May/June 2012 "Transportation Builder" magazine

May-June 2012 TransportationBuilder 1

builder®

Innovations from Coast to Coast

May-June 2012

Project Profiles

May-June 20122 TransportationBuilder

Fallon | Minneapolis

Bleed: 8.875" x 11.375"

Trim: 8.375" x 10.875"

Live: 7.875" x 10.375"

Media: FP 4C Bleed

Fonts: Scala Sans Regular and Bold, Arial Black Regular

Ink Colors: CMYK

Notes: N/A

Creative Director: Darren Spiller

Art Director: Colin Booth

Copywriter: Ben Stilitz

Production Artist: Brett Hudoba/Erik Jacobs

Project Manager: Allison Swanson

Art Buyer: Kerri Jamison

Print Producer: Tom Beckel

Account Executive: Andie Belfry

Account Supervisor: Marc Mason

Publications: Issue: Close: Ext:ArtBA 06/01/11 05/19/11

Client: Travelers

Job Number: 242-SPBIZ0PM365

File Name: SPBIZ0PM365v7_8-37x10-87.indd

Description: Construction – Business Signs

Date/Time: 05/19/11 9:23 AM

travelers.com

Whether your company is large,

small or something in between, we cover it.

Small construction companies are different from mid-size companies. And they’re both

different from the big guys. That’s why, at Travelers, we have dedicated account executives, risk

control and claim specialists with an in-depth knowledge of construction companies of every

size. So, whether we’re talking about one employee or one thousand, we’ll build insurance and

surety programs to meet your needs. Contact your independent Travelers agent to learn more.

No matter what size the construction company, we think you’ll see a big difference.

©2011 The Travelers Indemnity Company. All rights reserved. The Travelers Indemnity Company and its property casualty affiliates. One Tower Square, Hartford, CT 06183

SWOPSTANDARD

ALC Job#: 215628File Name: SPBIZ0PM365v7_8-37x10-87 Date: 05/24/12 Rev.#: 00

SPBIZ0PM365v7_8_37x10_87.indd 1 5/24/12 3:30 PM


MAY JUNE2012

ON THE COVER

FEATURES COLUMNS

Industry Innovations from Coast to Coast A look at Game-Changing Transportation Improvement Projects & Products

American Road Builders in China Part three of three

Insurance A Cost or an Opportunity for Profit?

LōTransTM™ Virtual Conference & Innovation Showcase Featuring Best Practices in Work Zone Safety

Project Profiles Industry Innovation at Work

TransOvation A Unique Workshop Fostering Transportation Design & Construction Innovation

From the Chairman

President’s Desk

Q&A with FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez

Products of the Month

ARTBA’s Regulatory Advocacy Focuses on Market Protection

AEM Corner

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47

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VOL. 24, NO. 3contentsThe official publication of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association

www.transportationbuilder.org

20 30

On the Cover: The New I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minn. —30’ tall gateway sculptures were cast using a new cement that cleans the air and marks the river crossing on each end of the bridge. Photo courtesy of FIGG.

Fallon | Minneapolis

Bleed: 8.875" x 11.375"

Trim: 8.375" x 10.875"

Live: 7.875" x 10.375"

Media: FP 4C Bleed

Fonts: Scala Sans Regular and Bold, Arial Black Regular

Ink Colors: CMYK

Notes: N/A

Creative Director: Darren Spiller

Art Director: Colin Booth

Copywriter: Ben Stilitz

Production Artist: Brett Hudoba/Erik Jacobs

Project Manager: Allison Swanson

Art Buyer: Kerri Jamison

Print Producer: Tom Beckel

Account Executive: Andie Belfry

Account Supervisor: Marc Mason

Publications: Issue: Close: Ext:ArtBA 06/01/11 05/19/11

Client: Travelers

Job Number: 242-SPBIZ0PM365

File Name: SPBIZ0PM365v7_8-37x10-87.indd

Description: Construction – Business Signs

Date/Time: 05/19/11 9:23 AM

travelers.com

Whether your company is large,

small or something in between, we cover it.

Small construction companies are different from mid-size companies. And they’re both

different from the big guys. That’s why, at Travelers, we have dedicated account executives, risk

control and claim specialists with an in-depth knowledge of construction companies of every

size. So, whether we’re talking about one employee or one thousand, we’ll build insurance and

surety programs to meet your needs. Contact your independent Travelers agent to learn more.

No matter what size the construction company, we think you’ll see a big difference.

©2011 The Travelers Indemnity Company. All rights reserved. The Travelers Indemnity Company and its property casualty affiliates. One Tower Square, Hartford, CT 06183

SWOPSTANDARD

ALC Job#: 215628File Name: SPBIZ0PM365v7_8-37x10-87 Date: 05/24/12 Rev.#: 00

SPBIZ0PM365v7_8_37x10_87.indd 1 5/24/12 3:30 PM

http://www.transportationbuilder.org


Executive Committee Chairman: Paul YarossiHNTB Holdings, Ltd., New York, N.Y. Senior Vice Chairman: Steve WrightWright Brothers Construction, Charleston, Tenn. First Vice Chairman: Doug BlackOldcastle Materials, Atlanta, Ga. Northeastern Region Vice Chairman: Nick IvanoffAmmann & Whitney, New York, N.Y. Southern Region Vice Chairman: Tom ElmoreEutaw Construction Company, Aberdeen, Miss. Central Region Vice Chairman: Kathi HolstRoadSafe Traffic Systems, Romeoville, Ill. Western Region Vice Chairman: Jim AndogaAustin Bridge & Road, Austin, Texas Vice Chairman At-Large: Ward NyeMartin Marietta Materials, Raleigh, N.C. Vice Chairman At-Large: Bob LuffyGrandview Consultants LLC, Pittsburgh, Pa. Vice Chairman At-Large: David S. ZachryZachry Construction Corporation, San Antonio, Texas Vice Chairman At-Large: John Houle3M Traffic Safety Systems Division, St. Paul, Minn. Vice Chairman At-Large: Bob CloseParsons Brinckerhoff, Orange County, Calif. Vice Chairman At-Large: John KulkaHRI, Inc., State College, Pa. Treasurer: Tom HillSummit Materials, LLC, Washington, D.C.

Secretary & President/CEO: T. Peter RuaneARTBA, Washington, D.C. ARTBA-TDF Board of Trustees Chairman: Leo VecellioJr., Vecellio Group, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Young Executive Leadership Council Chairman: Chris Fronheiser, AECOM, Baltimore, Md.

Contractors: Jeff NelsonDavid Nelson Construction Company, Palm Harbor, Fla.

Contractors First Vice President: Bob AlgerThe Lane Construction Corporation, Cheshire, Conn.

Planning and Design Division: Larry PetersonKleinfelder, Kuna, Idaho

Traffic Safety Industry: Taylor Bowlden3M’s Traffic Safety Systems Division, Washington, D.C. Materials & Services: Steve McGoughHCSS, Sugar Land, Texas

Transportation Officials: Tim ZahrnSangamon County Engineer, Sangamon, Ill.

Manufacturers Representative: Ron DeFeoTerex Corporation, Westport, Conn.

Research and Education: Deborah UnderwoodNorth Carolina A &T University Transportation Institute, Greensboro, N.C.

Public-Private Partnerships: Patrick RhodeCintra U.S., Austin, Texas

Council of State Executives Chairman: Marc HerbstLong Island Contractors’ Association, Hauppauge, N.Y. Immediate Past ARTBA Chairman: Bill CoxCorman Construction, Annapolis Junction, Md.

Past Chairmen’s Council Representative: Jim MadaraGannett Fleming, Allentown, Pa.

StaffPUBLISHERT. Peter [email protected]

DEPUTY PUBLISHER Matt [email protected]

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Beth [email protected]

PUBLICATIONS EDITOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNERJenny [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSDan McNichol Author: “The Roads That Built America”

J.J. McCoy freelance writer

Nick Goldstein ARTBA vice president of environmental & regulatory affairs

James L. Bly Marsh USA, Inc. managing director, Construction Practice

Transportation Builder® (TB) is the official publication of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, a federation whose primary goal is to aggressively grow and protect transportation infrastructure investment to meet the public and business demand for safe and efficient travel. In support of this mission, ARTBA also provides programs and services designed to give its members a global competitive edge. As the only national publication specifically geared toward transportation development professionals, TB is the primary source of business, legislative and regulatory news critical to the success and future of the transportation design and construction industry.

Transportation Builder® (ISSN 1043-4054) is published bi-monthly by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). Postmaster: Send change of address to Transportation Builder®, c/o ARTBA, The ARTBA Building, 1219 28th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007. Telephone: 202-289-4434, Fax: 202-289-4435, Internet: www.artba.org; E-mail: [email protected]. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions are $120/year for ARTBA members, which is included in the dues; $105/year for non-members; and $200/year non-U.S. mailing addresses. Copyright ©2012 ARTBA. All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Visit us: www.transportationbuilder.org

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This four-hour training program is now available from ARTBA with support from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The program is FREE to all participants. A course accreditation card will be provided by ARTBA.

For information on attending or hosting this valuable course, contact Omar Lopez at 202.289.4434 or [email protected].

Introducing

Avoiding Runovers and BackoversA comprehensive training program designed to keep roadway construction workers from being struck by construction trucks and equipment.

This issue of “Transportation Builder” (TB) is focused on innovation—the development of new ideas, technologies, and methods within the transportation design and construction industry. Our feature story on page 20, written by former “Washington Post” transportation reporter J.J. McCoy, takes us across the country to look at some of the most high-tech transportation infrastructure projects, either recently completed or currently underway.

Several months ago, we asked ARTBA members to share their own innovation success stories. A sampling of the responses begins on page 30.

In addition to stories on game-changing projects and products, this issue highlights ARTBA’s meet-ing-related innovations. On page 10, learn about TransOvation, a unique, interactive learning event that teaches industry professionals how to build innovation into their professional skill set in order to help drive growth. And on page 41, we introduce you to a new kind of conference: LōTrans™, a virtual conference and innovation showcase for state and local transportation officials that will take place September 18-20 at your nearest desktop or laptop.

On page 15, we feature the concluding article in a three-part series, “American Road Builders in China,” by Dan McNichol, author of “The Roads That Built America.” McNichol spotlights the work Terex, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and 3M are doing in the “Middle Kingdom.”

We hope you enjoy reading this innovative issue of TB. As always, please feel free to send your comments or suggestions for upcoming issues to me at [email protected].



from the chairman

An Innovation Leader, Part II

Paul Yarossi, President, HNTB Holdings Ltd. HNTB Corporation

The late Steve Jobs said: “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a

follower.”

We couldn’t agree more! ARTBA knows a thing or two about innovation, be it in the policy, safety or member services arenas. That’s why we are still thriving after 110 years.

The origin of some of the association’s latest initiatives relating to innovation can be found in the Strategic Planning Com-mittee (SPC) report adopted last year by the ARTBA Board. To start, an obvious one was the Board’s decision to add the words “foster innovation” to the associa-tion’s bylaws, and specifically to Article V: Core Values. In part, this section will now read: “Visionary leadership that always fo-cuses on the future and fosters innova-tion.” The simple truth is, this language codifies in writing what has already been in practice for years. Yet, it also reflects ARTBA’s commitment to formally recognizing that innovation is a key part of the program of work going forward.

The SPC report includes recommen-dations aimed at educating the general public and policy makers about how the industry’s use of innovation provides value for taxpayers. In the March-April “Transportation Builder” we highlighted examples of ARTBA innovation on roadway safety issues. Throughout the pages of this special issue, we look more broadly at the topic.

A comprehensive report on page 20, written by former “Washington Post” transportation reporter J.J. McCoy, spotlights innovative design and construc-tion techniques, products and materials in building all modes of transportation projects. We also feature “Profiles in Inno-vation,” which were submitted by ARTBA members. These profiles are being shared with members of Congress and their staffs.

Awards Under the direction of ARTBA Foundation Chairman Leo Vecellio, we’re introducing a new program—the TransOvation Awards—which honor innovative transportation infrastructure-related products, services, technologies and techniques that can be documented to provide a high return-on-investment. The inaugural winners will be announced during a gala dinner this July.

