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4 episodes with hntb
3 episodes with hntb
4 episodes with hntb
2 episodes with hntb
2 episodes with hntb
2 episodes with hntb
2 episodes with hntb
2 episodes with hntb
2 episodes with hntb
BIG things are happening in Central Ohio! With top leaders, we dig into some of the BIGGEST construction and development projects happening right now in our region, including the new $2B Columbus Airport terminal, the $200M reimagining of the Ohio Expo Center & State Fair, defense contractor Anduril's just-announced state-of-the-art plant, and the highway and transportation systems that will tie it all together. We explore where big ideas come from, and the partnerships and workforce that's essential to turn big dreams into tomorrow's Central Ohio reality. Featuring: Pamela Boratyn, Director, The Ohio Department of Transportation Connor Brogan, Arsenal-1 Project Leader, Anduril Matt Kunz, Vice President and Columbus General Manager, Turner Construction And Joseph Nardone, President & CEO, The Columbus Regional Airport Authority The host is Angela An, News Anchor, WBNS 10TV. This forum was sponsored by Barton Malow, The Columbus Regional Airport Authority, HNTB, Public Sector Consulting, and Turner Construction. The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream was The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. It was also supported by The Ellis. This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus' historic Italian Village on April 2, 2025.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's new proposed $218 billion two-year state budget promises to completely fund the state's public education system, to deliver a tax credit for parents with minimum-wage jobs, and provides higher funding for children's services, including childcare, literacy, and vision programs. With the Governor's proposal in hand, Ohio lawmakers now have until July 1, 2025 to shape the budget and return it to the Governor's desk. CMC welcomes Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for an in-depth conversation on his proposed budget and his priorities for the state. Featuring: Governor Mike DeWine, State of Ohio The host is Jo Ingles, Journalist & Producer, Statehouse News Bureau. This forum was sponsored by The United Way of Central Ohio, The Ohio Farm Bureau, The Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Public Sector Consulting, Ian Alexander Photography, HNTB, and Smoot Construction. The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream was The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was also supported by The Ellis. This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus' historic Italian Village on March 26, 2025.
Chris Holman welcomes Eric Rosekrans, CCIM, Executive Vice President, Martin Commercial Properties, and Thomas Jamieson, Martin Commercial Properties, Lansing, MI. This discussion is the second of three with Martin Commercial Properties team, and focuses on their Office Advisory. These were the questions they cover in this conversation: Office Advisory: Office vacancy remains at a 20-year high. What strategies are landlords and tenants using to adapt to shifting work models and excess space? Smaller occupies are leading leasing activity—what types of businesses are driving this demand, and how does it shape the future of office space design? Given recent sales in the office sector, what trends are emerging given the buyers of these buildings? These interviews grow out of a series of three recent reports recently released by the company. You can access them at: https://martincommercial.com/marketinsights/ . Office '24 Market Insights: "OFFICE ‘24 Market Insights Greater Lansing Area, Michigan | H2 2024" The Greater Lansing Area office market experienced a slight increase in vacancy rates, reaching 21.9% in H2 2024, up from 21.2% in H1 2024. The Central Business District (CBD) continues to struggle with higher vacancy rates (27.1%) compared to suburban markets (19.8%). Absorption remained negative at -64,140 SF, although this was an improvement from the -98,661 SF recorded in H1 2024. Leasing activity was steady, but transaction values dropped by about 30% as companies opted for shorter-term leases and downsized their spaces. No new office space was completed in H2 2024, and none is expected in the near future due to low demand and high construction costs. The largest leases in H2 2024 included HNTB (20,000 SF) and Thrun Law Firm (17,000 SF) in the East Submarket, and Cedar Creek Hospital (12,000 SF) in the South Submarket. Significant vacancies were created by Aetna Health vacating 30,000 SF and Ingenix (United Healthcare) vacating 9,500 SF in the West Submarket. The market remains tenant-friendly, with landlords scrutinizing deals involving tenant improvements due to elevated interest rates and high renovation costs. The Greater Lansing Area encompasses over eight million square feet of leasable office space, with the CBD and East Submarket accounting for 71.9% of the market. The North Submarket saw a decrease in vacancy rates from 18.5% in H1 2024 to 11.7% in H2 2024, while the South and West Submarkets experienced increases in vacancy rates. The market is expected to continue favoring tenants through 2025 and 2026, with no new speculative construction anticipated due to ongoing economic challenges. » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/
(The Center Square) – Sound Transit's light rail reliability issues led its board of directors on Thursday to ratify an emergency measure to hasten work on necessary fixes. Goran Sparrman, Sound Transit's interim CEO, declared an emergency in a written finding on Tuesday. After Sparrman issued his finding, staff gave existing contractor HNTB Corporation permission to come up with a project management plan to improve operational reliability in terms of bettering performance, security and safety. HNTB's work will not exceed $1.5 million.Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxxFull story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_33b3fad6-da9e-11ef-9d49-f330c637da65.html
In this episode, I talk with Rajat Gangrade, PhD, PE, technical advisor in geotech and tunneling at HNTB, about tackling spatial uncertainty in geotechnical engineering. Discover how advanced modeling, data visualization, and cutting-edge tools are transforming risk assessment and decision-making. ***The video version of this episode can be viewed here.*** Engineering Quotes: Here Are Some of […] The post Innovative Solutions for Spatial Uncertainty in Tunnel Construction – Ep 116 appeared first on Engineering Management Institute.
This week on Talking Headways we're listening in on a 1 to 1 conversation between Julie Eaton Ernst, Climate Resilience Practice Leader at HNTB, and Dr. Cris Liban, Chief Sustainability Officer at LA Metro. They chat about the co-benefits of transportation, the evolution of the definition of transportation, and making change in small steps. This podcast was produced in partnership with Mpact. http://mpactmobility.org +++ Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Follow us on Threads or Instagram @theoverheadwire Support the show on Patreon http://patreon.com/theoverheadwire Buy books on our Bookshop.org Affiliate site! And get our Cars are Cholesterol shirt at Tee-Public! And everything else at http://theoverheadwire.com
This month on the Mpact podcast we're listening in on a 1 to 1 conversation between HNTB's Julie Eaton Ernst and Cris Liban, Sustainability Officer for LA Metro. They chat about the co-benefits of transportation, the evolution of the definition of transportation, and making change in small steps. To find out more about Mpact's work or the annual conference, visit http://mpactmobility.org
In this annual episode, we're diving into the transition between outgoing President Ray Verrelle (Vice President/Sr Project Director - East Region, HNTB) and incoming President Bill Riehl (Chief Engineer Structures, Genesee & Wyoming Inc.) Ray shares insights from his tenure, reflecting on his journey from civil engineering to leading AREMA and the challenges of maintaining engaging content. Bill, soon to take the reins, discusses his focus on enhancing member engagement, especially for frontline supervisors and underrepresented engineering disciplines like signals and electrical engineering. With the AREMA 2024 Annual Conference & Expo coming to Louisville this September, both highlight the event's new format, emphasizing a commitment to adapting and meeting the evolving needs of their members in a changing marketplace. They also touch on AREMA's refreshed strategic plan. Exciting changes are ahead.
Thesla Collier, Design Technology Manager at HNTB joins the Think.Future podcast and shares her expertise in using technology to design for sustainable outcomes in buildings. Thesla is known as a ‘Cheerleader for Sustainability' and works in the intersection between Sustainability and Design Technology across Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Infrastructure Design projects. Listen in to hear Thesla's approach at the project design phase.
In this special episode of the Fast Forward Podcast, we celebrate International Women's Day with an all female panel on gender equality in the mobility sector, from CoMotion LA '23. Joining us for the discussion: Laura Rubio-Cornejo, General Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation; Hilary Norton, California Transportation Commissioner and Executive Director & Founder of FASTLinkDTLA; Katherine Perez, Principal, ARUP; Heather Anderson, Associate Vice President, HNTB. These types of discussions underscore the crucial need to include women in decision-making roles at all levels and illuminates the diverse range of challenges and opportunities that women face within the mobility sector. ———————————— Join us next at CoMotion MIAMI '24, May 6-7. Save 50% off on your pass, discount ends March 13: www.comotionmiami.com/register ———————————— Join a powerful network of startups and get a chance to pitch infront of VCs, key players, sign up to be part of the CoMotion Innovators 2024 Cohort. Learn more: comotionmiami.com/comotion-innovators ———————————— LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/CoMotionNEWS Twitter: twitter.com/CoMotionNEWS YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCUdylw5XdxHdaXi-1KGwJnQ
MARCH 7, 2024 – Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson headlined the annual State of the County Address, presented by Axis and HNTB and hosted by the Gwinnett Chamber and Council for Quality Growth. The event, held at 12 Stone Church, convened a diverse audience of more than 1,000 business and community […]
The Voice of Business Podcast (formerly Member Spotlight) with the Gwinnett Chamber
MARCH 7, 2024 – Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson headlined the annual State of the County Address, presented by Axis and HNTB and hosted by the Gwinnett Chamber and Council for Quality Growth. The event, held at 12 Stone Church, convened a diverse audience of more than 1,000 business and community […] The post 2024 State of the County Address appeared first on Business RadioX ®.
