Volume 21, Issue 2 APRIL | MAY 2014 TRANSPORTATION GeoRGia ENGINEER ® the panama canaL at 100 yeaRS tiGeR ii the atLanta StReetcaR pRoject Road diet ShapeS up ponce de Leon avenue
Mar 27, 2016
Volume 21, Issue 2 APRIL | MAY 2014
TRANSPORTATION
G e o R G i a
ENGINEER®
the panama canaLat 100 yeaRS
tiGeR iithe atLanta StReetcaR pRoject
Road diet ShapeS upponce de Leon avenue
2 GeoRGia enGineeR
Publisher: A4 Inc.1154 Lower Birmingham RoadCanton, Georgia 30115Tel.: 770-521-8877 | Fax: 770-521-0406E-mail: [email protected]
Editor-in-Chief: Roland Petersen-FreyManaging Editor: Daniel SimmonsArt Direction/Design: Pam Petersen-Frey
Georgia Engineering Alliance233 Peachtree Street | Harris Tower, #700Atlanta, Georgia 30303Tel.: 404-521-2324 | Fax: 404-521-0283
Georgia Engineer Editorial BoardThomas C. Leslie, ChairMichael L. (Sully) Sullivan, ACEC Georgia, PresidentGwen D. Brandon, CAE, ACEC Georgia, Chief Operating Officer
ACEC/Georgia RepresentativesB.J. Martin, PELee Philips
ASCE/G RepresentativesDaniel Agramonte, PESteven C. Seachrist, PE
ASHE RepresentativeJenny Jenkins, PE
GSPE RepresentativesTim Glover, PE
ITE RepresentativesDaniel Dobry, PE, PTOEJohn Edwards, PE
ITS/G RepresentativesBill Wells, PEShaun Green, PEKay Wolfe, PE
SEAOG RepresentativeRob Wellacher, PE
WTS RepresentativeAngela Snyder
the Georgia engineer is published bi-monthly by A4 Inc. for the Georgia Engineering Allianceand sent to members of ACEC, ASCE, ASHE, GEF, GSPE, ITE, SEAOG, WTS; local, state, andFederal government officials and agencies; businesses and institutions. Opinions expressed by the au-thors are not necessarily those of the Alliance or publisher nor do they accept responsibility for er-rors of content or omission and, as a matter of policy, neither do they endorse products oradvertisements appearing herein. Parts of this periodical may be reproduced with the written con-sent from the Alliance and publisher. Correspondence regarding address changes should be sent tothe Alliance at the address above. Correspondence regarding advertising and editorial material shouldbe sent to A4 Inc. at the address listed above.
G e o R G i a
ENGINEER
apRiL | may 2014 3
36 42
39
40 44
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adveRtiSementSA4 Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
AECOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
American Engineering Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
AMEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Ayres Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Burns & McDonnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Cardno TBE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Columbia Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
CROM Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
EcoWise Civil Design & Consulting Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Edwards-Pitman Environmental Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Engineered Restorations Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Facility Design Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Hayward Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover
Hazen & Sawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
HDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Heath & Lineback Engineers Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
ITE Summer Seminar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
JAT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Keck & Wood Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Kennedy Engineering & Associates Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
MH Miles Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Pond Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Photo Science Geospatial Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Prime Engineering Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Reinforced Earth Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
RHD Utility Locating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
ROSSER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
RS&H. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
S&ME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Schnabel Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Stevenson & Palmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
STV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Terrell Hundley Carroll Right of Way Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
T•H•C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
TTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
T. Wayne Owens & Associates, PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
United Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover
Willmer Engineering Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Wolverton & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
GeoRGia enGineeR4
t a b l e o f
CONTENTS GEORGIA ENGINEER April | May 2014
apRiL | may 2014 5
The Panama Canal at 100 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Road Diet Shapes up Ponce de Leon Avenue to be More Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Transit Friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Tiger II - The Atlanta Streetcar Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Cobb County - On the Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Atlanta Aerotropolis: Capitalizing on the Atlanta Regions’s Greatest Economic Asset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
AFS Expands Alternative Fuel Use with Largest Public CNG Station in Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Building Trails in the City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Georgia Engineering News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
ACEC Georgia News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
ASHE Georgia News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
GEF News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
ITE Georgia News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
ITS Georgia News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
SAME Georgia News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
WTS Georgia News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Concrete Precast Panels Revitalize Pavements in Winder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
the panama canaL at 100 yeaRS 9
6 GeoRGia enGineeR
viSit uS attheGoeRGiaenGineeR.com
FEATURE
7apRiL | may 2014
there were decades of surveys and expeditions to one of the mostremote and unhealthy locations on earth to find a route across thenarrow strip of land between north and South america. Following
their wildly successful completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, the French began
construction in 1881 on a sea-
level passage across Panama.
They dug for six years before
changing the design concept to in-
clude locks to raise and lower ships over
the mid-isthmus mountain ridge. But by
1887 it was too late. The French company con-
structing the canal finally ran out of money in 1889,
was declared bankrupt, and became the center of a
national scandal, which seemed to consume French
pride and dignity.
THE PANAMA CANAL AT 100 YEARSthe fiRSt commeRciaL SteamShip officiaLLy SaiLed thRouGh the panamacanaL on auGuSt 15, 1914, aLthouGh it took aLmoSt 50 yeaRS ofStRuGGLe to Get to thiS ceLebRation.
BY THOMAS C. LESLIE
8 GeoRGia enGineeR
Ferdinand de Lesseps was the hero of the
Suez Canal construction. He was a man of
charisma, single-minded focus, and no
small self-esteem. His notion was to build
a sea level canal in Panama as he had done
in Suez, and he convinced 800,000 French
citizens, including both elites and com-
moners, to invest in his canal company. As
construction costs rose, additional stock
subscriptions were offered and purchased.
The bubble burst in 1889 and began three
years of l’affaire de Panama—a financial
scandal of the first order.
Even the great engineer, Gustave Eif-
fel, was swept up in the controversy. To
help provide public cover for the belated
change from a sea level to a lock-canal, de
Lesseps recruited Eiffel to design the locks.
Although Eiffel was charged with misuse
of funds and acquitted, his career as an en-
gineer and builder was destroyed.
By 1894, a new Panama Canal com-
pany was chartered in France, which held
the residual assets located in Panama but
which had no path forward. Meanwhile
in the U.S., the case for a canal to shorten
trade routes was as compelling as ever.
There seemed to be a growing consensus
for an ‘American’ canal through
Nicaragua in lieu of the failed ‘French’
canal through Panama. The debate at all
levels seemed to be independent of
which was the most cost-effective route.
Theodore Roosevelt was elected presi-
dent in 1901 as a strong advocate for a
canal. Among the arguments against the
Nicaragua route was the threat of vol-
cano eruptions in that country as evi-
denced by a Nicaragua postage stamp
that featured a volcano. In the end, Roo-
sevelt seemed to have selected the
Panama route largely based on a techni-
cal analysis and a much-reduced sales
price offered by the new canal company.
A congressional committee had made an
independent assessment and concluded
that the French assets should be valued
at $109 million, which must have made
the asking price of $40 million feel like a
sweet deal.
The American assumption of canal
construction seemed to exactly match the
times. American confidence was growing,
it would finish what Europe could not,
Theodore Roosevelt was a very popular
and energetic ‘can do’ President, and the
audacity of the project matched the coun-
try’s aspirations. The canal was a hard
project, but the President held the notion
that strong men were intended to over-
come hard things. And so it turned out.
The details were not nailed down until
1904. A significant impediment was that
Panama was a province of Columbia, which
balked at the terms agreed upon between
Panama and the U.S. The U.S. fomented a
revolution, which resulted in an independ-
ent Panama that quickly agreed to the U.
S. resumption of canal construction, a
lump sum payment of $10 million, and a
100-year lease that called for a payment of
$250,000/year. The U.S. was given control
over a six-mile wide Canal Zone.
Remarkably, the fundamental ques-
tion of whether the canal should have
locks or be at sea level remained open.
Roosevelt appointed an advisory panel of
international experts in 1905 to consider
this question. It recommended a sea level
canal with an eight-to-five vote. Only after
intense lobbying by the practical, on-the-
ground chief engineer in Panama, John
Stevens, did Roosevelt instruct his Isth-
mian Canal Commission to override the
recommendation in 1906 in favor of a
lock-canal.
Finally, the path forward was clear
and Roosevelt asserted that he was going
to ‘make dirt fly.’ The American project
concept is not crisply described as a ditch
across Panama. About two-thirds of the
route is through Lake Gatun, the world’s
largest manmade lake created by building
a massive earthen dam on the Chagres
River a few miles inland from the
Caribbean end of the canal. Three pairs of
locks were built to lower ships through the
dam to sea level. Locks were also built at
two locations on the other end of the
canal. In all, there were 12 chambers for
raising and lowering vessels. Each cham-
ber was 110’ wide by 1,000’ long by 81’
deep. The size was set to accommodate
the largest sea-going vessel at the time—
the Titanic. Sufficient hydroelectric energy
was generated at the Gatun Dam to oper-
ate the entire canal, although the raising
and lowering of water in the chambers
was achieved by simply closing and open-
ing valves.
The biggest challenge of canal con-
struction was the excavation of the Cule-
bra Cut, the high point on the route across
the Isthmus, 275’ above sea level. The
French had dug for six years and excavated
about 19 million cubic yards. The U. S. dug
for about seven years and removed an ad-
ditional 96 million cubic yards. The real
problem was the almost continuous land-
slides into the canal cut as the U.S. sought
to find a stable angle of repose on the side
slopes. Eventually, the top of the cut grew
from a planned width of 670’ to 1,800’
with side slopes at 5:1.
Over the years of U.S. construction,
the management structure evolved and
became very flat with the chief engineer
in Panama reporting to the Secretary of
War (William Howard Taft in the early
years) who reported to the President
(Theodore Roosevelt). It had become very
clear that a Canal Commission in Wash-
ington that provided final approval to
every dot and tittle in Panama, 2,000 miles
away, simply did not work.
The chief engineer, in essence, be-
came the CEO for canal construction as
well as the Canal Zone, itself. John
Stevens was the Chief Engineer from 1905
– 1907, and George Washington Goethals
was chief engineer from 1907 to 1914.
While they were involved in major design
decisions, both knew that their most im-
portant job was to provide for a well-fed,
well-equipped, well-housed, and well-or-
ganized work force. And this they did.
The scale of the Panama Canal is so
large it is hard to imagine. During the final
years of construction, the work force was
45,000 – 50,000. The American cost for
the canal was $352 million (in 1914 dollars
and included the $10 million payment to
Panama and the $40 million to the new
Canal Company in France). Since 1904
(the American years), 5,600 deaths oc-
curred from disease and accidents; 20 –
22,000 deaths occurred during the French
years of construction. There was a total of
262 million cubic yards of excavation. In
1907, the Americans estimated the total
cost and a completion date—the work was
done $23 million under budget and six
months ahead of schedule.
It is clear that by almost any metric,
the Panama Canal has been wildly suc-
cessful. It was not until 1936 when the
Queen Mary was launched that a ship was
too large to pass through the canal. But
this was just the beginning. In 1976, au-
thor David McCullough* reported that 700
ships were too large for the canal. It is cur-
rently undergoing a major expansion to
handle the even larger number of super
sized ships. It is expected to be completed
in 2015, and the stage will be set for the
canal’s next 100 years.
* The Path Between the Seas, The Cre-
ation of the Panama Canal, 1870 – 1914,
by David McCullough served as the basis
of this article. v
9apRiL | may 2014
GeoRGia enGineeR10
Road Diet Shapes up Ponce de Leon Avenue to be MoreBicycle, Pedestrian, and Transit Friendly
It connects Atlanta’s
Midtown business dis-
trict to downtown De-
catur, unincorporated central
DeKalb County, and Stone Mountain.
The street, which is named after the
Ponce Springs located at the bottom of
the valley just east of Glen Iris Drive,
once carried streetcars from downtown
and Peachtree Street to the Atlanta
Crackers’ ballpark. East of Briarcliff
Road/Moreland Avenue (US 23), Ponce
de Leon Avenue becomes part of the
historic Olmsted Linear Park, which re-
sembles the winding parkways of New
York and Washington, DC. The corridor
has some serious character.
It had been ranked as one of the most
dangerous corridors in the state for bi-
cyclists and pedestrians, and was not
much safer for motorists. West of the
Atlanta BeltLine corridor, the street was
marked as five to six travel lanes, with
left-turn lanes that began and ended
randomly, and turning vehicles blocking
the innermost through lane at many in-
tersections. Hard to imagine, but the
travel lanes in some places were as nar-
row as 8.5’, and, at several intersec-
tions, through vehicles were in a
head-on situation with left-turning vehi-
cles. The outermost through lanes were
up against the sidewalk, which in many
places lacked any curbing. This resulted
in an extremely poor pedestrian envi-
ronment, as high-speed vehicles passed
within feet of those walking along the
street with no vertical separation. Also,
during heavy rain events, pedestrians
would be splashed by passing cars while
walking to the MARTA rail station at the
west end of the corridor or waiting for
the number two bus. My wife and I
walked up and down this street for
about a year when we first moved to At-
lanta, and dreaded every moment of it.
hat may be the biggest road diet ever done in the
state of Georgia was a long time coming. Ponce de Leon
Avenue, designated as US Highway 78 and 278, is one of
Atlanta’s signature corridors.
in the early 2000s, ponce was a neglectedroadway in a soon-to-be-redevelopingneighborhood.
apRiL | may 2014 11
the outermost
through lanes were up
against the sidewalk,
which in many places
lacked any curbing.
