innovation2016 - freese and nichols, inc. · later, freese and nichols worked with the city to...

INNOVATIONINNOVATION 2016a Freese and Nichols publication

2 3Freese and Nichols

Innovationat Freese and Nichols is defined as implementing effective methods and ideas that improve or simplify existing tasks, processes, services or design. Innovation may also lead to the development of new services, products, technology or patents. Innovative thinking is an integral part of our continuous improvement journey.

At Freese and Nichols, we understand that your challenges have become larger, costlier and more complicated. This is where we thrive. For 122 years, we’ve built our reputation on innovative client service, guiding organizations large and small through their toughest problems.

Innovation is the essence of the Freese and Nichols culture. From tuition assistance to research funding, we’ve structured our company to inspire innovation every day. The results are solutions for our clients that span disciplines and geography. Please join us as we visit them.

Brian Coltharp, P.E. Chief Operating Officer and President-Elect

4 5Freese and Nichols Freese and Nichols

We help our clients solve their transportation challenges by guiding them through every step of the process. Two great examples come from the City of Norman.

Norman’s first-ever comprehensive transportation plan addresses roadway, transit, pedestrian and bicycle planning in one cohesive document. Reaching out to stakeholders, Freese and Nichols helped the City prioritize needs, identify funding and develop design standards. The result is a framework for infrastructure and accessibility, ultimately making life in Norman better for everyone. The plan received an Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Oklahoma.

One improvement already underway is the Rock Creek Road project. The City originally wanted to widen this two-lane rural roadway to four lanes. However, having recently prepared the transportation plan, Freese and Nichols determined that three auto lanes plus bicycle lanes would reduce the project’s footprint while still accommodating future traffic. Our team also suggested a roundabout to improve traffic flow and serve as a neighborhood gateway.

Comprehensive Transportation Plan and Rock Creek Road Im

provements

City of Norman

From Concept to Completion

Tricia Hatley, P.E., ENV

SP, is Oklahoma Regional

Manager and Urban

Planning Practice Leader.

She is a Freese and Nichols

Principal.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR


By 2010, the City of Hickory was in a devastating decline, having lost more than 45,000 jobs and nearly 25 percent of its young adults. City leaders took bold action: They cast a vision that included a new Riverwalk with waterfront economic opportunities (renderings at right), a revitalized downtown, and road and sidewalk improvements vital to a greener, healthier Hickory. Based on that vision, voters approved $40 million in bond referendums. Now, Freese and Nichols is helping the City get the most out of that $40 million. Working with the City Council, staff and 42-member Bond Commission, our team helped select projects and develop a bond program to implement. Once the program was finalized, we began helping select consultants for projects and will oversee design and construction management for City staff, as requested.

Hickory Bond Program

City of Hickory

A Community Bonds Together

Morgan McIlwain, P.E., is a

Program Manager in Raleigh.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR


Peter Bartels, P.E., is a

Structural Engineer in

Fort Worth.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR

At the University of Texas at Austin, the new Moody Pedestrian Bridge is an iconic gateway to campus and a safe crossing for students. It’s also a landmark achievement for bridge design. Designed by noted bridge designer Miguel Rosales, the bridge is the first inverted Fink truss in the nation and the only one in the world with central towers providing the main vertical support. With this design, the project team avoided any new columns at the bridge ends and did not have to significantly modify the existing buildings to bear the weight of the bridge, saving the University time and money. Freese and Nichols was responsible for structural engineering and construction management as a subconsultant to bridge designer Rosales + Partners.

Moody Pedestrian Bridge

University of Texas at Austin

A Landmark in More Ways Than One


It was late afternoon on the Friday before Memorial Day 2015, but as most people were starting their holiday weekend, the City of Wichita Falls had more pressing concerns. The weather service was projecting that the next day, the Wichita River would crest potentially as high as 30 feet — 6 feet above the flood of record. The City knew the flooding could be severe, but they didn’t know where. So, they called on Freese and Nichols for help. Our team stayed late to develop GIS files for floodplain delineations of a variety of potential flood stages. Within hours, the City had the flood maps they needed, enabling them to alert residents and evacuate neighborhoods before floodwaters arrived. Later, Freese and Nichols worked with the City to refine the maps based on more detailed modeling so they could be prepared before the next flood event.

Wichita River Em

ergency Flood Mapping

City of Wichita Falls

When Every Minute Matters

Scott Hubley, P.E., CFM, is a

Stormwater Engineer in Fort

Worth. He is a Freese and Nichols

Associate.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR


Along the Texas Gulf Coast, a tidal ecosystem was declining. Sediment and oyster shell had accumulated over a few decades, cutting off the inlet and blocking tidal exchanges. As water quality deteriorated, vegetation and fish followed. The bird population declined, as did tourism and recreational fishing opportunities; more than 500 acres of salt marsh wetlands disappeared. Freese and Nichols teamed with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Calhoun County to implement the solution: Remove the inlet blockage to restore tidal conveyance, and then use the material to protect an eroding shoreline. Through detailed agency coordination, our staff obtained a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in less than six weeks. Now, daily ebb and flows have returned; water quality has improved; and wildlife and recreation are making a comeback. The Extension Service received the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Environmental Excellence Award for this project, an honor they shared with Freese and Nichols.