Next November, Columbus voters may be asked to approve a 0.5% sales tax increase to generate $6 billion of the estimated $8 billion cost the massive long-term transit improvement project known as LinkUS. LinkUS promises to better connect parts of Columbus though significant transit improvements that include new bus rapid transit (BRT) lines and infrastructure improvements for pedestrians that include new trails and sidewalks. BRT is a mass transit alternative that can deliver some of the amenities associated with light rail – dedicated lanes, easy boarding at stations, fast and frequent service – without the higher cost and longer construction time of rail projects. Three new LinkUS transit corridors are now on the horizon – a West Broad Corridor from Prairie Township to Downtown Columbus, an East Main Corridor from Downtown to past Reynoldsburg close to Etna, and a Northwest Corridor from downtown Columbus along Highway 315 to Bethel Road on a route that includes The Ohio State University and major employers. If voters approve, work would begin on the West Broad Corridor as early as 2025, and it could be operational as soon as 2028. Will Columbus voters see the value of investing in these corridors to finally give Columbus commuters new mobility options that could serve as models for the entire region? Featuring introductory remarks by Andrew J. Ginther, Mayor, City of Columbus With panelists: Shannon Hardin, President, Columbus City Council William Murdock, Executive Director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission Stevie Pasamonte, Chair, Transit Columbus Monica Tellez-Fowler, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, COTA The host is Curtis Jackson, Evening Anchor, Spectrum News 1 The sponsors of this forum were COTA, The Robert Weiler Company, and HNTB. This forum was supported by The Ellis. The livestream presenting sponsor was The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation. The livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was recorded before a live audience at The Ellis in Columbus, Ohio's historic Italian Village on March 6, 2024.
Building the Future: Kyle Cheerangie's Blueprint for Young Engineers"You have to practice designing... You have to know what it feels like to load that information into your brain."- Kyle CheerangieSummary:In this insightful episode of the Zweig Letter podcast, host Randy Wilburn sits down with the brilliant Kyle Cheerangie, a department manager in South Florida whose expertise in roadway and highway design is shaping the future of infrastructure. Kyle's passion for engineering and his dedication to the profession shines through as he discusses the critical path from technical proficiency to project management.Kyle offers a deep dive into his journey, from his early days in Trinidad to his current role at HNTB, and the importance of gaining technical skills early in one's career. He emphasizes the value of mentorship, the power of reading and continuous learning, and the challenges facing the industry, including recruitment and the need to inspire the next generation of engineers.Key HighlightsKyle Cheerangie's approach to engineering and the significance of building a solid technical foundation in the first few years of one's career.The impact of work-life balance discussions on young professionals and the evolution of the workplace post-COVID.The benefits of joining professional societies like ASCE and ITE to accelerate career growth and networking.Kyle's perspective on public speaking, recruitment, and the potential of AI in the design industry.A curated list of five must-read books for young engineers, aimed at fostering a mindset geared towards innovation and success.All of this and much more are on this episode of The Zweig Letter Podcast.Resources:Website Engineered JournalsKyle Cheerangie on LinkedInGet your FREE Subscription to the Zweig Letter Newsletter.Other episodes you'll enjoy:Building an Engaged and Purpose-Driven Design Firm: The Rebranding Journey - Jerrod HoganDriving Excellence: The Impact of Recognizing Achievements on Workplace Success with Anna FinleyAI and how it will impact the Design IndustryConnect with Zweig Group:Instagram: Zweig GroupFacebook: Zweig GroupTwitter: Zweig GroupLinkedIn: Zweig GroupWebsite: Zweig Group
In this episode of CoMotion's Fast Forward Podcast, John Rossant sits down with Michael Inabinet, the Central Division president of HNTB Infrastructure. Join them as they navigate the complexities of how public agencies can maintain their core missions while leveraging the latest innovations for greater efficiency and impact. From the unique challenges faced by DOTs, transit systems, airports, and toll systems to the growing importance of intermodality, the episode paints a vivid picture of a future where sustainability, technology, and customer experience harmoniously coexist. Get your tickets for CoMotion LA next month and get a chance to network with the HNTB team.
ENR Editors Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders talk to HNTB's senior vice president about the renaissance of rail travel—and the project delivery challenges that come with it.
The process for designing and upgrading interstates in Indiana hasn't exactly been a two-way street. Typically, the Indiana Department of Transportation draws up plans for its projects and then the public has an opportunity to provide feedback. You'll recall the uproar in 2017 when INDOT presented its plans for reconstructing the North Split, where I-70 and I-65 meet in the northeast corner of downtown. Nearby residents were vehemently against some elements of the project and proposed a fundamentally different alternative. INDOT was able to accommodate the Rethink 65/70 Coalition's concerns on some aspects of the project, but it proceeded largely as originally proposed. As the state now begins to plan for future upgrades to other portions of I-65 and I-70 that run through Indianapolis, it's conducting a long-term study to get public input on the front end of the process. Piloted in part with the infrastructure firm HNTB, the ProPEL Indy study is collecting public input in a wide variety of venues to identify ideas for improvements that would impact quality of life, economic growth, mobility, and safety. In this week's episode of the IBJ Podcast, we're joined by Tim Miller, senior project manager for HNTB and the project manager for the ProPEL Indy study, as well as Natalie Garrett, communications director for INDOT. In addition to discussing the process so far, they share some of the ideas they've already received, related to signage, the location of interchanges, pedestrian right of way and the way these corridors represent—or fail to represent—the city as a whole. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.
Recorded at ITS Europe in Lisbon, this episode features two main interviews: Eric Sampson, ERTICO's legendary senior congress adviser and founder member of the international study group that led to the formation of ERTICO; and Vladimir Vorotovic , ERTICO's director of innovation and development. Also featured: Max Sugarman, new chief executive of ITS UK, Paula Claytonsmith, chief executive of the Local Council Roads Innovation Group or LCRIG, and Steve Novosad, associate fellow at HNTB and a key player in Tampa Florida's USDOT Connected Vehicle Pilot. Plus news and conversation with Tom Stone and Saul Wordsworth
On this episode of the Construction Leaders Podcast, CMAA's Nick Soto and Carly Trout chat with CMAA's President and CEO Andrea S. Rutledge, CAE, and members of CMAA's Government Advocacy Committee, Dave Crosson from HNTB and Ed Pogreba with Procon Consulting. They talk about new initiatives of the committee, how these initiatives affect the construction industry, and the new CMAA Advocacy Action Center.
In much of the world, a major capital city without passenger trains would be unthinkable, yet that's been the case in Columbus since 1979. With the last Amtrak train's departure that year, Central Ohio bet all its transportation chips on cars, buses, and airplanes, and the area's transit puzzle has been without passenger trains of any kind since then, earning Columbus the dubious distinction of today being the country's second largest city without any passenger rail service at all. Amtrak's return to Central Ohio has been long-discussed and debated: former Governor Ted Strickland felt trains were important to the state's economic development, but his successor John Kasich, did not, and in 2010, Kasich rejected a $17M annual subsidy to keep passenger trains running in Central Ohio as too expensive. With the passage of President Biden's new Federal infrastructure bill in 2022, which included $2.3B to expand Amtrak, plus encouraging signals from the administration of current Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, is the stage finally set for Amtrak's return to Central Ohio? The panelists are: William Murdock, Executive Director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission Erin Rosiello, Vice Chair, All Aboard Ohio And Arun Rao, Director of Network Development, Amtrak The moderator is Elizabeth Blount McCormick, President, Uniglobe Travel Designers. This forum was sponsored by HNTB and was supported by the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. The forum livestream was supported by The Center for Human Kindness at The Columbus Foundation and The Columbus Dispatch. It was recorded before a live audience on March 15, 2023.
On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Eric Morris, Michigan office lead for HNTB, the transportation consultant selected to complete a tolling study. Some 35 states have at least one facility with tolling. But that number is a little deceiving because Michigan would be counted in that total since there is tolling on big bridges and/or international crossings but no tolling on non-bridge road segments. Morris says the experts analyzed all 31 highways in Michigan for the study and determined that 14 could become toll roads, including large portions of Interstates 75, 94 and 96. As Bridge Michigan reported, any tolls would take years to implement and require approval from the Legislature and the governor, among numerous hurdles. Morris talks about the differences between various road user charge (RUC) options, including mileage-based user fees (MBUF) and tolling and how pilot programs seeking people to participate have been voluntary, so far, including one in Oregon that has generated a lot of discussion.Other relevant links: A 2019 Epic-MRA poll of Michigan voter views on tolling.https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Programs/Planning/Tolling/MDOT-Fees-EpicPoll.pdfSome things the study will cover, including managed lanes and how they work.https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/managelanes_primer/ Why Michigan doesn't have tolling. Some history.https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Programs/Planning/Tolling/MDOT-Toll-Roads.pdf
Sharif Abou Sabh's overall success in the Engineering field has inspired Fikry F. Andrawes and Mahmoud A. Elshazly to include Sharif as one of the featured contributors on their book "Egyptian American Journeys". During this episode, Sharif speaks about his upbringing in Egypt and his adjustment to his new life in the US. In his 40 years of diverse engineering experience, he has managed multiple complex, billion dollars large scale transit infrastructure projects. He serves HNTB as a Partner/Senior VP with responsibilities including the organization direction of civil and structural engineering design and construction function, schedules, budgets, profit margins and feasibility studies.
On the season 1 finale of the Construction Leaders podcast, we continue our conversation about technology in construction by discussing wearables. Join CMAA's Nick Soto and Carly Trout as they chat with Jarvis Alridge with HNTB, Justin Jacobsen with MBP, and Doug Matthews with Guardhat. They talk about the costs and benefits of wearable technologies, and overcoming objections encountered when implementing the technology on a jobsite.
