Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Special event

Special event

Special event

Practices in Municipal and Regional Transportation
Mobility, Accessibility, and Transportation Equity
Techniques in Design, Materials, & Construction
Promoting a Culture of Safe Transportation
Shaping Transportation in a Post Covid World

Special event

Master of Ceremonies: Pete Sutton, MassDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator
Welcome Keynote: Jonathan Gulliver, MassDOT Highway Administrator

Concurrent Session 1

Municipal-Regional Track

Join this session for an overview of how Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) technology can be integrated into Bridge and Rail inspections, how inspections of Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) can help prevent infrastructure failure and save money by helping to inform maintenance decisions, and to find out more about the need to foster safe drone activity. Discussion topics will include the benefits and challenges of drone activity for both bridge inspections and rail lines, as well as recent inspection procedures, protocols, and the latest technology. This session will also discuss the tools needed to develop your own UAS Safety Management System, and how drones can be used for safely inspecting and efficiently collecting data on existing conditions of above-grade stormwater management facilities. These data provide needed information to track Stormwater Control Measure’s (SCMs) condition that in-turn can prevent infrastructure damage and save money. This session may be of interest to MassDOT District Highway staff, local public works directors, highway superintendents, and traffic engineers.

Moderator: Jessica Kenny, MassDOT
Presenters: Michael Plotnikov, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Henry Barbaro, MassDOT
Matthew Lundsted, CEI
David Price, GPI
John Diaz, GPI

Concurrent Session 1

Mobility-Equity Track

Many cities in New England are made up of a diverse population, including older adults, people with disabilities, and immigrants. Many households in these communities are without a car and rely on transit for traveling purposes. As transit is in high demand in these communities, adjusting service to accommodating these travel needs requires a comprehensive public outreach/engagement process, with a modern data collection strategy, and plan for implementation. This session will present three different projects that cover innovative approaches to travel demands in their communities. In Everett, the Reimagine Broadway project built on a successful bus lane and broadened the focus beyond speeding up buses, adopting a comprehensive, human-centered approach to mobility improvements. The City of Lynn teamed up with the MBTA to engage the community and identify opportunities to implement improvements to service for transit-critical populations. Finally learn about the Community Transportation Leaders Program developed by the Greater Portland Council of Governments to conduct leadership development activities with older adults, people with disabilities, and immigrants around transit improvements and advocacy.

Moderator: Doug Johnson, MassDOT
Presenters: Essek Petrie, VHB
Eric Burkman, MBTA
Aaron Clausen, City of Lynn
Michael Gordon, VHB
Julia Wallerce, Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP)
Jay Monty, City of Everett
Zoe Miller, Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG)
Mireille Kabongo, Community Transportation Leader, Portland

Concurrent Session 1

Design-Construction Track

This session will provide examples and highlight some unconventional design and permitting methods which have been shown to save money, save time, and lessen traffic disruption. The first project, presented by the Design-Build Team of SPS New England and VHB, features the first application of the lateral slide accelerated-construction approach for a MassDOT bridge replacement in Raynham, Massachusetts. Next, presenters will discuss how a change to the approved Record of Decision Environmental Impact statement could have had a substantial negative affect on the long overdue reconstruction of the first freeway built in Rhode Island. The permitting engineers, Dewberry, will explain how the impact of this change, to the largest Design-Build project in Rhode Island history, was mitigated. Lastly, speakers from Hoyle, Tanner, and Associates will describe how the Sandwich Plate System deck was employed for a bridge replacement project in Lee, Massachusetts. Originally developed for ship and offshore structure applications, the SPS was used, in another first application for MassDOT, to accelerate construction while facilitating working within a space-constrained site and reducing load on the existing substructure to be retained.

Moderator: Matthew Weidele,MassDOT
Presenters: Brent Richard,VHB
Valerie Kilduff, MassDOT
Helmut Ernst, SPS New England
Ileana Ivanciu, Dewberry
Zach Davis, Dewberry
Nick Caiazza, Dewberry
Aaron Lachance, Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc.
Jillian Semprini, Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc.

