Transportation Track Schedule

The Transportation Track will take place Feb 1st-3rd with classes from 12:30pm-4pm CT on Monday, 10am-4pm CT on Tuesday, and 10am-4pm CT on Wednesday.

The Transportation Track provides a forum for DOT and Public Agency professionals from across the country to collaborate, sharing best practices and innovations that stretch their budgets while taking care of their citizens transportation needs.  This year’s Transportation Track is just as exciting as in past years.  Topics include research, asset management, resiliency, innovation, accelerated bridge construction, bridge inspection – underwater, revisions/standards.  Instructors from several State  DOTs and local agencies will share their success stories and best practices. 

Below is a description of the different classes available during the Transportation Tracks.  Click here to see the Technical Track schedule.

Return to Pipe School Schedule Page.
Transportation Class Outline (click to jump to track)

Virtual Plant Tour

Welcome Session

Resilience and Sustainability

Industry Leadership Panel

Getting to Know AASHTO

Redecking a Bridge Using Accelerated Bridge Construction

Underwater & UAV Bridge Inspections

Partnering with Industry

The Long and Winding Road Back to Sustainable Culverts

North Carolina’s DOT’s Use of QCast

Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP)

Lateral Bridge Slide – Accelerated Bridge Practices

Pipe Installations – Concrete or Thermoplastic – What Difference Does it Make

Transportation

Virtual Plant Tour

Michael Kusch, P.E. – Foley Products | Al Hogan, P.E. – ACPA.

Learn the inner workings of a concrete pipe plant as we go on a virtual tour inside Foley Product’s Franklin, TN, Plant.  Our tour guides will walk through the production process to produce RCP.  Students will be have a chance to learn the following:

  • How our plants utilize the local supply chain of raw materials
  • See the process and timing of combining all the local raw materials into a finished RCP product
  • Observe some of the quality control and checks that go into producing a high quality finished and engineered  product
  • and observe our most important strength confirmation test to confirm our product is structurally adequate before it leaves our plant site

Welcome Session

Speaker:  Craig Stevens – Delaware DOT

Welcome to the Pipe School 2021 Transportation Track! Craig Stevens will open the Transportation Track with a message for his fellow agency engineers. Craig has attended Pipe School each year over the last four years, often participating in poster sessions or speaking about the pipe and drainage program at Delaware DOT. This year Craig will open the Transportation Track and share some of the takeaways he’s gotten from past Pipe Schools, and some tips for how to get the most out of the first ever virtual Pipe School experience in 2021.

Resilience and Sustainability

Speaker:  Tom Macioce, P.E. – PennDOT  |  Nick Vivian, P.E. – PennDOT

Increasing storm intensity and frequency have become widely accepted in the engineering community primarily because engineers use historical data to inform their designs. But with more severe storms becoming the norm, the stationarity of this data is significantly less than reliable. Agencies must plan for climate and weather-related disasters by improving the resilience, durability and sustainability of civil infrastructure materials and designs. The urgency of climate change lands solidly in the engineer’s lap, and in order to successfully design for it, the engineer must be given the autonomy to choose materials for their projects.

Industry Leadership Panel

Put on by the Women in Concrete Alliance, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA).

Engage with industry leaders and gain unique insights in this panel put on by the Women in Concrete Alliance, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA).

The panel, featuring executives at state highway agencies and moderated by Brandye Hendrickson, AASHTO Deputy Director, will provide their perspectives on issues facing every Department of Transportation (DOT) including: building for the future, state funding, challenges during the pandemic, and the engineer’s right to choose. The group of senior leaders will shed new light on pressing topics and provide implementable career tools.  Learn more about the panel.

Getting to Know AASHTO

Speaker:  Moe Jamshidi – Nebraska Department of Roadways   |  Dan Miller – Ohio DOT

The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all transportation modes including: air, highways, public transportation, active transportation, rail, and water. AASHTO works to educate the public and key decision makers about the critical role that transportation plays in securing a good quality of life and sound economy for our nation. AASHTO is an international leader in setting technical standards for all phases of highway system development. Standards are issued for design, construction of highways and bridges, materials, and many other technical areas. Some of the key points to be discussed in this session include:

  • If a DOT wants to join a technical committee, how would they get involved?
  • How does the AASHTO Standards development and revisions process work?
  • Why should states adopt AASHTO specifications rather than creating their own?
  • What is the relationship between ASTM and AASHTO specs? Are there always identical sister specs?
  • How are Materials committee members chosen?
    • Are members of 4a (Rigid Culverts) the same as members on 4b (Flexible Culverts)?
    • Is each member a specialist or are they assigned?
    • What type of relationship does industry have with the committees?