This is Derek Miller Speaking on Business. HNTB Corporation has designed many projects across the United States, including the Salt Lake Airport and projects for the Utah Department of Transportation. HNTB's SLC Office Leader Dominic Spaethling has more. DOMINIC SPAETHLING: The one-year anniversary of the federal government's trillion-dollar ‘Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act” is coming up and that legislation is providing billions to states and local governments to upgrade outdated roads, bridges, transit systems, airports and more. It's part of the biggest federal infrastructure investment in half-a-century, and a game changer for the people of Utah. With that funding we are seeing an unprecedented flurry of construction activity gearing up, moving transportation projects that have long been on the back burner into action mode. This means good jobs, greater investments in our infrastructure, and enhanced mobility for every community, even those that have been underserved in the past. At HNTB, we encourage you make your voice heard when legislators and agencies are deciding which projects to prioritize, and where the future of your community goes. By working together, we can all build a newer, better Utah. DEREK MILLER: HNTB is a leader in Utah's transportation industry and is committed to UDOT's goal of enhancing quality of life through transportation. Learn more at HNTB.com. I'm Derek Miller with the Salt Lake Chamber, Speaking on Business. Originally aired: November 15, 2022.
Diane Newton, an associate vice president at HNTB, talks about the company's role in transforming how freight gets move and intelligent transportation systems She also shares takeaways from the Columbus, Ohio Smart City project, talks about the I70 truck automation corridor project and encourages everyone to stay engaged and understand the role of technology in transportation.
This week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast puts a spotlight on the project transforming I-375, a stub freeway built six decades ago, piercing the City of Detroit and displacing whole neighborhoods in the era of urban renewal. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Paul C. Ajegba, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, and interested parties this week at a roundtable discussion after MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). This follows thorough documentation and review of public comments, which is the final National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) decision document. The document describes why the I-375 improvement project will not have any significant environmental impacts expected to occur upon implementation of the selected alternative design. Tony Migaldi of the infrastructure design firm HNTB is managing the project in consultation with MDOT planners and engineers. He joins the podcast to talk about the significance of this week's milestone, the work that brought the project to this point, and what lies ahead. Migaldi talks about the amount of listening that went into the process and the robust engagement with the owners of businesses along the corridor and the residential neighbors. He also discusses excess property that will be freed up with a conversion of a sunken freeway to an at-grade urban boulevard, which will include options for cyclists and pedestrians and connections that were lost to the freeway. This animation offers an idea of what to expect with the finished product. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, who has some family history in the neighborhoods lost to the freeway, spoke on the podcast previously about what the project could mean to the city and acknowledging mistakes of the past. When work to build I-375 began in 1959, the thriving black neighborhoods of Black Bottom and Paradise Valley were demolished to make way for the freeway. Built through a thriving Hastings Street, the new I-375 opened in 1964 and created a barrier between the central business district in Detroit and the neighborhoods to the east, resulting in decades of underinvestment and a lack of opportunity for the predominantly Black communities on the other side of the freeway.
This week's edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features conversations about the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) initiative to bundle bridge projects together to make them more cost effective. First, Rebecca Curtis, deputy chief bridge engineer at MDOT, explains how the program stretches taxpayer dollars to help some local road agencies make major improvements on their bridges. Curtis explains the need for the program because of the growing need as funding has not kept up with the wear and decline in bridge conditions. She also explains MDOT's role in oversight of local bridge inspections and quality assurance as required by the Federal Highway Administration.You can track progress on the projects on MDOT's online dashboard. Later, Wayne Harrall, deputy managing director of engineering at the Kent County Road Commission and a former member of a regional bridge council, offers a local agency perspective on the bundling concept. Harrall explains how a sound asset management plan has allowed his agency to stretch the dollars and maintain bridges even in Michigan's decades-long challenged transportation funding environment. He also shares the reasons he's a champion for the bridge bundling concept, saying in a news release, "This is the most supportive program from the State of Michigan for local bridges that I've ever seen. The MDOT Bureau of Bridges has engaged with local agencies from the beginning, before there was even funding allocated to the effort." Podcast photo: Palms Road over Belle River in St. Clair County. Photo courtesy of HNTB.
On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Kari Martin, MDOT's University Region planner and project manager on the tolling study requested in 2020 legislation. Also joining the conversation is Eric Morris, Michigan office lead for HNTB, the transportation consultant selected to complete the study. Martin and Morris explain the process and why the Legislature is looking at extending the study until the end of this year, as reported in Crain's Detroit Business last week (subscription). Echoing comments from Reason Foundation's Baruch Feigenbaum on a previous podcast, Martin and Morris talk about how the emergence of electric vehicles (EVs) will further reduce the already inadequate transportation revenue obtained through the motor fuel tax. EVs essentially do not pay for the roads they drive on. Advocates observe that by moving to a more sustainable revenue source, everyone pays their fair share and it provides an opportunity to prepare Michigan's interstate and highway system for future smart infrastructure networks. These innovations offer the prospect of a transport infrastructure system that suffers less congestion, is safer, and can be maintained predictively. Other relevant links: A 2019 Epic-MRA poll of Michigan voter views on tolling.https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Fees_EpicPoll_669728_7.pdf Some things the study will cover, including managed lanes and how they work. https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/managelanes_primer/ Why Michigan doesn't have tolling. Some history.https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Toll_Roads_Brochure_548788_7.pdf Photo: Eric Morris, Michigan office lead for HNTB. Photo courtesy of HNTB.
Welcome to the 40th original episode of What to Say When Things Get Tough! And they said it would never last.Our guest today is Bill Cramer, a Public Involvement Director at HNTB (www.htnb.com), a large civil engineering firm with offices across the United States and Canada. Among many other topics, Bill discusses his visit to the site of the Surfside condo collapse, which happened just 50 blocks from his home, and his assessment of the performances of the local and state officials who had to communicate about the disaster in its wake (hint: he gives them high marks). He also emphasizes the importance of communicating internally when a crisis strikes -- an aspect of crisis communications that I often think gets overlooked. I hope you enjoy our conversation.Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo of jimiumgroup.com for our original music and Rachel Greenberger for our original art.Please rate, review and subscribe to WTSWTGT; send questions to wtswtgt@gmail.com, and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt. And finally, please join us in two weeks for a conversation with food industry expert Sean McBride.
Welcome to the 40th original episode of What to Say When Things Get Tough! And they said it would never last.Our guest today is Bill Cramer, a Public Involvement Director at HNTB (www.htnb.com), a large civil engineering firm with offices across the United States and Canada. Among many other topics, Bill discusses his visit to the site of the Surfside condo collapse, which happened just 50 blocks from his home, and his assessment of the performances of the local and state officials who had to communicate about the disaster in its wake (hint: he gives them high marks). He also emphasizes the importance of communicating internally when a crisis strikes -- an aspect of crisis communications that I often think gets overlooked. I hope you enjoy our conversation.Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo of jimiumgroup.com for our original music and Rachel Greenberger for our original art.Please rate, review and subscribe to WTSWTGT; send questions to wtswtgt@gmail.com, and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt. And finally, please join us in two weeks for a conversation with food industry expert Sean McBride.
I never thought I'd find myself speaking to a hypnotherapist, but after meeting J. Robert Parker in Facebook's Podcast Guest Connection group I thought I'd give it a try.And I'm very glad I did. I learned a lot about how hypnotherapy works, but perhaps even more importantly I learned what hypnotherapy and risk communication share: an emphasis on trust; the central role that caring and empathy play; and, something we haven't spoken about enough, how each field can be used for both good and bad.You can find J. Robert on his website at www.twinravens.org. I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation. And I hope you'll join us next week when I interview Bill Cramer, an old friend and colleague who works as a Public Involvement Director at HNTB, a large civil engineering firm with dozens of offices in the United States and Canada.Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo at jimiumgroup.com for our original music and Rachel Greenberger for our original art.Please send questions to wtswtgt@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt. And don't forget to subscribe to, rate and review us!!!
I never thought I'd find myself speaking to a hypnotherapist, but after meeting J. Robert Parker in Facebook's Podcast Guest Connection group I thought I'd give it a try.And I'm very glad I did. I learned a lot about how hypnotherapy works, but perhaps even more importantly I learned what hypnotherapy and risk communication share: an emphasis on trust; the central role that caring and empathy play; and, something we haven't spoken about enough, how each field can be used for both good and bad.You can find J. Robert on his website at www.twinravens.org. I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation. And I hope you'll join us next week when I interview Bill Cramer, an old friend and colleague who works as a Public Involvement Director at HNTB, a large civil engineering firm with dozens of offices in the United States and Canada.Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo at jimiumgroup.com for our original music and Rachel Greenberger for our original art.Please send questions to wtswtgt@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt. And don't forget to subscribe to, rate and review us!!!