Concurrent Session 1

Safety Track

Massachusetts continues to push forward new and innovative safety strategies on our streets, for all users. However, some municipalities are going a step further and redefining how we use our streets entirely. This session will first take a step back to acknowledge some successful case studies of “Vision Zero” from an international perspective, including addressing what the term actually means. In this session, learn about how Boston planners opened their streets, setting the precedent for other communities looking to share more spaces, and enlightening citizens from experiencing pilot demonstrations to championing permanent projects. Also hear about some of the effective safety strategies being implemented in your very own neighborhoods, including an overview of some encouraging Flashing Yellow Arrow safety improving results. This panel will broadly explore how innovative policy decisions to make our streets safer and more equitably considerate have far reaching benefits for all.

Moderator: Derek Shooster, MassDOT
Presenters: Jacob Wessel, Boston Transportation Department
Stefanie Seskin, Boston Transportation Department
Francis Tainter, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Concurrent Session 1

Post-Covid Track

This session will open with a presentation demonstrating how innovative data collection methods, data analytics, and graphical tracking provided state agencies insight into the volatility of mobility during the Covid pandemic. The onset of the pandemic saw reductions in traffic volume and transit ridership that had never seen before in Massachusetts. VHB coordinated with MassDOT and the MBTA to quantify and track the volume of traffic and transit ridership on major corridors into/out of the metro-Boston area. The corridor level evaluation allowed a more granular understanding of total reduction in person-trips and how the component mode split contributed to the recovery of traffic volumes given continued work from home and unemployment factors during 2020. The session will then shift to a discussion of the MassDOT Shared Travel Network Study, a followup to MassDOT’s Congestion in the Commonwealth Study (2019). The Shared Network study is an effort to identify opportunities to enhance the Boston Area’s shared travel system (transit, carpooling, vanpooling, and more) while highlighting and improving on MassDOT’s existing park-and-ride lots. Speakers from MassDOT and Cambridge Systematics will lay out the project’s analytical method and approach. The project, which starts with an assessment of origin/destination flows throughout Greater Boston, will then seek to identify potential changes for enhanced service, amenities, and facilities throughout the park-and-ride system, and to develop recommendations for infrastructure improvements to support and facilitate efficient operations and services.

Moderator: Jenny Zeng, MassDOT
Presenters: Don Cooke, VHB
Nicolette Hastings, VHB
Carrie McInerney, MassDOT
Joe Zissman, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Liz Williams, MassDOT

Concurrent Session 2

Municipal-Regional Track

The three-year Smart Columbus Electrification Program was designed to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future. The City of Columbus, Ohio, and its partners have realized metric tons of CO2 of reductions/savings in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through energy efficiency and consuming renewable energy. Come hear how Smart Columbus used policy changes, incentive programs, private sector engagement, outreach, and creativity to: Reduced GHG emissions by 2.7%, spur adoption of 3,458 EVs (electric vehicles),install 914 EV charging ports, and support mode shift through new technologies such as autonomous vehicles (AVs), e-bikes and mobility apps. The team is happy to share their lessons learned and answer any questions.

Moderator: Meghan Haggerty, MassDOT
Presenters: Katherine Zehnder, HTNB
Bud Braughton, HNTB; Former City of Columbus Program Manager
Patti Austin, City of Columbus Division of Power
Private Sector Partnership: Alex Slaymaker, Smart Columbus
Fleet Adoption: Andrew Conley, Clean Fuels Ohio
Performance Measurement: Scott Lowry, HNTB

Concurrent Session 2

Mobility-Equity Track

Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the transportation landscape and will continue to alter the way transportation service is equally accessible. Mobility services such as Lyft, Uber, Instacart, Blue Apron, DoorDash, and Postmates are prime examples. All these mobility service platforms rely on data-driven AI algorithms to match demand and supply, select routes based on estimated road traffic conditions, predict service completion times, determine prices to charge, and so forth. However, AI algorithms can learn and encode fairness in data-driven systems. There have been numerous anecdotal reports related to mobility services about biases and discriminatory treatment of drivers and users (especially, people of color) alike. This coupled with the daily need for Transportation Networking Companies (TNCs) to accommodate the vocational and social rehabilitation services for residents of the Commonwealth who are declared legally blind. This session will address the fairness issues in AI-driven mobility and the challenges in accounting for fairness. The existing options and AV development are critical for mobility, accessibility, and transportation equity enabled only through collaboration and support between private and public agencies.

