THE SONORAN BYPASS · There are several sponsorship chances available including breaks, vendor and...

THE SONORAN BYPASSAmerican Society of Highway Engineers Quarterly Newsletter | SUMMER 2014

| PAST PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE |Hello Everyone - We are wrapping up another successful year for the ASHE Sonoran section. It was a great honor to have served as president these last 12 months. With your help, the Board was able to meet every milestone we set this year. Some of the more notable milestones that we met included our first community service project (Habitat for Humanity), increasing participation in our scholarship fund raising (golf) event and maintaining our membership levels.

One of the things that most impressed me this year was the makeup of our membership. In past years, when talking with others from our industry about joining our organization I was informed on many an occasion that their firm already had someone in our organization and that was all the firm wanted. This year many of our new members are from firms that already have a member. To me this is a sign that we have been doing things right the last 5 years and we are starting to mature.

To all of you, keep up the good work and continue to build on what we have done in the past. I will be chairing the nomination committee next year, so if you are interested in getting more active in ASHE let me know. Enjoy your summer.

James Schleich, P.E. - Phoenix Sonoran Past President

| PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE |In the few short years since our section formed, we’ve managed to grow our ranks and maintain a consistent membership level. Much of this is based from our charter member’s leadership and commitment. My initiation to the Phoenix Sonoran Chapter began as the newsletter chair and I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to come up through the ranks as the current Section President. I share this to demonstrate that getting involved in a committee or board position can satisfy your desire to give

back to our industry while raising your company and your visibility. Please consider volunteering for one of our committees or expressing an interest for a seat on the board. As of now, we have a need for a Newsletter Chair and Board Secretary.

As we move into the new term, we welcome MCDOT’s Tricia Brown, P.E. as a 3rd Year Director, and the transition of Jeanne Sapon from Secretary to 3rd Year Director position. I want to take this opportunity to thank Lisa Ruane, PE for all of her insight and guidance as she steps down from her board role. She has provided invaluable services to our Section.

Coming September 11, 2014 is the Annual State Joint ASCE/ASHE Conference to be held at the Desert Willow Conference Center. Since we take a pause from breakfast meetings in the summer, we want you to be aware since this event is only a few days after our scheduled September breakfast. There are several sponsorship chances available including breaks, vendor and student registrations which help students to attend. Be watching your email for information regarding registration. It is important when you sign up to indicate that you are an ASHE member since it brings much needed revenue to our scholarship fund.

Finally, you should be receiving an invoice for renewing your membership. In comparison to many other professional organizations, the $50 renewal fee is still affordable while providing quality speakers and events. In closing, we wish you a safe summer and look forward to another exciting year with ASHE.

Dawn Marie Fortuna - Phoenix Sonoran President

Dawn Marie FortunaRICK ENGINEERING COMPANY

James Schleich, P.E.HUITT-ZOLLARS, INC.

THE SONORAN BYPASS | PAGE 1

| OFFICERS | CONGRATULATIONS NEW CHAPTER OFFICERS!


PRESIDENTDawn Fortuna, Rick Engineering [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENT James Schleich, [email protected]

1ST VICE PRESIDENTYung Koprowski, Lee Engineering

[email protected]

2ND VICE PRESIDENTJohn Willett, [email protected]

INTERIM SECRETARYJeanne Sapon, DBA Construction

[email protected]

TREASURERSusie Mason, Gannett Fleming

[email protected]

1ST YEAR DIRECTORAlan Ferreira, Wilson & Company

[email protected]

2ND YEAR DIRECTORSteve Boschen, ADOT [email protected]

3RD YEAR DIRECTORSJames Bennar, B T & Assoc.

[email protected]

Jeanne Sapon, DBA [email protected]

Tricia Brown, MCDOT [email protected]

| MISSION STATEMENT |The mission of ASHE is to provide a forum for members and partners of the highway industry that supports education, innovation, and fellowship; promoting a safe and efficient highway system for mobility now and in the future.

| OFFICERS |

| IN THIS ISSUE |Page 3 | Events CalendarPages 4-5 | Membership UpdatePages 6-7 | Spring EventsPages 8-9 | Featured ProjectPages 10-11 | Sponsors

“I pledge to give cheerfully and willingly of my time and talent to serve the advancement of the Highway Industry with the highest goals of achievement as a beacon. I make this pledge with humility and commitment to the Sonoran Section of ASHE.”