Henrika more than 20 years of federal experience in the transportation industry including over a decade of experience as a senior executive at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). She is known as a strategic, results oriented and customer-focused executive who strives for excellence and is committed to the successful delivery of public transportation programs, services, and capital projects throughout the nation. She brings federal expertise in major capital project oversight, transit safety regulations, federal transportation policy, federal transportation funding programs, regulatory compliance, and change management. Routinely interacting with transit agency executives, governing Boards of Directors, other senior executives, and legislative bodies at the local, state, and federal levels. Prior to joining HNTB, she served in the FTA as associate administrator for transit safety and oversight and chief safety officer. She led a national transit safety program and monitored program compliance to ensure safe, reliable and equitable transit service in accordance with FTA policy and regulatory requirements. Henrika is a native of Hillsboro, AL and currently resides in Alexandria, VA. She received her bachelor's in political science and master's in urban and regional planning from Alabama A&M University. She received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center ______________________ NABWIC's Vision: The Vision of the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC) is to build lasting strategic partnerships with first-rate organizations and individuals that will provide ground-breaking and innovative solutions for black women in construction and their respective communities. NABWIC.ORG
We have a special young man on this episode of the dHarmic Evolution and he is coming from Houston Texas to Nashville, Tennessee. Gabe Baker is a passionate leader that possesses profound abilities to effectively communicate, create, and problem solve in a variety of environments due to his wide range of working and interpersonal experience. Gabe is currently focusing on his career as a singer songwriter and a cellist. He formerly served as a policy advisor and community engagement strategist for the Harris County Judge. He has a driven heart to serve, organize and inspire through his leadership roles in Christian ministry and community engagement work. He is a former technical roadway engineer at the engineering consulting firm HNTB. He graduated from the Houston Graduate School of Theology with a Master of Theological Studies degree, a former engineering student, athlete, and captain of the football team at Rice University, and a skilled public speaker. Gabe is committed to learning and growing as an individual keenly focused on impacting the lives of those around him and capitalizing on any opportunity that comes his way. Today, we're going to learn more about Gabe's music, his influences, his family, and life stories that inspire him, and his songwriting. In this episode, we featured his songs titled “Mother” and “Upside Down.” Get to hear his music and the stories behind it as we go to Nashville with Gabe Baker. More about Gabe Baker Support Gabe Baker and check out all the links provided below. Find out more of what he does by visiting his website, Instagram, and all other social media pages. Quotes: 15:28 “My music journey now means so much more to me because I really do feel so inspired to do it…” 20:20 “I guess my musical expression was like picking on my guitar in my dorm room at nights and helping lead some worship at church. So, it was still there. I'm singing all the time in the shower, and all around, and having fun with that, because you never stop being a musician.” 31:33 “The song was made, it was really inspired by, just this whole new season of emotions and feelings and situations that I was going through and found myself in. It was just a very simple, simple, concept, a simple expression of where I felt I was like, “Yep, I'm flipped upside down.”” 44:16 “Don't be afraid of passionately pursuing what's on your heart. That's a huge thing. There's definitely a lot of fear and anxiety, because of the risk that whatever that means to follow what purpose you feel called to pursue, what passion you have to develop, but you're never wrong pursuing the passions that God's put on your heart.” 46:35 “The enjoyment of pursuing any dream is the process of getting there. So, I think the more you really, really, love growth, love practicing, the more you're going to enjoy the journey.” Timestamps: 02:50 Introducing Gabe Baker 05:09 How was Gabe's transition to Nashville? 06:33 Gabe shares the loss of his mom 08:43 Listen to “Mother” by Gabe Baker 12:25 How did Gabe start playing the cello? 14:03 Is your family all still doing music 19:29 Did Gabe have to make a choice between music and football? 22:13 When did Gabe start songwriting? 26:04 Who are Gabe's musical influences and the artists that he listened to? 27:07 Listen to “Upside Down” by Gabe Baker 30:31 The story behind the title and the song “Upside Down” 36:02 How did Gabe feel when he started going to church? 38:07 Where does Gabe see himself going in the next five years? 40:52 For Gabe, what is his best representation live? 43:41 Some pearls of wisdom from Gabe Baker to the younger singer, songwriter, artists, musicians who are listening to the show 47:39 Listen to “Ride On” by James Kevin O'Connor Spotify Playlist: We're about to start our third Spotify playlist, but while waiting, you can check our Orion and Aquila playlists that consist of eclectic music from the talented artists who have been on the dHarmic Evolution. These are today's dHarmic Rising Stars! Please share them with your family and friends, also! dHarmic Rising Stars: Aquila https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4loDaYF0OuWRjZeMXvEjK4?si=L20-loGXR9i6IW0Z_GjEnA dHarmic Rising Stars: Orion https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5CnL9tl0xbU4oDh6jtJBZx?si=ecg7eEbLQcSu1dRBDCGALg dHarmic Evolution links: Head over to the website, dharmicevolution.com and sign up on your favorite platform so you can be notified once the new episode is released. Good news, we were just added to a huge platform in India! dHarmic Evolution is now on the Jio Saavn music platform! You can leave a comment or rate the podcast through your favorite platforms to let us know what you think! Hey, if you know someone who is depressed, please send them to the website dharmicevolution.com, where they can check out the book for people suffering from anxiety and depression. The book, “7 Steps to Mental Freedom” is now on the main page and this will be of great help to them. You can also visit our Facebook Community Page: https://www.facebook.com/dharmicevolution/ Opportunity for our listeners who are artists, authors, and keynote speakers! Go to the dHarmic Evolution Facebook Community page and let the world support you! It's a good place to post your content to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/995607857167395. Special links and Mentions: Yo-Yo Ma Otis Redding Sam Cooke Smokey Robinson Stevie Wonder Luther Vandross Brian McKnight The Temptations Earth, Wind And Fire Connect with Gabe Baker: Website: https://gabebaker.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegabebaker/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegabebaker/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegabebaker YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBS9AMtfG3Y97Lu9XyfEMEA Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0xqkIEMKtxLO5myBzErKWu Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/93053032 YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCbeJIU8C-OEx2L6JwQGQGmg
Herb and Emily are joined by Southern Maine Regional Ops Manager Doug Morrison and Superintendent Adam Tenan to talk about the Exit 45 Preload Project. They are also joined by special guests Peter Mills, Executive Director of the Maine Turnpike Authority and Ray Hanf, Transportation Department Manager at HNTB. This project was a tough one but a major success overall. Hear what they have to say about it in this week's episode of On-Track Podcast.
RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson takes a look back at 2020 and provides a forecast for 2021. He also interviews HNTB's Ronnie Hakim and Herzog's Troy Elbert.
Steve Novosad is associate fellow at HNTB and chair of the OmniAir Consortium, the industry’s leading association promoting interoperability and certification for connected vehicles. Novosad talks about his involvement in the USDOT’s high-profile connected vehicle pilot project Florida, as well as the importance of standards in connected vehicle technology (interview starts 08:35). Plus all the latest news and chat with Tom Stone and Saul Wordsworth.This episode is sponsored by Siemens Mobility.
Joe Bost, SVP Government Affairs speaks with Greg Boulanger, the Charlotte Practice Leader and Group Director for HNTB’s Charlotte office whose primary focus is on serving the transportation needs of the region. They discuss Greg's role within the organization, the Alliance’s infrastructure series and the future of our region.
Almost everyone has already been into sports as a kid. But, as we grow older and find out the huge range of activities we can devote our time to, not all of us develop the exact same interest in athletics. Today's guest, however, managed to keep his life-long love for sports, and integrated that with his passion for games and 3D visualization. Austin Reed is a 3D visualization specialist at HNTB, a design firm in Kansas City, Missouri. A huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs since he was a young boy, he actually got into the AEC industry because he wanted to create 3D models of football stadiums. He got his degree in computer animation for video games and film in 2002 and, after returning to Kansas, he discovered that Kansas City was actually “the mecca of sports architecture”, with five of the biggest companies in the country located there. On today's episode, Austin details his experience with the transition period between Render Farms and V-Ray to real-time 3D visualization, his team's workflow, including their participation in the stadiums of the Las Vegas Raiders and the San Francisco 49rs, as well as the high-speed rail project in California, and his 3DS Max learning process, given that his education was based on Maya. Austin and Sam also dive deeper into what the future of visualization may look like. Will everything be processed in the cloud, meaning that we won't need to store some much data locally? Will all the files be processed via our own phones? Who plays a role in determining what this future may look like? Tune in and find out the answers. Resources Mentioned Austin Reed - LinkedIn / areed@hntb.com Sam Lytle - LinkedIn / sam@beyondcad.com HNTB - Website
Engineering Influence and the ACEC Research Institute welcomed WSP's John Porcari onto the show to discuss his work with the ACEC Research Institute on the New Partnership on Infrastructure and Accelerator for America's new report: "A Playbook for a new Infrastructure Partnership." Host:Welcome to another edition of Engineering Influence, a podcast by the American Council of Engineering Companies. It is my pleasure to welcome John Porcari to the program. John is a senior advisor at WSP and has an impressive history, both as the Deputy Secretary of Transportation in the Obama administration, where he was second command to then Secretary Anthony Foxx. And before that, John served two terms as Maryland Secretary of Transportation. His experience in program management, planning, design, and construction delivery is widely sought after by elected officials and policy leaders across the political spectrum. And it's fair to say that his insights and advice are of great value to presidential candidates, which comes up to a sharp focus this year with the general election. Mr. Porcari is now with ACEC member from WSP, where he oversees the firm's advisory services.Host:And not long after the ACEC Research Institute was established, WSP suggested that one of the first projects the group could undertake was the new "Partnership for Infrastructure," which is a program that's also supported by ACEC member from HNTB. Now, the Partnership's focus was to interview mayors across the country to better understand local and urban infrastructure challenges and develop a playbook of actionable recommendations. And when the project started in early March, there was a lot of buzz about the potential for an infrastructure bill, but no one could have imagined the disruptive impact of COVID-19. And on top of that, how urban protests would make us all think more about the state of America's cities. Los Angeles-based Accelerator for America interviewed the mayors for the playbook over the course of the Spring and assembled the recommendations and led the socialization of the recommendations and various online forums. The ACEC Research Institute participated in the process as an advisor and a financial supporter, but it doesn't necessarily endorse all the recommendations, but the playbook provides a great value for, firm executives and leaders in the engineering and the A/E/C space. It provides a lot of access to gain key insights into the tough local challenges facing our cities. The mayors are looking for problem solving partners to address complex societal needs. In some cases they want consulting help before they even have projects identified. Also the complexity of project finances, much more challenging today, and simply identifying funding for a list of projects. We all know what COVID-19 and the crunch on state and municipal budgets has really done to the industry. Now, this playbook is called the community serving infrastructure, a playbook for a