To
the east of
the Atlanta BeltLine
bridge, the roadway was striped
with three eastbound lanes, one of which
dropped at North Highland Avenue as a
left-turn lane, and two westbound lanes,
which were blocked frequently by left-
and right-turning vehicles. One left-turn-
ing motorist could reduce the roadway to
one westbound through lane in the morn-
ing peak hour. Between North Highland
Avenue and Briarcliff Road/Moreland Av-
enue, the street was striped with four
travel lanes and a two-way left-turn lane.
A corridor-wide average of 38,000
motor vehicles per day traveled the road-
way in 2006 with the higher volumes on
the five-lane section east of the Atlanta
BeltLine. By 2010, average daily traffic
counts dropped to 24,590-34,710 vehi-
cles per day; however the western sec-
tion with more lanes still carried less
traffic.
crash data
According to the Georgia Department of
Transportation (GDOT), Ponce de Leon
Avenue between Midtown and Briarcliff
Road/Moreland Avenue, was ranked sec-
ond highest in the state’s crash reporting
system for pedestrian crashes. From
2000 to 2009, there were 5,408 collisions
along this segment. A total of 112 of
these crashes involved pedestrians, re-
sulting in 113 injuries and three fatalities.
Almost 2,000 of the crashes were rear-
end and about 1,000 were side-swipes.
Per the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA), adding a two-way left-turn lane
can
reduce
rear-end
crashes
by 36
percent
and side-
swipe
crashes by
37 percent.
There were also
15 bicycle crashes from
2003 to 2007, with many related to the
lack of dedicated bicycle facilities. Data
shows that the addition of bicycle lanes
has a crash reduction factor of 36 per-
cent for all types of bike crashes.
pedestrian Safety project
In 2008, recognizing that the safety of
those on foot was a serious issue along
the corridor, GDOT programmed a
pedestrian safety project between the
Piedmont Avenue and Briarcliff
Road/Moreland Avenue intersections.
This project was primarily focused on in-
stallation of street lighting, new pedes-
trian hybrid beacons (HAWKs) at
mid-block crossing locations, and as-
sorted ADA improvements and sidewalk
repair. The project was also scoped to in-
clude several curb extensions and the re-
moval of a short right-turn lane; however
a lane reduction was not part of the ini-
tial scope. At the time, FHWA had not fi-
nalized its list of proven pedestrian
safety
countermea-
sures, which includes road
diets. A study done by the
Pedestrian and Bicycle Informa-
tion Center in 2013 showed that road
diets had a pedestrians crash reduction
factor of 41 percent on roadway seg-
ments.
atlanta beltLine eastside trail
In 2010, construction of the Atlanta Belt-
Line Eastside Trail began. This section of
trail runs from Piedmont Park at the
north to Irwin Street at the south. It
stretches for about 2.5 miles and crosses
over Ponce de Leon Avenue via a historic
steel railroad bridge between Glen Iris
Drive and Ponce de Leon Place. Even be-
fore construction started, this important
project was positively influencing the
neighborhoods along the former freight
rail right-of-way. At the center of this
segment of 14’-wide trail is the Ponce
corridor.
ponce city market
In 2011, the city entered into an agree-
ment with German private equity fund
Jamestown, L.P. to sell the giant City Hall
East complex for $27 million, further fu-
GeoRGia enGineeR12
construction began in
late summer 2013, and
was substantially com-
plete by december.
eling
the urban ren-
aissance underway along
Ponce de Leon Avenue in the Old
Fourth Ward. Jamestown hoped to turn
the two-million-square-foot former Sears
distribution center into a mixed use at-
traction similar to Chelsea Market in New
York. Part of the company’s goals was to
create a bicycle and pedestrian friendly
development that directly links to the At-
lanta BeltLine and surrounding neighbor-
hoods. Almost immediately, the
Jamestown project management team
expressed interest in supporting and
even helping to fund complete street im-
provements along the corridor. As a re-
sult of this cooperative relationship
between the private sector, city staff and
the folks at Atlanta BeltLine Inc. (ABI),
the City was able to secure a Transporta-
tion, Community, and Systems Preserva-
tion (TCSP) grant from USDOT in order to
construct a bridge and plaza connecting
the Atlanta BeltLine trail to the Ponce
City market development. This project is
located directly to the south of Ponce.
Around
the same time,
Midtown Alliance was also fi-
nalizing plans for a streetscape project
along the City-owned section of Ponce de
Leon Avenue between Spring Street and
Juniper Street.
Later that year, city staff submitted
an application to the Atlanta Regional
Commission (ARC) Livable Centers Initia-
tive (LCI) program for implementation
funds. The application proposed bicycle
and pedestrian improvements along
Ponce between Boulevard/Monroe Drive
and Freedom Parkway and vertical con-
nections between the trail and Ponce.
The local match was generously commit-
ted by ABI and Jamestown. The Ponce
City Market developer was able to
pledge the funding budgeted for re-
quired improvements along the property
frontage to the greater Ponce corridor.
Leveraging private funding turned out to
be
a winning for-
mula, as we were
awarded the largest LCI grant of the
2011 round.
ponce de Leon task force
After our success with the TCSP grant, my
office pushed for the formation of a
Ponce de Leon Task Force that would
bring together all of the managers for the
different projects along the corridor and
advocate for additional aesthetic, opera-
tional, and safety improvements. Many
of us had witnessed the lack of concur-
rent public investment in the West Mid-
town area of Atlanta, where the private
sector had brought boatloads of equity
to bear and the city and state failed to
apRiL | may 2014 13
respond in time. We hoped that this time
would be different. Our goal was to sup-
port the private investment and perhaps
even accelerate it through targeted and
coordinated public support.
We convened the task force at city
of Atlanta Office of Planning. ABI, ARC,
GDOT, Jamestown, and Midtown Alliance
all sent representatives. We were careful
to limit attendance to those who were al-
ready involved with projects along the
corridor. This group was intended to be
an action council, not a place to wax hy-
pothetical and/or talk about why we
couldn’t do things. This first meeting was
mostly an opportunity to review the pro-
grammed projects, however we at the
City expressed early on that we were in-
terested in a road diet west of the At-
lanta BeltLine bridge. The existing lanes
were too narrow, there was capacity to
spare, and the Ponce de Leon Avenue/
North Avenue corridor was identified in
the Connect Atlanta Plan as an important
bicycle connection. Furthermore, the
city’s plans for streetcar transit on North
Avenue coupled with the street’s ex-
treme grades made it an unlikely candi-
date for a bikeway. It was agreed by the
group that additional analysis was
needed to pursue the lane reduction.
Both Jamestown and City staff asked
GDOT to investigate the programming of
resurfacing funds to implement the lane
conversion as soon as possible. Ponce
City Market was slated to open in 2014;
however the pedestrian safety and LCI
projects were not scheduled for con-
struction until 2015-2016.
Roadway Safety audits
After the first task force meeting, we
began coordinating with Atlanta’s pedes-
trian and bike safety advocacy groups,
PEDS, and Atlanta Bicycle Coalition to ad-
vance the road diet concept for Ponce.
Both organizations conducted Roadway
Safety Audits (RSAs) and organized walk-
abouts, which included representatives
from the task force agencies.
The bicycle RSA revealed 11 safety
issues, including inconsistency in road-
way cross-sections, causing confusion
and unsafe roadway user behavior. Addi-
tionally, high speeds, limited sight dis-
tances, and unpredictable road user
movements result in conflicts at access
points and intersections. All reported bi-
cycle crashes on Ponce between 2003
and 2007 were angle crashes at intersec-
tions, which can be exacerbated by the
number of lanes being crossed.
The pedestrian RSA identified a num-
ber of safety concerns, including: aggres-
sive driver behavior, poor coordination of
traffic signals, high driving speeds, and
long waits to cross at traffic signals,
which require pedestrian activation. Fur-
thermore, due to repeated repaving, the
curb lacks vertical separation from the
travel lanes. In the two-mile segment,
there are 13 traffic lights and 11
unsignalized intersections. On average,
intersections are 436’ apart and traffic
signals are located every 836’, a four to
five minute walk, compelling many
pedestrians to cross mid-block. The addi-
tion of a two-way left-turn lane would
make the installation of mid-block cross-
ings easier.
Both RSAs recommended a road diet
to improve safety, as well as the addition
of bikeways, vertically buffered side-
walks, and safer pedestrian crossings.
These reports provided city staff with evi-
dence and recommendations supporting
the lane reduction.
complete Street Retrofit
In early 2012, we received good news.
GDOT maintenance staff was able to ac-
celerate the funding for the resurfacing
of Ponce, with a goal of letting the proj-
ect in 2013. The roadway was already
high on the list of priorities, however it
was recognized that improvements were
needed in advance of the opening of
major new traffic generators along the
street.
Our efforts received crucial top-
down endorsement in May 2012 with a
letter from the Mayor Kasim Reed to
GDOT Commissioner Keith Golden. The
letter urged GDOT to reconfigure the
roadway for improved safety, noting that
the city’s plans supported the lane con-
version. Commissioner Golden re-
sponded with a letter shortly thereafter
affirming his department’s support for
the road diet and supporting the efforts
of the task force to implement the com-
plete street retrofit with the resurfacing
in 2013.
In late 2012, GDOT was able to com-
plete an updated traffic analysis using a
continuous four-lane cross-section with a
two-way left-turn lane for the entire
stretch between Piedmont Avenue and
Briarcliff Road/Moreland Avenue. This
analysis showed a slight improvement in
level of service in the AM peak between
North Highland Avenue and the Atlanta
BeltLine. This was due to the conversion
of the third westbound travel lane to a
two-way left-turn lane, which removed
turning vehicles from the innermost
westbound lane. Generally, the west end
of the corridor during the AM peak and
all intersections during the PM peak
would see degradations in level of serv-
ice of one grade or less. Only two inter-
sections would operate below the
city-minimum of D in the horizon year
2035: Charles Allen Drive and Briarcliff
Road/Moreland Avenue. The latter will
operate at LOS E regardless of whether
the road diet is implemented.
After reviewing the results of the
traffic analysis, the task force agreed that
the safety improvements resulting from
the lane conversion outweighed the neg-
ative impacts to motor vehicle traffic dur-
ing the peaks hours. The group agreed to
monitor the intersections of Charles
Allen Drive and Boulevard/Monroe Drive
after the implementation and make mod-
ifications if necessary. It was a very rea-
sonable course of action.
In early 2013, city transportation
planning staff began developing the new
pavement marking plan with the assis-
tance of GDOT and its consultant. Be-
tween Piedmont Avenue and the Atlanta
BeltLine, where Ponce had seven to eight
narrow lanes, the roadway was reduced
to four 10’ travel lanes with a two-way
left-turn lane and two 5’ bike lanes with
2-3’ buffers. East of Ponce de Leon Place,
where Ponce de Leon Avenue had three
14 GeoRGia enGineeR
east-
bound
and two
westbound
travel lanes, the
project created a
two-way left-turn lane
with two travel lanes in
each direction. This segment
of Ponce lacks space for bike-
ways, but the parallel St. Charles
Avenue serves as the east-west bike
connection here. The city plans to install
a two-stage left-turn queue box at the
east end of the Ponce bike lane, guiding
cyclists onto St. Charles Avenue. We
worked closely with MARTA to relocate
many bus stops to the far side of intersec-
tions and future mid-block crossing loca-
tions, and the plans include dashed bike
lane markings and no bike lane symbols
in bus stop areas. This will notify cyclists
that they are entering a bus stop area and
also prevent the thermoplastic markings
from being damaged by buses. We also
asked Midtown Alliance to develop a
pavement marking plan for the section
between Piedmont Avenue and Juniper
Street, which was outside of the limits of
the GDOT plan. The two pavement mark-
ing plans became part of the bid package
for the resurfacing project. The resurfac-
ing project scope was carefully crafted so
as to avoid areas the upcoming pedes-
trian safety and LCI projects would dis-
turb. The task force developed a
comprehensive map and matrix listing the
components of each project so as to
avoid duplication. It was truly an unprece-
dented level of inter-agency coordination.
Before finalizing the design, the task
force held a series of public meetings, in-
cluding one for businesses, to collect
public input. Businesses were over-
whelmingly in favor of the new two-way
left-turn lane, and generally viewed the
street redesign as attractive.
Construction began in late summer
2013, and was substantially complete by
De-
cem-
ber. The
new two-
way left-turn
lane rationalizes
the movement of
motor vehicles and al-
lows for the future instal-
lation of medianettes /refuge
islands, while the buffered bicy-
cle lanes also serve two purposes:
connecting bicyclists to the popular
Atlanta BeltLine trail and the Midtown
business district, and providing a 5-8’
horizontal buffer between pedestrians on
the sidewalk and the nearest travel lane.
