APWA AZ Newsletter 2016 July

APWA AZ Newsletter 2016 July

NEWSLETTER


 JULY 2016

In this issue

President's Message
Feature Article
Project Spotlight
Industry News
Member News
APWA New Members


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2016 Newsletter Sponsors


UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR

July 12, 2016
Prescott Valley Group July Luncheon
StoneRidge Country Club

More Info >

July 12, 2016
Joint APWA SAB and ACEC Luncheon
Manda Le Restaurant
More Info >

July 20, 2016
APWA AZ BOD Meeting
 Phoenix Country Club
More Info >

July 20, 2016
APWA July Luncheon
Phoenix Country Club
More Info >

August 10, 2016
2016 Statewide Conference
Hilton Tucson El Conquistador
More Info >




 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

As the elections heat up, it’s hard to ignore the current state of politics.  One thought that seems to come to my mind is the importance of Leadership. There are different ways of defining leadership, “The action of leading a group of people or an organization.” or “One who motivates and inspires people”. As president of APWA, I see the word Leadership in much of the information I receive from national, i.e. Chapter Leadership for Best Practices, Leadership in Mentoring Younger Generations, and so on.

Whether we see ourselves as leaders or not, WE ARE. Sometimes we may be accidental leaders by our actions at work or home. We are leaders whenever we make a decision that affects our co-workers or our children. We are leaders when we coach a soccer game, plan a vacation, or facilitate a meeting. You may be a silent leader in the way you live your life or have individuals in your life that lead by example. Everyday leaders set examples for us along our life’s journey. Just being conscious of our influence to the staff we manage and community we are involved with, is a first step in understanding the power we have as leaders. The public works industry in particular is a perfect example where being a leader affects many. The decisions we make can affect the entire community. As it did recently in Flint, Michigan.

In doing a bit of research I found a list of 15 recommended books on Leadership for your summer reading pleasure:

1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays translation)

2. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankel

3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

4. The Truth About Leadership by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

5. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins

6. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey

7. Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

8. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

9. Tribes by Seth Godin

10. Drive by Daniel H. Pink

11. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

12. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

13. Endurance by Alfred Lansing

14. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

15. The War of Art by Steve Pressfield

Sincerely,
Loretta Flick
ARIZONA CHAPTER PRESIDENT


FEATURE ARTICLE

Connected Vehicle Technology – the Future of Transportation

by Laura Turiano, David Evans and Associates, Inc.

A relatively new concept that is getting more and more attention these days is Connected Vehicle Technology (CVT).  CVT is wireless technology that provides vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. The system utilizes GPS technology and Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC), a unique two-way wireless system, to allow fast, reliable, and secure communication between vehicles or between vehicles and infrastructure. CVT has the capacity to change the way transportation operates, is maintained, and grows in the future. It promises major improvements in mobility, safety, and environmental sustainability for the traveling public.

Levels of Automation
As new technology is developed, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has defined five levels of automation as shown in this graphic. These levels have been outlined to provide a common understanding of the vehicle automation technology solutions being discussed for any given scenario. They are also used to develop policy and guidelines for states to follow as they begin to implement CVT into the transportation system.    

Mobility Solutions
There are many ways that CVT can increase mobility. By linking cars, buses, trains, and other transportation options, a true multimodal system is available to the general public. This system can be used to reduce traffic jams by providing drivers with real-time traffic conditions in order to make smart choices about alternative routes, public transit options, or efficient times to travel. The public can also be informed about transit arrival times, thus improving transit connections. It also has the potential to provide more mobility options in paratransit for the elderly, people with disabilities, and people who choose to forego vehicle ownership. 

Safety Solutions
More than 32,000 people are killed on US roadways each year. CVT could help decrease the number of non-impaired crashes by up to 80 percent. CVT provides the vehicles themselves with awareness of their surroundings. The vehicle uses an alert system to communicate potential hazards from other vehicles and objects in the area to its driver so that a correction can be made. Some new vehicles are even being equipped with technology that will stop collisions from occurring by not allowing the vehicle to proceed in the direction of a known hazard. 

Smart work zones are another area where technology is already being utilized to increase safety for motorists and roadway workers. This technology is used to alert drivers to construction activities so that they can slow down or take alternate routes. Information provided includes travel times, reduced speeds, dynamic lane merging, excessive speed warning, construction vehicle warnings and more. 

Environmental Solutions—Eliminate Unnecessary Stops for Optimal Fuel-Efficiency
CVT can provide travel and route information that allows drivers to take more efficient routes. The technology also allows communication with traffic signals to maximize the free flow of traffic, thus reducing the pollution caused by idling vehicles. Tractor-trailer traffic can be routed through a city corridor with minimal stops at traffic lights, thus providing maximum fuel efficiency. This optimized flow of heavy traffic not only helps the environment, but also preserves pavement life, since these heavy trucks are not required to stop at major intersections, which can damage pavements. 