new infrastructure partnership, and it can be found@acceleratorforamerica.org. The link to that document as well as supporting documents will be added up to the show notes on this episode.Host:That was kind of a long introduction kind of setting it up here, John, but I want to give you the opportunity. Number one, thank you for coming on. And number two, you know, for us in the beltway, you are well known as an expert in public administration, infrastructure transportation for those outside of the beltway who are politically active and are engaged in the A/E/C industry. Can you tell us a little bit more about your major interests and, and in, in, in the field and, you know, the turning points in your career that kind of got you to this point?John Porcari:Sure. Jeff, and thanks for having me here today. I, I've been very lucky in my professional career, in both the public sector and the private sector and in the public sector, as you pointed out, sort of at the local level, the state level is the Secretary of Transportation at the federal levels, Deputy Secretary of Transportation. And now in the private sector working to help clients get these projects across the finish line which is harder and harder. And we can talk about this a little bit, some of the things that are holding it back, but what's motivated me through my whole career is infrastructure is economic development. I started my public sector career as an economic development person working on major projects. And the more time I spent on economic development, the more there was a transportation and infrastructure linkage to it.John Porcari:So it's kind of a natural crossover into transportation. And that's especially true at the local level. We have this great system in the U S at the federal state and local level where each level of government has various responsibilities under our Federalist system, but we sometimes forget that the real actions at the local level. So the project decisions are at the local level, the priorities are established at the local level, and then you have to work your way through what can be sometimes some very difficult federal processes and regulations, for example, to get those local priorities built. So one of the reasons that we were very interested in working with Accelerator for America and the Research Institute to actually join us in that endeavor was we wanted to take a local lens to it and hear directly from mayors of big as the city of Los Angeles. And as small as cities like South bend and Waterloo, Iowa what on the infrastructure side they would like to change and this playbook we've put together some very specific recommendations through that local lens. That'll really help all kinds of infrastructure projects.Host:Absolutely. That's something which, you know, echoes throughout the country. I mean, my personal experience was in Congress with former Chairman Shuster, both in the personal office and then a committee and in the personal office, in his area of Pennsylvania, it was always economic development. It was always, you cannot have growth and opportunity without infrastructure, which naturally just tied directly into roads intotransportation networks, because the two are intertwined. And, and those decisions at the local level at the County municipal level really are the things that shape what that economic development is going to look like. So having a playbook, having some kind of a document, which looks and focuses in on the needs and the requirements of mayors and of people who are really active in local government is, is critical because it's not all at the top. It's not all federal. How, how did the accelerator for America? How did, how were they chosen to do this project? Why were they kind of the, the ideal group to, to undertake this?John Porcari:It's a great question. We began this discussion, this journey, essentially trying to take a local view to infrastructure by talking to some of the think tanks in the Washington area, some of the larger established organizations and it was such a different kind of view for them that they had trouble getting their heads around it. And so again, together with the ACEC Research Institute we had been working with Accelerator for America on specific projects. And as opposed to a think tank, the Accelerator is known as a do tank. These are mayors like all mayors and County commissioners and County councils that are out there working these issues every day. And, you know, if it works and, you know, if it doesn't at the local level, there's no hiding it. So a believer or not no one has done this before taking this local lens to infrastructure and tried to change federal regulations and requirements and programs to fit local needs rather than the other way around, rather than the experience of mayors and County commissioners across America is you have to kind of force fit what you're trying to do at the local level into whatever federal silo is out there.John Porcari:So we took the opposite approach Accelerator turned out to be the perfect partner for it. And the interviews, which were part of the process with mayors across the country, Republicans, Democrats, independents - party had nothing to do with it. Infrastructure had everything to do with it. And it truly is one of the bipartisan issues out there. We heard some common themes that turned into these recommendations in the playbook. Some are very specific, and frankly, some of them are relatively easy to do and would make the infrastructure work at the local level. So much easier, so much more freedom to adapt to local conditions.Host:Absolutely. It's really a paradigm shift because so much of the time we're focused on federal policy and programs. And those are developed, you know, with, with some thought and input from state DOT, administrators and such, but really it's, it's never given that focus from the local area because, you know, their needs should really bubble up and shape that policy, because if you're able to solve a lot of the problems with the local level, and a lot of the things that the consulting industry engineering consulting, engineering industry can come in and help in that process as well, understanding how to apply solutions to the challenges that are facing at the local level. It can speed project delivery can improve policy. At the national level, it seems like a natural model that hasn't been followed a lot by Congress. It's an interesting thing.John Porcari:That's exactly right. And, and the members of ACEC, I think could be very helpful in this and the the at the local level mayors and their counterparts don't have the luxury of thinking in the silos that the federal government operates in. And as you point out, the reality is that innovation doesn't trickle down from the federal level, it bubbles up from the local level and some of the more successful infrastructure work and infrastructure policies, and even projects have been local decisions that aggregate into a national system. And if, if you think about goods movement, if you think about moving people safely and efficiently they're really thousands of local decisions that together make the national policy not the other way around. We tried to reflect that in the playbook and make sure that the mayors were heard loud and clear on what their priorities were in our, in of course it varies all over the country based on local conditions, but to a person, they, they understood the fact that it's economic development it's quality of life, of their communities, it's building the economic future.John Porcari:So in one example, the highway right away is not just right away to them. It's, it's how their water and wastewater systems are conveyed as storm stormwater management. It's where broadband is bringing an economic future to these communities. And so they don't think of it as the state highway departments right away. They think of it is their economic future.Host:Yeah. And those, those city planners, those, those you know, local planners have to look forward on, on where's the growth and opportunity going to be, where can we actually create the economic development and how can we use all of those pieces of the infrastructure puzzle together to more effectively create jobs, or attract businesses? One of the big issues that we had in central Pennsylvania was trying to get headquarters with operations and, and trying to do it in such a place where you not only had right away or, or thoroughfare, but then you also have the actual wastewater, water, infrastructure, broadband, all those different aspects. And it's, it's, it's the, at the local level, you see more of the picture than you do if you're just sitting, like you said, in those silos, and you're just looking at one or two different things now, when this started, and we didn't have any idea of what was around the bend. I mean the focus of this project must have been impacted by the pandemic. And then, you know, the social issues layered on top of that kind of two part question, the first is how did it change scope, but then, you know, how did it, how did it also expand to, put a focus on to urban areas of, and their infrastructure needs and how they may have been underserved in the past and looking at what they might need to rebuild after the pandemic?John Porcari:It's a great question, Jeff. And we got some great direct input from these mayors. And so is one example. We talked to dozens of mayors across the Heartland of America small and medium sized cities where they're grappling with all kinds of issues, but, but again, trying to build an economic futureit makes sure they could do it. And as we started this project, the pandemic hit so it did change the infrastructure priority to some extent, for example one of the medium sized Midwestern cities that we were working closely with found that to do online instruction for their public school district almost 40% of their students didn't have access to broadband. You can imagine what that did to the priority of broadband relative to some of the other infrastructure priorities that they have at the same timethings like some of the transit service and planning for a future transit capacity changed as well, knowing that that economic lifeline of transit, connecting people to opportunities is, is every bit as important in some of these smaller jurisdictions as it is in large areas.John Porcari:And it was a go-no-go item for employment in many ways. So the, the it also at the same time with some of the storm events and natural disasters that we've had in the country while we were developing this, the whole idea of resilience, which really means something in practical terms terms at the local level resiliency is being able to operate your infrastructure, making sure your roads aren't flooded out and your water and wastewater systems work. And you actually have electrical power that can survive these events is something that is, is a very practical value at the local level and something that these mayors are very focused on. So as opposed to an esoteric discussion at the national level about resiliency and climate change the practical, nuts and bolts part of it is it changes infrastructure priorities at the local level. They see the facts on the ground and they have to respond to them. In real time.Host:I noticed in the last Congress near the end, the T&I Committee specifically was looking at a lot of different areas related to resiliency, and the word came up a lot more. But I don't think there was a complete appreciation for what it meant. Do you think that these stories and these recommendations from mayors can help fully flesh out federal law makers understanding of the importance of resiliency and what it means? It's not a political term, it's an actual, this is something that has to be considered.John Porcari:Yes, Jeff that's exactly right. It is not at all a political term. It's not some esoteric discussion at the local level. It's it's the practical impact of flooding where, you know, the prudent thing to do on the redesigned side is to upsize the the culverts. It's, it's where, you know, that having buried utilities makes them much more resilient for outages and storm events. The practical impact is something that we saw very clearly and heard very clearly from the mayors where they want to make sure that they're squeezing every bit of value out of harder and tax dollars for this infrastructure by making a durable. And future-proofing it to the extent that you can. So one of the great things about applying this local lens to infrastructure is it takes the kind of sterile Washington philosophical and political discussion out of this and puts the practical impact in there where these are people across the political spectrum, working side by side, acknowledging that building more resilient infrastructure is the smart thing to do from an economics point of view. And from obviously from a service delivery point of view for your city.Host:Absolutely. I know that there are four broad, which kind of form the focus of the document, and that's maximizing investment for a job and small business growth, empowering localities with effective tools and processes, funding, and financing for community serving infrastructure and making transformative investments for more resilient future, going back to the resiliency part, taking kind of that last one, since we're talking about that, like you said, the impact of, of, of looking at the local level and, and saying, like you said, you know, these power lines, you know, or what have you should be placed underground, or the covert should be made larger. I mean, that definitely will have an impact on those budgetary decisions. And, and especially with the way that the States are going right now having that cash crunch related to the pandemic how do you think the document's going to come into