TransOvation 2012 ARTBA’s commitment to innovation extends to its meetings and events. The TransOvation Workshop & Exhibit is scheduled for July 25-27 at the Lans-downe Resort & Conference Center. During this interactive learning event, world-class leaders will share examples and technologies to demonstrate new

approaches to problem solving that can lead to new markets, increased efficiency, productivity and profit. Danny Forster, host of The Discovery Channel’s “Build-ing It Bigger,” is the headline speaker. Through individual and group exercises, participants will also explore various project scenarios and learn how game-changing concepts helped overcome challenges and control costs.

LoTransTM The Local Transportation Asset Manage-ment Virtual Conference & Innovation Showcase, or LōTrans™, is an “industry first” and the epitome of innovation. It will also feature “Best Practices in Work Zone Safety.”

Think of LōTrans™ as webinars on ste-roids. Scheduled for September 18-20 at any computer, ARTBA will bring a virtual learning experience to the desktops of tens of thousands city and county gov-ernment officials who annually manage $50 billion in transportation infrastruc-ture capital investments, maintenance, engineering and traffic services, and snow removal. For cash-strapped public agencies, this is a 21st century technolo-gy-driven solution. No registration fees. No airline and hotel travel expenses. No time away from the office. This event will be chock-full of educational sessions and companies with exhibit booths displaying their products and services. You’ll be able to soak it all up...virtually!

Learn more at www.lotransvirtualcon-ference.org

After you read through the pages of this issue and learn more about all of the items outlined above, we think it’s pretty clear that when it comes to innovation, ARTBA is a leader, not a follower.

http://www.lotransvirtualconference.org



This ad, developed by the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC), appeared in key Capitol Hill newspapers during the month of May.

American Road & Transportation Builders Association (co-chair) • Associated General Contractors of America (co-chair) • American Coal Ash Association • American Concrete Pavement Association • American Concrete Pipe Association • American Council of Engineering Companies • American Subcontractors Association • American Iron and Steel Institute • American Society of Civil Engineers • American Traffic Safety Services Association • Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association • Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association • Associated Equipment Distributors • Association of Equipment Manufacturers • Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute • International Slurry Surfacing Association • International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers • International Union of Operating Engineers • Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust • Laborers’ International Union of North America • National Asphalt Pavement Association • National Association of Surety Bond Producers • National Ready Mixed Concrete Association • National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association • National Utility Contractors Association • Portland Cement Association • Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute • The Road Information Program • United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America

www.transportationconstructioncoalition.org

Highway & Transit Bill Conference Committee Members, it’s time to step up to the plate.

American workers are looking to you to

“bring them home.”

Pass a Surface Transportation Bill that Boosts the U.S. Economy and Supports Jobs!

After 31 months and 9 Highway & Transit Program Extensions…

Runners are finally in scoring position.

http://www.transportationconstructioncoalition.org


president’s desk

T. Peter Ruane,President & CEOARTBA

Politicians, Wheelbarrows & Innovation

This issue of “TB” focuses on innovation and the future of the transportation

design and construction industry. Let me explain why innovation must extend to our efforts as transportation advocates, and why it must happen right away.

At this writing, a House-Senate confer-ence committee is deliberating over a new federal surface transportation bill. ARTBA is fighting for a final bill with the highest pos-sible investment levels, as well as important policy reforms we have sought for years. That’s the immediate task, one which will remain our focus until it’s done.

This progress should not mask a long-term collective failure. If we ever want to see these programs regain a robust future, we all must do a better job of “selling” the need for transportation investment to politi-cal leaders, opinion leaders, the media and the public.

Historically, the federal highway and transit programs attracted strong bipartisan support. Multi-year reauthorization bills were considered “must pass” on Capitol Hill. The Highway Trust Fund (HTF) was well-funded and its underlying user fee principle was unchallenged.

No more. Consider the events of just the past few years:

• 2009’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a.k.a, the “stimu-

lus,” spawned damaging metaphors (like “shovel-ready”) and misconcep-tions that set the industry’s image back years. We also landed in the middle of heavy partisan crossfire, as the two parties have continu-ously debated the effectiveness of the Recovery Act, transportation funding included.

• In what I call the “December 2010 ambush,” the 112th Congress dis-mantled guaranteed annual funding, budgetary firewalls and other protec-tions we achieved in the 1990’s.

• While we have avoided—for now—the 35 percent funding cut threatened by inadequate revenues into the HTF, Congress took the unprecedented step of cutting highway investment by five percent ($2 billion) in the FY 2012 appropriations process.

• Some self-styled “think tanks” and self-promoters from the far left and right are now opposing any reautho-rization bill for ideological reasons, and pressuring like-minded members of Congress to do the same.

• The current bill, even if passed by late June, will be nearly three years late and likely won’t be a six-year measure like its predecessors.

• Despite the recommendation of several distinguished commissions and key business groups, neither the president nor Congress is even con-sidering a long-term revenue solution like adjusting the federal gas tax, or finding a sustainable alternative.

In short, we have been reduced to a political commodity and a “federal spending category” like so many others. Much of the uniqueness of our programs and funding has been lost in recent years, or is under severe political attack.

This all sounds very disheartening. However, as always, I am fully confident the programs and industry for which ARTBA

advocates can still prevail. Once the current reauthorization bill is done, all of us must do an immediate pivot and begin making the case for long-term solutions. ARTBA’s plan-ning for this moment has been underway for months.

The association’s Strategic Planning Com-mittee, which delivered its report last fall and was endorsed by the Board, already out-lined some of the parameters for this effort. Education of the general public and what is expected to be a whole new cast of charac-ters on Capitol Hill following the November elections must be a top priority. Here is what I see as necessary components:

1. Detail the industry’s achievements as innovative problem-solvers, using the latest technology and cutting-edge thinking.

2. Show the return on investment for completed projects, through per-formance measures that everyone —including system users/taxpayers/voters—can understand and appreciate.

3. Seek to broaden and diversify our coalition, including non-traditional allies from outside our long-time echo chamber.

4. Figure out where we want to go and what the federal programs and vision should look like going forward.

This will be a very challenging program of work, especially when so many ARTBA members are in “survival mode” in the cur-rent market. It will be our collective job to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions. Politicians are a little like wheelbarrows. They don’t work as intended until they are pushed hard. However, as one who believes so strongly in the value of our industry, I enjoy a good fight if it’s required to get us on the right path to the future. It will also take the same kind of innovation that so many ARTBA members have already adopted—and I’m confident it can lead to similarly good results.


president’s desk

http://www.ltap.org



ARTBA’s TransOvation 2012 is a professional development hour-granting workshop that focuses on helping transportation design and construction industry professionals from both the public and private sectors build innovative thinking into their professional skill set to create higher value business models. During this interactive learning event, world-class innovators will use real-world examples and technologies to demonstrate new approaches to problem solving that can lead to new mar-kets, increased efficiency, productivity and profit.

Through individual and group exercies, you will explore vari-ous project scenarios and learn how game-changing concepts helped overcome challenges and control costs. This fast-paced program allows you to engage with instructors, while gaining

Inspiring

“It was a great event, a great experience...I’ll take a lot of good ideas away from this workshop.”—Taylor R. Bowlden, manager, federal government affairs, 3M Traffic Safety Systems Division, who attended the 2011 event

Interactive

“Instead of another conference filled with presentation after presentation, we did the opposite: pose a problem to a group and foster interaction amongst participants. The real learning takes place under these circumstances.”—Ted Zoli, vice president, HNTB and TransOvation workshop leader

Insightful

“I would highly encourage other people in my organiza-tion and others to send their young executives here so they can have the same learning and networking oppor-tunities I did.”—Chris Fronheiser, associate vice president, AECOM, who attended the 2011 event

Hotel Information Lansdowne Resort & Conference Center 44050 Woodbridge Parkway Leesburg, Virginia 20176

www.lansdowneresort.com

P: 703.729.8400 F: 703.729.4096

Rate = $209, guaranteed through June 25 Call for room reservation: 1.877.509.8400 or 703.729.8400 Group Name: TransOvation

Questions? Contact ARTBA’s Allison Klein at [email protected] or 202.289.4434

“bring back to the office” practical ideas that can fuel growth and give your company a competitive advantage.

What will you learn?

• How leading transportation design and construction industry firms are creating and sustaining growth through innovation.

• Strategies for fostering innovative practices into everyday project management.

• How new technologies and techniques are changing the way we think about, design, build and manage transportation infrastructure.

Who should enroll?

We welcome all transportation design and construc-tion professionals interested in helping their organi-zation gain a competitive edge in today’s markeplace.

Space is limited. Enroll today!

A Unique Workshop Fostering Transportation Design & Construction Innovation

Leesburg, VA

July 25-27, 2012



Danny Forster Forster has built a career out of the ingenious solution: celebrating it as a television host, lecturing about it as a speaker and professor, and finding it himself as a practicing designer. As the host of the Discovery Channel series “Build It Bigger,” Forster travels the world with a camera crew in search of incredible feats of architecture and engineering. Forster’s passion for great architecture and his excep-tional ability to share that passion have made him a sought-after speaker and a popular teacher. He has delivered keynote addresses at engineering and architecture conferences all over the world.

Ross Smith, director of test at Microsoft, is one of the nation’s top innovation thought leaders. Having spent over 20 years developing and testing software for tech giant Microsoft, Smith knows how to cultivate an environment that can lead to increased collaboration, productivity and profit. He holds five patents and has been featured in the “Wall Street Journal,” “The Economist,” and on CNBC and MSNBC.

Victor Mendez is the administrator at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As the agency’s top official, he brings more than 20 years of experience on highway management and administration issues. His lifelong interest in innovation and technology helped lead to creation of FHWA’s “Every Day Counts” initiative, which gives states tools to streamline construction projects and cut costs. He previously served as director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, and holds a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso and has an M.B.A. from Arizona State University.

Sean Connaughton is secretary of transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia overseeing seven state agen-cies with more than 9,700 employees and combined annual budgets of $5 billion. He previously served as corporate vice president of government affairs for the American Bureau of Shipping and as U.S. Maritime administrator under President George W. Bush.

Ted Zoli, a heralded bridge engineer and a vice president at HNTB, is a 2009 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship recipient and was named the 2012 “Award of Excellence” winner by “Engineering News-Record” (ENR) magazine. “Esquire” magazine profiled Zoli in a 2010 cover story, “The Brightest: 16 Geniuses Who Give Us Hope.” Zoli also teaches at Princeton and Columbia.

John Hillman, president and CEO of HC Bridge Company, won the 2010 ENR magazine “Award of Excellence” for his development of the Hybrid Composite Beam. ENR writes in its cover of Hillman, “[he has an] obsession that sets out to transform the infrastructure world for the better.”

