Co-hosts Brandon Lewis and Jessica Parks lead this episode of the ITP, joined by Mass Transit's Noah Kolenda. They examine one year of congestion pricing and its impact on traffic patterns and urban mobility in New York City and beyond.

Brandon also sits down with Penn State student Jorge Diaz to explore the future of transit through the lens of an emerging professional — from data analytics and machine learning to the growing need for more multimodal, people-focused infrastructure.

To close out the episode, Jessica quizzes Brandon and Noah on project pricing from Roads & Bridges' 2025 Top 10 Bridge Awards.

Jorge Diaz - Penn State University

Jorge Diaz is a transportation engineering student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State. His studies focus on transit systems, with research spanning the impacts of transit policies on ridership, security incidents, accessibility and equity.

Noah Kolenda - Mass Transit

Noah Kolenda is the associate editor at Mass Transit, where he specializes in data-driven coverage of transit operations, ridership and urban mobility trends.

• How congestion pricing in New York City has reduced traffic in Manhattan and reshaped travel behavior across the Five Boroughs in its first year.
• How a new generation of transit professionals is applying data-driven thinking, global perspective and multimodal planning.
• Why the next generation of the industry is shifting from car-centric design towards systems focused on moving people more efficiently.
• How well you can stack up on bridge project pricing from Roads & Bridges' 2025 Top 10 Bridge Awards.

Episode length: 44:34

Timestamps:

• 2:17 — Congestion pricing
• 14:18 — Interview with Jorge Diaz
• 32:43 — Quiz on Roads & Bridges 2025 Top 10 Bridge Awards

• "NYC marks one year of congestion pricing with faster travel, cleaner air, safer streets and more revenue than expected" — Noah Kolenda
• Congestion Relief Zone Tolling First Evaluation Report
• Roads & Bridges Top 10 Bridge Awards
• Send us a topic suggestion!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the ITP and rate and review our podcast! Email itp@endeavorb2b.com with your thoughts on congestion pricing — we might read them on air.

The ITP team returns to dive into post-pandemic transit and the evolving forces shaping infrastructure today. Mass Transit’s Noah Kolenda joins Gavin, Brandon, and Jessica to break down five years of ridership recovery across the New York MTA system — revealing how commuter rail, buses, subways and paratransit have each rebounded differently as travel habits shift.

Later in the episode, Gavin speaks with Keith Plokhoy of CMC to explore how construction materials, supply chains and pre‑engineered bridge technology are transforming project delivery. Their conversation highlights how accelerated bridge construction can improve resilience, cut man‑hours and reopen critical routes faster after disruptive events.

To wrap up the episode, Brandon puts the team to the test with a fresh round of Mass Transit trivia.

Noah Kolenda - Mass Transit

Noah Kolenda is the associate editor at Mass Transit, where he specializes in data-driven coverage of transit operations, ridership and urban mobility trends.

Keith Plokhoy - CMC

Keith Plokhoy is the director of bridge systems at CMC. His work focuses on bringing pre‑engineered, accelerated bridge construction solutions to market, helping agencies deliver projects faster, more safely and with greater long‑term resilience.

• How ridership has recovered across MTA modes — from commuter rail to subways — and what the data reveals about changing post‑pandemic travel habits.
• How construction materials, supply chains and accelerated bridge construction technologies are influencing project delivery timelines and cost savings.
• How pre‑engineered bridge systems improve resilience in areas facing extreme weather and repeated flooding.
• Insights from Brandon’s Mass Transit trivia showdown — covering the latest news, fleet transitions and funding shifts across the industry.

Episode Length: 50:50

Timestamps:

• 1:40 – Noah's MTA data dive
• 16:53 – Interview with Keith Plokhoy
• 44:10 – Mass Transit news quiz

• CMC Bridge Systems
• MTA Ridership Data (NY Open Data Portal)
• Send us a topic suggestion!

Don’t forget to subscribe to the ITP and rate and review our podcast! Email itp@endeavorb2b.com with your transit or infrastructure hot takes — we might read them on air.

The Season 3 premiere of the ITP kicks off with a forward-looking conversation on where transportation and infrastructure technology are headed in 2026. The team's predictions include AI adoption, smart roads, real-time traffic management and the uncertain future of federal infrastructure funding. The episode also features an interview with leaders from HNTB and DART, exploring how transit agencies are leveraging data and AI to improve safety, operations and the rider experience.