play with that?John Porcari:It's a great question. So there are some very specific recommendations related to resiliency, for example, that, that helped carry the argument for these cities to, to do things differently, but it also calls for a reset at the federal level. It's the, it's the local government saying, for example, that you need to form a federal infrastructure planning council. We have all of these federal agencies that don't even talk to each other, let alone work together on a regular basis at the local level, you don't have the luxury of, of building things in silos, organizational silos, this federal infrastructure planning council would be a forcing mechanism to get the different federal agencies like the Corps of Engineers responsible for all of our inland waterways, great lakes inland maritime transportation working with other federal agencies where they very seldom interact in practical terms where they do it's at the local level where you have local representatives and a local project that forces them to work together.John Porcari:So the idea is at the state and federal level to, to really highlight what some of those disconnects are, and in, in a very practical way, show how we can do a better job. And again, it recognizes the reality that's that's in our constitution and in the way we operate under federalism, but is not recognized in our institutional structures, which is those decisions and choices are made at the local level. And they should be but you don't have a federal partner that's necessarily recognizing that. And the federal share of funding in many cases in percentage terms is declining every year. So you have this ironic position of more local funding going into these projects, less federal funding, but federal regulation that makes it difficult to do business.Host:So how would that, how would that planning council be structured? Would that be executive level, or would that be kind of a congressional action? How do, how, how how's the playbook kind of see this happening?John Porcari:Well, it can be done a couple of ways, what the playbook focuses on are practical solutions. So for that planning council, the deputies level that the deputy secretaries and deputy directors in the federal departments by definition are the chief operating officers. And on, on important issues, they function is a deputy's council where they actually get together and work through issues. And what, what the playbook is saying is that for infrastructure planning at the deputy secretary at the deputy director level, we really should have that kind of coordination across the executive branch. Now, as you well know, from, from, from your background, these individuals report to all different committees of jurisdiction, but that shouldn't be the local government's problem. Right?Speaker 3:The whole idea is, is that you have the, the executive branch agencies working with each other to make it easier for the project choices and to build those projects at the local level.Host:So formalize the informal working groups into an actual council that meets and discusses infrastructure and creates a liaison for the States and for local governments to bring the ideas up, to be discussed at that operational level. That's right. And give them a specific agenda on where those barriers to cooperation are, where some of the loan programs are too restrictive and can't be used. The what you tend to do at the local level is try to get as much different kinds of infrastructure into every project that you do at the federal level. It's more of kind of a rifle shot approach where you have very narrow programs. So part of the agenda for that planning council for example, would be to broaden those programs to think more holistically to, again, frankly get better value out of these public investments by making the infrastructure more holistic and more comprehensive. It sounds fairly common sense. So, so how would, how would that, for example, you know, how would these policies accelerate, you know, improvements really that the brick and mortar infrastructure and the people really care about the, you know, you have the drinking and the wastewater, of course you know, Flint was, you know, still is the poster child for that, but then, like you mentioned earlier, we have, we have broadband, we have the issue with the gas tax and we have declining revenues, but have increasing, you know, via electric vehicle market, but we don't have a national electric vehicle charging infrastructure, you know, that's something which has to be addressed. And, and the other, those transformative areas that seem to be happening at the state and local level, of course, the States that are really ahead of the curve and trying to be centers of innovation and are starting to think of transportation, not in transportation sense, but as in mobility and, and, and as a holistic way of looking at things how would these policies help accelerate that the federal level?John Porcari:Yeah, it would do. It would happen a couple of ways. One I mentioned, which is most infrastructure projects of any size are not funded anymore. They're financed. And that's, that's a very important difference where it may be a 50 or 70 year lifespan piece of infrastructure that has a 35 year loan against it. Broadening the eligibility of those loans would be one thing, expanding the capacity of the federal loan programs, whether it's for highway or transit, water or wastewater. If you just look at the lead pipe and lead contamination issue, the, the existing federal programs capacity for loans is only a fraction of what you would actually need. And it's not just Flint, Michigan it's cities and towns across the country and rural areas. It's also other federal policies. So electric vehicle tax credits can be expanded, accelerated depreciation, all the kind of tax policies that actually trigger private sector investment in infrastructure or public private partnerships is, is something that can be encouraged through these recommendations. And the idea was to be w was, was to try to address the infrastructure needs and be agnostic on whether it's publicly addressed or privately addressed, or a partnership between the two but across the spectrum to try to identify some of these very specific recommendations that that can actually make these things happen.Host:Yeah, and that's a very important point because earlier in the couple of months ago, we did a, a round table discussion on the future of funding and transportation. And we had some, some policy think tank guys. We had Jeff Davis and Eno, and we had some thought leaders from Harvard. We had kind of a mixture and everyone agreed that, you know, reliance on farebox revenues especially now. I mean, you can't do it, you can't do it. There has to be a, there's not one solution. There has to be a number of different solutions to broaden the type of financing that you can actually go for for these projects that, you know, just relying on trust, run revenue, for example, is, is something which is, which is difficult in a time of declining revenues. Is there a recommendation on the trust fund within the document?John Porcari:It doesn't make a specific recommendation on the trust fund. The participants in this study, like everyone else acknowledged that's that it has to be changed. The system has to be changed. There's no, there's no trust in the trust fund anymore, right? If the Congress has to keep putting general funds and other monies into the trust fund, it's actually not a trust fund where and especially with the recession related to the pandemic, we're seeing trust, run revenues declining very rapidly. But the idea would be to at the local level and the federal level to open the aperture for more innovation on the funding and financing side. And there are jurisdictions that have limitations on how they can raise local funds. These local bond issuances and referenda and local other kinds of local self-help initiatives are limited in many places yet.John Porcari:They're actually the primary funding source of the local funds for many of these infrastructure projects. So opening it up across the board and making a better case that infrastructure is actually an investment. Yes, it's an expenditure, but infrastructure given its lifespan and given the economic activity that generates is actually a good investment. Whether it's airports and air service highway transit, the utilities that provide services you simply can't have economic growth and the quality of life we all want without that infrastructure investment.Host:And, and I know there, there are a couple of ideas about state local road transfers and federal funding for betterments. Can you go a little bit more into that? You know, what problems are we solving by transferring road ownership from, from state to local governments and, and what is the focus on betterments about?John Porcari:Sure, let me take each of those in turn so that the road transfer part of it is a recognition that the primary purpose of any given road may change over time. So in every state, there are state routes, the numbered state routes that were probably very important from a regional point of view maybe back to the horse and buggy days. But that state route is now main street for a town or city. And in that municipality it's serving a very different local function as opposed to the regional function that was originally built for. And so who would be the best steward of that? Who would use that right away most effectively for all the things we talked about, water and wastewater, broadband, burying electric utilities transit service, maybe dedicated transit lanes inductive charging in the next few years.John Porcari:The idea is that some of the functions of those roads, which were much more of a state function in the past local function now, it's not true in every case. The idea is to look at those individually and see where it makes sense it might have been for that state route example, 75% interest state regional traffic before. And it may be 25% now. So who would be the best steward of that? The betterment issue is a really interesting one, the when there's a hurricane or tornado or storm event that does significant damage for example, to our highway infrastructure. There's, there are emergency relief funds from the federal government to rebuild that in this highway example and until not too long ago about eight years ago, you could only rebuild that highway the same way it was built before you could not put in bigger storm drainage culverts.John Porcari:You couldn't raise the elevation. The idea of betterment is now accepted and it's federally funding eligible where you could rebuild that highway. And now you can do it with transit. You can pull it out of the flood, plain, you, you can armor it in ways where you're not rebuilding the same facility time after time with federal money, emergency relief money, every time it's common sense, but it's something that literally was not allowed until fairly recently. And so one aspect of resilience is to make sure those betterments rebuilding smarter every time is built into the core of what we do.Host:Yeah, that's a really good point and it makes complete sense. And I know, but it's the kind of thing that, that from an, you know, from an industry perspective, when, when a firm like WSP or a firm, you know, another ACEC member firm is brought onto a project, you know, they're of course working as a trusted advisor to their client to be able to say, okay, well, this road is built this way, but what we know of, you know, past events and you know, our expertise that we bring into it is that you should be improving it in a number of ways. And here is our expert consultation on how to, how to do that. And, if that idea is, is adopted by a broader swath of the States, that it means that you're going to have an improvement overall in the length and the value of infrastructure, like you said, stretching that dollar, that taxpayer dollar further, and just rebuilding a road exactly how it was. And it's just going to be washed away or destroyed in an earthquake, or what have you again,John Porcari:Right. That's right.Host:Now we talked about fund financing. We talked about the betterment issue. I know that the plan has a few deregulatory ideas on, on project delivery and cutting red tape. They include accelerated procurements reviews, the permitting, P3 processing. I, you know, we've heard a lot of these ideas from state officials. Did it really surprise you that a lot of these priorities were also coming from mayors who were interviewed?John Porcari:Not really the, the more time you spend with mayors, the more you see that they really are hands on problem solvers. So the one of the specific recommendations shortening the procurement cycle is basically the the city's asking the federal government to do what they've already done. We had a mayor for example, that during the pandemic cut their procurement times by 50% and just did it they're meeting all their legal criteria. It's there's no part of the procurement process that's been compromised, but they literally shave 50% of the time off. And the idea is if you can do that at a local level, it can be done at the federal level too. And it, if you do it at the local level and you don't have a federal partner that also cuts their response time and their review time, it doesn't help because you have to get ultimately get there. Okay. Anyway, so these are commonsense forms that don't really don't compromise the quality or the integrity of the process or the project. But what, what the recommendation is really saying is we can do it at the local level. We'd like our federal partners to do the sameHost:Now to kind of wrap it up. I know the last areas, it really kind of goes into the job creation and employment issue, which is, which