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Don’t lose out on federal funding. Local agency federal-aid project implementation is a high risk for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and state departments of transportation (DOT), due to complex federal…
Read MoreManagers of public spaces need to share best practices and network to stay current with trends and technological updates for continuous improvement in operational efficiencies and sustainability efforts. Designed to…
Read MoreHave you ever experienced purchasing less than superior salt for your salt barns? Salt containing debris, contaminates or other trace aggregates can damage equipment. Were you aware of the damage this can cause to your manufacturing and application systems? The City of Dublin would like to share a lesson learned and a tool that has saved our salt brine manufacturing and application systems!
Read MoreThis session introduces public works and state DOT employees to an educational opportunity that values their on-the-job training and awards college credits for much of it. College credit towards an associate degree in this online program is awarded for working knowledge such as for CDL, FEMA training and traffic control. Students receive management skills they need to be promoted, as well as general education required for the degree. The program develops fundamental leadership skills and teaches participants how to build and maintain a productive team.
Read MoreUsing liquids in your winter maintenance operations has several benefits. Agencies have found that their total use of materials, particularly salt, has been significantly reduced. In addition, using liquids provides significant cost savings, and experience has shown that use of liquids provides better safety and improved levels of service than more traditional approaches. The speaker will examine the new ways in which liquids are being used in winter operations today. These methods include blending liquids, where small amounts of enhancing liquids are added to a base salt brine. The speaker will also discuss the use of liquid only routes, where agencies have had great success using liquids not only before the storm but also all through the storm. Finally, the speaker will discuss how liquids can be used with solids to handle difficult accumulations of snow and ice.
Read MoreDo your suppliers or contractors fall short of expectations? Do you feel trapped in relationships with poor-performing suppliers due to low-bid requirements? Are your operations affected by reoccurring supplier/contactor issues? The key to having a Ready and Resilient public works operation is knowing you will have what you need to get the job done when you need it. This can often be a unique challenge in the public sector as low-bid procurement requirements can result in relationships with vendors who oversell and underperform. The Maintenance Support Team at the North Texas Tollway Authority has tried various ways to address these issues and improve supplier relationships to ensure they are always ready to respond. This session will cover the development and use of a basic vendor scorecard that aids in expectation communications, supplier accountability, and documentation to support issue escalation when necessary to improve the supplier relationship.
Read MorePublic works organizations are making smart communities a reality. And they are doing this with the adoption of smart technologies and their integration with a geographic information system (GIS). From location-enabled devices, drones, augmented reality, and machine learning, public works professionals are using location as the standard analytical approach to achieving new insight and improved performance. Increasingly, sensors, the internet of things, and cloud computing are feeding data on the locations of people, nature, vehicles, and infrastructure. Public works departments have access to more tools and data than ever before and are leading their communities towards a more prosperous and well-run future. This session will showcase examples of organizations using Esri’s Smart Community Information System to optimize urban mobility, address and respond to humans in crisis, monitor drone traffic, leverage artificial intelligence for infrastructure management, and design and support a sensor-driven world.
Read MoreThe Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) selected TranSystems to design the Interstate 235 (I-235) interchange to accommodate safety and operational problems identified from a study and support a more efficient and resilient roadway system to better accommodate current and projected traffic volumes. As one of the most significant roadway infrastructure projects in Kansas history, TranSystems addressed several of the most congested sections between I-235 and U.S. Route 54/U.S. Route 400 (US 54/500), with minimal impact to the community, by implementing a Smart Work Zone to ease congestion and inform drivers. During certain phases where capacity was greatly constrained, the need for alternative routing was identified. Thus, variable message signs were deployed on the side roads that allowed users to divert at key locations and use the street network or other routes before entering the access-controlled freeway. By integrating portable, changeable message signs on key arterial routes feeding onto US54/400, better diversion was accomplished.
Read MoreOver the last 30 years, a large body of national, international, and industry asset management standards and guidelines have been created. Today, the industry continues to struggle with the integration of engineering, accounting, and community planning, while aligning corporate goals with daily operations and maintenance, planning, budgeting, and delivery activities. The challenge is how to adopt and sustain asset management practices to meet the demands and expectations of our communities while managing an aging infrastructure asset base. To assist jurisdictions in navigating their asset management journey, APWA has developed an interactive Asset Management (AM) Road Map. It is designed to assist communities in systematically implementing their asset management system and is structured around ten key asset management themes defined as Road Map stops. This session will introduce the APWA AM Roadmap and Best Practices.
Read MoreMecklenburg County (home to Charlotte) is the most populated county in North Carolina. The County has had significant exposure to urban flooding exacerbated by explosive growth over the last two decades. The County, which is recognized as having one of the most progressive flood mitigation programs in the country, has invested in various data, technology, policy, and administrative initiatives to continue to reduce flood risk. As part of a recent partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the County has implemented a network of low-cost flood sensors and coupled it with powerful geographic information system (GIS) based tools to provide near real-time flood inundation and impact assessments during storm events. This information is invaluable for emergency response and recovery and long-term program planning and guidance.
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