This reduces noise, splashing, and wind,
making walking along the corridor more
comfortable. Anecdotal evidence is posi-
tive so far with peak hour speeds averag-
ing between 15 and 20 mph, inclusive of
dwell time at traffic signals. On urban ar-
terials, an acceptable average peak hour
speed seems to be somewhere near 18
mph. Cyclist traffic is sure to increase
once Ponce City Market opens later this
year and the vertical connections up to
the Atlanta BeltLine are constructed as
part of the LCI project.
Josh Mello, AICP served as the Assistant
Director of Planning - Transportation for
the city of Atlanta from 2010 to early
2014.
In this
role, he su-
pervised the
city’s transporta-
tion planning staff
and managed plan-
ning, political outreach,
public involvement, scoping,
design supervision, permitting,
and data collection services for bi-
cycle, freight, transit, pedestrian, and
roadway projects throughout the city.
He is currently a Senior Associate with
Alta Planning + Design in Sacramento,
where he works primarily on bicycle,
pedestrian, and complete street projects
throughout California and the southeast-
ern US. v
businesses were over-whelmingly in favor ofthe new two-way left-
turn lane, and gener-ally viewed the streetredesign as attractive.
15apRiL | may 2014
16 GeoRGia enGineeR
Tiger II
the atlanta Streetcar projectBy Philip Meador | Silverman Construction
17apRiL | may 2014
irst and last mile transit con-
nectivity referenced by the
Atlanta Beltline begins with
the Atlanta Streetcar. Part of
the larger ‘Connect Atlanta’
plan which is intended to in-
crease transportation op-
tions, promote sustainable development
and create a better urban environment,
the Atlanta Streetcar is the first stage in
what is expected to become a major over-
haul of the city’s transit system. Initially
envisioned as an East-West connection be-
tween the Martin Luther King Jr. National
Historic site and Centennial Olympic Park
with a north-south alignment along
Peachtree Street, the Atlanta Streetcar
lost out on the opportunity for TIGER I
Stimulus. However, in October 2010 the
city of Atlanta received notice that it had
been awarded approximately $47.6 mil-
lion in funds through the TIGER II Federal
Grant program, which would partially fund
the originally proposed east-west connec-
tion. In addition, the city of Atlanta re-
cently pursued and was granted Federal
Transit Administration Grantee status.
Recognizing transit-related financing chal-
lenges, the city of Atlanta has also re-
cently publicly acknowledged it would
entertain public-private partnerships.
The TIGER II Atlanta Streetcar Project
(‘Streetcar’), a collaborative effort among
Atlanta’s business, political, and transit
communities, includes three local spon-
sors: the city of Atlanta, Atlanta Down-
town Improvement District (ADID), and
MARTA. The city of Atlanta is the recipi-
ent of the TIGER II grant and owner of the
project. MARTA, as the tenured transit or-
ganization, is serving as the technical ad-
visor, and ADID is a funding partner.
Because of the TIGER II Grant federal fund-
ing, the Federal Transit Administration
provides oversight while Georgia Depart-
F
18 GeoRGia enGineeR
20 GeoRGia enGineeR
ment of Transportation oversees safety
certification. The team selected the de-
sign-build project delivery system for im-
plementation and awarded the contract to
URS Corporation in February 2012. Im-
mediately following the selection, URS
joined the Weekly Utility Task Force com-
prised of the entire utility community and
the sponsors, originally established in mid
2011. In April of 2012, URS began design
efforts. With the URS team on board and
the full attention of all parties, focus on
design refinement became top priority.
Design concluded in December of 2012,
and streetcar system construction com-
menced in February of 2013. The last no-
table utility adjustments were completed
in July of 2013. Since the project site is lo-
cated within some of the oldest areas of
downtown Atlanta, several unknown facil-
ities and infrastructure had to be dealt
with on a case by case basis. The entire
Utility Task Force has and will remain com-
mitted to actively responding until the last
cantilever pole is placed and the last por-
tion of guide way is poured in early 2014.
In addition to the sponsors and utili-
ties, property owners, business proprietors,
and the general public have been integral
players in the project’s implementation.
Within Atlanta’s built- out urban environ-
ment, minimizing and negotiating impacts
and conflicts is a huge challenge. Contend-
ing with existing utilities, minimizing inter-
ruptions of the myriad of utility service
providers, and considering new infrastruc-
ture, along with constant merger and ac-
quisition activity amongst the private
telecom utilities, requires continuous day
to day collaboration amongst all involved.
Over the course of construction, property
owners who border the Streetcar have had
to face daily construction traffic, shifting de-
tours and the occasional access request
needed to integrate the new system into
the existing infrastructure. These busi-
nesses, residences, and the general public
have exhibited patience and understanding
that normal routines will return and will re-
turn with a new method of transit that has
21apRiL | may 2014
been missing for over a half century.
The Streetcar project is 2.7 miles long
operating in a loop from the Martin Luther
King Jr. National Historic Site to Woodruff
Park to Centennial Olympic Park and back.
The twelve stops include: King Historic Dis-
trict, Peachtree Center, Centennial
Olympic Park, Hurt Park, and the Sweet
Auburn Market. The four vehicles are ex-
amples of the most advanced modern
streetcar design and technology available.
The Overhead Contact System (OCS) will
also be making a reappearance downtown
with a single trolley wire system sus-
pended from OCS poles, blending in with
the city street lights. The project is sup-
ported by a new two-bay vehicle mainte-
nance Facility located in the heart of the
alignment on Fort Street.
With the conclusion of construction
this year, festival activity will return to
downtown, traffic detours will be lifted,
and the public can enjoy an enriched and
revitalized downtown Atlanta. The Street-
car will share travel lanes with the public
who will undoubtedly know which way it
will turn! This is an historic project for the
city of Atlanta and one that exemplifies
the intense collaborative effort that is cru-
cial in rebuilding and urbanizing not only
existing infrastructure but also new infra-
structure here in Georgia and across the
United States. v
ome to nearly 700,000 per-
sons, 30,000 businesses and
numerous Fortune 500 com-
panies, and regional institu-
tions, Cobb County is a
developed area with a mature
transportation system that in-
cludes 5,000 roads, 440 bridges and cul-
verts, and 536 traffic signals. The county’s
transportation system has expanded over
time to serve the growing economy and
population of the county, and is now sub-
stantial with major roadways in place to
serve future generations. Even so, numer-
ous opportunities still exist to capture mar-
ket trends with a focus on infill
development and redevelopment. Future
investments will focus on improving exist-
ing corridors and enhancing system opera-
tions such as intersection and signalization
improvements, technology and traffic
management enhancements, and ex-
panded multimodal capacity. Our Regional
Traffic Management Center (TMC), com-
pleted in 2010, serves as the center for the
county’s Advanced Transportation Man-
agement Systems. The advanced technol-
ogy provides for excellent situational
awareness in incident management, in-
clement weather, and event related activ-
ities, and for exceptional system
operational efficiencies. Through signal
systems operation and management activ-
ities, the TMC will pay for itself within
seven years, reducing travel delays and im-
proving mobility for the traveling public.
Cobb’s rich transportation infrastruc-
ture not only includes roadway and oper-
ational assets but the Cobb County Airport
- McCollum Field and Cobb Community
Transit system (CCT). McCollum Field’s
economic impact is considerable, sup-
porting over 840 jobs in the region. Addi-
tionally, a new air traffic control tower,
new customs facility for international ar-
rivals, and parallel taxiway extensions to
runway end will be under construction in
2014. The corporate row hangar project
has added 100,000 square feet of new cor-
porate flight department first class hangar
space. In addition, potential scheduled air
charter service is being explored along
with aviation management academic pro-
gramming at Kennesaw State University
(KSU). The airport area is also anchored
by one of two community improvement
districts in Cobb—the Town Center Area
Community Improvement District
(TCACID). Cobb County’s partnership with
TCACID and Georgia Department of Trans-
portation (GDOT) has produced trans-
portation investments supporting the
area’s continued prosperity including the
most recent—the Skip Spann Connector.
This project includes a bridge over I-75
providing connection between rapidly
growing KSU and the Town Center activity
center that will significantly reduce traffic
on Chastain Road.
CCT celebrates its 25th year in opera-
tion in 2014 and is the second largest tran-
sit system in Georgia, behind MARTA,
serving over four million trips annually.
Current CCT service includes fixed route
local and paratransit services as well as ex-
press commuter service. Connect Cobb,
the current Alternatives Analysis and En-
vironmental Assessment for the north-
west corridor, including Cobb Parkway/US
41 and I-75 from KSU through Cumberland
and to the MARTA Arts Center Station, is
developing a Bus Rapid Transit project
along with complementary enhancement
of express bus on I-75, to serve the in-
creasing mobility demands, livability, and
connectivity in this key Cobb corridor. In
addition, CCT is finalizing plans to initiate
‘first- in-the-Atlanta-region’ flex zone bus
service and improvements to several other
routes in the south Cobb area which is also
home to Six Flags.
The county’s Comprehensive Trans-
portation Plan update underway will pro-
vide the strategic vision and
implementation guide for Cobb’s contin-
ued success and includes the cities of
Austell, Powder Springs, Smyrna, Marietta,
Kennesaw, and Acworth, CIDs and unin-
Cobb County – On the MoveBy Faye Q. DiMassimo, AICP | Director | Cobb County Department of Transportation
H
McCollum Field’s New Control Tower Concept
GeoRGia enGineeR22
corporated Cobb County. That success has
been underscored further with the an-
nouncement of the Braves baseball move
to Cobb County. Located in the Cumber-
land area, this area is home to Home
Depot, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts
Centre, the Cobb Galleria Convention Cen-
tre, The Weather Channel, the Chatta-
hoochee National Recreation Area, and
the new stadium development. Another
key community partner, the Cumberland
Community Improvement District (CCID)
represents over five percent of the state’s
total economy.
Because of Cobb’s aggressive ap-
proach to planning and implementing in-
frastructure that supports the county’s
economic development plans, significant
roadway improvements are already or will
soon be under construction in the Cum-
berland area in time for the first Braves
pitch. Many are made possible through
the county’s current 2011 SPLOST and
partnerships with GDOT. In addition to the
existing fourteen (14) points of access to
and from the stadium area, these projects
include the Windy Hill Diverging Diamond
Interchange (DDI) and corridor improve-
ments along Cobb Parkway/US 41, from
Akers Mill Road to Paces Mill Road, and
the Cobb Parkway Chattahoochee River
Bridge. The I-75 managed lanes, opening
to traffic in 2018, will also greatly improve
peak period mobility for commuters and
enhance express bus transit. Roadway
projects are complemented by the existing
five routes of CCT service and one MARTA
route in the Cumberland area.
Key new projects under development
include a ped-transit bridge over I-285
connecting the Galleria and Braves sta-
dium areas as well as a circulator that will
serve the area and connect to mainline
transit services. Other potential roadway,
operational and pedestrian improvements
are being considered.
Cobb’s transportation approach
serves to maximize system performance,
enhance mobility, improve safety, sustain
economic competiveness, and seek cost
effective investment strategies. Our suc-
cess story rests on this foundation coupled
with community involvement, vision, and
leadership. v
Cumberland Galleria Area
Alternatives Analysis Alignments
apRiL | may 2014 23
artsfield-Jackson Atlanta In-
ternational Airport is the
busiest airport in the world,
serving some 250,000 pas-
sengers and moving almost
2,000 metric tons of freight
each day. This makes it one of
Georgia’s primary economic engines, di-
rectly responsible for over 50,000 jobs and
indirectly responsible for countless more.
Global commercial passenger air travel is
expected to increase from roughly five bil-
lion passengers in 2010 to 13.3 billion by
2030. Cargo traffic is expected to triple in
the same two decades. If Hartsfield-Jack-
son remains the busiest in the world,
much of this new aviation business will
come its way. Knowing this, it makes sense
that the region would want to leverage
the airport’s power and help it deliver
maximum economic benefit today while
preparing to drive the state’s economy for
decades to come.
As the “front porch” of metro Atlanta,
Hartsfield-Jackson and the surrounding
area are the first impression that millions
of people get when they visit metro At-
lanta. It also makes sense that the region
would want the airport area to make a
good first impression for the metro area,
attracting new businesses and educated
residents to help grow the economy.
Fortunately, those two economic
strategies go hand-in-hand. And, after two
years of research, planning and relation-
ship building, airport-area leaders have
taken a large, bold step toward these two
goals by forming the Atlanta Aerotropolis
Alliance. The Alliance is focused on creat-
ing a community around the airport that
will attract more corporate headquarters,
businesses, retail and housing by increas-
ing economic development, mobility and
quality of life for the communities adja-
cent to Hartsfield-Jackson.
The initiative is being led by Chairman
Joe Folz, Chief Counsel and Secretary for
Porsche Cars North America. His vice chair
is Pedro Cherry, Vice President for Com-
munity and Economic Development at
Georgia Power.
“We chose the airport area for our
new headquarters and our Porsche Expe-
rience Center because we believe in the
future of the Hartsfield-Jackson area and
its importance to the Atlanta region, and
H
Frankfurt, Germany
Schiphol Airport City in Amsterdam
Atlanta Aerotropolis: Capitalizing on the Atlanta Region’s Greatest Economic AssetBy Douglas R. Hooker, P.E. | Executive Director | Atlanta Regional Commission
“The true challenge is planning to get
the aerotropolis right. If there is not ap-
propriate planning, airport-area devel-
opment will be spontaneous,
haphazard, economically inefficient and
ultimately unsustainable. The aerotrop-
olis model brings together airport plan-
ning, urban and regional planning and
business-site planning, to create a new
urban form that is highly competitive,
attractive and sustainable.”