Applications in Arizona
Anthem Test Bed
The Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT); Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT); Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); and the University of Arizona (U of A) have been collaborating on CVT since 2007 and began testing V2I technology in Anthem in 2011. The Anthem community was chosen because of its physical characteristics; the community includes a contained transportation network which allowed isolated testing of a variety of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology. The program focus is to integrate vehicles together with Systematically Managed ARTerial (SMART) roadway systems to develop and demonstrate the capabilities and benefits of a variety of ITS applications. The MCDOT SMARTDrive Program includes emergency and transit real-time priority, real-time traveler information, and traffic signal prioritization to reduce travel times. 

The program started with testing emergency vehicles, since a significant number of crashes are caused by two emergency vehicles arriving at a traffic signal simultaneously. The current system allows both vehicles to control the traffic signal with a remote device, but does not provide communication between the two vehicles. In the test bed, ITS technology is used so that V2V communication is alerting each vehicle about the other approaching vehicle. V2V also indicates which vehicle has priority. This system has proven to be highly effective at safely managing the movement of emergency vehicles, thus allowing them to be more efficient in reaching their destination and saving lives.

The Anthem test bed has also been testing transit traffic signal priority to reduce travel time for buses. Buses traveling along Daisy Mountain Drive notify the traffic signal of their approach, which triggers signal priority for the buses. This reduces transit travel times and creates a more efficient system for passengers. 

Pedestrian Applications
In addition to the Anthem test bed, pedestrian applications are being proposed to be tested at Arizona State University for street crossings. Pedestrians are able to use their smart phones to indicate their desire to cross, as well as to request additional time to cross. The application also allows visually impaired citizens to utilize sound to communicate their location in the crosswalk and direct them to their desired destination.

MCDOT MC-85 Corridor
In the future, the MC-85 corridor in the southwest Valley of the Sun is being looked at for a pilot study on advanced ITS technology. Trucks from Amazon and other manufacturers in the area utilize MC-85 to carry goods to the freeway corridors. The goal is to test moving these trucks through the corridor with traffic signal priority, thus increasing the efficiency of the movement of goods, reducing pavement stress from heavy trucks stopping at intersections, and decreasing the air pollution caused by trucks idling at traffic signals.  

Agency/Consultant Considerations-Infrastructure Impact
This radical change to the nation’s transportation system does not come without challenges. As this new technology evolves, industry professionals will need to consider the impacts of implementing it into the existing system. There are many challenges to consider such as funding mechanisms, accounting for vehicles with and without the technology, incorporating the technology into the design process, design review and approval, etc.  

Other pressing challenges include setting policy to guide the development and use of the technology, managing the “big data” generated by the technology, and educating a workforce to develop and maintain this new system. 

Policy Issues
There are many policy issues related to CVT that must be resolved for implementation into the current system. These issues include vehicle licensing of autonomous vehicles (is the car or the driver licensed?); laws needed to make the system run smoothly; integrating a mixed fleet; and others. 

Data Issues
The amount of data that will be generated by CVT will be astronomical. Cars will be sending signals every tenth of a second. This high rate of data is required for the technology to work correctly, but how will this “big data” be stored? What security measures are necessary? How can the collected data be captured and utilized to better maintain the system? 

Workforce
What will the workforce for this new transportation system look like? Not only will it require transportation planners, engineers, and contractors—there will be a huge demand for electrical engineers, computer engineers, information technology experts, and other professionals. How will these people be educated so that they see the big picture and understand their role in the system? What types of programs will be needed at the post-secondary level to support this?

There are many things to consider as the momentum for CVT accelerates. A new way of moving people and products is on the horizon and there are many stakeholders who must participate in bringing this to fruition. Are you ready?

Jennifer Toth, Faisal Saleem, and Traci Ruth, MCDOT. Interview. 17 May 2016 



PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Important Updates For All Maricopa County Construction Contractors / Consultants:

Maricopa County will begin using Bidsync E-Procure to manage procurement activities for all construction projects. Bidsync is currently being used by the County to manage procurement for goods and non-construction related services; this change will allow for a single platform for suppliers and using agencies to manage all the County’s solicitation opportunities. All contractors who are interested in participating in County procurement, and would like to receive notification of solicitations for construction projects must register at www.bidsync.com. Suppliers will need to have internet access in order to complete the initial registration and to respond to open solicitations.

Bidsync does offer some additional subscription services but the only thing required to receive notifications of Maricopa County solicitations is the FREE vendor registration, Bidsync Links. Notifications will be based upon your selection of NIGP commodity codes. During your registration, pick as many NIGP commodity codes as are applicable to your business (excavation, paving, welding, etc.).

Make sure you select a notification preference, and add Bidsync to your safe senders list in your email so that the emails aren’t filtered to spam. Then when a County agency is looking for a service that matches what you provide, you will receive an email notification. Notification preferences can be set to receive various types of notifications daily, or weekly.

You will also have the chance to bid on other government agency bids (Bidsync Agency Members). Depending on how the agency is licensed with Bidsync, you may have to upgrade your membership in order to participate in other agency bids. It is free to bid on all Maricopa County solicitations

All contractors must register in order to continue to receive notification of County Construction Projects. Once registered it is your responsibility to ensure your profile stays updated with current contact information. Additional information will be required before any solicitation can be awarded.