Moderator: Michael Flanary, MassDOT
Presenters: Yanhua Li Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Catherine Burns Jacobs

Concurrent Session 2

Design-Construction Track

Best Practices for Preventing Cement Concrete Sidewalk Deterioration: MassDOT has observed numerous instances of significant early concrete sidewalk degradation and deterioration due to scaling throughout the Commonwealth. This phenomenon has resulted in many time consuming and costly repairs or replacements, causing inconvenient disruptions to the public. The chemical mechanism behind this phenomenon is a complicated one, however, prevention of this problem is attainable, through proper research and implementation of best practices. During this presentation, you will learn about the mechanism and effect of freezing, thawing, and de-icing agent exposure has on concrete, concrete sidewalk materials and construction best practices, and the research study conducted through a combined partnership of MassDOT, Industry, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Self-Healing Concrete Using Biomass Capsule System: Cracking is a major cause of concrete deterioration and premature failure of structures by providing pathways for external moisture and salts. Although capsule-based self-healing is one of the most robust and cost-effective approaches to achieve automatic crack healing in concrete, there exists an unfathomed challenge when using capsules: the dilemma between survivability and ease of rupture to ensure successful crack healing. To address this challenge, in this study, novel capsules with various shapes, sizes, and shell thicknesses were developed based on two biomass materials: polylactic acid (PLA) from corn and lignin derived from wood. Evolutionary properties of capsules in the cement matrix were achieved. Both PLA and lignin capsules exhibited superior survivability over 90%. After 90 days, degradation degrees of 90.2% and 49.2% were observed from PLA and lignin capsules, respectively. Preliminary studies on crack-healing indicate the promising capability of the biomass-based capsule systems to achieve robust self-healing in concrete.

Moderator: Richard Mulcahy MassDOT
Presenters: Jianqiang Wei, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Arkabrata Sinha, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Kara Peterman, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Sergio Breña, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Concurrent Session 2

Safety Track

Safety Culture and Safe Systems are two of the latest themes taking the transportation sector by storm. This session will cover a wide range of topics regarding safety culture, safe systems, and speed management and how they all play a role in minimizing fatalities and injuries. Our first panelist will provide an overview of traffic safety culture and how it relates to the Safe System Approach and supports injury minimization goals. In addition to a definition and model of traffic safety culture, this panel will provide examples of strategies to grow positive traffic safety culture and encourage collaboration amongst traffic safety stakeholders. Then, focusing on the effort to reduce fatalities and injuries, the MassDOT Highway Division Chief will discuss the steps the Highway Division is taking for improved Speed Management, and MassDOT’s completed, in progress, and future goals with regards to improving safety and reducing fatalities and serious injuries on Massachusetts roadways for all road users. The session’s final panelist, from FHWA, will speak on “The Safe System Approach and An Application to Intersections” and what is being done to improve the existing framework for intersection alternatives analysis.

Moderator: Michael Knodler, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Presenters: Nicholas Ward, Center for Health and Safety Culture, Montana State University
Patricia Leavenworth, Deputy Administrator/Chief Engineer MassDOT, Highway Division
Jeffrey Shaw, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Concurrent Session 2

Post-Covid Track

This session will present different types of scenario planning in practice. This is a transformative time in transportation. Rapid, unforeseen, and unpredictable change is occurring, driven by new technologies (automated and connected vehicles), industries (transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft), and models (mobility-as-a-service). In addition, a changing climate promises significant impacts on the transportation system in the coming decades. These factors challenge traditional point-to-point forecasting of transportation and land use metrics. Scenario planning helps departments of transportation (DOTs) consider multiple plausible futures, anticipate events and trends, understand risk, gather ideas for a proactive organizational response, and help managers break out of their established mental models. Seminal works from NCHRP (e.g., the Foresight Series) led to scenario planning work across the country as part of long-range planning efforts. Building on these efforts, the panel members will discuss current state of the practice in scenario planning and share the lessons learned from their experiences at MetroPlan Orlando, the Ohio DOT, and the California DOT.