- John D. Kasarda,
PhD, director of the Center
for Air Commerce at UNC's
Kenan Institute of Private
Enterprise
24 GeoRGia enGineeR
because it literally brings the world to our
door every day,” Mr. Folz said. “We have a
tremendous opportunity to build upon our
asset of having the world’s busiest airport
to pursue what other global cities are
doing, our own world-class aerotropolis.
What Is an Aerotropolis?
This idea of an ‘aerotropolis’ is not
new. The term ‘aerotropolis’ can be found
at least as far back as an issue of Popular
Science magazine from the 1930s. Essen-
tially, the concept is to make a region’s air-
port a hub of economic activity and to
celebrate the airport’s role as a powerful
economic engine. Because of this concept,
airports are evolving from a necessary
place of departure to a destination in and
of themselves.
The idea is that the airport is the cen-
tral business district of the aerotropolis,
along with a few hotels and some other
business functions. In ripples moving out
from the center are airport-related indus-
tries like distribution centers and e-fulfill-
ment facilities. A little further out you
might find industrial parks, research facili-
ties and hotel/convention areas. And fur-
ther still, as you move out of the Federal
Aviation Administration height limits, you
might find office and residential properties.
Throughout the aerotropolis community,
you would find signage that is easy to fol-
low and a transportation network that can
efficiently get you where you need to go.
Cities around the U.S. and the world
are planning airport cities. Paris, Frankfurt,
Hong Kong, Indianapolis, Denver and De-
troit are all developing communities
around their airports that are attracting
business in high-tech, manufacturing, lo-
Perspective from 1939 Popular Science Magazine
Gateway Center in College Park
25apRiL | may 2014
gistics and tourism industries. The Atlanta
Aerotropolis Alliance has a similar oppor-
tunity.
An aerotropolis with Hartsfield-Jack-
son as its centerpiece is further along than
some might think. With Porsche Cars
North America joining Delta Airlines,
Chick-fil-A and other major corporations
putting their headquarters near the air-
port, and with the redevelopment of the
old Ford plant and a new hotel going in,
things seem to be moving in the right di-
rection. And, the formation of the Atlanta
Aerotropolis Alliance will help focus lead-
ership and resources in creating an excit-
ing gateway and business hub for metro
Atlanta, in a unified, strategic manner.
What is the atlanta aerotropolis
alliance?
In 2010-11, ARC developed the regional
plan, called PLAN 2040. During the
process, as planners met with hundreds of
regional business, political and nonprofit
leaders, the airport and its importance to
the region kept coming up. Therefore, a
key recommendation of PLAN 2040 is to
leverage Hartsfield-Jackson for economic
development in the region, especially the
communities around the airport.
As a first step, ARC staff began a series of
discussions with each of the jurisdictions
around the airport. These discussions cen-
tered mostly on issues and opportunities
these jurisdictions were facing and
whether or not there was a need for
greater collaboration and coordination
among the jurisdictions. All agreed that
coordination was needed and that ARC
should be involved.
A ‘Global Gateway’ event, co-hosted
by ARC, Georgia Power and the Airport
Area, Clayton County and South Fulton
chambers of commerce, introduced the
aerotropolis concept and the general idea
of airport area development to more than
160 interested stakeholders and members
of the general public. After that, the idea
truly began gaining momentum.
The Airport Area Task Force was cre-
ated by combining interested parties from
the event with members of the Airport
Area Working Group. The task force fo-
cused on three main issues: the creation
of an umbrella organization (Atlanta Aero-
tropolis Alliance), improved intergovern-
mental coordination and the investigation
of creating one or more CIDs in the area.
The task force also acted as the forum for
sharing and promoting multiple airport
Hartsfield Jackson’s International Terminal
Global Cargo Flight
GeoRGia enGineeR26
area efforts. It has also become a vehicle
for recruiting new members.
next Steps
The Atlanta Airport Alliance was officially
established as a 501(c)6 early in 2014 and
held its first official board meeting shortly
thereafter. The Alliance has established
several short-term goals. They plan to en-
hance aesthetics, branding and safety in
the airport area and within nearby com-
munities by improving signage, cleaning
up the roadways and other similar activi-
ties. Funding for these early initiatives is
expected to come from two new CIDs in
the area.
Longer term, the Alliance will develop
economic development plans and a mar-
keting strategy to leverage the global
reach of the airport, as well as the ability
of travelers to reach 80 percent of the con-
tinental US population in two hours or less
from Hartsfield-Jackson, and to create
more high-wage business, manufacturing,
cargo and logistics opportunities in the air-
port area. It also hopes that these travel
conveniences and the promise of better
amenities and more livable nearby com-
munities will attract more headquarters
like Porsche to the area.
The Alliance is challenged more than
other aerotropolis builders by the fact that
Hartsfield-Jackson has a very small geo-
graphic footprint compared to other major
airports. For example, according to its
website, the Dallas-Fort Worth airport
consists of 17,000 acres, 4,000 of which is
available for commercial use and open
space. Hartsfield-Jackson sits on a total of
4,700 acres, most of which is used for air-
port buildings, runways and operations.
The majority of developable land near the
airport is located in College Park, East
Point, Hapeville and the other cities and
towns adjacent to the airport property.
Multiple parcels with multiple owners
make thoughtful planning and collabora-
tion essential.
When business people are asked to
name the factors they considered when
deciding to locate or stay in metro Atlanta,
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport is always near the top of the list.
The Atlanta Aerotropolis Alliance wants to
ensure that remains the case and that the
airport becomes a shining example of how
an airport can not only drive a region’s
economy, but can also drive the transfor-
mation of communities near airports that
offer a high quality of life and an example
to other suburban areas. v
Airport City Concept
Aerotropolis Area Map
apRiL | may 2014 27
he demand for cleaner burn-
ing alternative fuels such as
Compressed Natural Gas
(CNG) is growing at a stagger-
ing rate. More and more mu-
nicipalities, counties and
companies are starting to
transition their fleets to run on CNG-pow-
ered vehicles primarily because of the low
cost of fuel and the stability of price when
compared to gasoline and diesel. On av-
erage, CNG is 30% cheaper than gasoline
and 40% cheaper than diesel. CNG also of-
fers many environmental benefits that
make it a clear choice in order to meet
new EPA emissions standards. CNG offers
a 30% reduction in carbon emissions and a
90% reduction in fine particulate matter
when compared to gasoline and diesel.
These advantages, along with the fact that
natural gas is a domestically sourced fuel,
are increasing the need for more and
more reliable fueling locations.
American Fueling Systems (AFS) is a
leader in the effort to increase alternative
fueling infrastructure and has designed its
facilities to help make the transition to
CNG both easy and seamless. AFS, like
many of its peers in the marketplace, must
strike a balance between top-tier per-
formance in the production and dispens-
ing of CNG, and meeting the unique needs
from the variety of users of these facilities.
In September 2012, AFS opened the
largest public CNG fueling facility in the
state of Georgia. AFS, in partnership with
the Department of Energy’s Petroleum Re-
duction Grant, designed and built this fa-
cility located at 4420 Buford Highway NE
in Chamblee, Georgia in a mere seven
months. Located on a 1-acre lot behind
Peachtree-DeKalb Airport, this CNG sta-
tion was the first to be located on a major
thoroughfare in the state of Georgia, and
the first with a marquee advertising the
price; currently, that price is $2.39/GGE,
and it has not changed since January 2013.
This facility produces CNG at a rate of
500 Standard Cubic Feet per Minute
(SCFM). The industry is based on a single
rate of conversion that is the primary basis
for pricing and production. One Gasoline
Gallon Equivalent (GGE) equates to 125
cubic feet of natural gas. Using this con-
version, AFS is able to produce four GGEs
of CNG per minute. Unlike traditional pe-
troleum stations, CNG facilities focus pri-
marily on producing CNG on an as needed
basis with very little in storage. Therefore,
it is imperative that the developer and en-
gineers work together to better under-
stand the total and peak consumption of
that particular facility.
This AFS CNG station features two J-
W Power compressors. Each compressor
is 125 horsepower and has a flow rate of
250 SCFM. With a combined flow of 500
SCFM, this compressor system is capable
of producing approximately 240
GGE/hour. This compressor package was
chosen for its ability to not only satisfy the
customer demand upon opening of this fa-
cility, but also to handle projected demand
as it grows over the coming years. The
compressor skids are sized to accommo-
date the next biggest compressor unit,
which means that if the compressors need
to be upgraded in the future, the larger
compressors can simply be bolted in place
and made operational seamlessly. This
flexibility of design is evident in all other
areas of AFS stations, as well.
Prior to entering the compressors,
natural gas flows through a gas dryer man-
T
AFS Expands Alternative Fuels Use with Largest Public CNG Station in GeorgiaBy Joey Kline & Khurram Saleem
American Fueling Systems built the largest public CNG fueling station in Georgia in
just seven months, and useage has increased 37% for the year 2013.
GeoRGia enGineeR28
ufactured by PSB Industries, whose pur-
pose is to eliminate any moisture and/or
particulate matter in the gas. Despite the
fact that Georgia has gas with very low
moisture content, the gas dryer ensures
that the CNG going into customers’ fuel
tanks is of the highest quality. The gas ex-
iting the dryer is fed directly into the J-W
Power compressors.
Within the compressors, the natural
gas is compressed in four stages, at ever-
increasing pressure. From the compressor,
the gas, which is now pressurized at 4,500
psi, flows either to one of two three-bank
storage cascades manufactured by CP In-
dustries, or to one of eight hoses on the
four Tulsa Gas Technologies CNG dis-
pensers. Whether the gas flows to the
storage tanks or to the dispensers is de-
cided by the Priority Panel, which is man-
ufactured by J-W Power. The Priority Panel
also decides to which of the four dis-
pensers the gas flows, and is controlled by
sophisticated computer software that al-
lows the panel to intelligently route the
CNG to where it is needed at any particu-
lar moment.
The storage cascades are capable of
storing approximately 200 GGE of CNG and
serve as complements to the output of the
compressors. With the added storage, cus-
tomers are able to fuel their vehicles at 10-
12 GGE/minute. All piping connecting the
compressors, storage tanks, priority panel
and dispensers is seamless stainless steel.
To avoid possible choke points, the piping
was installed with a goal of minimizing the
use of mechanical joints and sharp bends
wherever possible. Within the equipment
enclosure, all piping is above ground. This
feature ensures that as the station grows
in the future, connections between new
pieces of equipment will be seamless and
not require a shutdown of the station to
dig up underground piping. The only un-
derground piping is from the priority panel
to the currently operational dispensers as
well as those planned for future expansion.
Each dispenser is coupled with a
stand-alone payment processing system
manufactured by Fuel Master. The pay-
ment system is equipped to accept all
major credit and fleet cards. In addition,
customers that have the capability to be
invoiced (as opposed to paying by credit
card at the point of purchase) can simply
enter their unique identifying number and
begin fueling. All transaction data is cap-
tured by the payment system and down-
loaded to AFS’s servers at our
headquarters. This capability allows the
AFS analytics team to study customer
data, and ultimately draw business con-
clusions that help guide internal decision-
making as well as client’s future vehicle
acquisitions.
The station features two canopies
that are each 17.6 feet high. There are
four dual-hose dispensers that allow eight
vehicles to fuel simultaneously. Also, AFS
installed an empty concrete pad under the
second canopy to allow for the addition of
another alternative fuel in the future. Liq-
uefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquefied Pe-
troleum Gas (LPG) both have the potential
to serve more customers in the area sur-
rounding this station, and are viable op-
tions for expansion at a later date.
During its first full year of operations,
this CNG station dispensed a total of
136,430 GGEs of CNG and ended 2013
with consumption up 37% for the year.
For the first three months of 2014, the
consumption has been even higher and
with more and more fleets looking to CNG
as their fuel of choice, this station is well
on its way to achieving the short-term goal
of 20,000 GGEs per month.
The United States is the largest natural
gas producer in the world according to En-
ergy Information Administration. The
abundance of natural gas, coupled with
stable prices and reduced carbon emis-
sions, is making CNG the fuel of choice for
many of the nation’s fleets. All of these
factors have contributed to the recent
surge in demand for CNG, especially in and
around the logsistical hub of Atlanta.
There are significant resources being
poured into CNG infrastructure develop-
ment in and around the state of Georgia
and AFS, with its experience and impecca-
ble market reputation for expert design
and engineering services, is poised to be at
the forefront of this energy revolution. v
apRiL | may 2014 29
he biggest challenge to build-
ing greenways and trails
through urban areas is as-
sembling vacant land to form
corridors that link desirable
destinations. Most vacant
land near a city’s center has
been passed over by developers for good
reason: it is either too steep, too wet, or
is surrounded by land uses inconsistent
with new development. Our effort to as-
semble passed-over land to build the
PATH trail system in metropolitan Atlanta
has resulted in innovative design tech-
niques for bridging creeks, handling
storm water, and protecting trees from
damage during construction. Engineers
and landscape architects are helping us
transform these passed over strips of
land into beautiful greenways and critical
transportation links.
