Conduit is the New Currency
February 13, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 9:55 am EST
Location: Kojo Kamau A, B, C – 4th Floor
Speaker: Jeff Syar, P.E. – ODOT
Presentation Description:
The Ohio DOT has approximately 91,000 conduits consisting of culverts and storm sewers under pavement. Conduits are a tier one asset with a dedicated annual allocation consisting of 22 million dollars to address deficiencies identified by routine inspection practices.
Data collected by the Conduit Management Program has immense value that can be mined for various purposes well into the future. Data assists in making informed decisions to optimize operations, reduce costs, and improve the resiliency of this transportation asset.
The presentation will cover the following:
-Origin of the Conduit Management Program- What, who, and when the program started
-Pitfalls/suggestions/lessons learned for other DOTs or Local Governments thinking about starting a Conduit Management Program
-Leveraging Conduit Data
-Future direction, research needs
Speaker Bio:
Mr. Jeffrey E. Syar is currently employed as the Office of Hydraulic Engineering Administrator with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). He has been in this role since May of 2011 when the Office was officially created.
Prior to this position, he served as the Digital Mapping Manager with the Office of Aerial Engineering with ODOT from June 2006 to May 2011 and as a Hydraulic Engineer in the Office of Structural Engineering Hydraulic Section with ODOT from February 2002 to June 2006.
Prior to serving at the Ohio Department of Transportation, he was a design Consultant from June 1996 to February 2002 where he performed roadway, railway, and bikeway designs with an emphasis on hydrology and hydraulics.
He is a graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering and he is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio.