Moderator: Nate Higgins, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Presenters: Alex Trauger, MetroPlan Orlando
Scott Phinney, Ohio DOT
John Thurston, California DOT

Special event

Introduction of Keynote
Keynote: Jamey Tesler, Acting Secretary and CEO, Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Special event

Special event

Practices in Municipal and Regional Transportation
Mobility, Accessibility, and Transportation Equity
Techniques in Design, Materials, & Construction
Promoting a Culture of Safe Transportation
Shaping Transportation in a Post Covid World

Special event

Master of Ceremonies: Pete Sutton, MassDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator
Welcome Keynote: Patricia Leavenworth, Deputy Administrator/Chief Engineer, Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Concurrent Session 3

Municipal-Regional Track

Collecting pavement data using the latest technology provides for data maintenance options and quality management. Through implementation of appropriate technology, sound database design and development of strategic workflows, a Pavement Management Program (PMP) using GIS can create a data-centric GIS ecosystem where all users access one uniform data repository. Providing an effective data collection tool to interact and receive feedback from the public allows for more transparency and allows the project implementation to happen smoother. Understanding the needs of roadways and the needs of the public traveling on those roads is critical. This session will cover the design considerations of developing a data-driven PMP, road data collection from a Regional Planning Commission perspective, and will address how to effectively solicit public participation on transportation projects using an interactive online tool.

Moderator: Bryan Keith Pounds MassDOT
Presenters: Kenneth Contrisciane, Michael Baker International, Inc.
Jim Terlizzi, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC)
Jerrard Whitten, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC)
Steve Lopez, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC)
David Nolan, Jr. Cape Cod Commission
Anne Reynolds, Cape Cod Commission

Concurrent Session 3

Mobility-Equity Track

Improving our pedestrian and bicycling environment has positive effects on all streets, both rural and urban. These initiatives provide active transportation opportunities, enhance transit connections, and can assist municipalities in meeting their Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance goals. Drawing upon the success of MassDOT’s Shared Streets and Spaces funding program, this session will address techniques in design, materials, costs, and construction for quick-build bike and pedestrian infrastructure and traffic calming techniques, including painted curb extensions, street murals, flex posts, etc. Proposed improvements can also provide an opportunity to utilize the ADA Self Evaluation and Transition Plan (SETP) prioritization process for implementation. Lastly, this session will include the use of ArcMap/ArcGIS Online to address the following question: What are the key factors that contribute to a meaningful prioritization model at this moment in time? Several community examples statewide will be featured.

Moderator: Pete Sutton, MassDOT
Presenters: Alison Felix, Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (MAPC)
Allison Burson, Solomon Foundation
Jack Madden, BETA Group, Inc.
Tito Sanchez, BETA Group, Inc.
Brett Sinica, BETA Group, Inc.
Margaret Kent, Kittleson & Associates, Inc.

Concurrent Session 3

Design-Construction Track

The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in the engineering, construction, and inspection sectors has grown rapidly in recent years. The technology is teeming with potential and has proven valuable when used in the right situations. This session will cover current uses in the Commonwealth for surveying, inspection and monitoring. Presentations will cover case studies, discuss the technology and post-processing, and detail the partnerships that enable the use of this novel tool.

Moderator: John Bechard, MassDOT
Presenters: Anthony Darlington, VHB
Tim Dexter, MassDOT
Liana Dinunzio, MassDOT
Robin Grace, MassDOT
Roy Schiff, SLR Consulting
Anthony Darlington, VHB
Jason Benoit, MassDOT
Eric Thornley, Michael Baker International, Inc.
Alicia McConnell, Michael Baker International, Inc. Ryan Cloutier, VHB
Daryl Amaral, MassDOT

Concurrent Session 3

Safety Track

Come and learn more about what Massachusetts is doing to innovate safety analysis through action-based solutions. This panel will provide an introduction of the tracking, reporting, and safety analytical measures within the Commonwealth. The first presenters will highlight innovative methods and practices developed by regional planning agencies across Massachusetts, to identify the patterns that will assist local authorities in developing appropriate strategies to increase safety. Members of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) and Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD) will explain how these newly established methodologies will improve the tracking and reporting of safety data. Representatives from VHB and MassDOT will shed light into MassDOT’s IMPACT advanced safety analysis tools. These tools provide visual media that make it easier for users to view MassDOT’s highway safety data and make informed, actionable safety project decisions.