Redecking a Bridge Using Accelerated Bridge Construction

Speaker:  Kevin Lindell – DelDOT

This course presents the design and construction undertaken for the replacement of the existing I-95 NB bridge deck using accelerated bridge construction (ABC). The course will cover what ultimately led to the decision to use precast concrete panels with ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) to re-deck the bridge structure. The course will also cover the construction phasing and methods used to construct the new deck while on an accelerated schedule. Lastly, it will outline lessons learned and cover why this project was a success for the Department.

Underwater & UAV Bridge Inspections

Speaker:  Tracy Larkin – NVDOT  |  Jennifer Wells – MN DOT

The State of Nevada contains approximately 1850 bridges on its public roads and streets; approximately 1050 of these are on the State highway system. In general, bridges are designed and constructed with the intent of providing a large margin of safety and a long service life (75 years) for the traveling public. This is accomplished through the application of stringent design criteria and construction specifications. Nevertheless, all structural elements deteriorate over time, sometimes prematurely, and, if left unchecked, will eventually present a hazard to bridge users. Therefore, a systematic program of periodic bridge inspections is necessary to evaluate condition and functionality, to detect structural problems and to extend the useful life of the bridge. Of course, the program must be developed recognizing economic constraints

Inspectors can observe structural conditions above water well in advance of failure. However, significant underwater structural conditions cannot be readily observed above water until the defect has progressed to where distress is evident. Therefore, underwater inspections must occur. Underwater bridge inspection is defined as inspection of the underwater portion of a bridge substructure and the surrounding channel, which cannot be inspected visually at low water by wading or probing, generally requiring diving or other appropriate techniques.

Partnering with Industry

Speaker:  John Bilderback – WASHTO Construction/Materials Committee Chair  |  State Construction & Materials Engineer for Idaho Transportation Department

Agencies are often put in the awkward situation of needing to update specifications and standard drawings without necessarily having any product specialists on staff. That’s where industry experts can prove to be a valuable asset. This partnership requires trust from both parties, and there are considerations which can help to facilitate a strong team. Some examples and best practices from partnerships between state DOTs, industry, and even APWA, will be explored in this session.

The Long and Winding Road Back to Sustainable Culverts

Speaker:  Doug Kirk. – WVDOT

Having based our selection of pipe materials mostly on initial cost led to serious maintenance issues. Considering long-term cost and safety will lead us to a more resilient highway system.

North Carolina DOT’s use of QCast

Speaker:  Todd Whittington – NCDOT

This session will highlight North Carolina DOT’s use of technology to track manufactured products used in road and bridge construction. Product tracking tools such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) and bar-coding are being deployed in the field to streamline materials acceptance at the project site. These technologies also offer streamlined plant inventory for manufacturers. Tag technology allow for asset management throughout the service life of products such as pipe, guardrail, signs, precast, castings, and other items by storing location and manufacture data that will expedite maintenance, repair, or replacement when warranted. Discussion will also cover the criticality of partnership with Industry in overcoming specific hurdles to implementation of the technologies at manufacturing facilities and acceptance of new methods by producer and agency personnel.

Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP)

Speaker:  Monica Flournoy – GDOT

The presentation will focus on innovations in concrete and pipe demands for MMIP over the next decade. The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) is making major investments in the state’s transportation network to deliver projects that will meet a community need and deliver positive benefits to drivers. Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP) projects were pinpointed that will create additional capacity, improve freight movement, provide transportation improvements and efficiencies, enhance safety, and decrease travel times.

Lateral Bridge Slide – Accelerated Bridge Practices

Speaker:  Dalton Champagne. – ARDOT

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) completed the state’s very first lateral bridge slide project. This innovative approach allows the new superstructure to be built adjacent to the existing bridges on temporary supports, while the new substructure and foundations are positioned underneath the existing bridges – all while traffic continues to flow normally. We will highlight key milestones of the project to raise awareness about FHWA’s Accelerated Bridge Construction.

Pipe Installations – Concrete or Thermoplastic – What Difference Does it Make?

Speaker:  Don McNutt, PE – American Concrete Pipe Association

There are several similarities and then quite a few significant differences in the requirements for proper installation of reinforced concrete pipe and thermoplastic pipe products. Concrete pipe installations are based on ASTM C1479 and thermoplastic pipe installations are based on ASTM D2321. This class will provide a side by side comparison of these two unique specifications.