James P. Pinkerton, a national thought leader and commentator is a contributor to the Fox News Channel. He is also a strong supporter of boosting investment in the nation’s transportation infrastructure to meet the economic and mobility challenges of the 21st century. He is the author of “What Comes Next: The End of Big Government & the New Paradigm Ahead.” Pinkerton worked in the White House domestic policy offices of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

SPEAKERS


Wednesday, July 25

7:00-9:00 a.m. Registration & Continental Breakfast in “Innovation Showcase” Exhibit Area

7:30-9:00 a.m. Women Leaders in Transportation Design & Construction Council Annual MeetingFHWA Listening Session for Proprietary Products

9:15-10:00 a.m. Opening Remarks: Paul Yarossi, 2012 ARTBA chairman, president, HNTB Holdings Ltd., HNTB Corporation; Ted Zoli, vice president/national bridge chief engineer, HNTB; John Hillman, president & CEO, HC Bridge Company; and Raymond Chiu, technical director, 3M Traffic Safety Systems

10:00-11:00 a.m. Speaker: James P. Pinkerton, Fox News commentator and author of “What Comes Next: The End of Big Government & the New Paradigm Ahead”

11:00 a.m.-Noon Speaker: Ross Smith, director of test, Microsoft “Reinventing Management: How Innovations and Gaming will Change the Workplace”

Noon-1:15 p.m. Welcome Lunch & Keynote Speaker: Danny Forster, host of the Discovery Channel series, “Build it Bigger”

1:15-1:45 p.m. Networking Break in “Innovation Showcase” Exhibit Area

1:45-2:45 p.m. “Innovative Practices in a Changing World: Wildlife Crossing Panel” Moderator: Ted Zoli, vice president/national bridge chief engineer, HNTB

2:45-5:00 p.m. Interactive Team Workshop Leaders: Ted Zoli, vice president/national bridge chief engi-neer, HNTB; John Hillman, president & CEO, HC Bridge Company; and Raymond Chiu, technical director, 3M Traffic Safety Systems

5:30-7:00 p.m. Networking Reception Hosted by ARTBA Young Executive Leadership Council (YELC)

Dinner on your own/with your teams

Thursday, July 26

8:00-9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast in “Innovation Showcase” Exhibit Area

9:00-9:45 a.m. Panel on Virginia Mega projects and innovation (including Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Sean Connaughton)

9:45-10:30 a.m. Networking Break in “Innovation Showcase” Exhibit Area

10:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Workshop Continues

Noon-1:00 p.m. Buffet Lunch in “Innovation Showcase” Exhibit Area

3:00-3:30 p.m. Networking Break in “Innovation Showcase” Exhibit Area

5:30-6:30 p.m. Reception hosted by ARTBA Women Leaders in Transportation Construction and Design Council

6:30-9:30 p.m. TransOvation Gala Awards Dinner

Black Tie Optional

Friday, July 27

7:30-8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast in “Innovation Showcase” Exhibit Area

8:30-10:00 a.m. Workshop

10:00 a.m.-Noon Workshop Presentations: Victor M. Mendez, federal highway administrator, U.S. DOT

Noon Concluding Remarks: Ted Zoli, vice president/national bridge chief engineer, HNTB

Travel Home

TRANSOVATION SCHEDULE


WAR

ADS

Thursday, July 26, ARTBA will host its annual TransOvation Gala Awards Dinner to recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions of individuals and organizations within the transportation design and construction industry.

TransOvationtmRecognizes innovations that make our transportation network the best it can be in serving those who pay for it, use it and rely upon it.

DEADLINE: June 12, 2012

Women LeadersHonors the extraordinary efforts of individuals, companies and public agencies that have demonstrated leadership and dedication to innovation and the promotion of women leaders within the U.S. transportation construction industry.

DEADLINE: June 12, 2012

Applications are available at www.artbatdf.org.

For more information, contact Holly Bolton at 202.289.4434 or [email protected].

http://www.artbatdf.org



2012 ARTBANational Convention

September 11-14Memphis, Tennessee

ARTBA 110th Anniversary Special:Register by July 1 and save $110!

www.artbanationalconvention.org

“Talkin In Memphis”

http://www.artbanationalconvention.org


by Dan McNichol

Part three of three

China is the best market for Terex,” proclaims Dr. Harold Lang, president of Terex Asia Business Development. “Not

one of the best, but the best. In terms of size, this is the world’s largest commercial market. Bigger than the U.S. and fast grow-ing. If you have a small market that’s growing very fast—that’s good. But China’s the largest market and it’s also the fastest growing market. Two powerful positives.”

As ARTBA’s reporter on the road, I’m wrapping up a three- part series on “American Road Builders in China.”

Getting to an 8 a.m. breakfast appointment with two of Terex’s executives at the Shanghai Hilton required passing through a Buddhist temple where resident monks are landlords to a string of jewelry stores and upscale retailers. Then, using a pedestrian skyway with escalators prime to be featured in a science fiction movie, I pass over a 42-lane traffic intersection. I find Dr. Lang and Brian Henry seated in a white tablecloth din-ing room. A giant western breakfast buffet beckons. However, we break into discussion immediately —“morning rice,” as the Chinese call breakfast, must wait.

ABOVE: Looking over the River Pu towards the east side of Shanghai known as Pu Dong. The Wai Bai Du bridge in the foreground is a senti-mental holdover in a city that’s known for demolition of its history during the last three decades of super-charged growth. In preparation for a world exposition in Shanghai in 2010, the favored span was removed from its perch, floated along the River Pu to a steel fabricator for an over-hauling and paint job in less than a year.

ABOVE: In the center of Shanghai’s upscale retail center is the Jing An Temple. Below the

religious grounds is a massive subway station taking its name from the temple.

Outside the temple’s gates are jewelry stores including fashionable Western

boutique clothing stores.

“


Dr. Lang is a man of two worlds. Born in China, he studied fluid dynamics at M.I.T. in Cambridge, Mass. As president of Terex Asia, he is well positioned to lead one of the world’s lead-ing heavy equipment manufacturers in the Orient. He possesses a deep understanding of hydraulics and a heightened awareness of the two most dynamic cultures on earth.

The good doctor continues, “About 50 percent of the cement is dumped in the land of China for: buildings, office towers, bridges, and ports. And the same for steels. Over 50 percent of the steel manufacturing capacity is concentrated here in China. Obviously a lot of steels are used for building bridges, highways, and railways. These are opportunities for Terex.”

Inspite of his familiarity with Asia and its wild growth, Dr. Lang is in awe “China built 72 airports and 27 nuclear reactors in about a decade. We sold the world’s largest crane for nuclear power plants in China. Heavy cranes is a particularly strong sector for Terex—the premier range of machines. One of the cranes we placed was at a Chinese nuclear engineering facility. Its lifting capacity is 3,200 tons. Shipping it required more than 300 trucks loads,” he explains.

Brian Henry, a Terex senior vice president, has used his Wall Street background to counsel Ron DeFeo, Terex’s CEO, in growing the company into a heavy equipment juggernaut. Henry describes part of the formula of the company’s fortuitous run and the maturing of China’s markets. “Our success has been in remaining upscale. A very large crane or a very large truck is good business because the domestic manufacturers don’t have this capacity yet. They haven’t grown up to that size of crane, they haven’t grown up to that size of truck. But now, I see that some of the manufacturers are up into the 400-ton truck

capacity. So the Chinese manufacturing capacity is pushing up. They are up to a 1,600 ton cranes. Five years ago they were at about 600-tons of capacity.”

Henry knows what he wants for Terex, “In order to be suc-cessful and get into the Chinese market, we’d like to have a joint venture (JV) partner, we’d like to have a Chinese local partner. A big challenge is establishing a solid business practice so that

ABOVE: Elevated highways and walkways hang five stories above traffic in some locations of Shanghai.

ABOVE: This double-boomed monster crane, one of the world’s largest, capable of lifting 3,200 tons, is working at one of China’s nuclear power plants. Terex needed over 300 trucks to deliver the rig to the site. Photo credit: Terex


we have no compromises inside of the JV. Having a lo-cal partner helps us, because in the downstream market, in terms of distribution and customer support, a lot of that has been developed. We can just tap into it. What we would typically do is cre-ate an export arrangement where we become the export agent of our JV. This gives us control in taking product outside of China into other markets. We help create volume for that JV, and it helps us to manage that export.”

Nearly two hours later, Dr. Lang generously picks-up the check for the three uneaten buffet breakfasts. Such is a business breakfast in Shanghai.

Parsons Brinckerhoff Michael Meagher, director of C.W. Downer’s offices in China, an investment firm with operations around the world, has met with Terex, Parsons Brinckerhoff and numerous material firms. Meagher is bullish on the Chinese markets. “In the 25 years I’ve been working this market, I’m as optimistic as I was 10 years ago during the boom years. Yes, it’s gotten more difficult and expensive to find good companies to acquire here, but that’s countered by newfound stability—predictability in China’s growth. We anticipate two events out of China in the roadbuild-ing sector: continued strong growth that’s at least twice what the U.S. and European markets produce; and the quickening of foreign direct investment by

Chinese firms going westward. Chinese firms are showing ea-gerness in purchasing and/or partnering with U.S. firms. That’s a win-win for roadbuilding firms back home wanting to stay stateside, but interested in partaking in China’s growth.”

“How was it that [Parsons Brinckerhoff] came back to China?,” retorts the executive with an impressive job of running PB’s operations in Shanghai. James Tang, grew up in Hong Kong where PB made its reentry back into China after the days of Parsons’ himself surveying one of China’s first major rail lines. “Around 1977, Hong Kong was building an extension to its subway system. PB was invited to give comments on the system review, subsequently it was awarded the contract by the Hong

Kong subway,” explains Tang. “In the 1980s, a lot of Hong Kong developers came to China. We followed them. We started to do a lot of M & E consulting work for them. PB established perma-nent offices on the Mainland around 1996. Now we have offices in Beijing, Tianjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzheng.”

The majority of PB’s work in China is still MEP consulting. But like other international players, they have diversified.

“We’re running five business lines: MEP, transport infrastruc-ture, planning, project management and construction manage-ment, and power. PB has been working with other consultants by means of project JV arrangements. We also want to get into other disciplines, perhaps through acquisition of other interna-tional consultants.”

I ask Tang how it is that China completes mega transportation projects faster than the rest of the world. “That’s an interesting question. Government is a big part. It sets the tone,” he says. “It’s policies facilitate process. A firm can propose a new ap-proach and it’s accepted or rejected on merit. The governments here —local, city, provincial—find a ways to make projects work. If there’s some innovative idea, a better way of getting it done, it’s probably possible here.”

A general, but clear pattern is undeniable. Executives of American firms doing business in China consistently point to China’s governments —at all levels —as being in partnership with business in order to complete projects. With frustration, these same executives point to an opposing feeling of disincentive when working with governments in the U.S.

With an eye to the future and a foot in the past Tang con-cludes, “The trend is getting more and more local. When I got here about eight years ago, most of PB’s contracts were project management for foreign firms. More and more our clients are Chinese.”

“A general, but clear pattern is undeniable. Executives of American firms doing business in China consistently point to China’s governments—at all levels—as being in partnership with business in order to complete projects. With frustration, these same executives point to an opposing feeling of disincentive when working with governments in the U.S.”


3M 3M is a firm I identified with tape, not superhighways. I was intrigued when ARTBA suggested I speak with the fabled, 110-year old firm of 55,000 commercial and consumer products about their contributions to roadbuilding in China. Fortunately for me, Kenneth Yu, president of 3M China, agreed to meet. He patiently walked me though what 3M’s products are doing for transportation building here in China.

“First of all, all the power systems in subways, all the termi-nations, connections and protections; most of them are 3M because of our cold-string technology. In subway, thou shall not want to make any fire even during the construction, for safety reasons. So we win that one big time. We provide before, during and after construction. As soon as a subway line is put into service, the station becomes a fantastic place for our product. Not only do people put plastic films on posters, some stations have 3M wall paper over the entire station. Not only that, they have 3M plastic films on the wall, and ceiling. Guess whose film they are using?

“For high-speed train, every car has got power, so our elec-trical products sales go up. Also every car has lots of interior decorations, so you have a lot of wire fastening connections, anchoring and decorating. So these applications are where the 3M adhesive double-coated materials, internal decorative films,

and our other products come into play.”

Mr. Yu is on a roll, “China is very experienced in building bridges—building them quite fast and economically. China over the last two decades has built scores of bridges. I’m not talk-ing about small ones. I’m talking about bridges that are at least a mile long. On just one bridge project, we sold 1,450 tons of fusing bonding resin to coat bridge piers. Do you know how much 1,400 tons weigh? Roughly about four 747 jets...plus the five 3M corporate jets,” the good humored Mr. Yu adds with a chuckle.

As I sign a copy of my book, “The Roads That Built America,” for Mr. Yu, he adds, “Think of it, San Francisco is buying a bridge... this used to be a joke. Remember the old saying if you believe me I have a bridge to sell you? Holy heck, now China can actually sell a bridge. The future of 3M in China looks very good.”

And after all I have seen here, I agree.

Thank you for joining me and “Transportation Builder” on our journey through the Orient over the last three issues. It’s been wonderful traveling with you and ARTBA.

ABOVE: Growing faster than a speeding train are China’s subway systems. First tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong have systems in place. Second tier cities like Hangzhou (population of nine million) are digging new lines. Parsons Brinckerhoff helped design the first of these great passageways below the new center of urbanity—China.

Dan McNichol is the author of “The Roads That Built America:” [email protected]



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Industry Innovations from Coast to CoastA look at Game-Changing Transportation Improvement Projects & Products

by J.J McCoy

Photo courtesy of UDOT


It’s a fact of human nature that on any given day we tend to take certain vitally essential things for granted as we other-wise go about the business of living our lives. Our invol-untary nervous system keeps our heart beating, our lungs

breathing, our blood circulating—pretty much all the things required to keep us going, whether we think about it or not.

