Experts Talk Transportation
An Interview Series Exploring New Trends and Approaches
Experts Talk is an interview series with technical leaders from across our transportation practice, focusing on some of the most pressing concerns and disruptive trends affecting the industry today. Each interview illuminates a different aspect of transportation infrastructure planning, design and delivery, including:
- Technology Planning & Integration
- Emerging Mobility
- Alternative Project Delivery
- Sustainability & Resiliency
- Project Planning & Design
Check back regularly to gain insights from specialized experts and thought leaders behind our award-winning, full-service consulting practice. Contact HDRTransportation [at] hdrinc.com for more information.
Technology Planning & Integration
Electric Fleet Charging Infrastructure Design
Converting a fleet to all-electric involves a lot more than buying new vehicles and accepting the charge they provide. Senior distribution engineer Justin Merkel explores how to design infrastructure and operating protocols that match the right charging strategy to manage electric demand.
Connected and Automated Vehicle Microsimulation
What impact will connected and automated vehicles have on transportation agencies' infrastructure? Senior traffic engineer Mike Forsberg shares how microsimulation holds almost limitless potential to help agency leaders make better-informed decisions.
All-Electronic Tolling for Managed Lanes and Toll Roads
As electronic tolling technologies have developed over the last decade, transportation professionals are seeing a switch from manual toll collection to all-electronic tolling collections. Engineer Phil Riggio answers four questions about the advancements taking place in AET for managed lanes and toll roads.
Integrated Bridge Systems
Engineers developing intelligent transportation systems or structural health monitoring for bridges today need to constantly leverage emerging technologies to enhance public safety. We asked engineer Michael Whalen five questions about how the advanced technologies used in today’s integrated bridge systems benefit both the public and owner-operators.
Structural Health Monitoring
Structural health monitoring technology is more user-friendly than ever, making it possible to design and manage infrastructure assets to maximize value and make efficient use of maintenance resources. Engineer Duncan Paterson shares how structural health monitoring has changed in recent years and how that has influenced bridge design.
Emerging Mobility
Converting to an Electric Bus Fleet
Converting to all-electric bus fleets can help get us closer to a zero emission future, but the process is complicated. Transit veteran Harpal Kapoor provides a road map for how to approach a fleet conversion and discusses some of the challenges that often appear during the process.
Impact of Autonomous Vehicles on Urban Transit
Autonomous vehicles expected to play an ever greater role in public transit options, improving access and boosting services for citizens. What are the impacts for government agencies, and what about others who share the roads? Josh Sikich, a transportation technology program manager explores that and more.
Implications of AV/CVs on City Development
Emerging technologies, such as automated and connected vehicle adoption, can maximize land use and minimize long-term maintenance costs due to high-density development. Transportation planner Justin Robbins discusses how these disruptive technologies could reshape the way that cities are planned.
Alternative Project Delivery
Mega Project Management for Signature Bridge Delivery
Designers of important, signature bridges also must be able to develop innovative solutions, coordinate multi-national design teams and execute comprehensive quality plans throughout the entire delivery process. Project manager and engineer Jeff Han talks about using highly technical teams to manage quality and risk on large-scale projects.
Accelerated Bridge Construction
Applying the techniques used in accelerated bridge construction to some or all structural members can expand design possibilities while safely accelerating delivery. If speed is the highest priority, senior bridge engineer Nick Burdette explains how we can replace bridges very quickly, sometimes in as little as a weekend.
Sustainability & Resiliency
Seismic Resiliency in Bridge Design
Using seismic analysis in bridge design and retrofits can create safer, more sustainable structures at similar construction costs. Bridge engineer Kuang Lim, who's worked on some of the most recognizable bridges in the nation, explains why seismic considerations are important, even outside of earthquake-prone areas.
Durable Airfield Pavement Solutions
With increasingly tight budgets for airfield pavement construction, renovations and repairs, it’s vital to ensure that new pavement is durable. Senior airfield paving engineer BJ Skar discusses how to tailor projects to each unique airfield and create pavement projects that will serve airport facilities for decades.
Project Planning & Design
Transportation Systems Management and Operations
Systemically using creative TSMO strategies can improve transportation infrastructure, and planners and engineers can find ways to do more with less — and do it smarter. Senior transportation project manager Matthew Volz talks about how to find efficient ways to handle transportation problems and inefficiencies.
Optimizing Airport Construction Safety and Phasing Plans
Engaging stakeholders early and encouraging flexibility can head off problems on airport projects, says aviation expert Joe Grubbs. He describes strategies for getting stakeholders involved in the development of construction safety and phasing plans, and he explains how doing so can help mitigate any potential disruptions.
3D Design and Deliverables
As 3D design tools have become more commonplace in the transportation industry, some organizations and agencies are exploring and adopting the use of 3D models as the binding legal deliverable for projects as well. Highways Director Will Sharp and building information modeling expert Connor Christian discuss this sea change in project design and delivery and its implications for stakeholders.
Holistic Airport Design
Every airport project, no matter the size or complexity, should take into account how it will affect and be affected by all other aspects of the airport, says veteran aviation architect Kevin Ashton. He explains why collaboration and a big-picture approach are needed to achieve the best, most cohesive design in airports.
Movable Bridge Solutions
Expert Rob Moses' innovations have influenced the design, inspection and rehabilitation of more than 200 bascule, swing and vertical-lift bridges, and other movable structures, including retractable stadium roofs. He talks about the emerging technologies that will impact movable bridges and the operations and maintenance schedules that make them unique.
Bridge Innovation through Collaboration
The most successful innovations are born through smart collaboration, when unique perspectives join together toward a common goal that benefits all team members. Learn from Tammy Heffron, one of our regional bridge leaders, about the keys to a successful collaborative process and how to grow ideas into solutions.
Bridge Design Innovation
“Because we’ve always done it this way,” is not part of bridge engineer Manuel Carballo’s vocabulary. We talked with him about how bridge design is evolving and how innovative design is dependent on the people who drive it.
