ARTBA Washington Newsline

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U.S. Infrastructure Ranks 25th, Report says

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Follow ARTBA:

Innovative Bridge Approach May Save $78 Million

Register for ARTBA’s 24th P3 in Transportation Conference, October 10-12

President Obama September 6 made a brief mention of transportation in his speech accepting his party’s nomination for the 2012 presidential campaign. Obama said, “I will use the money we’re no longer spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work rebuilding roads and bridges and schools and runways.” Obama has made this same proposal each

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

of the last two years, and the Democratic National Committee included it in the party’s policy platform, approved September 4. Specifically, it calls for an initial $50 billion for all forms of infrastructure to spur job growth and a broader multi-year expansion of investment in highways and public transportation, plus the creation of a national infrastructure bank. This proposal was not

enacted, nor realistically considered, as part of the MAP-21 surface transportation reauthorization.

ARTBA will continue to update you on campaign related transportation news as we enter the final two months leading to the November 6 elections.

Transportation Mentioned in Obama Acceptance Speech

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) September 6 announced a proposed rule designed to save taxpayers money and speed the time it takes to replace or repair bridges by doing away with individual historic preservation reviews for common bridge types, built after 1945, that will soon need repair or replacement. Typically,

The 2012-2013 World Economic Forum report ranks the overall quality of U.S. infrastructure at 25th among all nations, it dropped one spot from last year’s ranking. Not withstanding the decline, a number of mode specific categories showed improvements, specifically: the quality of roads ranked 20 (no change from last year); railroad infrastructure ranked 18 (up from 20 in 2011-2012); port infrastructure ranked 19 (up from 23); and air transport infrastructure was ranked 30 (up from 31).

2 ARTBA Washington Newsline

Upcoming EventsVisit our Events Page for more information.

National ConventionSeptember 11–14 Memphis, Tenn. [Add to Calendar]

LōTrans Virtual Conference & Innovation ShowcaseSeptember 18 - 20[Add to Calendar]

P3s in Transportation ConferenceOctober 10–12 Washington, D.C. [Add to Calendar]

4th Annual Construction Law & Regulatory ForumOctober 24-25Washington, D.C.

Western Regional MeetingNovember 27-28San Francisco, Calif.[Add to Calendar]

Central Regional MeetingNovember 29-30Chicago, Ill.[Add to Calendar]

Southern Regional MeetingDecember 3-4Atlanta, Ga. [Add to Calendar]

Northeastern Regional MeetingDecember 5-6Boston, Mass. [Add to Calendar]

2012

U.S. Infrastructure Ranking Drops Continued from page 1

The report states, “extensive and efficient infrastructure is critical for ensuring the effective functioning of the economy, as it is an important factor in determining the location of economic activity and the kinds of activities or sectors that can develop in a particular instance. Well-developed infrastructure reduces the effect of distance between regions, integrating the national market and connecting it at low cost to markets in other countries and regions.”

The World Economic Forum is a Geneva, Switzerland-based group of global economists. Read the full report.

Total U.S. construction spending in July maintained year-over-year growth, but declined by 0.9 percent from June’s estimate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Public construction spending was $275.7 billion in July, 0.4 percent below June’s estimated $276.7 billion. Highway construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $81.2 billion.

3ARTBA Washington Newsline

Products & ServicesConnect with Industry Leaders: Advertise in ARTBA’s Digital Buyers’ Guide

Promote your firm’s products and services before a wide audience of material suppliers, manufacturers, design firms and contractors.

Contact ARTBA’s Peter Embrey for more information.

Share your company or agency’s best photos!

The editorial staff of ARTBA’s “Transportation Builder” magazine is plan-ning its annual special section in the September/October issue featuring outstanding photos of transportation infrastructure projects from across the nation.

Send photos to ARTBA’s Jenny Ragone by Thursday, September 13. Here are the entry guidelines:

• Maximum two photos per member company.• At least 300 dpi as a TIF or JPG file. Do not send images over 10 MB.• Include captions, location, photographers name, and submitting

company.

9th Annual “Through the Lens” Transportation Design & Construction in Pictures

ARTBA held its annual Engineering Issues Luncheon at the SASHTO regional conference in Charleston, S.C., August 27. ARTBA hosts either a breakfast or lunch event at each of the AASHTO regional meetings, bringing together members of the association’s Planning and Design Division with state DOT leaders for updates on transportation programs and opportunities in each of the states.

A special “thank you” to all the DOT leaders who participated in this year’s events. We had tremendous attendance from states’ officials and from ARTBA members. Summaries from each of the earlier regional meetings have already been sent to the division and the SASHTO summary is available.