Moderator: Francis Tainter, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Presenters: Khyati Parmar, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC)
Jacqueline Jones, Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD)
Dale Abbott, VHB

Concurrent Session 3

Post-Covid Track

This session will open with a discussion of the Supply Chain Analysis Network (SCAN) that was activated by FEMA in March 2020, in the face of uncertainty regarding the supply chains for the transportation of critical goods such as food, water, medicine, and personal protective equipment (PPE). SCAN uses data and analysis to highlight key supply chain features, structures, conditions, and relationships relevant to decision-making during disaster response. SCAN is a partnership of subject experts, researchers, and analysts working for Center for Naval Analysis, the American Logistics Aid Network, the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, and Dewberry. The presentation will discuss traffic data collection and analysis challenges, lessons learned, and notable findings to better prepare us for future disasters. During the second part of session, speakers from the 128 Business Council will describe the Council’s work during the same timeframe to build a new interdisciplinary team and a new operational model for its response to Covid. This team reconsidered all aspects of the Council’s service, leading to new cleaning procedures, physical alterations to the shuttles, new personnel roles, and new waiting and boarding procedures. The Council’s experience can serve as an instructive case study for others regarding: the development of new safety protocols; balancing independent research against national standards; communicating about a complex and evolving situation to diverse stakeholders; and striving to live up to the motto ”If We Can Control It, Then We Have To Try.”

Moderator: Makaela Niles MassDOT
Presenters: Gerard Mrykalo, Dewberry
Monica Tibbits-Nutt, 128 Business Council
Lispeth Tibbits-Nutt, 128 Business Council

Concurrent Session 4

Municipal-Regional Track

This session highlights the success of the MBTA’s Rapid Response Bus Lane Program and the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TCC) RapidTO Initiative. Come learn how transit agencies are using rapid response programs to implement transit priority measures throughout their networks. Through partnerships with eight municipalities the MBTA accelerated the implementation of approximately ten miles of bus lanes across the region during the Covid-19 pandemic. Similarly, building on recommendations from their first ever 5-Year Service Plan and 10-Year Outlook, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) responded to the pandemic by reallocating road space and rapidly implementing dedicated transit lanes on one of North America’s busiest bus routes.

Moderator: Doug Johnson, MassDOT
Presenters: Tim Dickinson, Jacobs
Sierra Buehler, Toronto Transit Commission
Eric Burkman, MBTA
Andrew McFarland, MBTA

Concurrent Session 4

Mobility-Equity Track

Mobility-Equity Track

This panel will involve a discussion of how equity and accessibility considerations have been successfully incorporated into emerging areas of study and technology, including micromobility, mobility on demand, and universal design for pedestrian facilities. Panelists from two regional planning agencies representing the Greater Boston region and Pioneer Valley region will provide insight into how the expansion of their respective bike share programs (BlueBikes and ValleyBike) have provided greater accessibility to traditionally underserved communities. A representative from HDR Engineering will discuss best practices for promoting accessibility and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance during transportation projects’ design and construction. Additionally, a representative from Montana State University will provide implementation guidance for communities interested in introducing or expanding Mobility on Demand programs and partnerships. The overall goal of this session is to equip attendees with the tools and information needed for them to most equitably advance accessibility, micromobility, and Mobility on Demand programs and initiatives. Don’t miss it.

Moderator: Derek Krevat MassDOT
Presenters: Matthew Golde HDR Engineering, Inc.
Heather Ivester HDR Engineering, Inc.
Andrea Hamre Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University
Gary Roux Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC)
Ariel Patterson Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS)

Concurrent Session 4

Design-Construction Track

Maintaining public assets and improving their resiliency is a critical issue as we face down the existential threat that is climate change. This session will cover three approaches: an inland flood risk assessment and planning process for state-owned assets transportation; a climate-resilient corridor project that utilizes best practices to withstand future flooding, and a city-level assessment and planning exercise for culverts and drainage infrastructure.

