Ellspermann to give Road School keynote address; State Street project to be discussed
March 5, 2015
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann will give the keynote address Wednesday (March 11) during the 101st annual Purdue Road School.
Also during Road School, Purdue and West Lafayette officials will give a presentation for plans on the State Street project.
The 2015 Road School, designed for Indiana local and state transportation officials, will be Tuesday through Thursday (March 10-12).
More than 2,300 transportation officials from throughout Indiana will participate in the event, which is sponsored by the Joint Transportation Research Program and the Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program, both housed at Purdue.
“This event provides a regular opportunity for the caretakers of Indiana’s roadway system to exchange ideas, insights, and experiences, and collectively build a stronger transportation system,” said John Haddock, Road School co-chairman and a civil engineering professor.
Ellspermann will speak during a luncheon Wednesday.
At 2 p.m. on Wednesday in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall, Purdue President Mitch Daniels and West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis will introduce a presentation on the university-city joint effort to enhance the State Street corridor from the Wabash River through campus to U.S. 231.
David Buck, West Lafayette public works director, will give details of the proposed project. Michael B. Cline, Purdue vice president for physical facilities, will moderate.
“This Road School session provides a unique opportunity to introduce the innovative State Street corridor project to industry leaders,” Cline said. “We look forward to bringing this project to market in collaboration with our City of West Lafayette partners and publicly introducing it at Road School.”
Speaking at Road School’s opening session will be Karl Browning, Indiana Department of Transportation commissioner; Blair Milo, mayor of LaPorte; and Zack Scott, UPS Inc.’s Ohio Valley district president.
“Over $600 billion in freight moves to, from or through Indiana each year,” said Darcy Bullock, Road School co-chairman and a Purdue civil engineering professor. “This year’s opening session will reflect on the strategic importance of the transportation network to Indiana’s economy.”
The conference will offer 126 technical sessions on topics ranging from road construction, maintenance and safety to bike trails and ports.
A new aviation track has been introduced this year with sessions covering the latest in airport pavements, runway safety and security and will include tours of Purdue Aviation Technology and Purdue Airport.
“This year’s conference has been rebranded with the more inclusive name Purdue Road School Transportation Conference and Expo to reflect the strong participation from other transportation modes,” Bullock said.
Purdue Road School traces its origin to January 1913, when W.K. Hatt, head of Purdue's School of Civil Engineering, initiated a conference to help county surveyors and city engineers develop and maintain Indiana's roads and streets. At the 1914 conference, a resolution was passed calling for a yearly school for county road superintendents. In 1915 the conference officially became known as Purdue Road School.
More information on Road School, including the full schedule, is available online at http://bit.ly/1w9eOu6
Writer: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu
Sources: Darcy Bullock, 765-494-2226, darcy@purdue.edu
John Haddock, 765-496-3996, jhaddock@purdue.edu
