Seminar Agenda

French & Parrello Associates will provide the planning challenges associated with historic preservation and rehabilitation of trusses. The session highlights the rehabilitation of a Pratt Truss constructed in 1880 by Cleveland Bridge and Iron Co. The existing 103-foot-long, 17-foot-wide trusses was structurally deficient due to 6-ton postings and functionally obsolete, due to the 15-foot-wide, one lane roadway and a 13’ 6” restricted vertical clearance. The bridge was identified as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Structures.

Skewed and curved girder structures can present issues during design, fabrication and construction including members that are difficult to assemble during erection and girders with webs that are out of plumb. This presentation will discuss these many challenges that arose during construction and how all parties involved were able to work together to overcome these challenges to successfully complete this structure. Lessons learned from this project were carried over to the Center Road Bridge Replacement project that includes the construction of a curved girder bridge at MP 54.95.

Topic: Applying Pandemic Lessons to Future Workforce Development

Background: COVID-19 has disrupted work and life as we know it over the last 18+ months. According to the McKinsley Global Institute, women have been disproportionally impacted and are more likely to be laid off or furloughed. Additionally, research has shown that mothers are more than three times more likely to be responsible for caregiving and housework. And, for the 1 in 5 mothers who raise their children without the help of a partner, the challenges are even more significant. With interruptions to support systems like school and childcare, women are burning out.

Many companies have created policies or adjusted the way they’ve operated to support women throughout the pandemic. But what happens when life starts to look a little more “normal”? What lessons learned can be applied to support women and workforce development moving forward?

Workshop Description: Different experiences and perspectives will be explored through three mini panels representing employees, companies, and clients. Panelists will share how COVID-19 has impacted them both professionally and personally and examine how lessons learned in gray skies can be applied to developing and supporting a future workforce in blue skies.

Structure:
Remarks from Secretary Yassmin Gramian
Mini panel discussions

1. Two Employees (one from a large company and one from a smaller company) will share how they managed the various challenges over the past 18 months and lessons learned.
2. Two Company representatives (one large company and one small) will discuss workforce flexibility and processes put into place to support women.
3. Two Clients will talk about creating a work environment to foster workforce development – both client employees and contractors/consultants.

• Audience interaction – Bring your ideas to the table! There will be opportunities for audience members to join the conversation on how pandemic lessons learned can be applied to workforce development and supporting women in the industry.

There are several published resources that can be used to aid in the development of efficient and economical steel-girder bridge superstructure. However, while there are several excellent resources available, some of them can be quite voluminous and intimidating. This presentation will present these resources, and demonstrate how to best employ them when working with a steel-girder bridge superstructure. There will be a dedicated focus on the AASHTO/NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration Guideline documents, Span to Weight Curves, NSBA Continuous Span Standards, NSBA Bolted Field Splice Design Examples, and the NSBA Steel I-Girder Bridge Fit documents. The 14 AASHTO/NSBA Steel Bridge Collaboration Guideline documents have been developed by a wide-range of professionals.

The Turnpike started studying the possibility of using All Electronic Tolling(AET) almost a decade ago. Pilot projects were designed and constructed across the system to identify issues that needed to be solved prior to converting the entire system to AET. The Turnpike converted to AET in-place in 2020, it is scheduled to convert to Open Road Tolling starting in the eastern portion of the system in 2024 followed by the central and western portions in 2026.

How can designers and contractors focus on awareness of future maintenance issues during construction and design? Topics to include locating drainage markers in order to find inlets, proper and complete base repair that survive long after paving, curb replacement, consideration of future access to MS4 ponds. Program will include discussions on maintenance review of designs and coordination of operations with maintenance during construction for efficiency and cost savings.

The Precast, Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) offers a variety of helpful resources for DOT professionals, consulting engineers and contractors involved in transportation projects. PCI recently released a twenty-page Transportation Publications and Online Resources Catalog which provides a convenient overview of the organization’s transportation reference manuals, handbooks, reports, guides, and on-demand eLearning webinars and courses. This presentation will go over some of the resources PCI provides.

N/A

The Realignment of SR 0288, Section B04 (Zelienople Road) and SR 1010 (Lake Road) adjacent to the Zelienople Municipal Airport Runway 17 is a moderately complex project that will horizontally realign and vertically lower these highways to accommodate FAA clearance requirements for night-time operations on the Airport’s Runway 17 approach. The project includes multiple realignments of up to approx. 3,000-feet of roadway and lowering the roadway surface ranging in depths from 25-50 feet. This project will eliminate multiple curves in the roadway to improve the stopping sight distance to meet the minimum requirements, widening of the lanes from 9-feet to 10-feet and improve the roadway drainage systems adjacent to the shoulders. Multiple utilities we relocated ahead of the roadway work. The fill removed from the road project will be utilized for a Runway shift project at the Zelienople airport. Lindy Paving was the low bidder for the Runway project which will involve placing new runway and taxiway with an upgraded Runway 17 that will be 17 feet higher than the existing Runway.

Latest concrete pavement technological improvements, related products and materials, and advancements in joint performance achieved through the ACPA/PA Joint Committee.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission entered into an agreement of consent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June of 2021 to execute a Compliance Management Plan. The three-year agreement with the EPA includes a modernization of the PTC’s Visual Site Inspection Report process, deficiency tracking as well as new reporting requirements. In Construction Year 2022, a new mobile inspection application will be use on all projects with earth disturbances. Mandatory Training for Construction Managers and Construction Inspectors will be available this winter.

Construction often means encountering unanticipated time impacts. This seminar will educate Owners and Contractors on how to raise time impact issues and constructive dialogues to resolve these disputes effectively and equitably. The panel will discuss frequently disputed matters as well as the process and methods for resolution, including proper notice, the differences between delay and disruption claims, plus issues that arise in documenting and quantifying the claims.

PennDOT Digital Delivery Directive 2025 is redefining how highway and bridge projects are delivered in the Commonwealth. Through this 5-year initiative, PennDOT’s objective is to transform the agency from a traditional 2D plan-centric to a full digital project delivery environment, in which the model is the single source of truth. Presenters will provide an overview of the strategic plan and the specific implementation plan activities to achieve the desired outcome. Also, presenters will provide a progress on current activities.

The presentation will cover :

• Balanced Mix Design
• Asphalt Mix Performance Tests
• Asphalt Mix Design Gyration Level Reduction
• Asphalt Rich Base Layer
• Highly modified Asphalt
• Enhancing Longitudinal Pavement Joint Performance

The presentation will cover the Geotechnical aspects of the Sports Exhibit Authority CAP project over I-579 in downtown Pittsburgh. The project is still under construction and will provide a green sustainable park connecting the PPG Arena and the rest of down town when completed.