ACEC/NC NCDOT Joint Transportation Conference

Description

Online registration is now closed.  Please contact Jessica Mills for information on the conference.
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ACEC/NC NCDOT Transportation Conference, the largest transportation event in the state, explores the latest transportation innovations and provides attendees with the chance to network with other professionals.

Agenda

Tuesday, October 20th | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Pre-conference Reception
Come early and enjoy an opportunity to network with colleagues, exhibitors and conference sponsors! 

Wednesday, October 21
7:15-8:00 am: Registration, Networking Breakfast
8:00-9:30 am: General Session (1.5 PDH)
Guest Speakers: 
Pat McCrory, NC Governor
Nick Tennyson,  NCDOT Secretary
Mike Holder, PE, NCDOT Chief Engineer
Rodger Rochelle, PE, NCDOT Technical Services Administrator
Bill Hood, PE, ACEC/NC President

9:30-10:15 am: Break
10:15-12:15 pm: Morning Concurrent Workshops (2 PDH)

    - Funding, Financing & Project Delivery
This session will deal with the latest trends in North Carolina in regards to funding, financing, and alternative project delivery.  The session will include insight into the latest P3 collaboration on I-77, a look at how the Triangle Expressway is doing financially, a discussion of I-40 “Fortify” Implementation and innovative construction methods, and a look into SPOT 4.0 and legislative matters.
Speakers                   
Rodger Rochelle, PE NCDOT Technical Services
Beau Memory, NC Turnpike Authority
Dennis Jernigan, PE, NCDOT, Division 5
Chad Critcher, PE, RS&H
Ryan Holloway, PE, Granite Construction
Alpesh Patel, PE NCDOT STIP Programming
David Wasserman, PE, NCDOT, Prioritization Office
    - Hot Rocks, Wetlands, Endangered Species and a Tunnel
This session will feature an exciting combination of important, interesting, and unrelated environmental topics.  The session will cover a mixed bag of subjects including updates to the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species List; NCDOT’s procedures for mitigation streamlining and wetland modeling; acid producing Hot Rocks; and the re-purposing of the historic Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel for use as a trail.  Attendees will leave this session with project-relevant information and entertained by details of a fascinating tunnel project in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.
Speakers                    
Jody Kuhne, LG,PE, Regional Geological Engineer, NCDOT Geological Engineering Unit
Sarah McRae, Aquatic Endangered Species Biologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Wayne F. Nolde, PE, CCM, Board of Directors Member for Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel Foundation, Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel Restoration Project
Leilani Paugh, ICI/On-Site Mitigation Group Leader, NCDOT PDEA Natural Environment Section
Morgan Weatherford, Environmental Program Supervisor II, NCDOT PDEA Natural Environment Section
    - Cool Projects
This year’s “Cool Projects” session will showcase three extremely cool projects. The world’s longest, single-tower self-anchored suspension bridge able to withstand even the most powerful earthquakes will showcase its ground breaking seismic innovations.  The first-of-its-kind military research facility that simulates a real-world “battle laboratory” will take you into a fully functional small city with an extensive network of roadways, train tracks and an underground subway station.  And last but certainly not least, how imaginative engineering turned a suburb into a national model of a Low-Impact Development (LID) system that can provide flood control, water quality protection, drinking water recharge, and zero storm water discharge without the use of the typical “pipe and pump” system.
Speakers:           
Bob Dameron, PE, Moffatt & Nichol
Jeff Shelden, PE, Moffatt & Nichol
Ron Smith, Mason & Hanger (div of Day & Zimmerman)
Brett Emmons, PE, Env SP, LEED AP, Emmons & Olivier Resources, Inc.

