U.S. News

The first graduate of the Transportation Engineers of the Future program has started work at Georgia Department of Transportation. Chester Thomas, a Honduras native, was born to U.S. missionary parents who instilled in him the value of humility and hard work. After completing high school, Chester joined the U.S. Air Force, where he served four years active duty. Chester has received numerous distinctions, including Airman of the Year, NCO of the Quarter, Top Wrench, Superior Performer, as well as a variety of medals. Since 2003, Chester has successfully juggled college and his active members.... READ MORE18

In the A/E industry, we all know that Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) is the preferred process for soliciting interest, evaluating qualifications, selecting and contracting with engineers, surveyors, architects and other design professionals for public projects.  We also know that the effective selection and contracting with engineers and architects represents a major challenge for all public officials including state agencies, county commissioners, city councilmen, county and city managers and procurement officers.
   
This challenge is manifest in the manner .... READ MORE18

Rising gas prices and greater awareness of "green" issues have prompted a range of professional groups to consider ways they can take positive steps to solve environmental problems—and engineers are no exception.

In many ways, the engineering profession is uniquely positioned to understand and respond to the issues of poor air quality and traffic congestion, which increasingly are the result of infrastructure that has not kept pace with explosive population growth. By 2030, almost seven million people will call metro Atlanta their home. Millions more will reside in other areas arou.... READ MORE18

Recognizing the importance of the shortage of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduates in the United States, Governor Sonny Perdue signed-off on the state budget for fiscal year 2009 that included $33.3 million for the construction of a new Engineering Technology Center (ETC) at Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU).  The ETC is a significant step forward to address the shortage of STEM educated professionals in the state as it will house five of SPSU's academic programs: electrical, computer, and telecommunications engineering technology, mechanical engin.... READ MORE18

Would you like to limit your exposure for professional liability to the amount of your contract fees?  In many states, design professionals can do just this under certain conditions.  In Georgia, however, the state Supreme Court for the first time examined and struck down a clause that would limit an engineer's liability to the amount of its contract fee.   
   
The Court found the broad sweep of the particular clause under examination to violate Georgia's public policy.  The Court, however, provided hints as to how a "limitation of liability" cla.... READ MORE18

ACEC is leading a broad industry coalition to repeal an onerous three percent withholding man- date on government contracts. Scheduled to take effect in 2011, it would adversely impact almost all engineering firms contracting with federal, state, or local governments.
   
Can you imagine your government client withholding what could be your entire profit margin on your project? Or, for some smaller firms, your entire cash flow?
   
This issue first came to light when the House and Senate wrapped up negotiations on the Tax Increase Prevention and Reco.... READ MORE18

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GAEPD) finalized the Streambank and Shoreline Stabilization Guidance in July 2007.  The guidance provides information on how to correct existing erosion problems and protect water quality in Georgia.  The guidance states that there are three levels of streambank and shoreline stabilization: non-structural ("preferred"), integrated ("acceptable"), and structural ("discouraged") stabilization methods.  The GAEPD can enforce the stabilization methods through the Georgia Stream Buffer Variance (SBV) permit process.  Any land distur.... READ MORE18

When Kimley-Horn began in 1967, our founders never anticipated growing to over 2,000 people with offices from coast to coast. From the beginning, their main goal was to create a place where staff could flourish and provide high quality, creative solutions for clients. Fortunately for those of us at Kimley-Horn today, they created an employee-oriented culture centered on high expectations for integrity, client service, and performance.
   
Because of our success in recent "best places to work" competitions (Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, 2005-2008; CE News Best C.... READ MORE18

Nationally, more than 800 people die in Red Light Running (RLR) crashes each year. Georgia averages 25 fatalities annually in RLR crashes, with more than 3,800 injuries in 5,200 crashes. The most severe crashes at intersections are angle- or side-impact. Combining engineering solutions with long-term and effective enforcement, particularly automated, should help reduce injuries and crashes at intersections. RLR cameras are an effective countermeasure that can potentially reduce the severity of crashes by deterring violators who receive citations and civil monetary penalties.
  &n.... READ MORE18

Traffic Congestion and Its Effects
The dramatic growth of the metro Atlanta area continues to exceed the capacity of our highway system. The results are gridlock, pollution, reduced quality of life, and a greater risk of injury.
   