All ASHE Board Members are required to pledge their commitment to the organization and do so willingly at the time they take office. Please congratulate the following ASHE Members who were voted into their respective offices on their new Board positions! They will offer you assistance when called upon to do so. ASHE runs on volunteer spirit and a true commitment to the industry as a whole.

| EVENTS CALENDAR | VISIT US ON THE WEB! www.sonoran.ashe.pro

| UPCOMING EVENTS |DATE EVENT & LOCATION INFORMATION

Tuesday, June 10th 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM

Monthly Section MeetingHilton Garden Inn, Phoenix Airport North

3838 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ

Topic: The Economic Challenges & Benefits for Arizona’s Transportation Infrastructure

Speakers: Jack Sellers - Member of State Transportation Board, ADOT; Council Member, City

of Chandler

JULY AND AUGUST - ASHE PHOENIX SONORAN CHAPTER SUMMER BREAK!

Monday, August 18th5th Annual Member Appreciation Event

Octane RacewayScottsdale Pavilions: 101L & Indian Bend Rd.

Contact: Yung Koprowski at (602) 443-8473 or [email protected]

Tuesday, September 9th 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM

Monthly Section MeetingHilton Garden Inn, Phoenix Airport North

3838 E. Van Buren Street, Phoenix, AZ

Topic: TBDSpeakers: TBD

Thursday, September 11thASCE/ASHE Joint 2014 Conference

Desert Willow Conference Center4340 E. Cotton Center Blvd., Phoenix, AZ

Register online and download the conference flyer from the ASCE website at www.azsce.org.

November ASHE Laser Tag EventLocation TBD

WATCH FOR NOTICES WITH MORE DETAILS!

If you would like to help with upcoming events or have a program topic, please contact:Melissa Boyles - 602.325.9277 / [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION EVENT ASHE will host our 5th Annual “Members Only” appreciation event on Monday, August 18th. Members are invited to this free special event to enjoy food, drinks, prizes, and networking. Indoor go-cart racing is optional. The top 10 racers compete for the coveted ASHE Cup!

NOTE: You must be a member in good standing to attend. You will be receiving your membership dues invoice by email in June. If you are thinking about becoming a member, please consider doing so before the appreciation event. You must have your application complete and payment made to be able to attend.


http://www.azsce.org/downloads/ASCE-ASHE_2014_Conf_Flyer.pdf

| NEW MEMBERS | WELCOME TO ASHE!• Stephanie Huang, ADOT• Bill Pederson, ADOT• Marta Gerber, Michael Baker• Craig Borger, POINT Engineers• Max Infante, Horrocks Engineers• Timothy Fish, Horrocks Engineers TOTAL MEMBERS COUNT

MEMBERSHIP IN ASHE IS AN INVESTMENT IN YOU. Like many other investments you make, you can’t necessarily predict when or what the return may be–you simply know that over time, the investment will pay off. In addition to personal enrichment and broadening your skill sets, ASHE will enhance you as an employee. You have access to a national network focused on the professional development and promotion of professionals across all modes of transportation. Through ASHE you have access to networking, networking and more networking. If you are already a member, please encourage others to become members and your name will be entered into a drawing at the end of the year. Have them add your name as a referral under the “How did you hear about ASHE” section on the application. Contact Alan Ferreira at [email protected] or visit our website at www.sonoran.ashe.pro for membership information and application.

| MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | ALFRED ERIVES, P.E.Written by: Jeanne Sapon, Business Development Manager of DBA Construction, Inc.

30 MINUTES WITH ALFRED ERIVES - I get to Matt’s Big Breakfast in downtown Phoenix a few minutes early to get a table, coffee and put my thoughts together. After a few minutes, Alfred arrives with his beaming smile. I’ve known Alfred for about a year and in all that time I’ve never seen him without a smile. Some people are comfortable in their lives and are destined for greatness because they can face adversity without complaint. Alfred is one of

those people. He measures his life success, not on how much money he’s made or the material things he’s collected over the years, but on how he’s lived his life and helped prepare his two children for their lives.

His first question, as he sits down with me is, “I hope you have questions for me, because that will be so much easier.” I tell him, “I have a thousand questions for you. We’re going to talk about your work, but also your family, your history, and what makes you tick.”

“Good”, he says, and seems pleased that I’m prepared, continuing to smile across the table from me. He has that warm disposition that makes people feel comfortable around him…. and then it strikes me, it’s because he’s comfortable with himself. As our discussion progresses, I realize his demeanor comes from a life of hard work, strong ethics, and love of family.

Today, Alfred is the Chief Construction Engineer for the Maricopa County Department of Transportation and one of our newest ASHE members. In his role for the County, Alfred is responsible for oversight of two Resident Engineers and an inspection staff who provide construction administration on county roadway projects.