So too with America’s nationwide transportation system. For even as we are otherwise distracted, the lifeblood of America is provided daily via the country’s transportation network and supply chain—including roads, bridges, transit, railroads, waterways and aviation all designed to move people and goods safely, while also facilitating commerce, attracting and retain-ing businesses, and supporting jobs. Even the wag who notes that taxes and commutes, too, are their own kind of involuntary systems, would have to agree that modern America wouldn’t get nearly so far without them.

For 110 years, the American Road & Transportation Build-ers Association (ARTBA) has been the nation’s oldest, largest, and most respected national transportation construction trade association. Like the United States itself, throughout its history ARTBA has thrived through innovation, and embraced progress to help devise the miracles of modern design which comprise the nation’s transportation infrastructure, and keep America’s societal lifeblood circulating. And the process never stops.

While there are new projects popping up all the time, and maintenance/restoration efforts vigilantly required even along the nation’s oldest roads, bridge and byways, some recent examples nevertheless stand out as particularly significant for their use of fresh approaches with new design and construction techniques, innovative materials and equipment, state-of-the-art technology and improved safety features.


AIT’S BRIDGE IN A BACKPACK After

Before

In a state known for outdoor retailer L.L. Bean, perhaps the “bridge-in-a-backpack” was a natural fit.

Yet it’s been only three years since the University of Maine-based Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center (AEWC) first tested its groundbreaking bridge-building technology for an eventual spinoff company, Advanced Infrastructure Technologies (AIT).

The Neal Bridge just south of Pittsfield may not look like much—two lanes wide and 34 feet long, spanning a small stream under Route 100—but it represents a quantum leap for the use of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) along highways. The “bridge-in-a-backpack” is a lightweight, corrosion-resistant system for short to medium span bridge construction using FRP composite arch tubes as reinforcement and formwork for cast-in-place concrete. Easily transportable and rapidly deployable, the arches require neither heavy equipment nor a large crew to construct, and AIT adds that the composite bridges can easily last more than 100 years.

In the face of estimates that there are more than 45,000 struc-turally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges in the National Highway System (NHS) with an additional 248,000 deficient bridges outside of the NHS in need of repair or replacement, the bridge-in-a-backpack and other hybrid designs may prove especially handy. Since the success at Neal Bridge, another half dozen or more bridges have been built in Maine; others have been built or are in planning for projects in Russia, Africa, the Caribbean and Middle East.

While FRP is relatively costly, bridge-in-a-backpack only uses the material as an exoskeleton for inexpensive concrete.

The FRP tubes help protect the concrete from de-icing chemi-cals, potentially reducing mainte-nance costs, and no internal rebar is needed.

The Neal Bridge replace-ment was reportedly built for about $600,000—or an esti-mated $170,000 less than a precast bridge, for a cost savings of 22 percent.

Likewise, AIT touts its innovative system’s ability to ex-tend structural lifespan, accelerate project timelines, enhance aesthetics and reduce bridge life-cycle costs in comparison to alternatives. Noting that many of the older bridges suffer from corrosion, AIT estimates that if 20 percent of them (those under 100 feet in span size) were replaced with hybrid composite-concrete bridges like the bridge-in-a-backpack’s solution, $4 to $6 billion could be saved up front with additional billions of dollars saved in lifecycle costs due to low maintenance and increased service life.

Indeed, AIT’s COO Barry Raeburn affirmed that while traditional bridges need to have beams cast and shipped from a steel plant, bridge-in-a-backpack composite arches can be cut to length and shipped to the site within 30 days, with construction completed inside of two weeks.

Photos courtesy of Advanced Infrastructure Technologies


Think of it as life imitating Legos.

Building off the success of their technology to create railroad ties and building materials from 100 percent recycled post-consumer and industrial plastic, Axion International with design partner Parsons Brinckerhoff last December made the two-lane Birch Hill Road Bridge in York, Maine, the first U.S. public roadway bridge to be constructed entirely out of recycled ther-moplastic materials.

And the idea is expanding: That same month, Axion finished delivery of its prefabricated Recycled Structural Composite (RSC) bridge in three 30-foot segments to Scotland, for Europe’s first version.

Being lighter and easier to work with than concrete and steel, Axion’s patented Struxure building materials also have the advantage of being completely impervious, says company president and CEO Steve Silverman.

Axion’s bridges are designed to support the weight of a 120-ton locomotive. They also happen to be eco-friendly and virtually maintenance-free.

“Bugs don’t eat it, and water doesn’t seep in,” Silverman explained. Not only won’t the materials rot, rust or warp, but they require neither painting nor regular maintenance. Devel-oped in conjunction with Rutgers University’s Materials Sci-ences and Engineering Department, RSC is inert and nontoxic, so it also won’t leach toxic chemicals or corrode.

“Once installed, it doesn’t require maintenance,” he added. “The good news is that even if it’s ever taken out of service, we can just reprocess and replace it. It’s entirely recyclable,” with its superstructure made of recycled plastic girders, and all the substructure components—including piles, pier caps, back-walls, and wingwalls—made of recycled thermoplastic.

“I think what we see is, the chemistry is such that it provides a new level of ease and robustness,” said Silverman. “For example, you don’t need a curing compound, or see water bleedage and shrinkage that others have.”

Based in New Providence, N.J., with a manufacturing plant in Portland, Pa., Axion has been marketing its RSC technology through Ecotrax railroad ties and Struxure building materials. The company’s lead activity to this point has been manufac-turing composite railroad ties, for which it has engagements around the globe. Yet the technology can be used for board-walks and marinas too.

The bridge in Scotland consists of three replacement spans (shipped in six sections) combined to run approximately 12 ft. wide by 90 ft. long in replacing an old steel beam and timber deck road bridge. The prefab design allowed the entire con-struction project (including dismantling the old bridge) to be completed in less than two weeks; the actual erection of the new plastic bridge itself was finished in under four days.

AXION’S PLASTIC BRIDGES Photo courtesy of Parsons Brinckerhoff


As a construction product, cement has been, well, solidly predictable. It’s been nearly 200 years since an Eng-lish inventor first mixed chalk and clay for heating in a kiln to produce Portland cement. But unlike that product, which must be kept wet and continuously rotated in mixers before being poured and allowed to set for hours, CERATECH Inc.’s quick-drying product requires but a fraction of the time, setting a new industry standard for durable rapid-hardening cements.

Users need only mix CERATECH’s proprietary cement powder with water, then pour. Within minutes, the mixture is hard (if hot, due to the chemical reaction in mixing). One such product in their product line provides a return to service within an hour, and the capability to make repairs at -20F.

CERATECH’s fastest-growing product offering is a green, re-cyclable byproduct of coal incineration which would otherwise end up in landfills. Composed with 95 percent waste fly ash generated by electric utilities from Texas, Georgia and Ohio to Baltimore and Kansas City, CERATECH’s innovation is becom-ing a solution of choice due to its ease, speed, robustness and versatility. As example, within the line of pavement repair mate-rials are products that can be applied horizontally or form-and-pour, and poured in temperatures ranging from 120F to below freezing (-20F). So it is that CERATECH’s products are already approved and used by many state transportation departments.

Based in Alexandria, Va., CERATECH’s technology has been widely accepted and utilized by the Department of Defense. During the war in Iraq, the U.S. Army used CERATECH’s products to repair runways and roadways damaged by impro-vised explosive devices, or IEDs. Combat engineers found that they could fill holes quickly, without having to post guard for hours afterward.

The patented technology also lends itself to chemical resis-tance. “The chemistry is different,” says Todd Miller, CERAT-ECH’s senior vice president, “with the result being that our product’s integrity remains sound when exposed to acids, etc. —so that pushes us into the industrial market and wastewater arena.” With products available bagged, in super-sack or bulk-transit truck for a volumetric mix, CERATECH is well posi-tioned to service the industrial, and wastewater markets with a corrosion-resistant concrete.

“Among transportation customers, we have worked with the Philadelphia Airport, and we are used for lots of small localized

work, repairing joint nosings, et cetera,” he added. “Prior to Prince Harry flying his Apache helicopter on training missions in California, we were called in to make hurried repairs to the airfield where there were localized issues with the runways.”

Similarly, “Caltrans tells us that when they look at highway concrete panels, if they decide to pour in what used to be a Band-Aid solution for them before they could schedule a return call, they have utilized our product and referred to it as a permanent repair.” They pour, and they’re done. In Georgia, they just revisited a bridge header joint on I-75S that had been repaired with DOTLine a year ago, and discovered that it looks as good as the day it was placed.

CERATECH’S GREEN CEMENT

Photos courtesy of CERATECH


It’s been planned and debated for decades, and now it represents the country’s largest, most ambitious adaptation to a dense, traffic-choked urban landscape, but the Dulles Corridor Metrorail project is at long last going places.

With the first of two phases of construction underway for a five-station, 23-mile extension of Washington’s Metro subway system west to Dulles International Airport, the project will mitigate one of the nation’s most notoriously congested traffic corridors at Tyson’s Corner, and permanently link northern Virginia to the rest of the greater Washington metropolitan region, from the capital area’s primary international airport to population-heavy business and residential centers.

Work started in January 2009 and is scheduled for completion in 2016.

With the project’s construction overseen by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and some operations to begin next year by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the goal is to provide high-quality, high-capacity tran-sit service in the Dulles Corridor. The route will offer a viable alternative to vehicular traffic while supporting future transit-oriented development and reducing travel time in the corridor between the airport and downtown D.C.

Engineers and urban planning experts applaud some innova-tive construction techniques which allow progress to continue with minimal disruption. Three huge truss cranes are now at work. As construction teams go about their business of assem-bling bridge spans in mid-air, approximately 100,000 shoppers and commuters below go about their daily activities amid a maze of office buildings, shopping malls and parking lots.

“Big cranes on the ground wouldn’t work in a dense environ-ment like Tyson’s Corner,” said Shawn MacCormack of Dulles Transit Partners, which is building the project. He says that there is no other project in North America where three truss cranes are operating.

The 370-foot self-launching gantries move along bridge sections as they’re built. Diesel generators fuel winches lifting 12- to 15-foot segments to form each span section, and then pull the truss along to begin work on the next one. Sets of six cables—each six inches thick and composed of up to 19 strands of twisted-steel wires—are threaded through the segments.

Cables starting from various heights are anchored with blocks of steel and pulled tight. The tension (about 2,250 tons in a 130-foot span) holds the segments together in practical terms as a single unit. Along the way, 10-foot segments of precast concrete hang above busy traffic before construction crews link them like blocks.

Some experts also embrace the novel funding mechanisms in place as an “an early taste” of how similar projects will come to be funded nationwide. Despite a total price tag estimated at $6.6 billion, only $900 million (less than 14 percent) of the bill will be footed by the federal government. Fairfax and Loudoun counties and the MWAA will provide 25 percent of the total, with another $275 million (4.2 percent) due from Virginia. The rest—more than 50 percent of the total—is to be funded over 40 years by tolls collected on the expressway to the airport.

DULLES CORRIDOR METRORAIL PROJECT

Photo by Rich Silva, Dulles Transit Partners

Photo by John Green, Dulles Transit Partners

Photo by Shea Sullivan, Dulles Transit Partners

Photos courtesy of CERATECH


Touted as “The Green Build,” this $1 billion airport expansion project underway through 2013 in San Di-ego features airside infrastructure improvements and a terminal expansion including such passenger-friendly design elements as self-service Smart Curb check-in areas.

Kansas City-based HNTB Corp. performed initial planning for the terminal and Smart Curb, and has been contracted as part of a design-build team to provide architectural and engi-neering services for the terminal expansion, which will include 483,000 sq. ft. of new public and non-public areas, 10 addition-al contact aircraft gates, and an airside area of 1.5 million sq. ft., including aircraft parking, aprons, taxiways and taxi lanes. Construction partners include Turner/PCL/Flatiron.