Twenty three years ago, I enjoyed cy-
cling with a group who became tired of
challenging cars for a sliver of pavement
and riding in the gutter, dodging trash and
potholes. The group formed the PATH
Foundation, a nonprofit organization with
the mission to build a network of trails
throughout metro Atlanta where people
could walk and bike in the quietness away
from the street. I now realize the good for-
tune of having this particular group of peo-
ple band together to face the challenges
of building trails in a city that was built for
cars. To date, we have raised over $100
million from public and private sources to
build 200 miles of trail in Georgia.
Our engineering consultants have
helped us develop an array of choices for
bridging ravines and waterways. Many
trail builders rely exclusively on prefabri-
cated, metal bridges when they are faced
with a crossing. (See photo 8) These
bridges typically require access for large
cranes and tractor-trailer trucks which is
not feasible in many locations. We use job-
T
Building Trails in the City Innovative Techniques to Minimize Environmental ImpactBy Ed McBrayer | Executive Director and co-founder of the PATH Foundation
Cable railings and I-beam construction of this bridge modeled such that it
could be lowered into the floodway without creating a rise in the creek during
a 100 year flood.
GeoRGia enGineeR30
built, I-beam bridges when access is poor
and spans are less than sixty feet (See
photo 1). We build structural slab bridges
when spans are less than forty feet. Both
options reduce the need for tree removal
and other damage to the environment at
the ends of the crossing. Structural slabs
also serve as “bottomless culverts”, much
preferred over traditional concrete pipes
for wildlife migration and propagation of
desirable plant species. (See 2A and 2B)
In some cases, structural slab bridges and
I-beam bridges can be placed at a lower
elevation since they project a lesser pro-
file during hydrological modeling. Often,
lowering the elevation of a bridge will re-
sult in a reduction in length of the bridge
and the amount of earthwork required at
each approach.
Occasionally, soil conditions or envi-
ronmental constraints prevent us from
building concrete abutments for bridges.
We have built miles of pressure-treated
boardwalks to complete trail connections
where bridge construction was not feasi-
ble. The serpentine boardwalk through
Alexander Lake at Panola Mountain State
Park was built from a barge to avoid im-
pact to the lake environment during con-
struction (see photo 3).
Innovative design by PATH engineers
Structural slabs are often substituted for pipes when migration of animals and plant
species is an issue
This boardwalk was built from a barge to
minimize damage to shoreline during
construction
Tensar Geogrid was used under gravel to protect trees and cushion affect of equip-
ment during construction
Tree root protection doubles as
infiltration basin.
apRiL | may 2014 31
has played a big role in allowing trails to
be constructed near waterways and
drainage areas. When building impervious
trails adjacent to waterways, we slope the
trail away from the stream, diverting run-
off from the trail surface to an infiltration
trench on the high side of the trail. We
place gravel beneath the trail so runoff
from the trail flows into the infiltration
trench and through the soil and gravel be-
neath the trail before reaching the stream.
(See figure 4 and photo 5). This technique
all but eliminates any affect the trail has
on infiltration in the area.
Many of the corridors we assemble
are narrow and heavily forested. With the
help of a professional arborist, we devised
a root-bridging system that has been very
effective saving trees next to trails. When
construction begins we cover the drip line
area affected by trail construction with fil-
ter fabric and six to twelve inches of 57
stone. Light weight equipment can then
freely travel over the roots without dam-
aging the tree. When it is time to install
the trail near the tree, careful grading,
pouring, and backfill will insure the tree is
saved (See photo 6 and figure 7).
The PATH team has relied on innova-
tive design and creative engineering to
build trails in some of the most difficult en-
vironments imaginable. It is essential that
we have landscape architects and profes-
sional engineers on our team that find
ways to transform concepts into reality.
This is not trail building 101 anymore. Our
team is setting the bar for retrofitting trails
with innovation and imagination. I look
forward to the challenges and innovative
solutions that will surely come with the
next 200 miles. Our goal is to transform
Atlanta into the most walkable, bikable
city in the U.S. We have a great start!
For further information, contact the author
at pathfoundation.org v
32 GeoRGia enGineeR
This trail section facilitates imperious
concrete trails adjacent to streams
without adversely affecting infiltration of
storm water.
altium announces opening of east coast
of united Sates Location Altium opens of-fice in Newton, Massachusetts to support therapid market growth in the U.S. Altium Lim-ited, a global leader in Smart System DesignAutomation, 3D PCB design (Altium De-signer) and embedded software development(TASKING) announces the opening of anew office in Newton, Massachusetts. is isa direct reflection of Altium’s commitmentto providing high quality services to its cus-tomers and growth of its US user-base.
As Altium continues to expand the pres-ence in the US Printed Circuit Board designmarket, the addition of the new office is partof the investments in the US market allowingAltium to be closer to its strategic partnersand customers in the New England area, oneof the largest technology hubs in the Ameri-cas market. Additionally, the new office willallow Altium to further strengthen what isthe largest resell network in the EDA indus-try and to ensure that the ever growing listof Altium Designer users continue to get ac-cess to superior and responsive service.
"e opening of Altium's Massachusettsoffice is an important step towards realizingour goals of becoming more available to allusers as well as the continual support to ourstrategic level accounts" said Chris Donato,VP Sales, Americas. "e new office repre-sents one of the many important milestonesfor the company in 2014. eECAD/MCAD software industry is con-stantly changing. At Altium, we want to beahead of the curve in electronic designs aswell as customer interactions."
By establishing a strong presence inNew England, Altium is enhancing the userexperience for its customers. is is achievedthrough daily interaction with all of its EastCoast resellers to ensure that they receivemarketing support, training for their salesand technical personnel, as well as businessand management guidance. Altium is alsowell positioned to support and further de-velop its strategic level accounts.
Altium Limited (ASX:ALU) is an Aus-tralian multinational software corporationthat focuses on 3D PCB design, electronicsdesign and embedded system developmentsoftware.
Altium Designer, a unified electronics
design environment links all aspects of smartsystems design in a single application that ispriced as affordable as possible. Altium's em-bedded software compilers are used aroundthe globe by carmakers and the world'slargest automotive Tier-1 suppliers. With
33apRiL | may 2014
ENGINEERING NEWSaltium’s east coast Location - À tout à l'heure ! Gwen brandon retires from acec
GeoRGia
34 GeoRGia enGineeR
this unique range of technologies Altium en-ables electronics designers to innovate, har-ness the latest devices and technologies,manage their projects across broad design‘ecosystems’, and create connected, intelli-gent products.
Founded in 1985, Altium has officesworldwide, with US locations in San Diegoand Boston, European locations in Karl-sruhe, Amersfoort and Kiev and Asia-Pacificlocations in Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney.For more information, visitwww.altium.com. You can also follow andengage with Altium via Facebook, Twitterand YouTube. v
dewberry welcomes pamela townsend,
pe, Senior vice president
Townsend to direct strategic planning andgrowth opportunities for the firm’s Southeast op-erations. Dewberry, a privately held profes-sional services firm, welcomes PamelaTownsend, PE, to the firm as senior vicepresident and director of Southeast strategicplanning and growth.
Townsend comes to Dewberry from
AECOM, where as Senior Vice President,she has held responsibilities for the SouthernStates District operations, including theprofitability and overall direction of the $120million, 500-person division. She has alsobeen responsible for the Southern States andFlorida transportation operations
“We have gotten to know and respectPam over the years through her reputationfor client and project management and hercommunity outreach,” says Darren Conner,president of Dewberry’s southeast division.“Her passion and dedication to our profes-sion will make her a great fit at Dewberry.”
“I am excited to join Dewberry,” saysTownsend. “We’re going to be focusing im-mediately on expanding our services andgrowing our capabilities in the Southeast re-gion. It’s a good time to be here.” v
jeffrey Schechtman names deputy
Regional business manager
Jeffrey Schechtman has been named DeputyRegional Business Manager for the Southeastregion of Parsons Brinckerhoff, a global in-frastructure strategic consulting, engineering,and program/construction management or-ganization.
In his new position, Mr. Schechtmanwill work with managers in the nine statesthat comprise Parsons Brinckerhoff ’s South-east region to enhance relationships with keyclients, expand business development op-portunities, and invigorate marketing andpursuit efforts. He will work in the firm’s At-lanta office.
A Parsons Brinckerhoff Vice President,Mr. Schechtman previously served as Direc-tor of the firm’s US Ports and Marine Divi-sion. He currently is the Executive Program
Thank you for allowing me to make this
special presentation. My purpose here
ismto help honor, Gwen Brandon, who is
retiring this summer. She has served
ACEC of Georgia for many years. She has
held every position in our organization. I
love her like my own sister. In a word,
she is precious.
I would like to tell you something
about her that would be memorable. It
sort of fits with St. Valentine Day. This
summer, my wife Francie and I went to a
wedding. A very young couple was
getting married. During the service, they
read a commonly used verse for such
occasions.The beginning of the verse
goes: “Love is patient and kind.” Maybe
some of you have heard of it before. For
most people, the verse provides a road
map on how we should act towards each
other. Well, at the wedding reception,
the maid of honor got up and spoke
about the verse. She said if you replace
the word Love with the bride’s name, it
shows the bride’s true beauty.
I was thinking about this the other
day and I tried doing the same thing with
Gwen’s name. To me, it shows how
beautiful Gwen is to so many people.
Gwen is patient and kind.
Gwen is not jealous or boastful.
Gwen is not arrogant or rude.
She does not insist on her own way.
She is not irritable or resentful.
She does not rejoice at wrong but
rejoices in the right.
Now you know why I think she is so
precious. Please join me is thanking her
for her long and loyal service to the ACEC
of Georgia.
Sincerely,
Chris Quigley
À tout à l'heure ! Gwen brandon retires from acec
pamela townsend
35apRiL | may 2014
Manager for the South Carolina State PortsAuthority Program, responsible for manag-ing the firm’s activities associated with thedelivery of a $1.5 billion ten‐year capital pro-gram to modernize and expand various portfacilities owned and operated by the Port Au-thority.
Mr. Schechtman received an M.S. incivil engineering from the University of Cal-ifornia at Davis and a B.S. in civil engineer-ing from Columbia University. He is amember of the American Society of CivilEngineers, American Road and Transporta-
tion Builders Association, and American As-sociation of Port Authorities. v
matthew Weston joins
t. Wayne owens & associates
T. Wayne Owens & Associates, PC, is pleasedto announce the addition of Matthew Weston,CPA, to the team as a Senior GAAP Auditor.
During his time with the sixth largestCPA firm in the U.S., Matt honed his GAAPexpertise at the national level. He bringsTWO clients strong financial audit skills aswell as a substantial range of financial state-ment knowledge.
Matt sees his role with each client aspartner, advocate and teacher. His approachwith clients is to collaborate on solutions thatwork for both the audit requirements and forthe client’s business. He always has an eye outfor ways to tweak and improve an A/E firm’scurrent process, create efficiencies andstrengthen the overall business.
Matt received his Bachelor of Science inBusiness Administration from AppalachianState University. He went on to earn a Mas-ter of Science in Accountancy from the Uni-versity of Notre Dame. A high-achiever, he
achieved both his undergraduate and gradu-ate degrees with cum laude honors, andmade the dean’s and chancellor’s lists. He is aCertified Public Accountant and is involvedwith several organizations, including theAmerican Institute of Certified Public Ac-countants and the North Carolina Associa-tion of Certified Public Accountants.
T. Wayne Owens & Associates, PC, is aCPA firm with a singular focus on the designindustry, providing accounting services, over-head audits, financial statement audits, taxreturns and more to A/E/C firms. Learnmore: www.twocpa.com.v
jeffreySchechtman
matthewWeston
Georgia has always been a leader in trans-portation infrastructure. From the foresightthat Mayors William B. Hartsfield and May-
nard Jackson showed in building, expandingand growing the Atlanta Airport into the avi-ation center that it is, to the continuedgrowth and investment that the GeorgiaPorts Authority is showing in expansion ofthe Port of Savannah today, we have bene-fited from visionary leaders who have in-vested in our transportation infrastructure.
These leaders can be found in the pri-vate sector too. Georgia is home to 15 For-tune 500 companies, all of which depend onour existing and future infrastructure to con-tinue to build business. There are some thatare obvious—Delta comes to mind—butothers also rely heavily on transportation toaccomplish day-to-day operations. ThinkUPS. Think Home Depot. Think Southern
Company. All of these companies have hadvisionary leaders who have chosen to stay inGeorgia and to bring more and more em-ployees here, growing our economy and alsoour need for an excellent transportation andtransit network.
Our Georgia engineering companies,including the members of ACEC Georgia,rely on these companies as well—along withthe Federal, State and local government lead-ers—to continue to invest in our state, ourregion and our country. And finally, the al-most ten million residents of the state ofGeorgia rely on our leadership, our employ-ers and our government to continue the im-portant investment in transportation thatkeeps us all moving forward.
acec Georgia
Political Advocacy• Advocating at all levels of government to advance policies that impactthe business of engineering in Georgia.
• Monitoring the regulatory issues and government agency actions thataffect engineers.
• Working for a more pro-business climate and defending against unfairbusiness practices.
• Fighting to protect the professional engineering practice.
Business Development• Providing networking opportunities, meetings, and programs that putyou in contact with potential clients, industry peers, and the leaders ofthe engineering profession.