Moderator: Jenny Zeng, MassDOT
Presenters: Shannon Greenwell, MassDOT
Nicolas Bosonetto, City of Fitchburg
Nick Erickson, City of Fitchburg
Mark Costa, VHB
Kelly Siry, VHB
Matthew Hayes, City of Framingham

Concurrent Session 4

Post-Covid Track

Huddling around a project map or viewing slides in Town offices are no longer the only options for soliciting public input. Engaging the public using innovative technologies has shown potential to be just as valuable as in-person meetings. The first presentation in this session will share tested ideas on how technology can be used to enhance public engagement, including options for more interactive and engaging virtual project meetings using new virtual tools. The session will then showcase an effective hybrid public engagement case study: the Arborway Parkways Improvement Project in Jamaica Plain. The project’s engagement efforts cultivated virtual conversations beyond public meetings to solicit useful, targeted design input. The hybrid public engagement approaches shared here facilitate more detailed, targeted two-way engagement from a broader perspective, with the potential for better final projects.

Moderator: Ben Muller, MassDOT
Presenters: Stephen Farr, Nitsch Engineering
Thomas Currier, MassDOT
Jeff Dietrich, Howard Stein Hudson
Matt Jasmin, Howard Stein Hudson
Jeff Parenti, Massachusetts Dept of Conservation and Recreation

Concurrent Session 4

Post-Covid Track

Necessity is the mother of invention. The COVID-19 pandemic quickly forced transportation agencies and mobility providers to change how and what they delivered. They developed new policies, practices, and procedures to help people and goods move. They created new ways of working, using technology and new work arrangements. They worked through traditional political, cultural, and partnership barriers. As the pandemic cedes, agencies are left to decide which innovations they should embrace moving forward and which they should let go. They also need to consider how to overcome barriers to implementation if they want to sustain the innovations in the long term. The panelists will share specific anecdotes and stories from their experiences, discussing how Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs), transit agencies, Departments of Transportation (DOTs), and transportation network companies (TNCs) will move forward.

Moderator: Andrea d'Amato, MassDOT
Presenters: Nate Higgins, Cambridge Systematics
Ivar Satero, San Francisco International Airport
Calli Cenizal, Lyft
Elizabeth Biskar, MassDOT
Lisa DiTaranti, VHB

Special event

Introduction of Keynote
Keynote: Gregory Slater, Secretary, Maryland Department of Transportation

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Special event

Special event

Practices in Municipal and Regional Transportation
Mobility, Accessibility, and Transportation Equity
Techniques in Design, Materials, & Construction
Promoting a Culture of Safe Transportation
Shaping Transportation in a Post Covid World

Special event

Master of Ceremonies: Pete Sutton, MassDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator
Welcome Keynote: Colleen Ogilvie, Acting Registrar, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles

Concurrent Session 5

Municipal-Regional Track

The future of MassDOT’s capital investments will be built on effective performance-based planning and programming, through various modal plans and upcoming statewide long range planning efforts. In order for MassDOT to more strategically size future programs, MassDOT first needed to understand the elements of the projects it is currently prioritizing. Future updates to MassDOT’s Road Inventory file will feature periodic updates based on changing design elements to allow engineers, planners and programmers to track the types of features that affect short and long term performance measures, for example, safety features; condition upgrades, and mobility choices. In addition, MassDOT has begun centralizing their capital planning efforts with its regional planning partners by utilizing current technology such as GeoDOT and the Highway Division’s Project Information System (PINFO) in conjunction with MassDOT’s web-based electronic State Transportation Improvement Program (eSTIP) application that launched in 2020. MassDOT intends to build upon the successes of this application with an eye on building its entire Capital Investment Plan (CIP) through this framework.

Moderator: Jose Simo, MassDOT
Presenters: Bryan Keith Pounds, MassDOT
Jack Moran, MassDOT
Carl Hughes, MassDOT
Lynsee Gibson, PMG Software Professionals

Concurrent Session 5

Mobility-Equity Track

This session looks at transportation and mobility through the lenses of gender and disabilities. The first portion will demonstrate that stakeholder engagement and disaggregated data indicates gender-based differences in travel are not linear across a person’s lifetime and explore how aspects of transportation planning could be refocused so that women and other minorities can fully benefit from investment decisions. Then, in order to highlight the access and independence that active modes of transportation can provide specifically to the community of individuals with disabilities, the director of a program that assists young people in this population through biking, bus, and walking travel training, along with a few students from the program, will discuss the program’s approach and personal successes and challenges.