The design-build contract is “an unusual method for the Fed-eral Aviation Administration (FHWA) for the airside work,” said HNTB Project Manager Thomas Rossbach. “But it’s a success story. In using that method to choose the designer and contrac-tor, it allows the designers and contractors to come up with innovative ideas and preferred methods of paving to be more cost-effective with a faster schedule.”

“The schedule savings translate to money,” Rossbach said, “For example, in the terminal, Turner Construction is using prefab parts assembled offsite in a factory-controlled environment, so that all the plumbing might be fitted, checked and pieced together in large segments rather than added piecemeal at the project site. Shop productions are more precise and meet a faster schedule.”

As the largest improvement project in the airport’s 80-year history, the expansion is intended to meet the airport’s cur-rent and future demand for travel, while improving customer service and serving as an economic stimulus for the San Diego region. The project’s sustainable design principles are intended to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) “silver” rating from the U.S. Green Building Council for practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. Rossbach described the project’s signature element as usage of Common Use Passenger Processing Systems (or CUPPS), allowing for terminal elements such as gates, ticket counters and baggage systems to be used by multiple air carriers. It’s only the second domestic-use terminal in the nation to employ full CUPPS technologies.

“The innovation in the design of the ticket counter will also allow for self bag-check,” he explained. “This enables

passengers the choice to check in by self-bag-tagging and performing all the check-in themselves,” thereby avoiding long lines at the terminal. Instead of each airline having its own exclusive space, the ticket-ing and baggage systems are consolidated even while meeting Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requirements.

HNTB’s planned Smart Curb enhanced check-in will allow passengers to pull up curbside to hop out and print boarding passes, check baggage, view gate information, and purchase coffee at a concession before strolling directly into security and bypassing the ticketing lobby altogether. Likewise, passengers of nearby cruise ships can visit Smart Curb to circumvent the check-in lines at the terminal.

Even so, construction of 10 new gates will further reduce terminal congestion while providing pleasantly comfortable, expanded passenger waiting areas. A dual-level roadway is intended to relieve curb-front traffic congestion by separating arriving and departing passengers; more security lanes will im-prove flow of passengers through the terminal; and an expanded concession area will provide passengers with more dining and shopping options. The “Sunset Cove” atrium will offer food, re-tail, entertainment and art to attract passengers with live music, theatrical performances and dance.

While passengers will enjoy the sunny San Diego climate, the project will feature the first terminal in the nation with its roof covered with photovoltaic solar panels to enable power generation, on-site alternative produced power, and reduce the energy required. Another resourceful touch is that demolished asphalt and concrete from the site has been recycled and used as a sub-base for pavement onsite. “The whole sustainability of the project and reduction of the carbon footprint is very important to the airport and HNTB,” Rossbach concluded.

SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TERMINAL 2 WEST BUILDING AND AIRSIDE EXPANSION

Photos courtesy of HNTB


On February 28, 2001, the magnitude-6.8 Nisqually earthquake became one of the largest recorded in the state of Washington. No direct fatalities were reported, but nearly 400 were injured, with property damage in Seattle and surrounding areas, including the decades-old Alaskan Way Viaduct running along the city’s downtown waterfront.

Sections of the viaduct were built in unstable fill soil that could liquefy in an earthquake, and its columns did not reach deep enough into solid ground. Thus the viaduct’s south end was vulnerable in an earthquake, and in need of replacement. Lacking a geographic alternative for building around the 50-year-old, double-decked elevated section of State Route 99 viaduct, the Washington Department of Transportation (WDOT) opted to go underneath it instead.

Scheduled for completion by early 2016, Seattle’s SR 99 Tunnel project features a $2 billion, 1.7-mile-long, 56-foot-wide, deep-bore highway tunnel running beneath downtown skyscrapers and behind a sea wall holding back Puget Sound. Once finished, it is intended to replace the decaying viaduct, reconnect the street grid at the ends of the tunnel and facilitate development of some 22 acres’ worth of redesigned, newly ac-cessible downtown waterfront characterized by bike paths, open spaces, cafes, shops and housing with views of the water and the Olympic Mountains.

Key members of Seattle Tunnel Partners, a joint venture of Dragados USA and Tutor Perini Corp., delivered the compa-rable 49.5-foot-diameter Madrid M-30 highway tunnel in Spain. The team includes local firms Frank Coluccio Construction, Mowat Construction and HNTB Corp.

Photo courtesy of WDOT

Even though the huge Hitachi Zosen tunnel-boring machine won’t start digging under Pioneer Square for another year (with project completion slated by early 2016), the planning, technical and operational challenges for the tun-nel project have already been identified.

“Our program includes about 3.5 miles of roadways, bridges and the bored tunnel sched-uled right in the middle of an urban environ-ment with an historic district,” said Linea Laird, Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program administrator for WDOT. “So it’s a really, really active construction site. We do a lot of things on the coordinating and planning side. Not only do we impact over 150 different facilities, but we

do it from an underground facility as well. The thing we found most key was an inter-agency interaction with stakeholders of different focus areas.”

The equipment to plan for is similarly complex, Laird noted. Beyond one of the world’s largest bored-tunnel machines, con-siderations include special monitors, gauges, hardened features, incident detection systems, pressurized air conditions for work-ers, and the ability to change out cutter heads in free air.

“It’s a huge task taking into account all the operating systems, and what can go wrong, and anticipating and incorporating that into the design,” she said, “putting action plans in place through tabletop exercises to anticipate any contingency. There’s just so much to consider and make accommodation for,” including camera systems, communications, smoke detectors, sprinklers and drainage systems, single-point extraction and ventilation systems, emergency walkways every 600 feet inside and out-side, communications systems, and the ability to close or open sections if there’s a need to in an emergency.

An early test presented itself when demolition work required a weeklong road closure near Seattle’s port and stadiums.

“We had a major closure for impacting 100,000 vehicles a day, by far the biggest closure since the viaduct was opened 50-some years ago,” Laird said. “We had nine days to demolish and remove about 3,500 feet of elevated viaduct, take it down and remove it and get everyone re-routed despite the lack of a good alternative route. It was a really incredible effort. Communica-tion is key. It involved closed-circuit cameras, moving police re-sources, increasing rail and ferry schedules, adding bus routes, coming up with parking strategies and taking into account large stadium events. It was a really good test case for us even as it was an amazing challenge.”

SEATTLE TUNNEL PROJECT

Photos courtesy of HNTB


It may not have reinvented the wheel, but it wasn’t for lack of trying to fix most everything else as the Utah Department of Transporta-tion (UDOT) sought to improve transporta-tion along the state’s most vibrant highway.

What UDOT did come up with are four identi-fied solutions which it has marketed as “Innovation in Motion” for the I-15 Core Project—a 24-mile, $1.72 billion interstate improvement to restore, renovate and expand a key highway to meet trans-portation demand through 2030.

Fluor Corporation leads a group of 18 stakehold-ers invested as Provo River Constructors in the project, which is the largest such project in Utah’s history. Due for completion by the end of the year, some 63 bridges dating back to the 1960s will be restored or replaced. Two new lanes will be added in each direction, with 10 freeway interchanges rebuilt or reconfigured.

The first innovation is Accelerated Bridge Con-struction (ABC). The project includes six, most notably, a 1,900-ton, 80-foot wide, 354-foot long bridge built adjacent to the freeway for nine months. Once constructed, it was moved onto a self-pro-pelled modular transporter (or SPMT, described as “a giant roller-skate”), lifted 21 feet into the air and steered into position during an overnight operation by an engineer equipped with a joystick.

UTAH ACCELERATED BRIDGE PROJECT

Citing ABC’s advantages in quality control, decreased impact to motorists, and increased safety overall, UDOT has adopted it as the state standard while incorporating precast deck panels, precast abutments, precast approach slabs, and the SPMT into the job.

The second innovation is “Fixed-Price Best-Design Procure-ment,” a method of conducting the competitive bid process for a given construction project based on a fixed price and other requirements.

The third innovation is implementation of the “Diverging Dia-mond Interchange” traffic pattern. It leads motorists to make continuous left turns through an intersection. Vehicles merging onto interstate stay in the far left lane, without crossing oppos-ing traffic; traffic crossing above the interstate also stays to the

left, eventually crisscrossing back to the right-hand side of the road once the roadway is clear.

“This is about doing something that saves us money,” says John Njord, director of UDOT. “This also saves people time out on the highway because when we build a bridge off-site then roll it into place, we don’t impact people’s lives nearly at all.”

“In this situation what we had was more length of road than what we could possibly afford.” Njord added. “So by fixing a price, we allowed the contractors to bid how much work they would be able to accomplish for the fixed price that we gave them. In this situation it turned out extremely well for us. We anticipated somewhere in the 17-mile range; we’ve got 24 miles of freeway under construction here. We’re looking at a $1.7 bil-lion project entirely state-funded. We have another one nearly this large, because we’re trusted, and the reason we’re trusted is because of this type of work that we do.”

J.J. McCoy, a freelance writer, is a former staff writer for “The Washington Post” and several transportation industry publications: [email protected].

Photos courtesy of UDOT

mailto:scribe@[email protected]

mailto:scribe@[email protected]


Photos courtesy of UDOT

http://www.workzonesafety.org


Earlier this spring, we asked ARTBA members to share their innovation success stories with our readers. On the following pages, we offer you a sampling of responses we received.

Project ProfilesIndustry Innovation at Work

The Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge— One Bridge, Two Functions Innovation: Extradosed Pre-Stressed Bridge

Owner: Connecticut Department of Transportation

Partner: URS Corporation

Location: New Haven, Conn.

Cost: $600 million

Completion Date: June 2015

URS designed the centerpiece of the I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Program, the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge over the Quinnipiac River (also known as the Q Bridge). It has a span of 515 feet, will carry 10 lanes of traffic, and is being built as a new and innovative type of main bridge structure for the U.S.; an extradosed, pre-stressed bridge. An ex-tradosed pre-stressed bridge has the appearance of a cable-stayed bridge with “short” towers and cables extending only over a portion of the span. Its structural behavior is similar to a convention-al girder bridge that has “external” pre-stressing. The stay cables behave more like post tensioning cables and are not subjected to the large stress variations (fatigue stresses) found in traditional stay cables. A smaller factor of safety for the cables is used, there is no need to reserve part of the strength for fatigue, resulting in a more efficient design. The aesthetic development of the bridge is respectful of its monumental status with towers and anchor piers in simple oval shapes, remi-niscent of ships stacks, with distinctive ringed grooves. The anchor piers have a simple classical lettering commemorating the “Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge” and “December 7, 1941” on the anchor pier pylons. The aesthetic lighting is a quiet memorial that will be accentuated on special National Holidays. CTDOT and FHWA elected to develop the Q Bridge not only as the first extradosed U.S. bridge, but with two alternate designs prepared in concrete and steel.The Steel alternate has the further distinction of being the first composite steel extradosed bridge design anywhere in the world.

http://www.urscorp.com/


With its strategic location between New York City and Philadelphia, New Brunswick, N.J., also known as the “Hub-Health Care City,” was primed for urban renewal through extensive and aggressive redevel-opment, centered on the reconstruction of Route 18, an urban arterial roadway running along the city’s Raritan River waterfront and serving 85,000 motorists daily. Prior to rehabilitation, Route 18 was plagued with some of the worst traffic congestion in the state, threatening regional economic vitality. The reconstructed Route 18, designed by Gannett Fleming and constructed by the Conti Group, is a masterful blend of community involvement and innovative design methodologies, including the proj-ect’s marquee George Street Bridge, one of the larg-est structures of its kind in North America and the first in the world to combine precast concrete arches with a lightweight cellular concrete overfill. An em-bankment fill section needed to support the adjacent highway serves as a performing arts amphitheatre and has become a community jewel and model for environmental stewardship. Artificial rock surface treatments were designed to stabilize and replicate a landmark weathered shale outcropping. Clear-panel noise walls preserved natural light penetration and viewsheds. The innovative design has reconnected the city of New Brunswick with its beloved waterfront, providing five miles of multi-use paths and sidewalks designed specifically for non-motorized travel to Boyd Park, a new boat ramp, playground area and picnic pavilion.

Reconstruction of New Jersey Route 18 —The Archway to Renewal Innovation: Cost-effective, Socially-Responsible Road

and Bridge Design

Owner: New Jersey Department of Transportation

Partner: Gannett Fleming

Location: New Brunswick, N.J.