• Hosting the Georgia Engineers Summer Conference, TransportationSummit, P3 Summit, and other programs that expand your professionalknowledge and network.
• Offering informative and relevant seminars, programs, and webinarswith presentations from leaders who affect our industry andcommunity.
Firm Operations• Providing a forum for the exchange of business and professionalexperiences.
• Offering programs and resources on best business practices formember firms.
• Sponsoring the Future Leaders Program to build the next generation ofleaders within member firms and the engineering profession.
• We provide executive development training for emerging leaders andfirm management.
The Value of ACEC GeorgiaServing your firm’s business
interests through:
News
Jay Wolverton, PEChairACEC Georgia
36 GeoRGia enGineeR
Board of DirectorsJerry (Jay) Wolverton, ChairmanDarrell Rochester, Chairman-Elect
Roseana Richards, Treasurer / Charles Ezelle, SecretaryDon Harris, Vice Chair / John Heath, Vice Chair / Doug Robinson, Vice ChairDavid Wright, National Director / Edgar (Eddie) Williams, Past Chairman
Anita Atkinson / Jim Case / David Estes / Scott Gero / Rob Lewis / David McFarlin / Kevin McOmber / Taylor Wright
StaffMichael “Sully” Sullivan, President & CEO
Gwen Brandon, Chief Operating Officer
Jennifer Head, Member Services ManagerMia Wilson, Finance Manager
CommitteesDarrell Rochester, Government Affairs/PACDavid Wright, ACEC PAC ChampionRob Lewis, Business DevelopmentJim Case & Don Harris, Firm Operations John Heath, Coalitions Doug Robinson, CommunicationsBrannen Butts & David McFarlin, Leadership Development Charles Ezelle, MembershipEddie Williams, NominatingEddie Williams, Past Presidents/Chairmen David Estes & Rob Jacquette, Programs Scott Gero, Transportation Forum
ForumsBill Griffin, Building Systems
Corky Welch, Environmental
Chris Marsengill, Transportation
Brannen Butts, Leadership
Transportation literally (forgive thepun) drives us forward. The trucking indus-try moves through our great state with goodsand produce to supply and feed the country.The aviation industry flies through theworld’s busiest airport every day. And ourresidents rely on our transportation andtransit network daily to get to school, workand play.
We MUST continue the building of ourinfrastructure and investment in our future.We must continue to elect visionary leaderswho can see the future of transportation andkeep us moving forward. Improving trans-portation infrastructure requires a three-legged stool of federal, state and localinvestments to keep us all driving into thefuture, and we, in partnership with ACECNational, must continue to advocate forthese improvements.
Our future as a region requires that weplan, and have back-up plans in place, tofind funding, to build our next generation ofengineers and leaders and to do what needs
to be done to make sure mobility is never aquestion in Georgia.
ACEC is on the transportation indus-try’s side! We are advocating with the Geor-gia state legislature and with Congress inWashington, DC. We are working to im-prove the political atmosphere for our in-dustry while also creating a better workingenvironment for engineering companies inGeorgia and nationwide.
So what can you do? First, you can letyour leadership—elected and appointed—know that our transportation and transitneeds are important and must be addressed.Second, you can continue to support ACECGeorgia through your membership and yourattendance at important industry events, in-cluding the Annual Convention and Leg-islative Summit, April 27-30 in Washington,DC, where we will meet with our represen-tatives from Congress to discuss transporta-tion. And finally, you can participate in ourstate and national Political Action Commit-tee (PAC) where we use funds to support
candidates who drive important decisionssuch as transportation. v
ACEC GEORGIA MEMBER FIRMS
uSe a company you can tRuSt
With youR tRanSLation pRoject,
“Gort! Klaatu Borada nikto.”
(770) 521-8877
because a little mistake
in another language
can have unpleasant results.
37apRiL | may 2014
Snowmageddon, as it was called, Atlantaburied in snow and ice the second week ofFebruary. We were more prepared for Win-ter Storm Pax this time as compared to twoweeks earlier when Atlanta came to a stand-still, literally, for two to three days. Living innorth Georgia myself, Dawson County, I amvery familiar with when to leave the office, inAlpharetta, to make it home before chaos ar-rives. I got home in about 35 minutes thatday, and then heard the nightmarish storiesof co-workers stuck at the office or in trafficfor endless hours. All I cued in on, with thepictures and video provided from local newschannels, were not only cars, but more sig-nificantly tractor trailers lining the highways.Wow, what a mess! I hope everyone is nowback on track and hoping this kind of mess
does not happen again for a while, though Idid enjoy the luge/sledding run I made in myfront yard. I think I got my run down to14.5 seconds; Olympics, here I come.Great new projects have been advertised byGDOT recently, Engineering Design Serv-ices – Batch #1, Design Services for TIABand 2 Projects, I-24 Accelerated BridgeConstruction DB and the Grade SeparationDB of Walther Blvd at SR 316. We have alsohad Counties and Municipalities put someprojects on the streets; hopefully this indi-cates growth in the right direction.Our ASHE Student Chapter at Georgia Techis looking for presenters. We are looking forcompanies to sponsor and present at theirmonthly meeting. We want to expose our upand coming engineers to all the differentfacets in highway engineering in which theircareer can take them. Please contact JenniferStephan ([email protected]) if youor your company would like to sponsor andparticipate in a future meeting.
Recent events
We’ve had some great social events the pastfew months, including Happy Hour at Gib-ney’s Pub following the Transportation Sum-mit. The activity was well attended and willbe slated for next year’s events. In Decem-ber, we had our annual Holiday Social tothank all of our sponsors and members. We
president ~ Michael Bywaletz, GreshamSmith and Partners
first vice president ~ Brian O’Connor,T.Y. Lin International
Second vice president ~ Rob Dell-Ross,City of Roswell
Secretary ~ Mindy Sanders, LoweEngineers
treasurer ~ Richard Meehan, LoweEngineers
co-treasurer Rick Strickland, MichaelBaker Corporation
past president ~ Ron Osterloh, Pond &Company
national director ~ Nikki Reutlinger,Atkins
director ~ Shawn Fleet, Heath andLineback
director ~ Karyn Matthews, GDOT
chairsnominating committee chair ~ TimMatthews, GDOT
program chair ~ John Karnowski, ForesiteGroup
membership chair ~ Scott Jordan, CobbCounty
Scholarship chair ~ Sarah Worachek,Gresham Smith and Partners
aShe Student chapter Liason ~ JenniferStephan, T.Y. Lin International
technical chairs ~ Dan Bodycomb,AECOM; Chris Rudd, GDOT
communications chair ~ Jenny Jenkins,McGee Partners
Social chair ~ Holly Bauman, ARCADIS
Golf tournament chair ~ Ashley Chan,HNTB
Web site chair ~ Pervez Iqbal, Parsons
aShe Georgia
Michael Bywaletz
President
American Society
of Highway
Engineers /
Georgia Section
News
At January’s meeting, GDOT Commissioner Keith Golden spoke to a full house on the
“State of the Department.” Finally, our Annual Poker Tournament was another big
success. Congratulations to Tim Brown, winner of this year’s tournament, and to
Tim Matthews, 2nd place.
GeoRGia enGineeR38
The Georgia Engineering Foundation (GEF)was chartered in 1971 to benefit young peo-ple desiring engineering or engineering tech-nology careers.
GEF President’s Message: Now is thetime to expand the visibility and programsof the Georgia Engineering Foundation! AsPresident of GEF for 2013-2014, I am ded-icated to the continued reinvigoration of ourorganization. GEF provides great benefits toall of our participating Engineering Organi-zations. Our goals for the next two years aredesigned to dramatically increase our pro-grams and support to all the Engineering So-cieties that participate.
Our membership committee plans toincrease our Engineering Organization
membership by 25% this year. You can ex-pect GEF to meet with your EngineeringOrganizations this year in order to encour-age additional organizational members andto welcome your members to our commit-tees. We can always use additional commit-tee members to participate in our Planning,Public Relations, Program, Ways and Means,Finance, Banquet, and Scholarship Com-mittees. If you are a President of an Engi-neering Organization, we will be contactingyou soon.
Another major GEF effort this year is toincrease our ability to provide scholarships tothe future engineers now attending college.We are very proud that in 2013 we provided$66,600 to Georgia students attending col-leges in Georgia and nation-wide, but we aresure that the great State of Georgia can dosubstantially more. As you probably know,GEF annually conducts a ScholarshipAwards Banquet where we recognize thescholarship recipients, their families, andscholarship sponsorsIn addition, GEFawards scholarships from endowments pro-vided by many of our great benefactors, mostof whom are generous local engineers. TheScholarship Banquet is an enormous effortand returns great appreciation from the stu-dents and their parents each year. The Ban-quet provides tremendous visibility to all of
the individuals and organizations donatingthe scholarships, so we hope you will join usat the Banquet this year. We plan to growour endowed Scholarship funds by 25%thisyear to push our endowment towards the$1,000,000 mark, and would appreciateyour help in reaching this important goal.
While we will be stretching ourselves tomeet the above goals, we will continue tosupport the many mentoring engineeringfunctions that we participate in and sponsoreach year, including Local High SchoolSTEM programs, Future Cities Competi-tion, Georgia Science and Engineering Fair,MATHCOUNTS, and the Exploring Engi-neering Academy. We can always use morehelp in supporting these activities and weTHANK all the engineers and EngineeringOrganizations that participate with GEF onthese efforts. These activities are great op-portunities for your membership to mentorfuture engineers.
I am planning a very busy year for theGeorgia Engineering Foundation and lookforward to the help and support from allGeorgia Engineering Organizations in con-tinuing the success of GEF.THANKS Jimmy Crowder, President, work(770) 781-8008 v
Gef News
James R. Wallace
President
Georgia
Engineering
Foundation
had a successful toy drive at this event forToys for Tots and even hosted our NationalPresident, Thomas Morisi, and 1st Vice Pres-ident, Samir Moody.
up coming events
• We look forward to seeing our membersand possible future members at upcomingevents, including the annual ASHE/WTStennis tournament in April, as well as thepopular golf tournament in May. If youwould like to join in the networking, com-radely and fun of ASHE, please contact ourmembership chair, Scott Jordan ([email protected] James R. Wallace v
apRiL | may 2014 39
Greetings Georgia Engineering Magazinereaders! This is the inaugural 2014 Presi-dents Letter from the Georgia Institute ofTransportation Engineers (ITE). I would liketo begin the 2014 year, our organization’s52nd in existence, by thanking the previousleaders, boards and members for making ITEone of the finest organizations to be a partof. Year after year, ITE provides not onlyvital educational and professional develop-ment opportunities, but provides mentor-ship, leadership and service opportunitiesthat sustain and grow our membership. It istruly humbling to serve in a role held bymany of the esteemed individuals in thetransportation industry, and I’m committedto do my best to continue in this great legacy.For starters, I would like to thank our previ-ous president, Dwayne Tedder, for his greatleadership and goal prioritization skills im-parted. I admired how Dwayne set achiev-able goals and continually pressed to ensurethat those goals were met throughout theyear. Don’t go anywhere Dwayne—we havemore work for you to do this year! Dwaynealso had the privilege to preside over our50th year gala event in March 2013, whichincluded presidents from each of the past 5decades—including our very first president,John Edwards, who is still an active memberin ITE, for which we are blessed.
This year’s board is also terrific. Withthe enthusiasm and energy Secretary-Trea-surer Sean Coleman brings, and the steady
and thoughtful leadership that Vice-Presi-dent Andrew Antweiler brings, how hardcould this year really be? Actually, we haveendured several significant challenges al-ready. Our first all-committee board meet-ing was the day of snow-mageddon (ourboard survived their long journeys home,probably cursing at me most of the way), andour first monthly meeting had to be bumpeda day due to the second snow storm (whichcaused Sean and Andrew to work overtimeto make happen). Because of these accom-plishments, I decided to cancel the boardteam-building weekend ‘cause we’ve alreadybonded through trial by fire (or in this case,snow). Now, for the upcoming year: In followingthe tradition of one of our past presidents,Carla Homes, who was GREAT in 2008, Iam feeling really KEEN about 2014. This isa way to remember the four goals I have setforth for this year: Keep growing, providemeaningful Educational and Engagementopportunities, and be Notable as an organi-zation. Here is a summary of those goals:1. Keep Growing. As any organization
should strive towards, our ITE mem-
bership continues to grow each year,and last year was no exception. We havemore members than any year past, andset records for attendance at our Sum-mer Seminar and several monthly meet-ings, which averaged over 80 inattendance each month. I am con-vinced we attract members and willcontinue to attract new members byproviding value to our members in allthings we undertake, and use the latestin tools and technology to communi-cate events and opportunities to ourmembers.