After completing your registration, make sure you are aware that your firm is responsible for updating any changes to your company information (i.e,. Points of Contact, Email Addresses, NIGP Commodity Code Selections, Phone Number(s), etc.).  While Maricopa County will make a reasonable effort to notify your firm of County bid opportunities using BidSync, it is incumbent on your firm to monitor BidSync on a regular basis to ensure you do not miss County solicitation opportunities for which you may want to submit an offer.

To register, click on this link: https://www.bidsync.com and select “Register Now”.

For registration assistance contact BidSync at 1-800-990-9339 or via email at  support@BidSync.com during regular business hours. 


INDUSTRY NEWS


MEMBER NEWS

2016 Arizona Statewide Conference
August 10-12, 2016
Hilton El Conquistador

Tucson, AZ

Each summer the Arizona Chapter holds its statewide annual conference where members and non-members can exchange information, socialize and learn from each other and technical experts.  Visit the conference website for information and registration.   www.azapwa2016conference.com

Highlights include: 

  • The conference will be held at the beautiful Hilton El Conquistador in Oro Valley, Aug 10-12. Rooms are $89 and are available from Tuesday Aug 9th thru Sunday Aug. 14th.  The room block is now open for reservations. See conference website Accommodations tab to book your room early.
  • Exhibitor booths are available now.  Reserve the spot of your choice early; booth selection is on a first come basis.  Visit the conference website or contact Al Field at Al.field@alfield-assoc.com
  • A variety of sponsor packages for any budget are also available now. Please consider a sponsorship this year.

GET ACQUAINTED RECEPTION SPONSORFUN NIGHT SPONSOR

PLATINUM SPONSORS
       

GOLD SPONSORS

          
     

AWARDS LUNCHEON SPONSORS

       

           

PUBLIC AGENCY SPONSORS

  


APWA Volunteers at Saint Vincent De Paul

APWA Volunteers united once again at Saint Vincent De Paul (SVDP) on Thursday, May 19th. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international non-profit organization dedicated to feeding, clothing, housing and healing individuals and families in our community who have nowhere else to turn for help. Volunteers split in to two groups, assisting with the daily dinner service and taking part in helping the children with homework in the Dream Center.

A fun engineering activity was coordinated for the children to promote National Public Works Week. This year, the children learned about bridge strength. Volunteers teamed up with each child to provide mentorship and guide them in building the strongest bridge they could with a single sheet of paper (supported by books on each side). The children learned that the paper could hold only a couple of pennies if the paper was flat, but could hold several pennies just by changing the shape of the paper. Through trial and error, some children were able to build bridges that held at least one hundred pennies. One child’s bridge was able to hold over 300 pennies (with just ONE piece of paper!) – we may have a budding engineer on our hands!

A special THANK YOU goes out to all of the volunteers. Saint Vincent de Paul relies on volunteers to assist their programs on a daily basis and would not be successful without them. We are so appreciative of everyone who donated their time – you all make a great team!

 


New Member Spotlight

Name and Title:  Alberto González, PE, AVS, Entellus, Inc.

With APWA Since:  4/2016

Describe your job responsibilities: 
I am a Project Manager and Project Engineer for municipal infrastructure projects, ranging from water, sewer, reclaim, storm drain, and roadway improvement projects. 

What was your favorite project to work on in the last 10 years? 
It's hard to pick, as each project has been unique and each had their own challenges and rewards, though some of my favorite projects are the Westworld Improvements, Pima Road Improvements, Chandler Heights and Greenfield Road Improvements, Eastmark Phase 1, Innovation Park, and most recently, Val Vista Transmission Waterline Phase 3.

Where have your travels taken you? 

China, Cuba, Italy, Spain, Peru, Ireland, Mexico, Canada, and most recently Dubai, UAE

Name one thing not many people know about you: 
During my college years at ASU, I used to compete in Salsa dancing - collegiate level at regional and national competitions.


AZTEC is pleased to announce the following new hires:

Rafael Valero as President
Carlos Tarazaga as Rail and Transit Practice Leader
James “Fin” Hayes, PE as one of the firms Freeway Design Team Leaders
Kelly Kaysonepheth as Business Development Manager for Arizona


APWA NEW MEMBERS

NameTitleCompany
Cesar Castillo, PEEngineerWood, Patel & Associates
Breanna Connolly, PEProject ManagerEntellus
Duc Dao, PESr. EngineerWood, Patel & Associates
Lisa Michelle FolsomBusiness DeveloperRegional Pavement Maintenance
Mani KumarTraffic Engineer IIICity of Phoenix
Ron Martinez, PEConstruction ManagerWood, Patel & Associates
 Carlos Sanchez SoriaProject EngineerTY Lin International
Jeremy ShaverEquipment Shop ForemanCity of Phoenix
John SherlockDeputy DirectorPima County
David I. VerhelstStormwater Program CoordinatorCity of Chandler

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