Kevin Fitzpatrick

ASCE just released Bridging the Gap and as Contruction Owners quoted “…production of goods requires reliable energy, clean water, modern transportation systems and dependable ports according to the report. By 2033, the manufacturing sector would lose $1.15 trillion due to inefficient infrastructure if funding reverts back to pre-IIJA levels, compared to $877 billion if current levels continue, a $276 billion difference.” We must keep our infrastructure investment consistent and sustained if we want to continue a strong economic ecosystem.

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The 2024 AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) Committee on Bridges and Structures (COBS) annual meeting in Indianapolis was a success! Our National Practice Team Manager of Structural Engineering, Bill DuVall, and Senior Bridge Engineer, Randall B. Mullins PE, had the opportunity to engage with industry leaders about the latest advancements in bridge design and construction. COBS plays a pivotal role in advancing bridge and structural engineering by establishing guidelines, standards, and best practices for the design, construction, and maintenance of various transportation-related structures. Responsible for the development and maintenance of the AASHTO Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Bridge Design Specifications, COBS ensures that these critical documents set the basis of design using state-of-the-art practices. COBS also champions research and the integration of new technologies and materials, promoting innovation that enhances the safety, reliability, and longevity of our infrastructure. Their standards often serve as the foundation for state and federal regulations, ensuring widespread adoption and impact. Through the promotion of cutting-edge materials, technologies, and methods, COBS continues to drive progress in the field of bridge engineering, setting the stage for a safer, more resilient future. #Engineering #BridgeDesign #StructuralEngineering #AASHTO #Innovation #Safety

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The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently released a report detailing that if federal infrastructure spending stays at its current level, which has been increased by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the U.S. economy would see a positive impact, while reducing spending back to pre-IIJA levels would have the opposite effect. More specifically, the report predicts that maintaining current funding levels over the next 10 years would shield U.S. industries from losing more than $1 trillion in their output and help to avoid the loss of more than $600 billion in GDP.   At Michael Baker International, we believe that maintaining and upgrading our nation’s infrastructure is critical for our communities and country to prosper. This report echoes this sentiment, and we look forward to continuing to partner with clients on projects that improve safety and sustainability, ultimately making our communities more prosperous.   Read more: https://lnkd.in/e9V65jWh

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When you’re a civil engineer interviewing for a new role, it can be tough to really get a sense of the company’s culture—especially since you haven’t worked there yet. But with the right questions, you can dig a little deeper. When I begin working with a new client, doing a deep dive into the company culture is IMPERATIVE. Since civil engineering in many senses is commoditized, it is the people and the culture of the company that can be the real separators. That said, here are 5 key ways a #civilengineer who is interviewing for a new job can get a clearer picture of what the environment is really like: ➡️𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: “𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘫𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩?” A strong culture will invest in developing its people. If they can’t point to real examples, that might tell you something. ➡️𝐈𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦?” The response will reveal whether long hours and burnout are the norm or if they genuinely care about their team's well-being. ➡️𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦? 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴?” This will give you insight into how collaborative or hierarchical the organization is and whether your voice will matter. ➡️𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐝𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬: “𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴?” Listen for signs of camaraderie or, conversely, if people work in silos. You’ll get a sense of how cohesive the workplace is. ➡️𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦?” Open communication from leadership is a sign of a transparent culture, whereas vague or guarded responses might raise a red flag. These questions will help you dig beyond the surface and get a real sense of whether the company’s culture aligns with your values and work style. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒑 𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆? #civilengineer #civilengineers #civilengineeringjobs #companyculture

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I received an email from the AZBTR last night that is very timely due to the looming board termination. I reduced the email down a bit below for a quick read and potential actions. If you wish to email members, please do so as soon as possible, email information below. The Board of Technical Registration (BTR) is set to terminate July 1, 2024. A striker bill, SB2632, currently before the legislature, would continue the Board for another two years. However, the bill introduces changes to the Board's statutes that would significantly narrow the Board's ability to open and investigate complaints. The BTR is asking for your support in reaching out to the members of the legislature to ask for a “clean continuation” of the BTR. If you are concerned about your ability to maintain your professional registration and protecting the public, now is the time to contact members of the legislature and express your wishes. The legislature is scheduled to be in session this week.    Please consider reaching out to the legislators in the district where you live and work.  Please also consider emailing the following individuals:   HB2632’s striker sponsor, Jake Hoffman ([email protected]) Co-sponsors Wendy Rogers ([email protected]) and Justine Wadsack ([email protected]) Senate President Warren Petersen ([email protected]) Senate Minority Leader Denise “Mitzi” Epstein ([email protected])  Speaker of the House Ben Toma ([email protected]) House Minority Leader Lupe Contreras ([email protected])  Representative Justin Wilmeth, who sponsored the Board’s 8-year continuation bill HB2253 ([email protected])   An example of language you may wish to include in your correspondence could be as follows:   Dear Senator (OR) Representative, My name is XXXX, and I am a professional XXXX.  I am writing to support the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (BTR) and ask for its clean 8-year continuation.   In any correspondence, you may wish to explain the importance and the value of the work you perform as a registered professional XXX in Arizona as it relates to public health, safety, and welfare. As professionals who understand the intricacies of your field, you are uniquely positioned to communicate these essential contributions effectively. Therefore, in any correspondence, you may want to highlight these key points to demonstrate the tangible benefits your profession(s) brings to Arizona communities.   Thank you for taking the time to understand the current situation and making an effort to safeguard the Board’s mission to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public through responsible regulation of professions under the purview of the Board of Technical Registration.