Moderator: Greg Sobczynski, MassDOT
Presenters: Katie Pearce, Jacobs
Sherin Francis, Jacobs
John Waterman, Programs to Educate All Cyclists, PEAC
Shawn Kohsmann, PEAC
Taria Sims, PEAC
Amanda Salinas, PEAC

Concurrent Session 5

Design-Construction Track

As our infrastructure continues to degrade and in the face of inadequate budgets for repair, we must develop innovative materials and techniques to extend the useful service life of our bridges. This session will include two presentations on cover beam end repair methods using ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), and a third presentation on the use of 3D scanning on corroded steel beams in order to determine, with greater accuracy, the steel section that remains.

Moderator: Alex Bardow MassDOT
Presenters: Luis Vila, GM2 Associates, Inc.
Jagdeesh Gopal, GM2 Associates, Inc.
Michael "Pete" Culmo, CHA Consulting, Inc.
Bryan Busch, CHA Consulting, Inc.
Georgios Tzortzinis, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Concurrent Session 5

Safety Track

MassDOT has moved to a data driven approach to select the most appropriate alternative for roadway improvement projects. Tune into this session to learn how. During this session, panelists will introduce the new Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) procedure and Safety Alternative Analysis process and describe how they fit into the new MassDOT project development and pre-25% project submission process. Mention will be made of the Safety Performance ICE (SPICE) Tool (an Excel-based tool) and the Excel file that accompanies the Safety Alternatives Analysis process. The presentations will highlight when the new ICE procedure and Safety Alternative Analysis is required, what data is required, key steps, and introduce the new tools and guidance that is available to complete them.

Moderator: Lisa Schletzbaum, MassDOT
Presenters: Corey O'Connor, MassDOT
Radu Nan, Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
Jeff Gooch, VHB

Concurrent Session 5

Post-Covid Track

This session will highlight the innovative work underway at MassDOT to uniformly and consistently plan, manage and evolve virtual public outreach. MassDOT’s work to deliver engaging, virtual public meetings involved a strategic re-alignment, resource enhancement, and standardization among and across a diverse group of agencies and staff. The lessons of this past year reinforced the power of virtual technology and tools to engage a diverse and integrated audience to enhance the planning, design and construction of projects. These virtual public engagement tools allow MassDOT to more effectively target impacted populations and serve their needs where they are. This session will provide an overview of the integrative practices that MassDOT created to assist its staff in advancing uniform and effective approaches to outreach engagement. Speakers will discuss the training materials and process used to prepare staff to facilitate and/or produce virtual public meetings, develop effective outreach plans, evolve a sophisticated database, and utilize technology to engage the public and improve and advance MassDOT projects.

Moderator: Makaela Niles, MassDOT
Presenters: Alex Cantor, MassDOT
Richard Curtis, MassDOT
Susan Wunderlee, MassDOT

Concurrent Session 6

Municipal-Regional Track

This session will encourage municipal, regional, and statewide policymakers to reimagine the role the taxi/livery sector plays in critical transportation services and to understand how modeling the important trips in a community, based on a unique data collection process, yielded some promising results. Initiated by the MAPC, one presentation will explore how the taxi industry can transition to new technology, markets, partnerships in the ride-for-hire marketplace, and how to make it more sustainable and equitable for both the public sector and taxi businesses. The second presentation will focus on how exhaustive data collection techniques were used to model real trip data in three adjacent communities in the Boston area. This will include a discussion of how on-the-ground knowledge and labor, a hallmark of good community planning, was combined with recent innovations in computational data analysis and visualization to create a dynamic map of the trips currently taking place in those communities. This innovative approach invited participants to define their most important weekly trips on their own, resulting in a data pool rich with non-commuting essential trips.

