JACKSON, Miss. (April 8, 2024) – Neel-Schaffer is excited to announce Vijay Kunada, PE, PTOE, PTP, as the firm’s newly appointed Transportation Planning Discipline Lead. With over 20 years of experience in transportation planning, Vijay is the ideal choice to serve in this pivotal role.
“Vijay has repeatedly shown he understands the needs of our DOT and community clients and the essential long-term transportation strategies they must develop and maintain,” said Robert Walker, PE, Neel-Schaffer’s Chief Operating Officer. His wealth of experience and knowledge has been instrumental in broadening the services we can offer and have proven he is the leader we need to expand these services to clients throughout our nine-state area.”
Since starting at Neel-Schaffer in 2006, Vijay has spearheaded transportation planning projects across Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas. He has worked closely with clients like the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) and the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), and alongside numerous Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), counties, parishes, and municipalities. His efforts have been instrumental in shaping transportation priorities and fostering community growth.
“The plans are where projects are born and how we think of new ideas, and it’s different for each community,” said Vijay, who is a Senior Vice President with the firm. “We create a long-term vision for that community, and then we create incremental solutions and give them a path to achieve their goals. That’s what challenges me and gives me satisfaction when we produce solutions that work for each community.”
Vijay brings added value to clients by staying at the forefront of technological and analytical research and development methods. “We are always there for them,” he said. “We bring to the table innovation and new techniques in the planning field. We ensure the plans comply with all federal regulations and bring them the best public engagement opportunities possible. We couple that with being there every step of the way and supporting the plan after it is completed.”
Vijay is a Registered Professional Engineer in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas, and is certified as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer and a Professional Transportation Planner. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from JNTU College of Engineering in India and holds two degrees from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette – a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Computer Science. Before joining Neel-Schaffer, he served as a Transportation Engineer for four years for the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government.