is especially important now with the effects of of the pandemic on, on employment. But the playbook discusses a number of of different areas. Here are the importance of training centers of local and targeted construction hires and support for small and medium sized businesses and, and the importance of, of expanding federal research into a lot of these emerging transportation and, you know, planning and such, where do you see this going? You know, what area in this kind of gets your attention the most?John Porcari:Well from a local perspective, this was a really pressing issue as well. So part of it is trying to squeeze again, as much value as you can out of tax dollars, by making sure the money stays in the local economy, to the extent possible. You know, at the end of the day, these infrastructure jobs or jobs you can't export, they are American jobs. And as an industry, there's a lot we can do to maximize that. But it also it also talks about taking projects as an opportunity to move people up the skill scale. So if you are learning a skilled trade from a laborer to say high voltage, electrician or welder is part of that project. You have brought someone into the middle class and doing that. And there's a whole ecosystem that could be helpful to that.John Porcari:The community colleges that are operated at the local level, we'll put together a training course for anything there's demand for. And there's a little bit of a chicken and egg aspect of this, where you need to make it, if it's clear, the demand is there for skills training, as part of infrastructure construction, the training will be there through private programs to community colleges, through unions and others, lots of providers but what we have not done and, and you can't do at the local level by yourself is systematically put, put that together into a system that lifts people up that skills ladder and provides better opportunities.Host:And that that's, you know, cross jurisdictional, because that's not just, you know, infrastructure or transportation policy, but it's educational policy at the, at the national level. It's how, how do you, how do you make the two kind of fit together, which shows, you know, the size of the task, but also the value of these recommendations to inform especially federal policy makers. Since it's an election year, I can't not ask the question. How has this playbook been received by the candidates have you or anyone else from, from, you know, who were leading this charge brought this to either the presidential campaigns or, or any of the the leadership and at the federal level to say that if, as you're, as you're developing policies, keep this in mind.John Porcari:It's a great question. At the beginning of this discussion, I mentioned that this is very much a bipartisan effort by bipartisan mayors. And so the playbook recommendations have been made available across the board people on both sides of the aisle have been briefed on it. I will just tell you from my personal perspective and personal experience and full disclosure, I'm a strong supporter of vice president Biden. The uptake of these ideas and, and concepts behind it has been very positive. There's a recognition that, that again, the innovation's at the local level, the decision making's at the local level, let's make sure we're letting our local elected officials make they know what the right choices are for their jurisdictions. Let's back them up and support them with federal policies that actually help them as opposed to getting in their way.Host:That's a really good point. And I think a good, a good area to, to leave it on. John, do you have anything else to add about the playbook? It, we've covered a lot of ground here. We know a lot of the recommendations, but is there anything, any, any final parting thought that our listeners should know going out of it?John Porcari:Well, I, again, this is, this is from a local perspective and it's very practical as mayors are. So there, there's nothing in here that can't be implemented ACEC members around the country should really think about how this can help locally. To a person ,the members are working at the local level, helping with those local choices, literally use the playbook for what it's intended to be, which is a way to help you with infrastructure, construction and, and in a more general sense, help make the connection between infrastructure and economic growth and prosperity. And the fact is, you know, if we're honest with ourselves, you can look at infrastructure coast to coast here, if you're honest with yourself, and you look at that infrastructure more than likely it was built and paid for by your parents, or maybe your grandparents, and in some cases, your great grandparents. So, it is just irresponsible of us not to invest in the future. It's the best thing we can do for the country going forward in terms of thinking about the future.Host:Yeah, really good parting thoughts there, because I think that one of the things that our members are very busy running their firms are very busy of course, with the work that they have ahead of themselves and running an office from the time of pandemic. But we can't lose sight of the fact that, that from an industry perspective, we're the thought leaders who can help drive these decision making processes at all levels of government that as an ACEC member, as a professional engineer and a business leader, there's a platform and there's expertise that our elected officials can't get anywhere else. And if they're able to use this documentthe playbook as a way to inform their thinking and develop their own thinking it'll help raise the profile of the industry as a whole, which is of course, one of the focuses of the institutes, you know, one of the key missions is to support the growth and the thought leadership of the industry.Host:But, you know, from a business sense, it'll, it'll make you more competitive when you're going for business, because you can put that economic argument behind it. You can put that, you know, like non, non partisan political argument to, to tie it all together and justify a project. I guess I do want to put a plug in because the, the ACC research Institute coming up in the, in, in, in next few weeks is going to be delving into aspects of the playbook. We're going to be doing some round tables on the playbook in conjunction with Accelerator for America. And we had our first series of round tables on the future of engineering. They were very successful and we look forward to another successful series coming up in, in only a few weeks but more information on that's going to be coming up shortly.Host:So stay tuned. We are going to post up the the, the program on the show notes, we will have a link to the, to the Accelerator for America website. And then of course, that will have the link to the playbook. John, I really appreciate your time today. Thank you so much. And I know our listeners really benefited from hearing your views and your expertise.John Porcari:It's my pleasure. And I do want to thank the ACEC Research Institute, and also everyone who's involved in putting this playbook together, because it took a lot of hands to actually get a nationwide perspective here.Host:Well hopefully we can have you back on the show a little bit later after we have those round tables and kind of maybe after once we get a better idea of what happens in November, and we get a better idea of, you know, what infrastructure policy might look like and either administration it might be good to revisit these issues. So until then, again, John Porcari, He leads advisory services at WSP, but he is also just a very, very knowledgeable individual when it comes to federal and state and local transportation policy. And thank you so much for being on the show.John Porcari:My pleasure, Jeff. Thanks.Host:And this has been Engineering Influence a podcast from the American council of engineering companies. We'll see you next time.
“I'm not sure there is ever going to be a return to exactly the way things were before. I think there will be a new normal and everyone will get used to it, but there will be a change in the way things are done that will remain permanent.” Julie Wienberg, Vice President of Aviation Infrastructure, HNTB Corp. The COVID-19 health pandemic will eventually be in the past and signage reminding travelers to socially distance and wash hands may go away with it. But this is likely not the last pandemic this country will see. Whether it's building with materials that are easier to clean, increasing the availability of touchless options for passengers or designing security measures that ensure the health and safety of travelers and those who work at the airport, increased awareness of the implications of health-related incidents will create long-term change in the airport experience.
On the final edition of The Sunday Spin, Rick Pearson holds a special round-table featuring Bob Secter of Crain’s; Brian Bernardoni, founder of Aurelius Public Affairs; Eric Elk, government relations director for HNTB; and Amanda Vinicky, WTTW Ch.-11 correspondent. The crew take time to reflect on the current state of the nation; take a look […]
Brought to you by OnPay. Built in Atlanta, OnPay is the top-rated payroll and HR software anywhere. Get one month free at OnPay.com. Emmanuella Myrthil is the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Manager with the Program Management Consultant for the Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP) within the Office of Innovative Delivery at Georgia Department of Transportation […] The post Small Business Fuel: Emmanuella Myrthil with HNTB appeared first on Business RadioX ®.
Brought to you by OnPay. Built in Atlanta, OnPay is the top-rated payroll and HR software anywhere. Get one month free at OnPay.com. Emmanuella Myrthil is the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Manager with the Program Management Consultant for the Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP) within the Office of Innovative Delivery at Georgia Department of Transportation […] The post Small Business Fuel: Emmanuella Myrthil with HNTB appeared first on Business RadioX ®.
Katayoun Sadeghi of HNTB and Benjamin Hall of John Laing Investments, both officers in Young Professionals in Infrastructure (YPI) discuss YPI's mission as well as the rising trend of university energy projects.
Over 800,000 rides taken, 90,000 miles covered, 45,000 trips completed. It’s been one year since the Milwaukee Streetcar, known as The Hop began servicing Downtown Milwaukee. What’s next and where is the Hop headed? To reflect on the first year of the Hop and to discuss its future, the MKE Forward team sat down with Ashley Booth of HNTB.
November marks the 1 year anniversary for The Hop streetcar in Milwaukee. MBJ reporter Sean Ryan sat down with Ashley Booth, Wisconsin office leader of HNTB, the lead engineering firm on the project. Booth, one of the key planners and ambassadors on the Milwaukee streetcar project, also talks about HNTB’s move to Downtown Milwaukee from the north side. Later, MBJ reporter Margaret Naczek joins Sean to discuss the big changes in store for MillerCoors and how they will affect Milwaukee. The company’s plans include changing its corporate branding, and closing the bulk of its Denver Headquarters operations. The company’s restructuring could bring new jobs to the national company’s Milwaukee operations, but could also generate less awareness for the legendary hometown favorite Miller beer brand.
What happens when the curb becomes too appealing? What can we do about it? The curb is loved by more than just cars and trucks nowadays. Bikes, scooters, rideshare, and even food trucks want a piece of it—and they're willing to fight each other for it. Jim Barbaresso, HNTB's Senior VP and National Practice Leader for Intelligent Transportation Systems, shares with us this week what's happening to the curb now, what will happen to the curb in the future, and how we can shape curb policy to ensure the most efficient and fair use of it. LINKS: Jim Barbaresso Jim's email: jbarbaresso@hntb.com Jim Barbaresso's column on Axios HNTB
ITS America's Smart Infrastructure Task Force has developed a proposal for the next surface transportation reauthorization that is built around a key theme: "Moving People, Data, and Freight: Safer, Greener, Smarter." Pete and SAFE Greg sat down with John Barton, Senior Vice President and DOT Market Sector Leader for HNTB, and Ron Thaniel, VP of Legislative Affairs for ITS America to discuss the upcoming FAST Act Reauthorization in 2020. You can keep up with John Barton's work on Twitter: @AGProfJB1 And keep up with ITS America by following @ITS_America and ITS America President Shailen Bhatt @Bhattman_ITSA As always, you can also keep up with the Mobility Podcast on Twitter: @MobilityPodcast, @AVGregR, @SharedMobilityS, @SmarterTranspo.
Milwaukee-based transit consultant joins the podcast to talk about HNTB's move Downtown and working on The Hop.
A coalition of downtown businesses, homeowners and organizations is advocating a two-level highway system for the north, east and south legs of interstates 65 and 70—the so-called inner loop in downtown Indianapolis. The proposal from Rethink 65/70 comes as state transportation officials move forward with a planned reconstruction of the north-split interchange — a project Rethink leaders hope can be done with their below-grade highway plan in mind. IBJ Podcast host Mason King talks with Rethink member Paul Knapp, the CEO of Young & Laramore, about the group's proposal. Then he talks with Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Manning and Kia Gillette, an environmental project manager at HNTB, about whether the state will consider Rethink's ideas. Learn more about the Rethink 65/70 proposal with this IBJ story by reporter Susan Orr.