Cost: $215 million

Completion Date: March 2010Reuse of Dredged Materials— From Waste Yard to Work Zone Innovation: Recycled dredge material technology

Owner: Maryland Port Administration

Partner: Schnabel Engineering

Location: Baltimore, Md.

Cost: $948,000

Completion Date: October 2011

During a project completed last year for the Maryland Port Administra-tion, Schnabel Engineering came up with a breakthrough technology in the reuse of dredged material, or “DM,” contaminated sediments pulled each year from shipping channels and sent to holding facilities. Using DM taken from Cox Creek in the Baltimore Harbor’s main channel system, Schnabel demonstrated for the first time that the blending of DM and steel slag fines (SSF), another waste material, provides immobilization of the metal con-taminants within the sediment and improves the material’s workability and strength so that it can be used as earth fill. The study was unique in that it took an unusable waste material, and mixed it with another waste byprod-uct to produce a material with beneficial use for commercial construction. The findings represent a major breakthrough in the reuse of DM, which could have far reaching consequences for the dredging, design and con-struction of America’s ports and harbors.

http://www.gannettfleming.com/

http://www.schnabel-eng.com/


Work Zone Traffic Analysis Means Smarter Decisions in Five Minutes, Not Four Hours Innovation: Technology to Minimize Congestion

Owner: Oregon Department of Transportation

Partners: Program management provided by Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners (OBDP), a joint venture of HDR and Fluor

Location: Oregon

Cost: $440,000

Completion date: 2014 (Program)

The Oregon Transportation Investment Act (OTIA) III State Bridge Deliv-ery Program is a 10-year, statewide effort to repair or replace 365 bridges on Oregon’s interstate and highway system. As part of Oregon Department of Transportation’s commitment to keep traffic moving throughout the program, OBDP created the Work Zone Traffic Analysis (WZTA) system to enhance project staging and management of lane closures. The WZTA tool took data that originally was managed in an Excel spreadsheet and fed it into a web-based and GIS-enabled system. Analysis that used to take four hours to complete could now be done in five minutes. Accessing the system through a secure web interface centralizes the data and processes so they are consistent and correct. The GIS capabilities expanded upon the ex-isting tabular databases to include maps, straight line diagrams and digital elevation models to help engineers better visualize complex information and reduce errors. Initial development of the WZTA system cost about $370,000 and approximately $70,000 more was invested over the first two years of use to improve functionality. Eight years into the State Bridge Delivery Program, the WZTA has generated a benefit-cost ratio of 3.6, meaning that for every $1 invested in the system, it has provided a return benefit of $3.60.

Safety Screens on a Louisiana Bridge Project —The Law of Unintended Benefits Innovation: Work Zone Safety Barrier/Screen

Manufacturer: Transpo Industries, Inc.

Partners: Kiewit (KMTC aka Kiewit Massman Traylor Constructors) is the construction manager

Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Transpo Industries’ Screen-Safe was specified as a temporary work zone barrier to prevent gawking and glare for the safety of workers and drivers during lane-widening of the Huey P. Long Bridge in Louisiana in 2011. But as time went on, the screen became more than a shield from curious motorists—it became an indispensible barrier between the workers and flying road debris—a major cause of work zone injuries. Because workers were deployed below the surface of the bridge, they were constantly exposed to debris from cars above. Workers also liked the fact that the screen blocked dust and wind from the work area—an added benefit. The screen is made from a unique double-reversed corrugated (DRC) steel fabric—a concept originally developed for NASA to protect a launch site control tower formed from hot-dipped galvanized sheet steel. The durable DRC fabric is then powder-coated to provide ad-ditional protection from salt and snow. The company claims the product blocks head lights better than other barrier systems and provides a unique, opaque surface that eliminates viewing from all angles, discouraging “rubbernecking.”

Photo by Keith Philpott

http://www.transpo.com/


Light Rail Meets Light Fill on the UTA Airport TRAX Line

Innovation: Geofoam fill

Owner: Utah Transit Authority (UTA)

Partners: Stacy and Witbeck, Inc./Kiewit Western a joint venture and CD Smith

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Cost: $208 million (Construction)

Completion Date: April 2013

Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. and Kiewit Western Company (SWK) are partners in building the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Airport TRAX Line, a six-mile light rail project that will con-nect downtown Salt Lake City with its international airport. A critical part of the project, the North Temple Viaduct, presented severe settlement risks due to old Lake Bonneville clay depos-its, estimated to be over three feet deep. In order to prevent the bridges’ embankments from settling and impacting existing tracks beneath and historic structures nearby, the team elected to go with a geofoam fill, which weighs one to three pounds per cubic foot—100 times lighter than soil. The weight difference meant no earth moving equipment was needed and the material was unaffected by adverse weather conditions, which acceler-ated construction schedules. SWK officials estimate the use of geofoam, produced by ACH Foam Technologies, will allow the project to be completed two years ahead of schedule. The selec-tion of geofoam was a strategic financial decision. Facing fund-ing challenges, project stakeholders developed a unique team approach they called the Alliance Contracting Method. The UTA, City of Salt Lake, and Stacy Witbeck, worked as a team to identify cost-saving approaches such as geofoam, and then split the savings three ways.

http://www.stacywitbeck.com/

http://www.kiewit.com/


Minneapolis Bridge Replacement —Smarter Bridges Innovation: Embedded Sensors & LED Lighting

Owner: Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT)

Partners: FIGG Engineering, Flatiron Constructors and Manson Construction

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Cost: $234 million

Completion Date: December 2008

The 2009 opening of the 10-lane, 504-foot St. Anthony Falls Bridge to replace the I-35W Bridge, which tragically col-lapsed August 2007, is considered one of the most impressive infrastructure projects of the decade—not just because it was completed in just over a year, and three months ahead of sched-ule—but because it’s probably one of the smartest bridges in the world. Designed and built by FIGG Engineering, Flatiron Constructors and Manson Construction, dozens of innovations were literally built into the bridge itself, among them embed-ded sensors, LED lighting, light-activated, pollution-devouring concrete, and self-consolidating concrete. Equipped with 323 sensors embedded in different sections, information about not only the bridge’s temperature (for release of anti-icing chemi-cals) but also its design and construction will allow researchers at the University of Minnesota to collect and analyze data for use by future generations of designers and engineers. The bridge is lit entirely with light-emitting diodes (LED), literally mark-ing it as the first application of LED solid-state lighting on a major highway. Including the bridge’s 504-ft span as well as the adjacent roadways on either side, it’s durable, energy-efficient LED unit stretches 1,300 feet and covers 10 lanes of traffic. The LEDs use a fraction of the energy of standard highway lighting, and require significantly less maintenance. The pavement itself is mixed with an Italian compound called TX Active, which creates photo catalytic process activated by ultraviolet light on the sur-face of the concrete, turning pollutants such as sulfur dioxides and carbon monoxide into salt.

Re-HEAT Hot-in-Place Recycling— Double Duty Paving Equipment Innovation: Cost-effective, carbon-reducing paving equipment

Company: Gallagher Asphalt Corporation

Location: Chicago, Illinois

After a pilot project on the badly eroded Carondolet Avenue last fall, the city of Chicago appears to be poised to incorporate the Re-HEAT Hot-in-Place (HIR) process into its resurfacing program for 2012. Hot-in-Place recycling, a process pioneered by Gallagher Asphalt Corporation, makes road repairs using 100 percent existing pavement and without having to add an overlay afterwards. The company estimates public agencies can make repairs for about 30 percent less than the cost of the conventional mill and overlay approach and reduce their carbon footprint by 63 percent compared to more traditional methods. With shrinking transportation budgets, recycling pavement is becoming a popular way for local agencies to do more with less. Re-HEAT begins with the pre-heater unit gradually heating the existing two to three inches of asphalt pavement to approxi-mately 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The second unit, the heater/recycler, then continues to gradually bring the temperature of the pavement up to approximately 350 degrees Fahrenheit when paddles underneath the unit begin to collect the heated and softened material into a windrow, where it is fed into on on-board asphalt drum mixer. Within the horizontal drum mixer, the rejuvenating oil is uniformly applied and thoroughly mixed while the heating process is maintained within the drum. Less than a minute later, the recycled hot mix is distributed out of the drum onto the pavement where it is augured and put through a traditional asphalt paving screed. The paving screed ensures proper slope and grade is delivered to this final surface course. Immediately following the second unit is a traditional steel drum vibratory roller to achieve specified density. Minutes later, the road will be open to traffic.

http://www.figgbridge.com/

http://www.flatironcorp.com/

http://www.mansonconstruction.com/

http://www.mansonconstruction.com/

http://www.gallagherasphalt.com/


Manchaca Expressway (SH 45 Southwest)—From Expressway to “Greenway” Innovation: “Greener and Cleaner”

Owner: Texas Department of Transportation

Partner: AECOM

Location: Austin, Texas

Cost: $76 million

Completion Date: Currently in the Schematic and Environmental Phase

What happens when you take equal parts water, transportation, and environment and mix in some planning, design and devel-opment? You get an innovative roadway design that wins first place in the 2011 “Green Mobility Challenge” hosted by the Texas Department of Transportation and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. AECOM’s winning design for the Manchaca GreenWay —greenway being much more appropriate than “expressway”—was about shifting the road’s mission from that of a single purpose spine to that of a multi-purpose network of connectivity opportunities for communities, people and wildlife. The design’s unique ideas include: building a contiguous park with shared-use path along the entire corridor; using state-of-the-art intersection design to eliminate traffic signals; using green shoulders and bio filtration to protect the nearby Edwards aquifer; and building special roadway crossings to serve as wildlife corridors. The road is designed to fit the land by using a very wide median that allowed each travel lane to be adjusted independently. Medians serve as bioswales that handle stormwater runoff, which is then treated to remove total suspended solids, and a double teardrop interchange increases capacity with fewer approach lanes, and is expected to reduce accidents by 78 percent while improving traffic flow.

http://www.aecom.com/

May-June 201236 TransportationBuilderImagine the result

Living and working in the same communities you do, we understand the impact of fast connections and mobility choices on the quality of your life.

At ARCADIS, we create connections, designing efficient, well-running transportation systems that bring mobility, safety and improved quality of life to our communities.

We connect our clients with the answers they need – whether solid engineering or cutting-edge technology – because we have the management and business sense to know the difference.

Contact us at [email protected] to learn about mobility solutions for your community.

www.arcadis-us.com

Connecting Lives and Livelihoods

http://www.arcadis-us.com

May-June 2012 TransportationBuilder 37Imagine the result

Living and working in the same communities you do, we understand the impact of fast connections and mobility choices on the quality of your life.

At ARCADIS, we create connections, designing efficient, well-running transportation systems that bring mobility, safety and improved quality of life to our communities.

We connect our clients with the answers they need – whether solid engineering or cutting-edge technology – because we have the management and business sense to know the difference.

Contact us at [email protected] to learn about mobility solutions for your community.

www.arcadis-us.com

Connecting Lives and Livelihoods

Today’s highway contractors are facing unprecedented chal-lenges from shrinking U.S. and state transportation depart-

ment budgets, long bid lists as building contractors penetrate their market, rising fuel prices, an increase in subcontractor default risk, and ever-changing weather patterns impacting work schedules. Bid spreads are narrow and every contractor is carefully examining costs to look for a competitive advantage.

With a transitioning insurance market reflecting rate increases for many contractors, a highway contractor’s casualty insur-ance cost may be four percent or more of its bid price, pushing contractors to explore alternatives that lower cost and provide an opportunity for profit. Many contractors find that group captives provide both of these benefits.

Consider three traditional market programs, which expose contractors to market volatility that could lead to sharp rises in costs—even when contractors report favorable loss experi-ences—if and when the insurance market hardens:

• When comparing insurance options for workers’ com-pensation, general liability, and auto insurance coverages, contractors may choose guaranteed cost plans, with no de-ductibles, if they have annual premiums below $1,000,000 or if they prefer the certainty of insurance costs that only increase with a change in exposures.

• Loss-sensitive programs, including large deductible plans or retrospectively rated policies (where an insured’s final premium is based on the insured’s actual loss experience), generally offer lower net costs than guaranteed cost plans if retained losses remain at or below expected loss levels. Large deductible plans, however, typically include long-term collateral commitments while tax deductions for loss reserves are generally deferred until the year in which losses are paid.