Speakers pictured are (left to right): Florida—Brian Blanchard, asst. secretary of engineering and operations; Louisiana— Richard Savoie, chief engineer; Arkansas—Frank Vozel, deputy director and chief engineer; Virginia—Malcolm (Mal) Kerley, chief engineer; Dave Gehr, Parsons Brinckerhoff, ARTBA P&D Division vice president; South Carolina—John Walsh, deputy secretary for engineering; North Carolina—Terry Gibson, chief engineer; and Alabama—Lamar Woodham, deputy director of administration. (Speakers not pictured included: Georgia—Gerald Ross, chief engineer; Kentucky—Mike Hancock, secretary; and West Virginia—Paul Mattox, secretary).

ARTBA Hosts State Transportation Officials Luncheon

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percent last month, compared to an 8.1 percent unemployment rate nationally. While the construction unemployment situation is less dire than it once was—for months, more than twice the national average—the most recent data emphasizes the continued need to invest robustly in transportation infrastructure.

Transportation Management & Work Zone Safety Virtual Conference Sept. 18-20

In less than two weeks, ARTBA will launch the first-ever virtual conference for city and county transportation officials, known as the “Local Transportation Management Virtual Conference & Innovation Showcase,” featuring “Best Practices in Work Zone Safety,” or “LoTrans.”

Sponsored by ARTBA’s Transportation Officials Division, the event will use cutting-edge digital technology to deliver a world-class conference experience to hundreds of cash-

Innovative Bridge Approach

older bridges must undergo individual historic preservation reviews before they can be repaired or replaced. FHWA has identified approximately 196,000 bridges which are old—but not historic—and could be exempt from individual review by substituting a programmatic review, including mitigation. Streamlining this process could save taxpayers roughly $78 million in project funds over the next 10 years according to FHWA estimates. As always, ARTBA will continue to work with FHWA to streamline the project review process, improve project delivery, and maximize the impact of limited financial resources.

Construction Employment Flat in August; Highway and Bridge Employment Fell in July

While the number of jobs on private and public payrolls grew by 96,000 last month, overall construction employment showed little change in August from July, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, employment in highway and bridge construction fell by 1.9 percent in July 2012 compared to July of last year (highway and bridge-specific data is available one month later than data for the overall construction industry). The construction industry’s unemployment rate was 11.3

Overheard

“ ”

TRB Newsletter: Sept. 4 Highlighting new research, technologies, industry best practices and information resources available to the transportation design and construction industry.

A service of ARTBA’s multi-modal councils, it features current transportation developments making news across all modes and regions. Contact: Sara Jones to become a subscriber or visit www.artbamultimodal.org.

Fostering Innovation

MultimodalNews

ARTBA News

Legislative & Regulatory News

“My goal is to find a dependable funding source and to work in a bipartisan way to find that funding source. I really believe that the Highway Trust Fund should be funded through user fees.”

Senate EPW Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) in a September 6 interview with “Politico.”

“Once we started attaching the term ‘stimulus’ to infrastructure projects, it started to take on a partisan tone. We need to change the tone and get back to the nuts and bolts...If you approach this as stimulus, it will fail.”

Mayor Scott Smith of Mesa, Ariz., in a September interview noted in“Politico.”

Industry News

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strapped local transportation agencies, without travel expenses or time away from the office.

Nearly 475 professionals have already registered for the event. It kicks off September 18 with a live 90- minute session on MAP-21 and its impacts on state and local transportation agencies.

Over 30 sessions on safety and management issues, ranging from maximizing staff efficiency and tips for contracting with design and construction firms, to speed management in work zones and access and egress strategies, will be covered. There will also be 10 firms exhibiting their products and services.

Charter partners include the Federal Highway Administration, National Association of County Engineers, National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse and the National Local Technical Assistance Program Association.

Register for this free event at: www.lotransvirtualconference.org.

5ARTBA Washington Newsline

Download a PDF copy of the digital “Washington Newsline.”

ARTBA Project Delivery Resources Upcoming Events Webinar: Learn to Produce Winning Design-Build & CMGC Proposals

Wednesday, September 261-4 p.m. (Eastern)

Register Now!

Increased use of alternative project delivery methods such as Design-Build (DB) and Construction Manager-General Contractor (CMGC) by state and local transportation agencies requires contrac-tors to beef-up their firms’ proposal and presentation development skills.

ARTBA’s September 26 webinar will cover core skills needed to write winning proposals. Led by Dr. Douglas D. Gransberg, a nationally-recognized engineer and professor with over 35 years of expe-rience in transportation infrastructure delivery, it will be presented from the perspective of the project owner’s proposal evaluation team.

• Fundamentals of proposal writing and development of presentation materials;

• Tips and tricks to improve chances of winning these types of projects; and

• The “seven mortal sins of proposals” that decrease the chance of success.