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There are so many variables when it comes to road construction projects, like weather, regulations, holidays, and staffing. One thing you shouldn’t have to worry about is accurate, reliable soil, asphalt, and concrete testing. Let the professionals at Chicago Testing Lab take over that aspect of construction so you don’t have to manage it. Book your testing now! https://bit.ly/47hfMxe #ConstructionTesting #SoilTesting #AsphaltTesting #ConcreteTesting

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Reposting this important segment! It’s fantastic to see the Global Infrastructure Investor Association attending ASCE’s release of “Bridging the Gap.” Which lays out the economic implications of sustaining, increasing or snapping back our infrastructure investment when the current bill expires in 2026. And how priming the pump for a stronger, more resilient nation also has global investment implications. Let’s keep pushing for progress and collaboration! #InfrastructureMatters #GlobalInvestment #EconomicGrowth #GIIA #ASCE

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Tunnel, no; bus lane, yes. Commonwealth is a classic example of “one more lane” will just make congestion worse. But induced demand works both ways: an exclusive bus lane + QC’s existing bike lanes is a step towards increasing its capacity today - not in 2029. https://lnkd.in/gZCGBWiE

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In the upcoming months, I plan to discuss my journey as a black traffic/transportation engineer and what I have done to get to where I am within my career and consulting business. I will be exposing both the good and bad within our market and what improvements can be made. I will be collecting data and taking polls. I also encourage my peers to add "constructive criticism" on the topics presented but expect to be challenged if you don't come bearing "receipts". So let the discussions begin..... The first discussion will be on the topic of understanding your value to both the public and private sector markets within Traffic and Transportation Engineering.

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In total, 36% or 221,800 bridges need repair and 76,175 should be replaced entirely, per ARTBA’s report, which provides a snapshot in time of the nation’s bridge conditions. Additionally, 49% of U.S. bridges were in fair condition, which means key elements of the structure got a middling grade. Many of the country’s bridges are already ailing, and extreme weather in a changing climate is stressing them beyond what they were originally designed to withstand. A study in the journal PLOS ONE found that extreme temperatures could cause one in four of the country’s steel bridges to collapse by 2050. #Bridges #Heavycivil #Transportation #CivilEngineering

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I had the privilege of presenting at Purdue LTAP's Asset Management Conference on the importance of preventive maintenance for concrete infrastructure. By investing in upkeep, we can protect our taxpayers' investments and ensure the longevity of our roads, bridges, and other essential structures. Let's work together to prioritize infrastructure maintenance and keep our communities safe and connected. #InfrastructureMaintenance #PreventiveMaintenance #AssetManagementConference #ConcreteInfrastructure

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The ultimate sign of a strong team is knowing you can step away and everything still runs smoothly! Recently, I took some time to get away to Ann Arbor, MI. While it was nice to get away and recharge, returning to a thriving workplace was even better. True leadership means building a culture where people can take ownership. That's when real growth happens—for them and for you. *𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱* #EffectiveLeadership

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The "overdesigned" diagnosis overlooks 2️⃣ key considerations, BUT that doesn't mean managing costs isn't important. 👇🏼 1️⃣ Engineering a structure is a big responsibility, life safety is first and foremost. It takes years to develop the technical acumen and judgment to manage everything thrown at you. Assuming an engineer just knows construction costs by being in the industry is an oversight. 2️⃣ Rushed design schedules, poor coordination, development indecision, too much on their plate, etc. etc. can all lead to inefficient designs. There is a lot going on in high-pressure, fast-paced industry beyond an engineer simply being "conservative." This makes it EXTREMELY challenging for an engineer to manage costs without the proper training and systems to support them. At H+O Structural Engineering, we developed the H+O Cost Index. It integrates cost analysis with structural engineering, giving us the ability to uncover hidden cost-saving opportunities. We've helped customers just like you identify $500k, $800k and even more than $1MM of savings on their projects. How would those savings impact your project? #construction #leadership #engineering #architecture #realestate

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This article provides a good recap of the fits and starts associated with the development of the Silver Line going back to 1962, when rail to Dulles Airport was first envisioned. #transitorientedcommunities #walkablecommunities #densedevelopment https://lnkd.in/e3shPNdq

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This is a great reminder for Civil Engineers and other survey clients to remember the "golden rule" ... treat others as you would want to be treated. Surveying is a profession, not a commodity. Build relationships with Professional Surveyors you trust, don't just go "phishing" for the cheapest price. You not only risk getting-what-you-pay-for, you might also be breaking a "Qualification Based Selection" law if the project is publicly funded. I would not chose my doctor or my mechanic based on who is the cheapest, but on who I trust.

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Great look into the importance of QA/QC.

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Misinformation needs to stop.

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Per ENR: [The Contractor’s basic counterclaim against the Designer argued that a teaming agreement executed in 2015 between the companies that limited the design firm's liability under a subcontract signed the next year was invalid. The contractor said the Designer failed to meet its promised standard of care. The designer's alleged lapses, according to the Contractor, led to delays and quantity increases, with errors requiring changes in #drainage structures, #barriers and #signs. The #Designer claimed that the #Contractor failed to pay it for out-of-scope design services as it asked the Designer to perform redesign on drainage, signage, and other aspects of the project without resorting to a Design Change Control Board process specified in the subcontract] …. It is unfortunate when some of the parties go to #litigation. However, this is happening more frequently on fast-track design-build jobs experiencing major #design #changes during #construction. The Designer sued the Contractor for $16 million and the Contractor countered by suing the Designer for $260 million on an original contract value of $204.3 million, (i.e., 15 x Designer claim or 127% of the contract value). The Contractor made the judge’s decision a lot easier! #c470 #designbuild #alternative_delivery #fast_track #codot

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