• Retrospective (retro) programs may offer tax advantages, but generally carry higher costs than large deductible plans. Retros also include complex annual premium adjustments that can continue for many years while losses remain open.

Captives are often viewed as the privilege of only very large organizations. This is a misconception. In fact, group captives may be a very competitive insurance solution for large, me-dium, and small companies. A group captive insurance program typically removes contractors from the traditional insurance market fluctuations to a significant extent, reduces collateral requirements, reduces costs through group buying power, and provides opportunities for dividends on investment income and underwriting profits from premiums paid to the group captive.

GROUP CAPTIVE OVERVIEW A group captive is an insurance company that is formed and owned by a group of companies to insure or reinsure the risks of its participants. Group captives are often established to insure a layer of the participant’s primary casualty insurance program (workers’ compensation, automobile, general liability.)

OWNERSHIP Each member would typically own a common and a preferred share in the captive. The preferred shareholder receives divi-dends from the captive for underwriting profit and investment income that would accumulate based on the member’s loss experience.

GROUP CAPTIVE STRUCTURE The captive is typically a reinsurer to a fronting company, an established insurance company licensed to do business in the United States. Typically, each captive member would receive insurance policies that would be similar to policies purchased by most contractors and would meet the requirements needed for the industry. The captive member would pay premiums based on the fact that the fronting company issuing the policy has a special reinsurance arrangement with the group captive rein-surer.

SIMPLIFIED PREMIUM CALCULATION Expected Losses +Operating Costs = Premium

Premiums in a group captive are often determined by each member’s expected claims. The expected claims are developed by an actuary.* The expected losses are the basis from which all other premium costs are developed. The operating costs for the

Insurance A cost or an opportunity for profit?

by James Bly



captive are added to the expected losses to determine the pre-miums for each member. Operating costs encompass premiums charged by the fronting company plus the costs to operate the captive. Operating costs are a fixed percentage of the overall premium. This means that directly controlling the expected losses will control overall costs and dictate the overall premium.

BENEFITS OF A GROUP CAPTIVE The following are some of the benefits of using a group captive:

• Cost reduction—group captives typically have lower expense ratios than commercial insurers.

• Cost stabilization—expected losses are a key element in determining premium. Expected losses are often calcu-lated using a five-year history; therefore each member’s premium is determined by an average of its last five years loss history versus the impact of one large recent loss.

• Leverage with commercial insurers—group purchase of insurance by the group captive creates more leverage with commercial insurers.

• More control—all aspects of a group captive add up to more control, including what’s covered by insurance; when premiums are paid; how premiums are invested; and who provides cost containment services such as claims handling and loss control.

• Potential tax benefits—It is our understanding that: if you self-insure, you need to predict and accrue for losses as soon as their potential is known, but you may not be able to take a tax deduction until the losses are actually paid. Un-der a properly structured captive arrangement, the premi-ums paid to the captive may be tax deductible. Additionally, the captive structure may help accelerate the deduction for losses as the captive is able to establish reserves for the ma-jority of ultimate projected losses on its income statement immediately, rather than when losses are paid (Marsh does not provide, and the foregoing should not be relied upon as, tax advice. All matters dealing with tax issues should be directed to your own professional tax advisors.).

The positive aspects of a group captive are particularly con-spicuous in a hard insurance market, but they are all hallmarks of captive participation, whether the market is hard, soft, or somewhere in between.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER BEFORE JOINING A CAPTIVE Before joining a group captive, a highway contractor needs to consider the following factors:

• Is the captive focused on heavy/highway contractors and their needs?

• Do the front and reinsurer carriers understand highway construction? Are they committed to the industry?

• Does the captive provide a peer group environment that allows members to review and share with other similar members the risks and issues they face?

• Is the safety service provided by the captive specific to the heavy/highway industry?

• Do the claim service providers used by the group under-stand the needs of heavy highway contractors?

• What is the profile of a typical member and what level of risk sharing can be expected based on the member’s loss history?

• What are the collateral requirements, operating costs, and aggregate loss exposures as compared to the cost of a traditional insurance program (guaranteed cost or loss sensitive)?

• Are there penalties for early withdrawal?

Group captives can convert a contractor’s risk management from a cost to an opportunity for profit if incurred losses are below expected levels, and give contractors a source of funds to cover expected losses. If these losses do not materialize, the premiums paid to the captive come back to the shareholders in the form of dividends.

While group captive programs are not for everyone, their potential advantages have caused many contractors to reevaluate these alternatives in today’s competitive construction market. ARTBA, in conjunction with Marsh USA Inc., the industry-leading construction insurance and captive broker, has devel-oped a comprehensive risk management solution that includes a homogenous group captive. For more information, contact Rich Juliano, managing director, ARTBA’s Contractors Division at 202 289 4434 or Jim Bly, managing director, Marsh Con-struction Practice at 412 552 5028.

* Actuaries typically use standard industry loss development factors and incurred but not reported loss estimates to increase the A fund reserves to actuarially approved amounts.

James L. Bly is Marsh USA, Inc. managing director, Construction Practice: [email protected]



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September 18-20

www.lotransvirtualconference.org

http://www.ltap.org



For more than 30 years, ARTBA’s Transportation Officials Division

(TOD) hosted an annual conference for state and local transportation officials which attracted over 500 delegates. But as state budgets began to shrink in the early 1990’s, travel to conferences became difficult and less frequent. Today, travel for public officials is even harder. Yet the need for professional develop-ment, information sharing, networking and access to the latest products and services remains as strong as ever.

That’s why ARTBA’s TOD, the National Local Technical Assistance Program Association (NLTAPA) and the National As-sociation of County Engineers are resurrecting the conference concept, but with a 21st century twist.

We’re harnessing the power of digital media to bring a first-class, virtual education and exhibition experience directly to the desktops of tens of thousands of city and county government officials who annually manage $50 billion in transportation in-frastructure capital investments, maintenance, engineering and traffic services, and snow removal.

Scheduled for September 18-20, LōTrans™, the Local Trans-portation Asset Management Virtual Conference & Innovation

Showcase, will also feature “Best Practices in Work Zone Safety.”

“Think of LōTrans™ as webinars on steroids,” says 2012 ARTBA Chairman Paul Yarossi, president of HNTB Holdings.

No registration fees. No travel authorizations by city councils needed. No airfare, train, hotel or meal expenses. All you need is an Internet-equipped computer or laptop to connect from anywhere around the world.

The conference has two main tracks, including on one asset

management, and another on work zone safety, which is being hosted by the ARTBA Foundation-owned National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse (www.workzonesafety.org). More than 30 presentations are planned. Check out the list of confirmed session titles and speakers as of May 22 on page 42.

Leading industry firms will also be displaying their products and services.

A comprehensive prospectus explaining how “virtual booths” work and the various exhibiting opportunities can be found at www.lotransvirtualconference.org. Contact ARTBA’s Peter Embrey or Ed Tarrant at 202.289.4434 with questions.

ARTBA’s partner is 6Connex, which has a cutting-edge plat-form that seamlessly brings together—in real time, over ultra-high speed feeds—state-of-the-art computer animation and framing, live streaming and download video and digital content technologies, and interactive “chat room” networking.

LōTrans™ will be so interactive that participants may forget they are at their desks!

The days of unlimited travel budgets may have gone the way of the dinosaur, but the need for transportation officials to un-derstand how they can better serve their communities has not. This program will provide a meaningful, first-class professional development and networking experience for the largest audi-ence of local transportation officials ever gathered in one place, at one time… virtually!

Register for free now: www.lotransvirtualconference.org.

2012 LōTrans™ Virtual Conference & Innovation Showcase

September 18-20

www.lotransvirtualconference.org

by Beth McGinn

“Think of LōTrans™ as webinars on steroids”

featuring: Best Practices in Work Zone Safety






*Current sponsors & exhibitors:Federal Highway Administration3M“Better Roads”CaterpillarHCSSHoneywell Safety ProductsNational Steel Bridge AllianceNational Association of County EngineersNational Local Technical Assistance Program AssociationNational Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse“Roads & Bridges” Transpo Industries

*as of 5/22/12

PROGRAM* Transportation Asset Management

Key topics:•Localroadtrafficsafety•Environment•Communicatingmaintenanceandinfrastructure needs in the community•Emergencyoperations•Federal-aidessentialsforpublicagencies•TortLiability&RiskManagement•FHWA“EveryDayCounts”forlocals•Bridgepreservation

Welcome Message & LoTrans Overview •2012ARTBAChairmanPaulYarossi,HNTBHoldingspresident •2012ARTBATransportationOfficialsDivisionPresidentTimZahrn, Sangamon County (Ill.) Engineer

What Local Transportation Agency Executives Should Know about Tort Liability & Risk Management •MattDeVries,partner,StitesandHarbison,PLLC

Tips for Negotiating Successful Contracts with Architects & Engineering Firms •BuckHinkle,partner,StitesandHarbison,PLLC

Creating Work Plans to Maximize Staff Time & Meet Project Objectives • VictoriaBeale,OhioLTAPcenterdirector&assistantadministrator, Office of Training

Maximizing Local Public Agency Resources for Successful Federal-Aid Projects •DanCady,NebraskaLTAPdirector

Crisis Communications: How to Prepare for the Unexpected •MattJeanneret,ARTBAseniorvicepresidentofcommunications& marketing •BethMcGinn,ARTBAdirectorofpublicaffairs&newmedia

Grassroots Action 101: How Your Agency Can Build Federal & State Support for Local Transportation Investments •KenyonGleason,ARTBAvicepresidentofdevelopment&national field operations

Overview of Environmental Legal Issues •BillPenny,partner,StitesandHarbison,PLLC

What Agency Executives Need to Know about Utility Relocation •DavidRatterman,partner,StitesandHarbison,PLLC

42 TransportationBuilder

LōTrans™ Virtual Conference & Innovation Showcase

*Program as of May 22. Additional speakers and topics can be found at www.lotransvirtualconference.org.



Roadway Safety+ Series

Overview of Roadway Safety •DonElisburg,consultant

Speed Management in Work Zones •MelisaFinley,TexasTransportationInstitute,associate research engineer

Preventing Runovers & Backovers •EmmettRussell,formerInternationalUnionof Operating Engineers, safety and health director

Work Zone Safety: Motorcycles & Bicyclists • TravisParsons,Laborers’HealthandSafetyFundof North America, senior safety and health specialist

Occupational Hazards (Spanish) •OmarLopez,ARTBAsafetyandSpanishtraining specialist

Key topics:•Speedmanagementinworkzones•Avoidingrunoversandbackoversofworkers•Theartofmakingworkersandtrafficcontroldevicesvisible•Towardzerodeaths—fromconcepttoreality:anoverviewof safety efforts from around the world•Workzoneaccessandegressstrategies•Usingtechnologytomakeworkzonessafer•Safetystrategiesforlocalandruralroads•BestsafetypracticesfromleadingU.S.contractors•Communicatingwiththepublic—bestpractices

LōTrans™ Virtual Conference & Innovation Showcase

PROGRAM* Work Zone Safety Best Practices

Regular Sessions

Internal Traffic Control Plans •DaveFosbroke,NationalInstituteforOccupationalSafety& Health, statistician

The Art of Conspicuity •TimGardner,manager,regulatoryaffairs,PerformanceSafety Materials, 3M Occupational Health & Environmental Safety Division

Decade of Action for Roadway Safety •T.BellaDinh-Zarr,FIAFoundationsafetydirector

Best Contractor Safety Practices • BobJohnson,GraniteConstructionCompanydirectorofsafety

Why Investment in Safety Pays Back •BudWright,BarrierSystemstransportationpolicyconsultant

Moveable Barrier in Work Zones •JimKeaton,BarrierSystemsvicepresidentofsalesand marketing

Sign Management Strategies •EricHedman,marketingoperationsmanager,3MTrafficSafety Systems Division

Towards Zero Deaths •KellyHardy,AASHTOhighwaysafetyprogrammanager

Work Zone Safety—FHWA’s Perspective • TracyScriba,FHWAOfficeofOperations,workzoneprogram manager •PaulPisano,FHWAOfficeofOperations, work zone team leader

“What do you believe is the most important action your organization could take to improve safety in work zones?” •PanelPresentation

May-June 2012

*Program as of May 22. Additional speakers and topics can be found at www.lotransvirtualconference.org.