12:30-2:00 pm Lunch & Keynote Speaker (1 PDH)
Lieutenant Jason Redman (Ret.) is a former U.S. Navy SEAL. He is the founder and spokesperson of the non-profit organization Wounded Wear, and the author of the memoir The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Officer.
Lt. Jason Redman Bio

2:00-2:45 pm Afternoon Break, Networking
2:45-4:45 pm: Afternoon Concurrent Workshops (2 PDH)

    - Finding Our Way: 100 Years of Transportation in NC
From the creation of the North Carolina Highway Commission in 1915 until today, North Carolina’s Transportation Infrastructure has undergone many changes.  This session will highlight major milestones in the state’s transportation history.  Speakers will discuss the formation of the Highway Commission; how North Carolina became known as the “Good Roads State”; how the interstate system was created; and how the Highway Commission was transformed into the modern-day North Carolina Department of Transportation to include many non-highway programs.  The session will also include a presentation on the history of passenger rail. 
Following these presentations, a panel discussion will feature the evolution of NCDOT practices in recent decades, from the design, construction and maintenance of our roads and bridges, to the environmental concerns, public involvement and laws that have shaped the planning process.
As the transportation industry looks to the future, this session will serve as a reminder of how far it has already come.
Speakers:       
Walter Turner, retired, NC Transportation Museum
David Robinson, PhD, PE, Simpson Engineers
Len Sanderson, PE, Parsons Brinckerhoff
Jack Murdock, retired, NCDOT Secondary Roads
Judith Corley-Lay, PhD, PE, NCDOT Pavement Management
    - The Jetsons are Closer Than You Think: The Future of Transportation
This session will feature 3 topics including "Real time traffic data & congestion management using WiFi technology",  The "Unmanned Aircraft:  Making Aviation an Every Day Thing" presentation which will review the current activities of the NextGen Air Transportation Program for integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, aka "drones") into daily operations, and "How to Plan  for Automated Transit Networks". They are operating in five different countries and commercially available from four different suppliers. The range of capabilities and costs of these systems is addressed along with other key planning parameters. The audience will be educated as to how to make a preliminary assessment of the suitability of ATN as a solution for a specific transportation application.
Speakers:                  
Jim Lampe, Control Technologies Inc.
Kyle Snyder, Director NGAT Program
Peter Muller, President PRT Consulting
Richard M. Biter, Assistant Secretary of Intermodal Systems Development, Florida Department of Transportation
    - Planes, Trains, and “NO” automobiles
This session will address issues related to air and rail transportation. Since its ceremonial groundbreaking in 1935, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has grown into the sixth largest airport in the nation based on total operations. CLT continues to grow under an experienced team of industry professionals. One of these professionals, Jack Christine, Deputy Aviation Director, will present the current master plan and discuss development, operations, and new facilities. Next, the aviation and aerospace industries in NC produce a combined $26 Billion in Economic Impact to the state’s economy, according to a 2012 study by NCDOT/ITRE.  More than 100,000 North Carolinians are employed by this sector.  The state’s 72 public airports play a vital role in supporting these industries and in promoting our state globally to aircraft designers, operators, manufacturers, maintenance companies, and logistics providers.  Kevin Baker, Executive Director of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority will present a case study of just one of those airports and the economic impact it helps generate. Finally…David Charters, Manager for Design and Engineering for Triangle Transit (now GoTriangle), will present the status of the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project (D-O LRT). The D‐O LRT includes 17 miles of light rail with 17 stations from UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill to Alston Ave in Durham. Each of these three projects reflects the positive impact aviation and light rail transportation systems can have both locally, regionally, and nationally.
Speakers:
Jack Christine, Deputy Aviation Director of Charlotte Douglas Airport, City of Charlotte
Kevin Baker, PE, Executive Director at Piedmont-Triad International Airport, Piedmont Triad Airport Authority
David Charters, PE, Manager for Design and Engineering, Triangle Transit (now GoTriangle)

5:00-6:30 pm: Networking Reception & Raffle

Special Features
STEM Students: Competing for a Better North Carolina
For the first time, the ACEC/NC-NCDOT Joint Conference will feature the achievements of local STEM students. Conference participants can meet the winners of the 2015 NCDOT Model Bridge Competition, see the winning entries, and learn about the plans for next year’s model bridges. This will be a great opportunity to network with future engineers, scientists, and planners and to encourage these students to pursue careers in engineering and transportation. 

Throughout the conference, attendees will be able to enjoy artwork submitted by area students as part of NCDOT’s Aviation Art Contest, which is designed to engage young people in the aviation and aeronautics fields. 

We are proud of our STEM students, and look forward to their participation and showcase at the 2015 conference!




Exhibitors

Sponsorship Opportunities


Traveling from out of town? 
Please CLICK HERE for information about our ACEC/NC group rate at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel. This block expires on September 20, 2015.  Subject to availability.