Jay Jackson, Pe
About Jay Jackson, Pe
Jay Jackson is the Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Coordinator at MBTA, with a background in traffic engineering and transportation planning.
Title
Jay Jackson, PE, serves as the Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Coordinator at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). He has held this position since 2020, working in the Greater Boston Area.
Company
MBTA
Previous Roles
Jay Jackson has extensive experience in transportation and signal systems, having worked at several firms. He was a Traffic Engineer at GPI / Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. from 2019 to 2020, a Transportation Engineer I at HNTB from 2018 to 2019, and a Transportation Planner at Cambridge Systematics, Inc. from 2016 to 2018. Additionally, he had earlier roles as a Graduate Student at The Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership and Northeastern University, a Transportation Planning Intern at Nelson ygaard Consulting Associates, and a Sales Consultant at MMS Analytics, Inc.
Education and Expertise
Jay Jackson earned a Master of Science in Transportation and Highway Engineering from Northeastern University in 2017. He also holds an MBA-like certificate in Business & Entrepreneurship from Coursera (2014) and a Master of Science in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from Georgia Institute of Technology (2007). He completed a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of New Hampshire in 2005.
Contributions to Transit Signal Priority
In his role at MBTA, Jay Jackson has made significant contributions to the field of Transit Signal Priority (TSP). He has authored RFIs to acquire the latest data on traffic signal and TSP technologies, developed scalable methods for measuring transit performance through signals, and coordinated with national organizations like the USDOT. He has overseen the development of TSP specifications now adopted by 11 municipalities and MassDOT and managed signal upgrade implementations valued between $3M-$5M. He is also working towards connecting 50+ signals with transit measures by the end of 2023.
Grant Acquisition and Project Management
Jay Jackson played a pivotal role in securing a $3.7M FHWA ATTAIN discretionary grant for signal upgrades. He manages and oversees multiple signal upgrade projects and has contributed significantly to the development of a transit priority dashboard in collaboration with MBTA Operations Analytics.
Professional Memberships
Jay Jackson is a member of four invite-only professional organizations focused on signals and transit priority, including the TRB ACP25: Traffic Signal Systems Committee. His memberships underscore his expertise and active engagement in the transit and signal priority community.