Moderator: Drew Pflaumer, MassDOT
Presenters: Travis Pollack, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
Marah Holland, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
Lispeth Tibbits-Nutt, 128 Business Council
Monica Tibbits-Nutt, 128 Business Council

Concurrent Session 6

Mobility-Equity Track

This session will discuss the reconstruction of the Chelsea Street Bridge in 2012 which addressed the critical safety needs of maritime users with the unintended consequence of adding significant delay for roadway users. The combined impact of a longer bridge span, a new Silver Line service, and general increased traffic volumes has exacerbated congestion with the most hardship at peak traveling hours particularly for EJ communities on both sides of the bridge (East Boston and Chelsea). This bridge impacts all modes, all users, from the water to the land to the air. MassDOT launched the Chelsea Street Bridge Improvement Program to reduce wait times and improve operations for maritime and roadway stakeholders, and to address mounting concerns from communities, employees and transit users who depend upon reliable use of the Chelsea Bridge for work and economic growth. The panelists will present the innovations piloted and constructed on the bridge to optimize operational performance for all users.

Moderator: Andrea d'Amato, MassDOT
Presenters: Agency Coordination: Chris Kivior, MassDOT
Realtime and Advanced Data for Notification: Chris Chaffee, AECOM
MBTA Operations and Communication: Logan Nash, MBTA
FAA Regulations and Lighting: Owen K. Silbaugh, Jr., MassDOT
Massport Operations and Social Media: William DelloRusso, Massport

Concurrent Session 6

Mobility-Equity Track

The implementation of emerging transportation technologies, including vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), fully autonomous vehicles (AV), dynamic parking systems and smart transportation infrastructure‚ hold great promise and caution for transportation mobility and safety in our cities and towns. This session will present findings and policy recommendations designed to integrate and safely accommodate these emerging transportation technologies, and proposes the consideration for the establishment of a mobility and equity innovation zone. This session will also provide a well-rounded understanding of the critical steps that must be considered to ensure seamless integration and safe mobility of AVs on roadways in the Commonwealth’s cities and towns. Panelists and attendees will engage in a lively discussion of these emerging transportation technologies and the opportunities and challenges they pose to driver and pedestrian behavior, urban infrastructure design and transportation mobility and safety.

Moderator: Nicholas Zavolas, MassDOT
Presenters: Greg Rodriguez, Stantec
David Dixon, Stantec
Corey Clothier, Stantec
Brandye Merriweather, Buffalo Urban Development Corporation

Concurrent Session 6

Safety Track

This panel will involve a discussion of best practices for applying data to post-Covid transportation planning work that municipalities, regional planning agencies, consultants, and others can use as resources. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of data dashboards and applications were developed to allow public officials, planners, and analysts to have important information on pandemic-related impacts on the transportation system at their fingertips. Specifically, activities such as traffic volumes, parking rates, and applications of stimulus funding, among others, have all been significantly impacted, and tools that can easily track changes in these areas have been highly valuable as part of public officials’ response. You will hear from the MassDOT Director of Data and Policy about MassDOT’s Mobility Dashboard, as well as from three regional planning agencies representing Pioneer Valley, Central Massachusetts, and Cape Cod on the data resources they have developed on this topic in response to the pandemic.

Moderator: Derek Krevat, MassDOT
Presenters: Robert Raymond, Central Mass Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC)
Steve Tupper, Cape Cod Commission
Doug Hall, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC)
Liz Williams, MassDOT

Concurrent Session 6

Post-Covid Track

Technology is changing at a breathtaking pace. It is putting pressure on transportation agencies to prepare for the changes. The new emerging disruptive technologies are likely to include blockchain, additive printing, automated vehicles, urban air mobility, artificial intelligence, and others. Together, these technologies will change how Departments of Transportation, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), and others organize to keep data secure, manage data, deliver services, measure performance, and partner. Join us while we examine how new technologies are transforming transportation in positive, innovative, as well as challenging and disruptive, ways. The panelists will share specific anecdotes and stories from their experiences, discussing how transport agencies prepare to manage organizational and system performance in the future, how transit agencies are looking at disruptions, how to manage cybersecurity risks, and how OEMs view their role in this future.

Moderator: Nate Higgins, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Presenters: Nate Higgins, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Fred Jones, Michael Baker International, Inc.
Lisa Roger, Dewberry
Ryan Westrom, City Solutions at Ford Mobility

Special event

Introduction of Keynote
Keynote: Dr. Shawn Wilson, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development