Indiana's transportation issues highlight Purdue Road School

U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Maria Cino, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Sharp are expected to speak during the three-day conference taking place March 28-30 on the Purdue campus.

"This year's Road School has much significance as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the interstate system in the United States and the beginning of a new era of highway financing ushered in by Indiana's Major Moves initiatives," said Kumares Sinha, Road School co-chairman and Purdue's Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering. "There are more than 30 different sessions concerning various aspects of our highways, bridges, walkways and other issues related to transportation."

The conference is the oldest of its kind in the nation. A number of state, federal, academic and industry transportation experts will speak at the event. All conference sessions, which are free and open to the public, will take place in Purdue's Stewart Center. More than 1,300 people attended last year's event.

The conference begins with an opening session from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday (March 28) in Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse. Cino will speak on "The Future of Transportation Financing and Investment in America" and Sharp's talk is entitled "Indiana's Major Moves Journey ... Roads and Jobs." Daniels is scheduled to speak at the Road School Luncheon on Wednesday (March 29) about Major Moves and what it means to the state.

The concurrent sessions include more detailed information about the state's transportation network, including a talk immediately following the opening session during which John Weaver, Indiana Department of Transportation's director of planning, will speak on "INDOT's New 10-Year Construction Plan ... The Next Step."

On the conference's second day, Gary Eaton, INDOT's director of procurement and project accounting, will share information with local government officials about the new federal transportation act and how these funds can be accessed.

There will be a panel discussion about last year's tornado that hit Evansville and areas throughout Vanderburgh and Warrick counties. With 24 confirmed deaths, the November tornado was one of the deadliest and most severe in the country last year and the worst in Indiana since 1974 when 47 people died after several tornadoes swept through the state.

Sherman Greer, director of the Evansville and Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Agency; Charlie Alvery, surveyor assistant for Vanderburgh County; and Don Williams, commissioner for Warrick County, serve on the panel.

Other disaster response topics include a discussion led by J. Eric Dietz and Ken Woodall of the Indiana Division of Homeland Security, and Chris Hostetler, assistant roadway service manager for the state's Vincennes district. John Buechler and Dave Coats, both of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, will present results from an emergency earthquake study.

Roundabout intersections, or traffic circles, will be discussed by Wes Butch of the national engineering design company DLZ Inc. and Dave Sonneberg of Traffic Engineering Associates Inc. Roundabouts have been increasingly chosen over conventional intersection improvements because of benefits such as reduced accidents, fewer delays, lower maintenance cost and improved intersection appearance.

Gil Holmes of IndyGo will lead a discussion on the expansion of the IndyGo transportation system in Indianapolis. IndyGo officials recently announced a plan to expand the bus service to include Hamilton County. The service currently covers Marion County, which is directly south of Hamilton County.

A session on how to make the state more bicycle-friendly will focus on designing streets that accommodate both motor vehicles and bicyclists and a case study from Tippecanoe County on creating a bicycle-friendly community. Dawn Ritchie of Fort Wayne and Mitch Barloga of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission will present successful case studies of integrating motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles in the same corridor while maintaining access, flow and safety. Other topics for the session include the state's BikePort, a program to solve parking issues for bicyclists, or a bicycle safety research project by Jon Fricker, a Purdue professor of civil engineering; bicycle safe routes; and 2006 Indiana Department of Transportation initiatives by Ray Irvin, director of greenways and bikeways.

Highlights of this year's Road School include:

• Tuesday (March 28), 3:15-4:45 p.m. "Hazardous Materials Mock Exercise." Fred Whitford, professor and pesticides program coordinator at Purdue will present a program on how to handle a major spill on a roadway.

• Tuesday (March 28), 3:15-4:45 p.m. In a session addressing the importance of communication in transportation projects, Chuck Muller of Indiana Underground Plant Protection Services will discuss when and where to call before beginning any excavation project. He also will explain what can happen when people begin excavating before finding out where cables, wires and pipes are buried

• Wednesday (March 29), 8:30-10 a.m. "The Future of ITS and Traffic Management in Indiana." Mark Newland, deputy commissioner of traffic management; Steve Wuertz, ITS program coordinator; and Dan Shamo, URS Corp., an engineering design company based in San Francisco, will discus how ITS has grown since its inception about 10 years ago and the state's newly created traffic management business unit. The unit oversees traffic control systems, commercial vehicle operation and technology deployment.

• Wednesday (March 29), 10:15-11:45 a.m. "Advanced Intelligent Transportation Systems and Traffic Management in Indiana." This session provides specifics about the Advanced Traffic Management System that is currently in use statewide. Jay Wasson, Troy Boyd and Ryan Gallagher, all of INDOT, will discuss the technology used in studying traffic management.

• Wednesday (March 29), 10:15-11:45 a.m. "Saving Indiana's Structural Past for Future Generations." Mary Kennedy of INDOT and Steve Weintraut and Mike Eichenauer, both of Butler Fairman and Seufert Civil Engineers, will discuss the state's historic bridge program. Topics include the restoration of Leeper Bridge in South Bend and the relocating of steel truss bridges from Hendricks County to Plainfield and another from Warren County to Bloomington.

• Wednesday (March 29), 3:15-4:45 p.m. "I-65 Medium Guardrail Installation Project and Other Safety Issues." Shakeel Baign, production director for INDOT's Crawfordsville district, will discuss the installation of guardrails along Interstate 65. Another topic is the INDOT highway safety program with Brad Steckler.

• Thursday (March 30), 8:30-10 a.m. and 10:15-11:45 a.m. Mark Miller and Ron Heustis of INDOT's construction management division will talk about INDOT changes in construction. Dennis Kuchler, of INDOT's construction management division, will present pavement smoothness awards, and Mark Eckert and Michael McColl, of Beam Longest and Neff Inc. in Indianapolis, will talk about the State Route 66 and Green River Road Project.

Held annually at Purdue since 1914, the Road School brings together all levels of transportation-related professionals from the Federal Highway Administration to the smallest municipalities in the state, said Karen Hatke, program coordinator for the Joint Transportation Research Program.

The Road School is co-sponsored by Purdue's School of Civil Engineering and the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Writer: Cynthia Sequin, (765) 494-4192, csequin@purdue.edu

Sources: Kumares Sinha, (765)494-2211, ksinha@purdue.edu

Karen S. Hatke, (765) 494-9310, kshatke@ecn.purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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