2. Provide Educational Opportunities. Ed-ucational opportunities are probablywhat we do best at ITE so it becomeshard to improve upon. As an organiza-tion, we strive to provide more thanenough PDH’s to fulfill engineeringcontinuing education hours. Our pre-miere event is the annual Summer Sem-inar held at the beautiful King andPrince hotel on St. Simons Island. If youcan make only one event all year, savethe date of July 20th through July 23rd
Jonathan Reid, PE
Georgia Section,
Institute of
Transportation
Engineers
News
more fun at
Summer Seminar
ite Georgia
40 GeoRGia enGineeR
to come and join us! We always have thebest speakers in the industry and the ac-tivities, socializing and accommodationscan’t be beat. Plus we’ll be celebrating the5th year of Survivor St. Simons! Wehave already partnered with ASHE toconduct a two-day Winter Workshopconference in early March, and we willbe partnering with another state ITEchapter for a one day technical exchangelater in the year. Together with ourmonthly meeting opportunities, we pro-vide some of the greatest opportunitiesto stay informed on the latest trends andtechnology in the transportation indus-try. This year is also special for GeorgiaSection ITE as we were the host state forthe annual Southern District ITE meet-ing, held near Greensboro, Georgia, onLake Oconee, March 30th through April2nd.
3. Provide Engagement Opportunities. Tobalance out our nerdy engineering side,we also like to get out for some fun so-cial engagements and service activities.Our activities committee has a ton ofoutings planned for members of all ages,and it is through these activities thatbonds are often made. Whether itstrivia night, helping out at the AtlantaFood Bank or just sharing a lovely coldbeverage, it’s always fun to be withfriends and colleagues. This year we willalso be re-instituting the mentorshipprogram, paring our younger memberswith seasoned professionals to provideguidance on career paths and involve-ment in ITE.
4. Be Notable as an Organization. Lastly,this year we will strive to make ITE evenmore notable in the community weserve. Whether is helping GDOT orother local transportation entitiesthrough a technical research committee,sharing our collective experiences andknowledge at technical conferences andworkshops, we want to do even betterat making ITE a notable part in discus-sions about the future of transportationin Georgia and become an identifiablebrand in our communities.
If you are a transportation professional of anystripe and have never heard of ITE (perhapsit’s just another acronym to you), we hopeyou check us out sometime this year. Youmay have a co-worker that attends ourmonthly meetings that you could ask to join.Or come to one of our many technical ses-sions to earn PDH’s (why wait to cram at theend of the year?) Our Web site,www.gaite.org, is up-do-date and is full ofevents and opportunities. Become an ITELocal Affiliate (LAF) member and you willbe included on our e-blast list and receive in-formation on event opportunities and regis-tration links for our section. It is veryinexpensive to become a LAF member andyou will receive more in event discounts thanthe cost to join.
I hope you can see how much ITE hasin store in 2014 year (and why I am so keen
about it). Thanks for your interest in read-ing about ITE, and I personally hope youcan join us for activities throughout the year!The Institute of Transportation Engineers isan international educational and scientific as-sociation of transportation professionals whoare responsible for meeting mobility andsafety needs. ITE facilitates the applicationof technology and scientific principles to re-search, planning, functional design, imple-mentation, operation, policy developmentand management for any mode of groundtransportation. Through its products andservices, ITE promotes professional develop-ment of its members, supports and encour-ages education, stimulates research, developspublic awareness programs and serves as aconduit for the exchange of professional in-formation. v
Board Position Member E-mail PhonePresident Dwayne Tedder [email protected] (404) 406-8791Vice President Jonathan Reid [email protected] (404) 364-5225Secretary/Treasurer Andrew Antweiler [email protected] (678) 639-7540Past President John Karnowski [email protected] (770) 368-1399District Representative David Low [email protected] (770) 594-6422District Representative Carla Holmes [email protected] (678) 518-3654District Representative Jim Tolson [email protected] (770) 431-8666Affiliate Director Patrick McAtee [email protected] (404) 574-1985
Committee Activities Chair(s) E-mail PhoneActivities Meredith Emory [email protected] (404) 201-6133Annual Report Jim Tolson [email protected] (770) 384-6570Audio/Visual Mark Boivin [email protected] (404) 374-1283Awards/Nominations John Karnowski [email protected] (770) 368-1399Career Guidance Amy Diaz [email protected] (678) 333-0283Clerk Elizabeth Scales [email protected] (404) 574-1985Comptroller Jim Pohlman [email protected] (770) 972-9709Engineers Week Steven Sheffield [email protected] (678) 479-5391Finance Charles Bopp [email protected] (678) 380-9053Georgia Engineer Magazine Dan Dobry [email protected] (770) 971-5407Georgia Tech Liaison Chris Rome [email protected] (770) 368-1399Historian Charles Bopp [email protected] (678) 380-9053Host Vamshi Mudumba [email protected] (770) 423-0807Legislative Affairs Bill Ruhsam [email protected] (404) 931-6478Life Membership Don Gaines [email protected] (404) 355-4010Marketing Shannon Fain [email protected] (404) 771-7479Membership Sunita Nadella [email protected] (404) 969-2304Monthly Meetings Jonathan Reid [email protected] (404) 364-5225Newsletter Vern Wilburn [email protected] (404) 423-0050 Past Presidents Todd Long [email protected] (404) 631-1021Public Officials Education Scott Mohler [email protected] (678) 808-8811Scholarship Mike Holt [email protected] (404) 364-2662Southern Poly Liaison Bryan Sartin [email protected] (678) 518-3884Summer Seminar Sean Coleman [email protected] (404) 419-8781Technical Abdul Amer [email protected] (770) 690-9255 Web site France Campbell [email protected] (678) 518-3952Winter Workshop Larry Overn [email protected] (770) 813-0882
41apRiL | may 2014
42 GeoRGia enGineeR
I want to thank the membership of ITSGeorgia for selecting me to serve as chapterpresident for the next two years. I look for-ward to communicating with you throughthis column and letting you know about thegreat work of the chapter and its members.A key tenant of our mission statement is to:“through a coordinated, comprehensive pro-gram “get out the word” on ITS to con-stituencies that might not otherwise considerthe relevance of ITS to their transportationsystem.”
A key constituency targeted by ITSGeorgia to understand the relevance andvalue of ITS, is elected officials. For the thirdyear in a row we have been involved in an ef-fort to reach out to elected officials at thehighest levels of state and local governmentto “get out the word” on ITS.
During this year’s legislative session, wepartnered with Georgia Section of the Insti-tute of Transportation Engineers & Ameri-can Society of Civil Engineers GeorgiaSection and hosted the GDOT board, sev-eral state senators and representatives and At-lanta Mayor Kasim Reed in the city hall
atrium. Thanks to Mayor Reed for hostingus and providing welcoming remarks.
One of the hot topics was the two re-cent snow storms to hit north Georgia thiswinter and the fallout, both good and bad,from them. Both Mayor Reed and GDOTChairman Jay Shaw admitted that there wasnot much anyone can do when a millioncommuters hit the roads as once rain, snowor shine.
Following the storms, members of theITS community came forward and discussedwhat was done and could be done in the fu-ture to mitigate weather-related congestionusing ITS solutions.
Just as GDOT’s Traffic ManagementCenter (TMC) became the state’s trans-portation emergency operations center,County and City Traffic Control Centers(TCC) serve the purpose locally. This meansthat the right people are in one place with
access to the latest information in real time.At the state level, that means 560 cam-
eras scanning the roads for incidents and al-most 300 cameras at the local levelidentifying icy spots, power outages and ac-cidents. The cameras kept proving them-selves over and over as we could see and sharethe information they provided with publicsafety staff, other agencies, the media and di-rectly with the public. Cameras also allowedfor quicker dispatch of assets from snowplows to HERO units to signal techniciansand the power company. Newly installedtracking technology tells managers where thevehicles and crew are and what they’ve beenworking on.
News
Tom Sever, P.E.
ITS President
ITS GEORGIA CHAPTER LEADERSHIP
president
Tom Sever, Gwinnett DOT
vice president
Grand Waldrop, GDOT
Secretary
Jennifer Johnson, Kimley-Horn
treasurer
Ashlyn Morgan, Atkins
immediate past president
Scott Mohler, URS
directors
Mark Demidovich, GDOT
Eric Graves, City of Alpharetta
Winter Horbal, Temple, Inc.Keary Lord, Serco
David Smith, DeKalb County TransportationPrasoon Sinha, ARCADIS
Mike Holt, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Yancy Bachmann, World Fiber,
Kenn Fink, Kimley-Horn, Kristin Turner, Wolverton Associates
State chapters Representative
Shahram Malek, Arcadis
ex officio
Greg Morris, Federal Highway AdministrationAndres Ramirez, FTA
itS Georgia missionWe believe that ITS is a valuable tool forimproved management of any transporta-tion system, regardless of the inherentcomplexity of the system. ITS can helpoperate, manage, and maintain the systemonce it has been constructed.
We believe that ITS should be system-atically incorporated into the earlieststages of project development, especiallyinto the planning and design of trans-portation projects.
We believe the best way to achieve thissystematic incorporation into the processis through a coordinated, comprehensiveprogram to ‘get out the word’ on ITS toconstituencies that might not otherwiseconsider the relevance of ITS to theirtransportation system.
Control TechnologiesUtilicomTempleArcadisAtkinsWorld Fiber TechnologiesKimley-Horn & Associates
Southern Lighting & TrafficSystemsDelcanGresham Smith & PartnersGrice ConsultingJacobsParsons Brinkerhoff
Quality Traffic SystemsURSTranscore
OUR 2013/2014 SPONSORS
itS Georgia
The ITS Georgia Chapter supports studentinvolvement in the engineering profession,and hopes to encourage future Georgia ITSEngineers through the Wayne ShackelfordEngineering Scholarship Program.
Our 2013 winner of the fifth annualITS Georgia Wayne Shackelford Engineer-ing Scholarship is Chieh ‘Ross’ Wang, whosecurrent research at Georgia Tech focuses ondeveloping a risk-based decision makingprocess for prioritizing pavement preserva-tion projects in a more systematic and holis-tic fashion.
The question answered by this year’s ap-plicants was: What is the best strategy to pro-mote public acceptance of ITS initiatives?Below is the winning abstract.
To promote public acceptance of ITSinitiatives, it is necessary to understand rea-sons that hinder the acceptance of these tech-nologies. Some commonly known barriers
to ITS initiatives are public perception, sys-tem reliability, costs of implementation, andprivacy. Most of these barriers are the resultsof insufficient information and lack of un-derstanding and knowledge, on both ends oftransportation agency and the general public.For transportation agencies that expertise inthe planning, development, implementation,and maintenance of transportation systems,an understanding of market dynamics isoften neglected. For the general public, thefear of change and insufficient informationoften prevent them from objectively exam-ining the benefits of these technologies. Toaddress these issues and promote public ac-ceptance of ITS initiatives, we propose threesimple but effective strategies shown below:
prior successes strategy
One of the best strategies—and probably themost straight-forward one—is to have suc-
cessful and replicable cases that people caneasily see and relate. Either a huge success inanother city or small successes in local
43apRiL | may 2014
With more and more connectivity withtraffic signals, we were able to adjust the tim-ing to accommodate the disrupted traffic pat-terns, and perhaps more importantly, quicklyget them back to normal operation when theice and snow melted.
Communications with the motoringpublic is always important. This was our firsttwitter weather event and all means of com-munications were used for both storms to in-form the public. In addition to twitter,facebook, 511 and all 115 message signs weregiving the latest information. The news maybewasn’t always what you wanted to hear, but atleast you knew what was ahead.v
GDOT Board Chairman Jay Shaw
addresses the 2014 Transportation
Reception.
Mayor Reed welcoming guests at the
2014 Transportation Reception.
our chapter meetings are the fourth thursday of each month january—august. join us for networking and informative topics.Thursday, March 27, 2014 Timothy McGuckin of GeoToll Tolling Technologies confirmed Advanced Protection
Technologies/Pete Ganci
Thursday, April 24, 2014 Allan Davis Signal Software Scanning Tour confirmed Billy Stalcup-360 Network
Solutions, LLC
Thursday, May 22, 2014 Bill Andrews Highway 9 ITS confirmed
Thursday, June 26, 2014 Kari Watkins/John Bartholdi OneBusAway/Georiga Tech confirmed Wavetronix/Mike Kline
Thursday, July 24, 2014 To be announced
Thursday, August 28, 2014 To be announced
ITS Georgia Board member Kristin Turner
presents the 2013 Shackelford award to
Chieh ‘Ross’ Wang.
Wayne Shackelford engineering Scholarship program
44 GeoRGia enGineeR
The SAME Atlanta Post has gotten off to an
exciting start in 2014. Lou Karably, our
Past President, stepped down in January.
As his Vice President, I was sworn in as
President at the January luncheon. I will
continue to be your President through
May 2015. I look forward to making my
term a success by continuing the great
programs started by those before me and
fostering some positive changes in our
luncheons and networking events. I am
excited about our continued dedication to
awarding scholarships, our involvement
with the SHARE Military Initiative at the
Shepherd Center, and our new golf tour-
nament format.
I would like to thank Lou Karably, PE,
PG for his service to the Atlanta Post and
wish him well on his future endeavors! I
would also like to thank Beth Harris for
stepping up to serve as our Interim Vice
President until we nominate new officers
in June 2014.
The SAME Atlanta Post has moved our
monthly meetings to a new venue this
year—the Dunwoody Country Club. Our
luncheons are typically the second Tues-
day of each month and you can register to
join us at sameatlantapost.org.
On Friday, March 7 we held a joint
meeting with ASCE Georgia Chapter in
Norcross. At this event we presented our
2013 award winners. This year’s winners
were:
• Member of the Year – Beth Harris,
CPSM
Pamela
Little, P.E.