This year Forbes magazine ranked Atlanta #1 on its list of "Worst Cities for Commuters" due to the time residents spend in traffic. However, more than half of all traffic congestion in the metro area is caused by non-recurring incidents such as crashes. According to a AAA-commissioned study published in March, the monetary cost of crashes .... READ MORE18

DLPE is a full service educational organization of the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) that delivers world class programs and degrees, both credit and non-credit to countries around the globe. During 2008, over 1000 courses were offered to more than 18,000 students which created an enrollment of over 20,000! DLPE has four mission and service areas: (1) distance delivered education, (2) professional masters and non-credit professional/executive programs, (3) English as second language and (4) professional meeting room rentals in the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center (GLC). The center is.... READ MORE18

Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, is the congressionally authorized process the Department of Defense has previously used to reorganize its base structure to more efficiently and effectively support our forces, increase operational readiness, and facilitate new ways of doing business. Base Realignments and Closures cause near-term social and economic disruption in local economies that serve and benefit from military facilities located in their communities. There are many success stories from previous closures. If approached correctly, a base closure can actually be an economic opportunity.... READ MORE18

In January of 2006, Mayor Rex Millsaps told me directly that the water department budget is going to be in the black or we are going to get out of the business. Needless to say, the Mayor had my attention! I was determined to demonstrate the potential for producing up to 80 percent of the city's daily water needs from the wells that we had. Most were drilled over the last 22 years but there are two that are much older. Well #1 was drilled in 1915, and well #14 was drilled in 1945. The city relies on Gwinnett County to make up the difference the wells cannot supply. The city does not have the c.... READ MORE18

On average, Americans spend approximately $4,000 on every 1,000 gallons of bottled water purchased—while the same quantity of tap water costs approximately $1, and it takes three to seven times as much water to produce a bottle of water as it does to fill it up at the tap.  Did you know that Americans use 25 billion single-serve plastic water bottles per year and 20 billion of those end up in landfills?  Did you also know that producing single-serve bottles for American consumption in 2006 required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil producing 2.5 million tons of ca.... READ MORE18

The Georgia coast, like many coastal areas, is growing rapidly. This growth places a huge demand on the area's existing transportation resources, and with the recent funding shortfalls, seriously impacts the ability of state and local governments to meet the burgeoning transportation needs.

Liberty County, which was primarily rural until recent years, has become an area of particular interest because of the amount of developable land, beautiful coastal scenery, natural resources, and easy access to I-95. In addition, the expansion of Ft. Stewart, a major U.S. Army installation, has an.... READ MORE18

The nation's airport infrastructure represents a significant capital investment and is critical in the productivity and economic success of communities, states and regions. The largest single asset comprising an airport facility is pavement. Recognizing the need to monitor its transportation assets, the federal government has mandated greater attention be paid to the preservation, upgrading, and timely replacement of critical infrastructure.

Airports have historically made decisions regarding pavement maintenance and rehabilitation based on past experience and immediate need rather.... READ MORE18

In his Forecast for the Nation, released today, Dhawan said that positive signs, such as increases in consumer confidence and the stock market the so-called green shoots of recovery will turn into full-fledged stalks loaded with grain only with time and careful nurturing. There must be moisture, marked by consumers' willingness to spend; treatment with fertilizer (i.e. corporate investment); a working relationship between private capital, a.k.a. Wall Street and the government; and the avoidance of an early-stage frost (such as the Lehman and AIG blowups). He further noted that the green shoots.... READ MORE18

Gresham, Smith and Partners, a leading national engineering, architecture and planning firm, announces the design of a 12.5- mile intelligent transportation system (ITS) for the Gwinnett County Department of Transportation is complete.  The design calls for installation of a fiber optic communications network and associated ITS technology, including closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, along Sugarloaf Parkway, a principal arterial roadway in Gwinnett County between Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and SR 20/Grayson Highway.  This ITS will be incorporated into the GDOT NaviGAtor sy.... READ MORE18

The date is set and the final logistics are in the works for the 2009 ITS Georgia annual meeting and conference.  The dates are October 4 -6 at beautiful Brasstown Valley Resort in the north Georgia mountains.
   
Our theme for this year is "Improving Transportation Sustainability," which correlates to our organization's name and is one of the core principles driving intelligent transportation technology.
   
So, how does ITS equate to Improving Transportation Sustainability?
   
The three fundamental tenets of sustainabili.... READ MORE18

As I sit down to write this, I realize that this is my final President's Message as I will turn over the gavel to our next president at our summer meeting in June 2009.  While the time it takes to write these articles is often spent late night, on a plane, or crammed between two other deadlines, I've got to tell you…I'm really going to miss writing them.    
   
The theme of this issue of the Georgia Engineer is "Natural Resources".  The first article I wrote as President last year had the same theme, and I started off talking about the ugly cardb.... READ MORE18