&Q A

FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez

Interviewed by ARTBA’s Beth McGinn

Victor Mendez is the administrator of the U.S. Department of Transporta-tion’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As the agency’s top official, he brings more than 20 years of experience on highway management and admin-istration issues. His lifelong interest in innovation and technology helped lead to creation of FHWA’s “Every Day Counts” initiative, which gives states tools to streamline construction proj-ects and cut costs. He previously served as director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, and holds a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso and an M.B.A. from Arizona State University.

Beth McGinn: Can you tell “Trans-portation Builder” readers a little about your background and why you chose a career in the transportation industry?Victor Mendez: From an early age, I excelled in math and science. Later in college, I took advanced courses in structures and just really liked using the concepts to solve problems. This led me to engineering work and my first job at the U.S. Forest Service. I worked on facilities and roadways there until I took a job with the Ari-zona Department of Transportation, which became my home for many years before FHWA. It was very clear to me then, as it is now, that trans-portation links our communities and businesses to economic opportunity and the future.

BM: How can we get more young people involved in careers in trans-portation design and construction in both the public and private sectors?VM: As a young person, I was attract-ed to work that inspired me. Getting young people involved in the trans-portation industry is about knowing your audience. Companies like Mc-Donald’s, Apple and Coca-Cola know how to get the attention of young audiences. Second, today’s youth have a serious interest in technology. Be-ing creative and innovative is second nature to them. By making innovation our business, not only are we getting good work done but we also inspire the next generation to find solutions

to deliver America’s transportation in a safer, smarter and better manner. Anything the industry can do to find the right experienced professionals to train young people, as well as support science, technology, engineering and math will help future engineers find their right career path. I am very con-fident that the young generation will find innovative solutions to the trans-portation challenges of their time!

BM: You have long been an ad-vocate for fostering innovation in transportation development. What got you interested in this issue?VM: My most important goal has been to always bring real solutions, not theoretical ones, to the table and to deliver results for American taxpay-ers. In the transportation industry, we need to be asking, “What have we done to change our industry? Are we doing the same thing we are doing 10 years ago?” Often the answer is “yes.” Innovation champions bring change, and challenges are opportunities in disguise—that’s how we need to look at it. The world doesn’t stop changing or growing, so neither should we.

BM: Several years ago, you launched the “Every Day Counts” (EDC) innovation initiative to help identify and deploy innovation aimed at reducing the time it takes to deliver highway projects, enhance safety, and protect the environment. What has been the reaction from state DOTs? The private sector? Are there any success stories you care


to share with our readers?VM: Response from our partners and stakeholders has been fantastic—from state and local agencies and from our private sector partners. We launched EDC at a critical time for the econo-my. Government at all levels is forced to do more with less, while taxpayers are demanding more for their dollar. The significant interest in acceler-ated bridge construction and in the use of prefabrication continues to grow across America. All the states are working with us to implement several EDC strategies and technologies. To cite a few examples, projects like the Fast 14 project last summer in Massa-chusetts and the recent bridge slide in Mesquite, Nevada are demonstrating the benefits and advancing the practice of these new technologies. Innovation in bridge construction saves the trav-eling public time and money and gets those projects open and traffic flow-ing sooner, rather than later. That’s success.

BM: What challenges has the EDC initiative faced?VM: Change, for any industry, can be difficult. The industry struggles to balance the time needed to learn new methods and the initial cost of a new practice, even when we know it saves money in the long-term. Another challenge is the agencies’ and contrac-tors’ desire to understand and control risk. It is important to have the facts, be able to clearly show the value,

provide a clear pathway to success and provide support and assistance to all who are moving forward. Economic conditions place substantial burdens on our industry, and we need to find ways to incentivize initiative and in-novation. In the long run, the industry will be better able to deliver projects in a more efficient manner.

BM: Which states do the best job of using innovative practices or tech-nologies to help control costs or deliver projects quickly?VM: One way of looking at this is by seeing how many states have partici-pated—in some way or another—in the Every Day Counts initiative. We have 100 percent of the states actively pursuing many of the EDC strategies. Every single state has been involved in some way or another. It’s safe to say every state is looking to do more with less. Some states are even develop-ing their own versions of innovative programs. Whether it is accelerated bridge construction, the Safety Edge, new ideas in pavements or other strategies, all the states are moving forward and improving their delivery mechanisms to serve the citizens of their communities.

BM: What do you see as the big-gest obstacle to bringing new and innovative products and practices into the transportation construction market place? How do we overcome them?VM: The biggest obstacle is one that

Beth McGinn is ARTBA director of public affairs & new media: [email protected].

all levels of industry, business and government face—the need to adapt rapidly to a changing world. There must be a willingness to try new things and accept the small amount of risk in order to achieve success. Countries around the world look to the U.S. for innovations in infrastruc-ture, but we have to continue resisting any thought that it’s just easier to keep doing things the same way. When you hear, “No, we can’t do that,” you have to ask why—sometimes over and over again—to break through with a solu-tion. Attitude and willingness to find solutions and deliver results are at the core of accepting change. Innovation, ingenuity, imagination and invention will most certainly move our industry forward to today’s demanding world.



ARTBA’s Regulatory Advocacy Focuses on Market Protection

by Nick Goldstein

In the last issue of “TB,” I highlighted ARTBA’s three major environmental

legal victories on the industry’s behalf during the first quarter of 2012. Winning in court is only one part of what ARTBA does to protect the transportation construction industry. Another essential component is our regulatory advocacy program.

On average, ARTBA files between 25 and 30 sets of regulatory comments annually—all are aimed at helping ensure the industry’s voice is being heard before the Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Highway Administra-tion (FHWA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), just to name a few.

In 2012, ARTBA’s efforts are paying off for the transportation sector, just like previous years. So far, our regulatory achievements include:

• A February 3 FHWA draft policy paper implementing regulations on impacts from

transportation projects to historic sites and wildlife refuges. It continues a 2006 rulemaking process which ARTBA originally participated in and raised a number of substantive issues. ARTBA applauded FHWA for following through on issues the as-sociation first raised back in 2006, but also cautioned the agency not to add unnecessary delays to an already lengthy process.

• A February 16 EPA decision to issue new stormwater permits for construction sites without “one- size-fits-all” numeric standards long opposed by ARTBA. Origi-nally, EPA had wanted to include a single, uniform standard in all of its permits for all construc-tion sites, meaning that a project in an extremely wet area would be treated the same as one in an extremely dry area for stormwater runoff purposes. ARTBA has been consistently submitting comments and testimony to EPA urging any

future stormwater permits must be flexible enough to account for different weather conditions across the country under which projects are built. EPA’s decision not to include a numeric standard in their new permits clearly show ARTBA’s advice had an effect.

• A March 22 Obama Administra-tion Executive Order establish-ing a “Steering Committee on Federal Infrastructure Permitting and Review Process Improve-ment” comprised of members from multiple federal agencies including DOT and EPA. Among the con-cepts mentioned in the Adminis-tration’s Order are a number of ideas long championed by ARTBA which would reduce delays, such as greater coordination among federal agencies and reducing unnecessary duplicative work during the project review process.

ARTBA knows you have businesses to run and don’t have the time or the desire to pour over hundreds of “Federal Reg-ister” pages each day to find out what the government is doing. That’s why we’ve got your back. Rest assured, ARTBA will continue to be your “regulatory watch-dog” in D.C., and work overtime to help prevent unnecessary and burdensome regulations that hinder the transportation construction market.

Nick Goldstein is ARTBA vice president of environmental & regulatory affairs: [email protected]




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OSHA is aligning HCS with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), a global hazard communication system developed by the United Nations (UN) that standardizes the classification of chemicals and the communication of hazards via labels and Material Safety Data Sheets. With GHS alignment, the classification of chemicals will include the categorization of hazards based upon severity. Other changes will significantly alter labels and safety data sheets.

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RegionalMeetingsNOVEMBER&DECEMBER 2012

For more information: Ed Tarrant at 202.289.4434, [email protected]. Brie Johnson at 202.289.4434, [email protected]

November 29-30Hyatt Rosemont O’Hare AirportChicago, Ill.

November 27-28Hyatt at Fisherman’s WharfSan Franciso, Calif.

December 5-6Seaport HotelBoston, Mass.

December 3-4Hilton Atlanta Airport HotelAtlanta, Ga.

Central Meeting

Western Meeting

Northeastern Meeting

Southern Meeting




RegionalMeetings

Southern Meeting

AEM corner

Machinery Innovation for Quality of LifeIn this issue of “Transportation Builder,” the Association of Equipment Manufac-turers (AEM) joins ARTBA in celebrat-ing innovation in our industries and how manufacturers and contractors provide the highest quality of life people have ever enjoyed.

Every day, builders and contractors are using equipment to create necessary and elegant transportation structures. New bridges often resemble works of art as much as they are practical and essential for efficiency in surface transportation.

In the equipment manufacturing uni-verse, innovators draw on many surpris-ing resources for their ideas. One such innovator is LeRoy Hagenbuch, P.E., co-founder and president of the engi-neering firm Phillipi-Hagenbuch, Inc., based in Peoria, Ill., and an AEM member company.

Hagenbuch, credited with more than 80 patents, was inducted into the AEM Hall of Fame in 2008. An adequate list of his contributions to our high quality of life could fill pages of this magazine. His thoughts on innovation and product development deserve our attention.

“The inventor is out in front of the crowd looking at situations and seeing solutions,” Hagenbuch says. “But if an idea cannot be produced for commercial purposes, manufacturers will not want to make it. The goal is not just theoretical solutions, but real, workable solutions.”

Many of Hagenbuch’s innovative solu-tions have certainly been commercially embraced. “Our technology for on-board weighing is used by almost all the major manufacturers of off-road trucks,” Hagenbuch said.

How does a would-be engineer choose a discipline to prepare for a career of such innovation and creativity? Hagen-buch grew up on a farm where the inde-pendent farmer-small businessman needs to know something about everything. He says the answer is to avoid specialization.

“The best engineer is a generalist,” Hagenbuch said. “How many people truly stay in civil, electrical, or chemi-cal engineering for their whole career?

Very few. My advice is to be as general as possible. My degree was in ag engineer-ing and because of that I was exposed to all the engineering areas and became well rounded rather than overly specialized.”

With his knowledge of all aspects of engineering—gears, linkages, lubricants, fuels, soil analysis, electricity, etc.—Hagenbuch had the ideal background for inventing and innovating.

So how does an entrepreneur such as Hagenbuch get the attention of manu-facturers? He said he prefers face-to-face meetings, such as the CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show, which takes place every three years in Las Vegas. “CONEXPO-CON/AGG has three values for our company: customers—meeting and talking with existing customers and developing new ones; and introducing new products; and staying abreast of the industry while looking for new ideas from other disciplines that we can apply to our products.”

For contractors to compete they need innovative new products as well. AEM’s more than 850 member companies and CONEXPO-CON/AGG’S more than 2000 exhibitors have what you’re looking for. Check it out at www.aem.org and www.conexpoconagg.com

Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) provides trade and business development services for companies that manufacture equipment, products and services used world-wide in the agricultural, construc-tion, forestry, mining and utility sectors.

Innovator LeRoy Hagenbuch

http://www.aem.org

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http://www.aem.org/


ADVERTISER INDEX

Promote your company’s products and services in “TB!”

Contact ARTBA’s Peter Embrey at 202.289.4434 or [email protected]

Check out our rates in the 2012 media kit available at www.transportationbuilder.org

Advertise with “Transportation Builder”

“ARTBA reserves the right, at its discretion and without liability of any nature whatsoever, to reject, cancel or suspend any advertis-ing in whole or in part, in which case any fees paid in advance shall be refunded to the advertiser on a pro-rata basis.”

HIGHWAY SAFETY PRODUCTS & RESOURCES

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ENGINEER CONSULTANTS & SOLUTIONS

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COMPACTION EQUIPMENT

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TESTING & MONITORING SYSTEMS

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CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS

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Documents

May/June 2012 "Transportation Builder" magazine