use of technology innovations, and supply chain security. 

Wojtowicz is a member of the U.S. government’s Counter Homemade Explosives Working Group and Emerging Threat Working Group and a U.S. DOT participant in other U.S. government counter-improvised explosive devices committees. He maintains close ties with colleagues in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.  

Wojtowicz served as division chief of the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s Security and Emergency Preparedness Division from 2012-2015, overseeing multiple RDT&E and operational support of safety, physical security, cybersecurity, emergency preparedness, resiliency programs. In support of the DHS ICS-CERT, his division conducted multiple Industrial Control System (ICS) security assessment in all transportation modes and developed the ICS Security Roadmap implemented by DHS. 

Since June 2021, he has served as the acting division chief for the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s Infrastructure Engineering and Deployment Division. He oversees multiple programs involving DOD rail infrastructure and trainsets modernizations, radar system optimizations and sustainability for USAF. He also oversees modernization of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy’s integrated security system and its waterfront infrastructure, as well as seaport infrastructure grant technical assessment and management for MARAD, fire life safety design and modernizations for FAA’s air traffic control towers and FRA’s railcar, and expanding the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s collaboration efforts with various DOD and national security organizations on vehicle safety initiatives and emerging threats to our nation’s transportation enterprise. 

Wojtowicz has a BS and a MS in electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst, MA). He maintains his board certification in Security Management [Certified Protection Professional (CPP)] from American Society of Industrial Security since 1996. Wojtowicz is a friend of the National Academy of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board Committee on Critical Infrastructure Protection.