Current projects in Alfred’s wheelhouse are the newer bridges on the Northern Parkway (being completed by Ames Construction), the landscaping of the first segment of Northern Parkway (performed by Earthscapes), the Traffic Interchange Improvements to El Mirage/Bell Road and a myriad of other intersection improvements. He is also responsible for the County’s ongoing Job Order Contracts program. Today they have three JOC’s (two for roadway paving and one for intersection improvements) but after July 1, there will be

four JOC’s available. His group is also responsible for dust-proofing Low-Volume Roads across the County. It’s during this part of the conversation that his excitement about work increases.

Alfred Erives, P.E.Chief Construction Engineer

MCDOT


His explanation for the excitement is the challenges associated with working for one of the largest counties in the U.S. He describes his work at the County as being challenging for so many reasons but most of them come from the vastness of the area and all of its different characteristics… from Tonopah to Queen Creek and from Black Canyon City to just north of Ajo. He has lots of ground to cover.

Secondary to our conversation is the upcoming year-end activities. So many things need to be completed in order for construction jobs to move forward (environmental clearances, utility conflict resolutions, right-of-way, etc.) the funds are obligated based on information received from Alfred and other managers at the County. He views it as a promise to the clients. In this case, his client is the County and the people who live in it. Promises to build or improve roadways with taxpayer dollars by the year-end are now coming due. Alfred sees this as a true test of management skills. An element of ethical work practices learned at an early age.

The Erives’ were migrant farm workers living in Southern California and eventually moving to Arizona where Alfred’s father got a job at the steel foundry in Tempe. Giving 110% to the job and never taking a sick day was what Alfred learned from his dad at an early age. When Alfred retired last year from the City of Phoenix, he still had over 3,000 hours of sick leave.

Alfred began his career as a junior at the Phoenix Union High School. He had an interest in drafting and at the time, the City of Phoenix was hiring young people for summer jobs to get OJT (on-the-job training) in their drafting department. His hard work and stability paid off because when he graduated high school he had a permanent job waiting for him.

Working as a draftsman for the City, Alfred recognized in himself the ability to do more. So, with a tuition reimbursement program, after 20 long years, he finally got his Bachelors’ degree in Construction Management from ASU’s Del E. Webb School of Construction Management. He told me that it took a long time because he could only take two classes a semester. He was trying to raise a young family and help support his wife who was also going to college while working. Raising a family together with his wife (his high school sweetheart), was his number one priority. Making sure his kids had a proper education and everything that goes with that (dance lessons, sports activities, summer programs, etc.) was tough on draftsman’s wages. The Erives family rarely, if ever, took family vacations and sacrificed everything so their daughter and son could benefit from a private school education, attend NAU, and get their own degrees without borrowing money. Alfred’s son is getting his degree in Biology to become a Physical Therapist, while his daughter is studying to become an elementary school teacher. It’s obvious during our conversation that his pride is swelling.

As Alfred explains, “You don’t choose your profession… your profession chooses you.” For that reason, eight years ago, he studied for and received his Professional Engineering license from the State of Arizona. In retirement from the City, he decided he wanted to learn how to play golf. “After all”, he says, “isn’t that what retired people do?” He started taking lessons three years ago and tries on weekends to improve his game. He couldn’t stay retired for too long, not with two kids still in college, so the golf tends to take a back seat.

Raised by hardworking parents, Alfred recognizes the importance of having a strong work ethic and the value of loyalty. He admits that society (both employers and employees) has lost the aspect of loyalty in service. This he views as contribution to bad attitudes at work and an excuse for no accountability. I’m impressed by his strength of character and glad for the time he spent talking with me. My last question is about what he likes to do when he’s not working. He tells me hunting, camping or running dirt bikes, but something tells me, Alfred has too much work to do.

| MEMBER SPOTLIGHT (CONTINUED) | ALFRED ERIVES, P.E.