REGISTRATION: $300 for ARTBA members $425 for non-members

Contact ARTBA’s Brie Johnson at 202.289.4434 with any questions.

ARTBA Project Delivery AcademyNovember 12-14 For a more comprehensive overview of DB and CMGC delivery methods, ARTBA’s “Transportation Builder Institute” will host a Proj ect Delivery academy from November 12-14 in Washington, D.C. Instruction will be led by Dr. Doug Gransberg of Iowa State University accompanied by special presentations by Granite Construction, HDR Engineering and Federal Highway Administration.

Contact Holly DiGangi for more information.

ARTBA is not liable for any information provided by these webinars. These programs are intended for general informational purposes only, and not as a substitute for particular advice from a qualified professional. No warranty is made regarding the webinars.

Other session topics:• Environmentalcompliance• Laborlaw• DBEcompliance• Insurancecoverage&alternative

projectdelivery• Riskmanagement&public-private

partnerships

These top construction law attorneys will be making presentations:• WilliamPenny,member,StitesHarbison• JamesM.Auslander,associate,Beveridge

&Diamond• LorraineD’Angelo,seniorvicepresident-ethics

andcompliance,DragadosUSA• MattDeVries,attorney,Stites&Harbison• NealSweeney,partner,KilpatrickTownsend• ChrisAnzidei,LawOfficesofChristopher

Anzidei,PLLC

Past attendees: $495 • ARTBA Members: $595 • Non-Members: $795

Up to 7.25 Professional Development Hours are available.

To register or for more information, contact ARTBA’s Sara Jones at 202.289.4434, ext. 211

October 24-25

Washington, D.C.

4th Annual Transportation Construction Law & Regulatory Forum

Thehistoricpolicyreforms,programconsolidationandenvironmentalimprovementsinthenewhighwayandtransitlaw—MAP-21—willresultinamyriadoflegalandregulatorychallengesrelatingtothedeliveryoftransportationimprovements.

ARTBA’s4th Annual Transportation Construction Law & Regulatory Forum,scheduledforOctober24-25attheassociation’sheadquarters,willincludespeakerswhowillhelpmakesureindustryprofessionalsarepreparedtomeetthesechallenges.FHWAChiefCounselFredR.Wagnerisconfirmedasthekeynotespeaker.

Special Focus on MAP-21

ARTBA is not liable for any information provided by instructors or attorneys during the forum. This forum is intended for general informational purposes only, and not as a substitute for particular advice from a qualified professional. No warranty is made regarding the forum.

Other session topics:• Environmentalcompliance• Laborlaw• DBEcompliance• Insurancecoverage&alternative

projectdelivery• Riskmanagement&public-private

partnerships

These top construction law attorneys will be making presentations:• WilliamPenny,member,StitesHarbison• JamesM.Auslander,associate,Beveridge

&Diamond• LorraineD’Angelo,seniorvicepresident-ethics

andcompliance,DragadosUSA• MattDeVries,attorney,Stites&Harbison• NealSweeney,partner,KilpatrickTownsend• ChrisAnzidei,LawOfficesofChristopher

Anzidei,PLLC

Past attendees: $495 • ARTBA Members: $595 • Non-Members: $795

Up to 7.25 Professional Development Hours are available.

To register or for more information, contact ARTBA’s Sara Jones at 202.289.4434, ext. 211

October 24-25

Washington, D.C.

4th Annual Transportation Construction Law & Regulatory Forum

Thehistoricpolicyreforms,programconsolidationandenvironmentalimprovementsinthenewhighwayandtransitlaw—MAP-21—willresultinamyriadoflegalandregulatorychallengesrelatingtothedeliveryoftransportationimprovements.

ARTBA’s4th Annual Transportation Construction Law & Regulatory Forum,scheduledforOctober24-25attheassociation’sheadquarters,willincludespeakerswhowillhelpmakesureindustryprofessionalsarepreparedtomeetthesechallenges.FHWAChiefCounselFredR.Wagnerisconfirmedasthekeynotespeaker.

Special Focus on MAP-21

ARTBA is not liable for any information provided by instructors or attorneys during the forum. This forum is intended for general informational purposes only, and not as a substitute for particular advice from a qualified professional. No warranty is made regarding the forum.

October 10 -12, 2012Renaissance Downtown Washington, D.C. Hotel

The ARTBA P3 Conference is the private infrastructure investment community’s premier opportunity to connect with hundreds of key decision makers, project sponsors, private sector finance execu-tives, consortium leaders and officials from all levels of government.

For more information, contact ARTBA P3 Division Manager Hank Webster at hwebster@artba.org or 202.289.4434.

24th Annual P3s in Transportation Conference

Re g i s te r : w w w. a r t b a p 3 . o rg