President,
SAME Atlanta
Same Georgia News
demonstration projects can promote the useof the technology. For example, the GoogleSelf-Driving Car has been permitted to beoperated or tested in several states includingNevada, Florida, and California. Success ofthe Google Car demonstrates the readinessof government agencies to consider invest-ment in autonomous vehicle technologies.This success can very likely increase the pub-lic’s overall confidence in such technologies,which therefore, makes a vast difference inits public acceptance.
one step at a time strategy
At times, implementing ITS initiatives re-quires a huge amount of capital expenditureor a big change in the way that people travel,which inevitably hinder the excitementand/or benefits these technologies bring. Infact, the magnitude of opposition is usuallypositively correlated to the magnitude ofchange. It takes time for the general public,policy makers, and potential investors to ad-just and accept a role in promoting these ini-tiatives. Therefore, the one step at a timestrategy is proposed to minimize the impactof implementing large scale ITS initiativesand to allow the public to accept smallchanges over time. For example, it is veryunlikely to implement a fully automated au-
tonomous highway system (AHS) even if thetechnology is ready because the huge changethat must be done to the infrastructure andto the travel behavior of the general public.In this case, specific and dividable compo-nents of an AHS, such as onboard driver as-sistance systems, vehicle to vehicle (V2V)communication, and vehicle to infrastruc-ture (V2I) technology, can be implementedfirst by utilizing the one step at a time strat-egy to move closer to the ultimate goal.
Rightness of cause strategy
ITS initiatives must be compared amongstother alternatives and should be imple-mented because they present the best alter-native in meeting specified objectives, suchas traffic safety, efficiency, system reliability,as well as other urgent and important needs.In such case, a rightness of cause strategy canbe applied. This strategy is most effective ifthe urgency and importance of implement-ing the solution is not only well conveyed,but also when there is a demonstrated needto implement such a solution. For example,transportation agencies designed their emer-gency response operations around, primarily,climate-related events, such as hurricanes,storms, and floods. However, after the eventsof September 11, 2001, there was an urgent
need to reshape the entire emergency re-sponse system to be able to respond to man-made disasters. ITS initiatives, such as theNext Generation 9-1-1, a system that is ca-pable of providing an integrated, wirelessplatform for emergency response communi-cations via voice, data, video, and othermeans, was much needed. In this case, therightness of cause strategy can be utilized tonot only ensure public support, but alsoagency engagement. Note that this strategymay be the most passive one comparedamongst all three proposed strategies; and itshould be used in the most critical cases,such as emergency response and traffic safety.
As described in the examples, each ofthe proposed strategies can be utilized to ef-fectively promote public acceptance underdifferent circumstances; in other words,there is no single universal solution. In fact,the best strategy may very likely be subjectto various factors such as the time, the juris-diction, and the field of application. There-fore, to determine the best strategy orcombination of strategies, considering thesefactors at different levels of decision makingprocess is important.v
• Young Member of the Year – B. Phil
McHugh, CP, CMS, GISP
• Large Business Sustaining Member of
the Year – Pond & Company
• Small Business Sustaining Member of
the Year – EcoWise Civil Design and
Consulting, Inc.
We also presented members of the
Exploring Engineering Academy with a
$5,000 donation to the 2014 program that
teaches 50-70 high school students about
opportunities in STEM careers during a
one-week summer camp. We are excited
to be able to promote this unique en-
deavor and encourage all engineers to get
involved with the camp as you are able.
We are also looking for volunteers! If you
are a currently an SAME member or if you
are thinking of becoming a member please
reach out to a Board Member or Com-
mittee Chair. We have opportunities on
our financial committee, veteran’s and
community outreach committee, commu-
nications committee, programs commit-
tee, golf committee and scholarship
committee. We will also be pulling to-
gether a slate of nominees for the 2014-
15 officers including new Board members
and a new Treasurer.
upcoming events:
The SAME Savannah Post South At-
lantic/South Central/Carolinas Joint Engi-
neer Training Symposium will be held on
June 24-26 in Savannah, GA. This event
will be headquartered at the Savannah
Riverfront Marriott. Please see
http://www.2014jetssasc.org/ for more
information on this event.
The SAME Atlanta Post Golf Tourna-
ment will be held on August 25, 2014 at
the St Marlo Country Club in Johns Creek.
All proceeds from this event will be do-
nated to the SHARE Initiative at the Shep-
herd Center a comprehensive
rehabilitation program for service men
and women.
If you are interested in being more in-
volved with the Post or if your company is
interested in sponsoring an event please
let us know! We can use your assistance
in making our Post rewarding for our
members and for our community. v
45apRiL | may 2014
SAME Atlanta Post presented the Exploring Engineering Academy with a $5,000 dona-
tion at the March Luncheon (l-r) Angie McDaniel, Pamela Little, Lew Sisson, Richard
Morales
Beth Harris, CPSM 2013 Member of the
Year Award Winner.
Pamela Little, President SAME Atlanta
Post presenting John Cassidy of Pond &
Company with the 2013 Large Sustaining
Business of the Year Award
Scotti Bozeman, F.SAME presenting
Pamela Little of EcoWise Civil Design and
Consulting, Inc. with the 2013 Small Sus-
taining Business of the Year Award.
2014 has started out a little slow with thesnow days, but we are quickly getting caughtup. Since the last WTS Corner article in theFall of 2013, we have hosted a very success-ful scholarship luncheon, gathered all newmembers together for a welcome reception,conducted a holiday party, held a trans-portation YOU quarterly meeting with ourLittle Sisters in the Grady High School Ro-botics program, met for a lunch and learn atCobb DOT and conducted two Mentor-Protégé lunch programs.
In February, the membership of WTSAtlanta was invited to hear Faye DiMassimo,Director of Cobb DOT, speak at our quar-terly lunch and learn. She talked about thecurrent program in Cobb County and theupcoming projects that are in the works dueto the Atlanta Braves move up to Cobb. Ms.DiMassimo explained to the group that theCumberland area has seen ongoing upgradesand improvements for many years in antici-pation of a major development being con-structed there in the future; well, now thatplanning and preparation is here and it is inthe form of the Atlanta Braves! Besides theBraves stadium projects, there are manyother exciting projects on the horizon forCobb County. Ms. DiMassimo’s desire forCobb is to make it a very desirable place tolive and work.
The Mentor-Protege program just heldanother luncheon in February where speakerJahnee Prince, of the Collaborative Firm,spoke about Overcoming Obstacles in our
profession. This program is very importantto both young professionals in the trans-portation industry, as well as those more sea-soned members. Speaking with many of thementor-protégé pairings involved in this pro-gram, it would seem that both the mentorsand protégés find value in learning from eachother as they meet on a monthly basis, if notmore often, and grow together in the profes-sion.
Another program that is in full swing in2014 is the Transportation YOU program.This very active committee already has sev-eral events planned with the Grady HighSchool Robotics Team for the remainder ofthe school year and is always looking for ad-ditional volunteers to help as it continues togrow and evolve. Grady High School hasbeen an excellent partner in making this pro-gram a success and we would like to thankall those involved for their commitment anddrive. Every year, each WTS chapter thathas a Transportation YOU program aroundthe country, sends at least one Big Sister/Lit-tle Sister pairing to the DC Summit. TheSummit, organized by WTS International, isan action-packed trip to Washington, DCfor several days in June, where the girls meet
many top leaders in the transportation in-dustry, learn about how they can impact theindustry and grow into leaders. WTS At-lanta is proud to announce that we will besending two Big sister/Little Sister pairingsto the DC Summit this year.
Looking ahead, we are excited about ourupcoming membership meeting to be heldin March to help our members learn how toget more involved in WTS on a local and in-ternational level. This meeting was initiallysupposed to be held in January, but had tobe postponed due to the snow and ice.AECOM has been very accommodatingwith rescheduling this luncheon and we lookforward to seeing record numbers at this an-nual meeting.
In April, we are anticipating schedulinga joint meeting with the Georgia Tech stu-dent chapter to discuss an exciting topic be-fore the spring semester ends. The programand date are still to be determined, but de-tails will be sent out within the next coupleof weeks, so be on the lookout for an-nouncements in our periodic newsletterblasts.
We always have a great turnout at theGDOT Board luncheon that we host every
Angela
Snyder, P.E.
President, WTS
Atlanta
WTS ATLANTA 2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Angela Snyder President [email protected] Wolverton & Associates Inc.Marissa Martin Vice President, Membership [email protected], Smith and PartnersTonya Saxon Vice President, Programs [email protected] Berry Secretary [email protected] CorporationJennifer Stephan Treasurer [email protected]. Lin International GroupBeth Ann Schwartz Director-at-Large [email protected] Baker CorporationHelen McSwain Director-at-Large [email protected] Hammond Director-at-Large [email protected] Regional CommissionShelley Lamar Director-at-Large [email protected] Atlanta International AirportJennifer King, P.E. Immediate Past President [email protected] Corporation
WtS Atlanta News
46 GeoRGia enGineeR
year. For 2014, we are tentatively schedulingthe luncheon for June, during a time withthe GDOT Board will be meeting in At-lanta, and will most likely be held at HotelMelia, which is adjacent to the Georgia De-partment of Transportation. Details aboutthis widely attended event will be comingout soon, so please reserve your spot early asit tends to reach capacity very quickly.
For those interested in being involvedbeyond our local chapter, the WTS interna-tional conference is being held in Portland,Oregon on May 14-16 this year. The keynote speaker this year will be award-winningCokie Roberts, political commentator forABC News, providing analysis for all net-work news programming, as well as for NPR.
There will also be many professional andtechnical seminars available throughout thethree-day conference to foster developmentof any professional involved in the trans-portation industry. For more informationabout the conference, please visithttps://www.wtsinternational.org/network-ing/annual-conference/.
We are also in the midst of our Corpo-rate Partnership campaign for 2014. If any-one is interested in becoming a corporatepartner or inquiring about the benefits,please email me at [email protected] or call (678) 405.3118 and I willbe able to send you more information.
Finally, WTS International has seenmuch success over the past year with the Ap-
pointments Committee. This is a committeemade up of representatives from each WTSchapter to encourage and promote femalesto high ranking positions within the localand national level of the transportation in-dustry. WTS International celebrated the in-vitation for General Motors CEO, MaryBarra, and trucking company founder,Andra Rush, to sit with First Lady, MichelleObama, at this year’s State of the Union Ad-dress. If promoting female participating intohigher levels of office is something that youfeel passionate about, and would like to learnmore information about the AppointmentsCommittee, please reach out to me as soon aspossible. v
47apRiL | may 2014
inder, Georgia, is the home
to a new and dynamic proj-
ect by the Georgia Depart-
ment of Transportation.
Concrete precast panel
pavements, the first of its
kind in Georgia, is set to re-
vitalize downtown Winder. The project
completely rehabilitates nearly a mile of
pavement that surrounds the county
courthouse.
A USDOT Highway for Life grant, as
well as some state and local beautifica-
tion funds, are funding the nearly $5 mil-
lion project, which includes the
installation of concrete precast panels to
replace the existing roadway as well as
enhancements to the sidewalks, curb
and gutter, benches, lighting and land-
scaping. The Georgia DOT chose concrete
precast panels for a multifold of reasons.
First was the need for a rigid pavement
to handle the substantial truck traffic
from the multiple state roads converging
on downtown Winder. This traffic over
time has caused severe asphalt rutting
(more than two inches) throughout the
downtown center making the smooth-
ness of the road unbearable for local car
traffic.. In addition, many historical build-
ings are in very close proximity to the
road. The use of the precast panels elim-
inated the need for heavy vibrating
equipment that could have possibly dam-
aged the buildings.
The project also had to contend with
underground utilities and concrete pre-
cast panels allowed for limited subgrade
disruption that would have been re-
quired in a full-depth repair. Further-
more, conventional rehabilitation would
have caused traffic disruption interfering
with local businesses during the holiday
season. The precast panels were fabri-
cated offsite and installed during night-
time lane closures to minimize impact to
traffic during rush hour. Allowing the
traffic to resume and flow as normal
throughout the day was a key driving fac-
tor for many locally elected officials and
residents.
“The Georgia Department of Trans-
portation continues to look for innova-
tive ways to deliver quality
transportation infrastructure. The pre-
cast concrete panel and downtown
streetscape project is a perfect example
of such innovation. The outcome of this
project will be a long lasting pavement
nestled in beautiful downtown setting
where the citizens and businesses will
not have to worry about future mainte-
nance for a long time,” said Russell Mc-
Murry, PE, chief engineer at Georgia
DOT. “I’m very proud of our GDOT Road-
way Design team, Keck and Wood for the
integration of Street Scape design, Foley
Concrete Products in concert with Fort
Miller Company, and G.P.’s Enterprise for
all of their efforts to make this the proj-
ect a success. Most importantly, we
thank the City of Winder and the down-
town businesses for their support while
this innovative work was being per-
formed.”
Because the project received a fed-
eral grant to complete the project, the
Georgia Concrete Paving Association had
numerous opportunities to host project
visits for transportation and elected offi-
cials as well as participate as a host spon-
sor for the Highways for Life Workshop.
This brought national attention to the
project and GDOT. v
Concrete Precast Panels Revitalize Pavements in WinderBy Steve Davis, Executive Director | Georgia Concrete Paving Association
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