APRIL SECTION MEETING Speakers: Scott Waterman, Denver Transportation Operations Manager and Tom Melton, Transportation Structural Director, Wilson & Company Topic: Advancing Technology through Innovation: I-70 & Pecos Street Interchange Project, Denver, CO

| SPRING EVENTS |

L to R: John Willet, 1st Year Director; Steve Boschen, 3rd Year Director; Tom Melton, Transportation Structural Director, Wilson & Company, Speaker; James Schleich, President; Susie Mason, Treasurer; Alan Ferreira, 3rd Year Director; Scott Waterman, Denver Transportation Operations Manager, Wilson & Company, Speaker

ROADS & STREETS CONFERENCE

April 16th - 18th, 2014 - Starr Pass Resort & Spa - Tucson

The Phoenix Sonoran Section of ASHE once again participated this year in the annual ACEC Roads & Streets Conference. Board members volunteered to cover the booth for slots of time throughout the conference that ran from April 16th-18th at Tucson’s JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort. Our booth this year saw a lot of foot traffic from many of our members and industry leaders. Having a booth at Arizona’s top transportation conference allows ASHE to show our support to both our members and state leadership. Participation with a booth creates interest in our organization and helps to enlist additional members. This year was no exception. Our membership increased from 123 to 130, and a number of conference attendees stop by the booth to get membership information and learn about ASHE.

Congratulations! A gift basket of a Google Chromecast, assorted beers and movie snacks and a second gift basket of an Amazon Kindle, assorted teas and gourmet chocolates were raffled to two lucky recipients. Perry Powell of Parsons Brinckerhoff won the “members only” raffle.

Thank you to the volunteers who manned the booth at the conference, and for your overall support of ASHE.

James Bennar and Dawn Fortuna

MAY SECTION MEETING Speakers: Paul Driver, Engineering Supervisor, MCDOT and Jack Lorbeer, Planning Division Manager, MCDOTTopic: Joint MCDOT Planning Division and Project Management / Construction Division Presentation


| SPRING EVENTS | CONTINUED

5TH ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP CLASSIC - RESULTS ARE IN!

Thank you to all of the participants and sponsors for the 2014 ASHE Scholarship Golf event! WE CONTRIBUTED $3,300 TO THE ASHE SCHOLARSHIP FUND AS A RESULT OF YOUR PARTICIPATION.

This year we had 18 teams and 73 golfers—our highest totals to date. The weather was fantastic, everyone had a great time, and excellent scores were achieved with each team finishing under par.

Congratulations to Team Nfra (Randy Weyrauch, Eric Watkins, Kevin Thomas, and Bill Cowdry), who shot a total score of 33 (39 under par) to win this year’s event.

Thank you again to everyone for participating and making this a great event. Special thanks to Steve Boeschen for helping round up golfers and sponsors, and Susie Mason and Jason Watson for helping the day of the event.

Save the date for next year’s tournament in early May 2015! Participate to find out how the winning team scored so low.

THANK YOU!2014 HOLE SPONSORS

Parsons Brinckerhoff, Tristar, Gannett-Fleming, Stantec, Michael Baker, and Entellus

2014 DINNER SPONSORParsons Brinckerhoff (paid for all three sponsorships)

ASHE SCANNER - CALL FOR PROJECT ARTICLES

Were you part of a recent project that exhibited technical advancement in the planning, design, construction, maintenance or operation aspects of the highway industry? If so, we want to hear about it. Your highlighted project could be included in the next ASHE National SCANNER publication, which will release this summer.

The ASHE National SCANNER Newsletter is a seasonal publication that aims at providing articles that stimulate and publicize technological advances in the highway field for the benefit and career growth of all ASHE members nationwide. Visit the ASHE National website for more information on the SCANNER and to download the current or past editions.

Please send any possible articles to Jeanne Sapon at [email protected] by July 4, 2014.


http://www.ashe.pro/scanner.html

| FEATURED TRANSPORTATION PROJECT |Arizona Strategic Highway Safety Plan - 2014 Toward Zero Deaths by Reducing Crashes for a Safer Arizona

CLIENT | Arizona Department of TransportationENGINEER | Wilson & Company (Prime Consultant) - Alan Ferreira, P.E., Project Manager

PROJECT SUMMARY | A Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) is a statewide, coordinated plan that provides a comprehensive framework for reducing fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. The SHSP is developed by the state Department of Transportation in cooperation

with local, state, federal, tribal and private-sector safety stakeholders. The SHSP is a data-driven, multi-year plan that establishes statewide goals and objectives and identifies Emphasis Areas that must be addressed to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The plan outlines feasible strategies and action steps or countermeasures to address the Emphasis Areas through integration of the 4 Es of transportation safety: Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services.

