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Typical planning approaches for municipal stormwater projects often include gathering significant field data, developing complex models, and extensive documentation regarding existing conditions and potential solutions. This presentation will explore a recent pilot project executed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services that employed available geographic information system (GIS) data and abridged the modeling and reporting process. The results of the effort were provided in a decision dashboard to assist stakeholders in identifying and prioritizing projects. It will also outline the advantages and pitfalls of this approach and highlight a few of the design projects developed from this study.
Read MoreThe City of Raleigh in North Carolina has recently undertaken an innovative implementation of a Pavement Management System using automated data collection (ADC) to identify crack deterioration for input to the pavement management system (PMS). Unlike the traditional methods, the City is adopting a new methodology to measure crack density calculated as crack length in linear feet per square yard for use in the pavement management system. More specifically, these crack densities are measured for short data collection segments (approximately six feet) per transverse zone (as defined in AASHTO R-85). This project helped in the development of the new ASTM Standard Practice for Generating Pavement Surface Cracking Indices from Digital Images (E3303-21), which will aid others in future ADC initiatives. The presentation will describe this new and forward-thinking data collection and subsequent pavement management methodology so that other interested agencies can look into adopting ADC to obtain more accurate and repeatable data in the future.
Read MoreThis session will focus on what it takes to be a successful leader in an organization. The speaker will focus on his 32-year career in public works and how he had to evolve and change to become an effective leader. While starting out as more of a micro-manager, as his organization evolved, he discovered the attributes associated with delegating responsibility to the stakeholders who perform the work. The speaker will talk about his experiences with implementing a city-wide Quality Initiative, an IDEAS program, succession planning, and other employee-based opportunities.
Read MoreMentorship can serve as a gateway to exciting new opportunities for the mentee and growth opportunities and career satisfaction to the mentor. A successful mentorship relationship can provide succession planning to create resilient organizations in the workplace and APWA. A mentor and mentee relationship should be a personal choice by all parties as each drastically varies depending on one’s needs. Bringing these two groups together is key to getting started. This is sometimes difficult as the perfect pair can be from different organizations, locations, ages, job backgrounds, and experiences. This program will look at how to create your own mentorship program, different mentorship styles to create successful relationships, and provide the opportunity for attendees to establish connections to find their own mentor or mentee. Be ready to find your mentor/mentee match and use what you’ve learned to create a lasting, successful mentorship relationship.
Read MoreCritical infrastructure owners must consider how their supervisory control and acquisition systems (SCADA) and physical asset systems are resilient by design in the face of cyber incidents. The escalation of control system-based cyber incidents coupled with the natural evolution of engineering practices has inadvertently removed cyber-physical protections from our water and wastewater systems resulting in an increased cyber risk to our assets, people, and operations. Developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), consequence-driven, cyber-informed engineering (CCE) is an emerging methodology specifically designed to improve the security and cyber-physical resilience of critical infrastructure control systems. West Yost staff have been working with utilities across the U.S. to conduct CCE-related assessments, emergency preparedness exercises, and improvement engineering practices. This presentation will provide attendees with ideas and knowledge to pursue CCE within their organizations.
Read MoreTo ensure current and future projects benefit the public to their fullest, public works departments need to reevaluate the changed needs of the community and adapt projects to address these new demands. Town of Greenwich Department of Public Works reimagined the Greenwich Avenue and Elm Street Intersection Improvement Project by incorporating innovative concepts into all project phases. The project features the implementation of safe streets design; a strategic communications campaign; an interactive website to educate and solicit public feedback, using drones to improve construction and engineering efforts; and collaborating with the disability advocacy community to improve accessibility and safety. Hear from Greenwich Public Works Deputy Commissioner, Jim Michel, P.E., and Senior Civil Engineer Jason Kaufman, P.E., as they discuss their project, along with leading-edge strategies and methods that can be applied to future projects post-pandemic.
Read MoreTo say that significant developments in pavement data collection technologies and artificial intelligence- (AI) based processing methods have taken place over the past three years is an understatement. Industry standards have not kept pace with technological advancements, and agencies attempting to procure these services have been left in a bind. While these technologies may provide better data than previous technologies, it is critical that agencies understand the benefits and limitations of these technologies—especially those implementing AI—and how best to procure the technologies. AI is a tool, not a panacea. This presentation will describe the benefits and limitations of 3D pavement imaging, AI-based data processing, and mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technologies. The attendees will learn how to best integrate data collected with these technologies into their pavement and asset management systems. Attendees will also learn how to best procure and quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) test the data from these technologies.
Read MoreAcross the country, water distribution and wastewater collection systems are reaching the end of their asset life, and creative solutions are needed to restore capacities and rehabilitate the structures cost-effectively and efficiently. Several rehabilitation tools are available such as pipe bursting, spray-on liners, and liner inserts that can be used for system rehabilitation. As many of these existing utilities are in areas that have developed greatly since their original installation, the selection of rehabilitation techniques must consider factors including access, traffic volumes, potential service disruptions to customers, impacts on the community, and cost/benefit considerations. In many instances, the familiar dig-and-replace is no longer a viable option, leaving trenchless and near trench methods as the remaining viable options.
Read MoreOn August 10, 2020, a derecho hit Cedar Rapids with winds of up to 140 miles per hour for 45 minutes. As a result, roads were impassible due to debris,…
Read MoreMobile observations have become an integral part of snow and ice programs. Mobile sensors have also evolved throughout the years from traditional units that only gave air and pavement temperatures. Learn about the FHWA IMO (integrating mobile observations) initiative. Learn how these sensors have evolved and what these new units are capable of doing. The speakers will discuss how they help both the operator and the agency, how the data is visualized and used, and how agencies and airports have implemented these units.
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