Sharing Ideas, Concepts, and
Events from the Transportation
Association of Canada’s
Chief Engineers’ Council
Gregory C. Johnson, P.E.
Chief Operations Officer/AASHTO Liaison
Michigan Department of Transportation
2013 Fall AASHTO Conference
CentrePort Canada is North America’s Newest
20,000-Acre Inland Port and Foreign Trade Zone,
Offering Unique Access to Tri-modal Transportation
(Road, Rail and Air).
CentrePort Canada
$142M CONTRACT
$120M IN CLAIMS
(84.5% of Contract)
$22M DIFFERENTIAL
2013 Spring Flooding in Alberta
Causes:
• Snow Pack
• Storm System Stalled Over the Area
• 120 Millimeters (4.7”) of Rain in 12 Hours
2013 Spring Flooding in Alberta
Impacts:
• $5 - $6B in Estimated Damages to Province
(Over $2B in Calgary Alone)
• 29 Communities Declared Emergency
• 100,000 People Evacuated
• 985 Kilometers (612 mi) of Highway Closed
• 30 Bridges Closed
2013 Spring Flooding in Alberta
2013 Spring Flooding in Alberta
2013 Spring Flooding in Alberta
2013 Spring Flooding in Alberta
2013 Spring Flooding in Alberta
Accomplishments/Lessons Learned:
• TransCanada Highway Re-opened in 6
Days
• Future Bridge Design Impacted Modeling to Show how Much Water to
Design for Using Channel Capacity and
Historic High Water Considerations,
Basin Runoff Potential
Canadian Research Program
• Accomplishes Research Through a Pooled-fund
Model
• Averages 6.3 Projects Funded per Year at About
$120k per Project
• Funding is Provided by a Combination of the 29
TAC Private Sector Members Which Includes
Association Members
Current Research Topics
• Winter Severity Index
• Work Zone Effective Practices
• Low Volume Roads Load Management
Practices
• Asset Management Practices Synthesis
• Canadian Model Rules of the Road Update
• Traffic Monitoring Best Practices
• Centerline Pavement Markings for Passing
and Climbing Lanes
Chief Engineers’ Council Issues
• Skilled Labor Shortage is a Concern Tied to
Potential Temporary Foreign Workers,
Apprenticeships, Outreach to Potential
Workers
• Initiative for Growing Youth Participation
• ITE to Create Leadership Skills in the
Transportation Industry for Younger
Professionals
Standing Committee Issues
Soils and Materials:
• Risk Assessment Model/Plan for
Geotechnical Issues Being Created
• SHRP 2 Presentation www.GeotechTools.org
• Adopting Mechanistic Empirical Pavement
Design
• 5 Focus Areas: Pavement Materials,
Structural Materials, Geotechnical, Soils and
Recycled Materials, Innovations
Standing Committee Issues
Geometric Design:
• Updating the Geometric Design Guidelines How Will Autonomous Vehicles Change
Roadway Design Parameters
• Implications of Super Loads on Geometric
Design
• Will Publish a Roundabout Design Guide in
2015
• How Will Roundabouts Accommodate Active
Transportation (Non-motorized)
Standing Committee Issues
Construction and Maintenance:
• Pavement Runoff Study Looking at Water
Quality of Runoff from Pavements Entering
Ditches and Downstream
• Looking at Salinity and Other Pollutants
Entering Water Courses
• Looking at the Creation of Corporate
Knowledge Data Bank to Perpetuate Lessons
Learned to the Next Generation of
Practitioners
Standing Committee Issues
Construction and Maintenance (Cont’d):
• Public Utility Management
• Summer/Winter Maintenance Best Practices
• Work Zone Management
• Climate Change
• Snow Plow Configuration and Lighting
Standing Committee Issues
Road Safety :
• Developing a Road Safety Professional Designation
(Similar to PTOE)
• 2015 is the Mid-year of the Decade of Action on
Traffic Safety
• Safety Criterion in Scoping Process
• Work Zone Consideration for Active Transportation
Users (Non-motorized)
• Active Transportation and Vulnerable Road Users
(Where Does the Stewardship Reside?)
• Concerned About the Pooled Fund Model for
Research Funding
Standing Committee Issues
Structures:
• Bridge Sustainability Precast Elements
• Bridge Barrier Guide
• Climate Change Impacts on Structure Design
• MSE Walls Design Construction and
Maintenance
• Welding of Reinforcing Steel in Precast Girders
Standing Committee Issues
Traffic Operations and Management:
• 30 to 80 Percent of Vehicle Crashes due to
Distracted Driving
• Push in Some Provinces to Raise Speed Limit
to 120 km/hour (75 mph)
• YouTube Video “Speed Kills Your Pocketbook“
• Harmonizing Electric Vehicle Signing
Task Force Issues
Asset Management:
Should Asset Management go from a Task Force to
a Standing Committee Status? (Standing
Committees Report to Councils)
Climate Change:
• Malaysian Professor to Speak on Cleaner HMA at
TAC Meeting this Fall
• Evaluation of the Future of the Task Force: Renew
Mandate, Create a New Standing Committee
Entity, Dissolve to Nothing, Distribute the Charge
to Other Existing Committees
Chief Engineer’s Role in Canada
Canadian Officials want to Enhance the
Role of the Chief Engineer Beyond that of
Ad-hoc Definitions that Occur in Various
Job Descriptions. Define, Formalize, and
Codify the Chief Engineer’s Role. Possible
Creation of an Office of the Chief Engineer
Outside of the DOT.
Announcements
• Transportation Association of Canada’s
100-Year Celebration (Montreal, Quebec)
• 2014 Spring Meeting /April 12-13
(Ottawa, Ontario)
• ITS World Congress/September 7-11, 2014
(Detroit, Michigan)