Arizona adopted the state’s first SHSP in 2007 and since then has made significant progress in the reduction of fatalities and serious injuries. It established a long-term state vision of “Zero Fatalities on Arizona roads, your life depends on it” and “No Fatalities by 2050” with an intermediate goal of a 12 percent reduction in the number of fatalities in the first five years, and a stretch sub-goal in each Emphasis Area category of reducing fatalities by 15 percent during the five year period. By the end of 2012, Arizona reductions in fatalities had exceeded the state safety goal, as fatalities decreased overall by 23 percent, and exceeded the 15 percent stretch sub-goal for each Emphasis Area as noted: Restraint Usage (29%); Young Drivers (33%); Speeding (34%); Impaired Drivers (23%); Roadway Lane Departure (26%); and Roadway Intersection-Related (24%).

In late 2012, Arizona’s safety leaders began the process to update the SHSP in accordance with new federal regulations outlined in legislation funding the Federal surface transportation programs – Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The purpose of the SHSP update is to direct transportation-project investment decisions and assure state-of-the-art practices are adopted to achieve a significant reduction in transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, including public roads not owned by the state and roads on tribal lands.

The SHSP update effort included collaborative efforts from safety stakeholders, transportation safety research and extensive analysis and documentation of the statewide database of crash records, and other data. These efforts helped to identify 12 safety Emphasis Areas and two support areas (data improvement and policy initiatives), as well as to identify and prioritize safety strategies. This data analysis included geospatial investigation of crash characteristics associated with all fatal and serious-injury crashes, and the relationship or interaction of these crashes between the various crash characteristics summarized. This process established a new vision encompassing and focusing on all safety efforts in the state.


SHSP VISION STATEMENT | The Vision of the Arizona Strategic Highway Safety Plan is consistent with the national movement of Toward Zero Deaths. One death on Arizona’s roadways is unacceptable; thus, a desire for a safety culture change is necessary to build a foundation for improved safety for the traveling public in Arizona on all public roads, no matter what mode of transportation is used. Arizona’s Vision is Toward Zero Deaths by Reducing Crashes for a Safer Arizona.

SHSP GOALS AND OBJECTIVES | The goals and objectives for this plan have been identified and will be used to monitor the status of implementation efforts and progress. A performance-based approach has been established directly linking performance measures to the goal and objective established for this plan. These measures are coordinated with goals and annual targets in other Arizona transportation safety programs. Goals and objectives for other safety plans, and for individual Emphasis Area in this SHSP, will contribute to achieving the overall statewide SHSP goal and objective.

STAKEHOLDER INPUT | The SHSP update process included an elaborate and extensive statewide safety stakeholder outreach effort to promote a coordinated SHSP to be implemented by all safety agencies and private-sector safety partners to save lives.

A total of 30 task force work sessions were conducted as well as two major safety events aimed at facilitating stakeholder involvement in the SHSP development and implementation process.

The first major event was the Safety Launch, designed to bring together federal, state, local and tribal transportation safety stakeholders from across Arizona. It provided a unique opportunity to examine critical safety issues impacting the State’s multimodal transportation system and identify opportunities to improve transportation safety on all public roadways in Arizona. Six months later, the Safety Summit took place, giving Arizona’s safety stakeholders the opportunity to review and prioritize the strategies and actions steps proposed for potential Emphasis Areas. Three rounds of individual task force work sessions were conducted between and after the two major safety events. Each task force included industry and subject-matter experts and other transportation-safety advocates passionate about specific areas of traffic safety. These task forces worked to establish the SHSP Emphasis Areas and develop strategies to improve safety.

IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK | Arizona has adopted the long-term Vision of moving toward zero deaths by reducing crashes. Arizona recognizes the development of this data-driven SHSP and adopting its goals and objectives are only the first steps. Developing safety plans does not prevent serious crashes or save lives; rather, this is achieved by the effective implementation of safety plans,

improvements and programs. Therefore, to achieve the adopted SHSP goals, Arizona is committed to the development of a comprehensive statewide highway safety program with the implementation of high-priority safety strategies on all of Arizona’s public roadways.

| FEATURED TRANSPORTATION PROJECT | CONTINUED


| NEWSLETTER SPONSORS |Has your firm advertised in this issue? Contact Dawn Fortuna at (480) 772-7271 to get all the details on how you can take advantage of this opportunity and participate in our quarterly newsletter.

YOUR AD HEREBecome a sponsor now!

Contact Dawn Fortuna at:480.772.7271 for more information


| NEWSLETTER SPONSORS | CONTINUED

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK • DESIGN-BUILD • JOB ORDER CONTRACT • DESIGN-BID-BUILD • HEAVY

HIGHWAY• WATER/WASTEWATER • PARKS • STRUCTURES • UTILITIES • MINING • SITE DEVELOPMENT

480.892.0521 ph | www.huntercontracting.com


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