About Our Virtual School

Pipe School is the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA)’s annual event where members, DOTs, consulting engineers, subject matter experts, and other industry personnel get together to discuss, learn, and engage with one another.  The school advances the industry by teaching classes on production, advanced production, and quality, while engaging with industry stakeholders to ensure that they are provided with information vital to their decision making process.  Keeping the safety of the participants at the forefront, the 2021 Pipe School will move to a virtual platform, but promises to provide as engaging of presentations and allowing for more participants than ever before.

Craig Stevens

Delaware DOT

Craig A. Stevens graduated from The University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering in June of 2003. His focus was primarily on structure design and analysis. During his school, Craig interned for the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) as a construction inspector for three years. Much of his inspection work was the placement of Reinforced Concrete Pipe (RCP), ensuring the proper placement guidelines were followed. Craig was hired by DelDOT in June of 2003 and he has worked there ever since (16 years). In his 17 years with DelDOT, Craig has worked in bridge inspection and bridge design and now Craig is the Delaware’s Bridge Design Engineer as he heads the entire Bridge Design Section for DelDOT.

Tom Macioce, P.E.

Pennsylvania DOT

Thomas P. Macioce is the Chief Bridge Engineer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), a position he has held since 2006. Mr. Macioce is responsible for the formulation and implementation of the statewide engineering policies for the design and construction of bridges. Mr. Macioce directs a statewide program for quality assurance in bridge design and fabrication, amongst many other responsibilities involving bridge design, standards, construction, and rehabilitation/replacement. Mr. Macioce is a member of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Committee on Bridges and Structures, the T-10 Concrete and T-16 for Timber Structures Technical Committees and is Chair of the Technical Committee T-14 Structural Steel Design. Mr. Macioce received an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1992, and BS in Civil Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1987. He is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Nick Vivian, P.E.

Pennsylvania DOT

Nicholas A. Vivian is the Hydrology and Hydraulics Engineer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), a position he has held since 2019. Mr. Vivian is responsible for the formulation and implementation of the statewide engineering policies for all design and subject matter related to Hydrology and Hydraulics. Mr. Vivian directs a statewide program for quality assurance in the field of Hydrology and Hydraulics, amongst many other responsibilities involving Hydrology and Hydraulics design and modeling, stormwater design and modeling, Hydrology and Hydraulics standards, scour countermeasure design for bridges, environmental permitting, and Bridge monitoring of extreme weather events. Mr. Vivian received an BS in Civil Engineering Technology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in 2001. He has worked in consulting for six years in addition to the last 13 years at the Department of Transportation. He is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Moe Jamshidi

Nebraska DOT

Mostafa (Moe) Jamshidi has been involved in the design and construction of transportation projects with the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) for over 35 years. Currently, Mr. Jamshidi is serving as the Acting Director for the agency, while maintaining his responsibilities as Deputy Director of Operations, where he oversees the construction and maintenance activities of all eight Districts and five of the agency’s Divisions.

Mr. Jamshidi is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Omaha with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Nebraska. He is an active member of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Council on Highways and Streets and also serves as the Chair of the Committee on Materials and Pavements.

Dan Miller

Ohio DOT

Mr. Dan Miller, PE is the current Cement and Concrete Engineer for ODOT since March of 2014. A native of the Cleveland area and graduate of Cleveland State University, he obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering. Previously, he worked at NCDOT for 6 years. Outside of ODOT, Dan is the chairman for the National Concrete Consortium, and also chairs AASHTO Technical Subcommittee 4a – Rigid Drainage Structures.

Kevin Lindell

Delaware DOT

Kevin Lindell graduated from The University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering in June of 2003. His focus was primarily on structure design and analysis. Kevin was hired by DelDOT in June of 2003 where he spent his first 13 years in the Bridge Design Section both as a designer and a Project Manager overseeing a team design engineers. He then transferred to DelDOT’s Construction Section where he has spent the past 5 years as an Area Engineering overseeing the construction of multi-million dollar bridge and roadway projects.

Tracy Larkin

Nevada DOT

Tracy Larkin-Thomason is the NDOT Deputy Director for Southern Nevada, with statewide responsibilities for NDOT’s three engineering districts and the civil rights program with a focus on coordination of NDOT southern Nevada activities.
Tracy has more than 25 years of transportation experience, beginning her NDOT career in 1987 in the Right-of-Way division. She has worked in Roadway Design, the Structural division, as District II Traffic Engineer and Engineering Service Manager, as District II Maintenance Engineer and most recently as Assistant Director of Planning.

Tracy received her Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration both from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a licensed civil engineer in the state of Nevada. She is also a certified ITE Professional Traffic Operations Engineer, a Nevada Certified Public Manager and is the past president of the Nevada Certified Public Managers Society.
She has served on several national Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) panels and scans on a variety of subjects including asset management, cost of maintenance and fiscal constraint compliance. She currently serves on four American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and Transportation Research Board committees including Strategic Management and the MAP-21 implementation and Reauthorization Committee.