Arthur B. Laffer , que está considerado como el Padre de la Economía de la Oferta (Supply-Side Economics), ha marcado el desarrollo de la política impositiva de los Estados Unidos desde hace más de tres décadas. Años de experiencia en el campo del asesoramiento le han distinguido tanto en el campo privado como en el público siendo parte de la junta de dirección de compañías como Clark Bardes, HNTB, Manhattan East Suite Hotels, Retirement Capital Group o Vizional Technologies. Laffer es el fundador y Presidente de Laffer Associates, una firma que provee de servicios de investigación globales a instituciones, fondos de pensiones, instituciones financieras y corporaciones focalizándose en la interconexión de factores macroeconómicos, políticos y demográficos que afectan a los mercados financieros. Fue miembro del Panel de Asesores en Política Económica de Reagan; miembro del Comité de Finanzas de Reagan y Bush. Ha sido profesor de la Universidad Pepperdine, institución de la que fue parte del Consejo Directivo; de la Universidad del Sur de California y de la de Chicago. Laffer es también reconocido internacionalmente como el creador de la Curva que lleva su nombre, uno de los principales cuerpos teóricos de la mencionada Economía de la Oferta usada para resumir la visión a favor del crecimiento de esta corriente teórica. Entre los premios que ha logrado destacan dos Graham & Dodd otorgados por la Financial Analyst Federation gracias a sus artículos publicados en el Financial Analysts Journal; el Distinguished Service Award de la National Association of Investment Clubs; el Premio Adam Smith y el Premio Daniel Webster de la International Platform Association.
Arthur B. Laffer , que está considerado como el Padre de la Economía de la Oferta (Supply-Side Economics), ha marcado el desarrollo de la política impositiva de los Estados Unidos desde hace más de tres décadas. Años de experiencia en el campo del asesoramiento le han distinguido tanto en el campo privado como en el público siendo parte de la junta de dirección de compañías como Clark Bardes, HNTB, Manhattan East Suite Hotels, Retirement Capital Group o Vizional Technologies. Laffer es el fundador y Presidente de Laffer Associates, una firma que provee de servicios de investigación globales a instituciones, fondos de pensiones, instituciones financieras y corporaciones focalizándose en la interconexión de factores macroeconómicos, políticos y demográficos que afectan a los mercados financieros. Fue miembro del Panel de Asesores en Política Económica de Reagan; miembro del Comité de Finanzas de Reagan y Bush. Ha sido profesor de la Universidad Pepperdine, institución de la que fue parte del Consejo Directivo; de la Universidad del Sur de California y de la de Chicago. Laffer es también reconocido internacionalmente como el creador de la Curva que lleva su nombre, uno de los principales cuerpos teóricos de la mencionada Economía de la Oferta usada para resumir la visión a favor del crecimiento de esta corriente teórica. Entre los premios que ha logrado destacan dos Graham & Dodd otorgados por la Financial Analyst Federation gracias a sus artículos publicados en el Financial Analysts Journal; el Distinguished Service Award de la National Association of Investment Clubs; el Premio Adam Smith y el Premio Daniel Webster de la International Platform Association.
Though Baton Rouge, in many ways, is slow to change, in recent years there has been a gradual shift in the balance of power. New, young firms and new, young business leaders are taking over from the Baby Boomer generation that preceded them. One such leader is Julie Laperouse. Julie is Director of Training at Emergent Method, a management consulting firm owned and run by an ambitious group of Millennials that in just six years has grown to become one of the most sought after consulting firms in the market. Julie joined the firm in 2015 after several years at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and leads a team that helps businesses with leadership development, networking, presentations and other professional skills. Julie is also a motivational speaker and the author of Are You a Screaming Peacock Bryan Jones is Associate Vice President and Director of Gulf Coast Operations for HNTB, one of the country s best known engineering consulting and construction management firms with a particular expertise in transportation and infrastructure projects. Among other projects, HNTB is spearheading a watershed management plan for the city of Baton Rouge. Photos over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week we’re back again at Rail~Volution and joined by Diana Mendes, Transit/Rail Practice Leader and Vice President at HNTB. We talk about how Diana met the author of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and what needs to change about environmental planning. She talks about the environmental planning process for the Lower Manhattan Recovery after 9-11 in addition to early use of GIS.
How are engineering companies adapting their infrastructure for the largest and most complex projects? Brian Swenson, Chief Process Officer at HNTB Corporation, tells CXOTalk about digital transformation in the large-scale engineering industry.Swenson is CPO and Business Lead for HNTB’s sales, financials and project management modernization initiative known as “Centric.” In these roles, he is responsible for delivering a new enterprise solution that replaces 50+ legacy custom built applications.
How are engineering companies adapting their infrastructure for the largest and most complex projects? Brian Swenson, Chief Process Officer at HNTB Corporation, tells CXOTalk about digital transformation in the large-scale engineering industry.Swenson is CPO and Business Lead for HNTB’s sales, financials and project management modernization initiative known as “Centric.” In these roles, he is responsible for delivering a new enterprise solution that replaces 50+ legacy custom built applications.
For nearly four years Ananth Prasad served as Florida's Secretary of Transportation. More recently, he's been a senior vice president and National Transportation Practice Leader at HNTB. At the end of 2016 he wrote an op-ed piece on investing in the nation's infrastructure. Five months into the Trump Administration he talked with Transportation Radio about where things now stand and some factors to consider on how to allocate that money.
ANDY CROWE ● BILL YATES ● NICK WALKER ● STEPHEN LIVELY ● PAUL ROGOWSKI NICK WALKER: Welcome to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers. This is our conversation about what matters most to you. Whether you are a veteran PM, or just thinking about becoming certified, we're here to inspire excellence, stimulate creativity, and help you avoid some pitfalls along the way. I'm your host, Nick Walker, and with me are the chief motivators, Andy Crowe and Bill Yates. Andy, we have a couple of guests on the line today who have experience with a project that kind of hits close to home with all of us who have to negotiate the highways of project management, both figuratively and literally. ANDY CROWE: You know, there's a lot of metaphors that could be used here, there's no question. We're excited about it. And one of the things I'm really excited about here is just the size and scope of this project. I think a lot of us can learn from this. NICK WALKER: Well, let's get into it. Stephen Lively is the Program Delivery Manager for Major Projects with the Georgia Department of Transportation, or GDOT. Paul Rogowski is the Senior Project Manager for HNTB. He's the Program Management Consultant. And together they have worked on projects geared toward helping to alleviate some of the worst traffic tie-ups in the nation. Stephen and Paul, welcome to Manage This. STEPHEN LIVELY: Well, thank you. It's good to be in conversation with you and your listeners today. NICK WALKER: Well, the project you're involved in right now is in the Atlanta, Georgia area. It's called the Northwest Corridor Project. Can you just give us a little bit of background to this? What is the Northwest Corridor? STEPHEN LIVELY: The Northwest Corridor is a tolling project that begins at the I-75/I-285 interchange on I-75 traveling north to Hickory Grove Road, which is in Cherokee County. So the project starts in Cobb and ends in Cherokee. And then, on the 575 corridor, the project ends at Sixes Road. So it's approximately 30 miles long of tolling lanes. From 285 to the 75/575 split, there will be two tolling lanes to the west of the existing 75 main line. And then north of the 575 split on 75, there will be one lane utilizing the existing median. And also on the 575 corridor from 75 to Sixes Road, the project will have one tolling lane utilizing the existing median. NICK WALKER: So I think it's clear that this is a massive project. STEPHEN LIVELY: Yes, yes. Actually, we rode the project yesterday. And one of the gentleman that was riding with me, he said – and this speaks for me as well – that “I've never worked on a project with this magnitude of work and the length of the project,” actually the largest project that GDOT has ever undertaken in general. NICK WALKER: Tell us about the roles that you guys play, Stephen and Paul. What are your roles in this project? STEPHEN LIVELY: My major role is just to coordinate the activities, daily activities, and keeping the job moving, working with FHWA – just a representative for the department, a face, if you will, to keep the job moving. And I'll let Paul kind of describe his role in HNTB. PAUL ROGOWSKI: Sure. My role had started back in 2010, and my role was to really set up the first design-build finance contract in the state. This was a new model that had not been ever executed in the state. And as a design-build finance course, it took a lot of changing in really the culture and somewhat thinking on GDOT on how to deliver a project. Normally, they would have mostly internal staff to try to manage, you know, their typical projects. But with this magnitude, there is anywhere between, I would say, 50 to 60 people that Stephen and myself have to manage on a day-to-day basis, besides the contractors' work, and just try to make this thing happen. BILL YATES: Got it. NICK WALKER: Hey guys, just give me a bottom line.
It's the final segment of our 100th Episode celebration! We had on great guests towards the end of the night that included Maureen Hayes from HNTB, Fred Whitaker from the City of Orange, Dustin Reilich for the HERO Program, the ACC-OC's newest staff members, and more! We thank everyone who came out to celebrate our big milestone and look forward to many more great episodes in 2017.
It's not always available as a choice, but when it is millions of Americans choose to use public transportation rather than drive. HNTB just released a survey the examined why they are making that choice. Michael Townes, HNTB's transit sector market leader and a senior vice president, spoke with Transportation Radio about the survey beginning with an overview.
The January meeting of the ITS New Jersey Board of Directors saw Steve Dilts elected president of the organization. Dilts is a Vice President for HNTB and he talked with Transportation Radio's Bernie Wagenblast about his goals for the organization as well as his background.
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