As a Deputy Director, Tracy seeks to improve communication, coordination and customer service with local agency partners, elected officials and the general public.

Jennifer Wells

Minnesota DOT

Jennifer Wells, State Bridge Inspection Engineer, Minnesota Department of Transportation – Bridge Office has been an engineer with MnDOT for the past 19 years, the last 14 in fracture critical bridge inspection and 5 years in bridge design and bridge standards.   Jennifer has a BSCE from Michigan Tech University and an MSCE from the University of Minnesota.   She is a licensed civil engineer, NBIS Team Leader, FAA Certified Small Unmanned Aircraft System pilot, and lead investigator on MnDOT drone research for bridges.  The MnDOT Bridge Office Inspection Unit is responsible for managing the Minnesota bridge inspection program and conducting fracture critical inspections statewide on both the state and local system.

John Bilderback

WASHTO Const/Materials Comm Chair and State Const & Mat Eng for ID DOT

John Bilderback is the WASHTO Construction/Materials Committee Chair. He is the State Construction and Materials Engineer for the Idaho Transportation Department’s (ITD), a position he has served in since 2015. He is the direct liaison between the AGC, ACEC, FHWA, 6 ITD districts, and 2 local highway agencies regarding construction and materials within Idaho. He has undergraduate degrees in engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (GO HUSKERS!) and a degree in business from Montana State University Bozeman.

Doug Kirk

WV DOT

Doug Kirk has served as a Highway Engineer with the West Virginia Division of Highways for 25 years. After a few years in each of the roadway and structural design sections, Doug discovered his niche as a founding member of the Hydraulic & Drainage Unit. The Unit has rewritten the WVDOH drainage manual and continues to update it. The four engineers serve as technical leaders in all things related to water, and continue to advocate for sustainable design of highways. Doug is a Professional Engineer and Certified Floodplain Manager. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and builds his own kayaks.

Todd Whittington

NC DOT

Todd Whittington is the State Materials Engineer for North Carolina DOT. Todd has more than 27 years of experience with the Materials and Tests Unit which is responsible for establishing acceptance criteria for materials and manufactured products being incorporated into the North Carolina Highway System. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University and a licensed professional engineer in the state of North Carolina. Todd is a member of various steering committees within agency/industry groups including AASHTO, ACPA, and NPCA.

Monica Flournoy

GDOT

Monica L. Flournoy was named the State Materials Engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation in July 2016. She possesses a Bachelor in Civil Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and is a registered Professional Engineer. Monica has over 28 years of service with GDOT has varied experience in construction, construction claims analysis, project administration and management, construction bidding, and materials and testing.

Monica began her career with the Department as a Construction Project Engineer out of the Louisville Area Office where she was responsible for administering construction contracts including widening and reconstruction as well as bridge replacement projects.

Monica was later promoted and worked in the Construction Claims Office where she assisted the Transportation Engineering Administrator with the Department’s claim management and claims avoidance efforts. She then moved to the Office of Construction where she assisted the State Construction Engineer in identifying and resolving construction and/or contract problems and reviewing contract modifications. This job required meeting with District Construction Personnel to ensure compliance and uniformity throughout the state.

Prior to becoming the State Materials Engineer, Monica held the Administrator position for Office of Construction Bidding where she oversaw the GDOT monthly Lettings and the Contractor Prequalification & Registration processes.

Monica has served or is serving on various committees including GDOT Estimating, Contractor Prequalification, and Pavement Design to name a few. She also is serving on several state and national committees with the Georgia Partnership for Transportation Quality, Georgia Transportation partnership in Construction, and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Dalton Champagne

AR DOT

Mr. Champagne joined the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) in June of 2016. He was assigned to District 7 / Resident Engineer 73 in Camden, Arkansas. Since joining ARDOT, Mr. Champagne has been involved on several noteworthy highway and bridge projects. They include the Ouachita River Bridge project in Arkadelphia, the DeRoche Bridge Slide project, and the Highway 167 widening project, which was funded by ARDOT’s Connecting Arkansas Program. He was promoted to Advance Engineer in September of 2019. Mr. Champagne graduated from Louisiana Tech University in 2016 where he earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering.

Don McNutt, PE

Great Lakes Region Engineer
American Concrete Pipe Association

Don has over 35 years of experience in the precast industry as a quality control manager, production engineer, design engineer, engineering manager and chief operating officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The University of Cincinnati and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Ohio. Don is the Great Lakes Region Engineer for the American Concrete Pipe Association.

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