Magnolia Inlet Restoration

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Bringing Wetlands Back to Life

Tom Dixon is an Ecologist

on Freese and Nichols’

coastal services team in

Austin.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR

Texas A&

M A

griLife Research photo

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In the spring of 2015, after years of record-breaking drought, massive rains brought much-needed relief to much of the Southwest. Municipalities and agencies suddenly had to pivot from critical water supply issues to critical drainage and flooding issues. To serve clients amid the changing conditions, Freese and Nichols developed an online tool that displays multiday precipitation forecasts for any location in the United States. Based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts, the rainfall prediction map is the only version of this dataset that is scalable for individual users without the use of GIS. All you need is a web browser; check it out at clients.freese.com/precip

Forecast at Your Fingertips

FNI Water™

Rainfall Prediction Map

Bill Thaman, P.E., is a Water

Resources Planner in Austin and

a Freese and Nichols Associate.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR


Cities nationwide develop downtown plans every year, but many end up gathering dust. Even when plans cast good vision for streetscapes or land use, they are difficult to implement when they do not address realities such as market forces and infrastructure. For Port Arthur, Freese and Nichols took a different approach. Capitalizing on our company’s diverse expertise, the team engaged four different disciplines to mesh visioning with engineering. The result is the Downtown Revitalization Plan — the first in the nation to integrate a market analysis, economic development framework, infrastructure assessment, capital improvement plan and urban design all into one document. With this original, holistic approach, the downtown plan is set to guide Port Arthur for many years as the City makes its vision a reality.

Port Arthur Downtow

n Revitalization Plan City of Port Arthur

The Perfect Blend for Revitalization

Shad Comeaux, AICP, is an

Urban Planner in Pearland. He is

a Port Arthur native and a Freese

and Nichols Associate.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR


In the fast-growing Town of Morrisville, Freese and Nichols is helping stormwater staff become more efficient. Our team developed a stormwater database that enables staff to easily track illicit discharges and drainage concerns reported by residents. Within that database, our team built a ranking system for stormwater projects, providing consistent prioritization for effective budgeting. We also developed mobile inspection forms (at top and far left) to make it easier to inspect stormwater best management practices (BMPs). The platform is the first in the nation to use PowerShell scripts to automatically pull data from ArcGIS Online into an Access database. Now, an environmental specialist uses a mobile app to collect inspection data, and the inspection report is automatically generated. These solutions, which use resources the Town already had, have saved the Town the costs of hiring more inspection staff, reduced paperwork and eliminated the need for work order management software.

Stormw

ater Database, Ranking System and M

obile BMP Inspection Form

s Tow

n of Morrisville

High Tech, Low Cost

Corrie Bondar, P.E., GISP,

is a Water Resources Master

Planner in Raleigh.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR


On the Texas-Louisiana border, the 108-foot-high Toledo Bend Dam impounds Toledo Bend Reservoir, one of the largest reservoirs in the South. In 2010, a Freese and Nichols climbing team inspected the spillway tainter gates and hoists, finding some corrosion and section loss. Still, some unknowns remained, because spraying water, corrosion buildup and vegetation kept some areas from being thoroughly evaluated. Those unknowns would have posed significant challenges — namely many change orders — if the project team had designed upgrades to all 11 gates without knowing the full picture. Instead, they developed a pilot program starting with rehabilitation of the gate that would need the most repairs. The remaining gates were rehabilitated in three phases, with each design incorporating lessons learned from previous phases. Completion of the final phase is expected this year.

Toledo Bend Dam Tainter Gate Rehabilitation Program

Toledo Bend Project Joint Operation

Climbing to New Heights for Rehabilitation

Mathew Moses, P.E., is

a Structural Engineer in

Austin. He is a Freese and

Nichols Associate.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR


When a creek slope failed along Kee Branch in February 2015, more than property was at risk. A large-diameter sewer line was within feet from exposure, and a failure of the line could release thousands of gallons of raw sewage into the creek. Thanks to a strong relationship with the City and readily available, in-house expertise, Freese and Nichols responded quickly. Our team of geotechnical, stormwater and utilities engineers, and fluvial geomorphologists partnered with the City to develop an innovative and sustainable repair solution: a “bio-technical” slope. This repair system combines the stability of soil reinforcement with the erosion protection of a vegetated slope. The reinforcement also allows for steeper slopes, which enabled the project to occur under the umbrella of a nationwide environmental permit with no additional remediation efforts required. These repairs equipped the City with an additional strategy for protecting utilities near creeks, a timely effort that prepared them for heavy rains and flooding that spring.

Kee Branch Emergency Repair

City of Arlington

A Race Against Time

Marc Miller, P.E., is a

Geotechnical Engineer and

Stephanie Coffman, P.G., is

a Fluvial Geomorphologist.

They are both Freese and

Nichols Associates in Fort

Worth.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATORS


As West Texas experienced unprecedented population growth, the City of Odessa began its first comprehensive plan in 25 years. However, it soon became clear that traditional methods were not attracting the public participation vital for an effective plan. To get residents curious and engaged, the Freese and Nichols team held a public input meeting at the iconic Ector Theatre – the first time in decades that the landmark was freely open to the public. Inside, longtime residents were reminded what Odessa’s downtown was once like, and newer residents could see the potential that downtown had to offer. Outside, the project team held walking tours through downtown; renderings at tour stops depicted possibilities for a future Odessa. This interactive approach produced a level of participation unheard of in cities of Odessa’s size and demographics, creating empowerment and buy-in that continued through the adoption process.

Odessa Comprehensive Plan

City of Odessa

Evoking the Past to Envision the Future

Dan Sefko, FAICP, has

developed plans for more

than 100 cities across

Texas and Oklahoma. He

is a Freese and Nichols

Associate in Austin.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR


This composite elevated storage tank is the first in the nation to be lighted with linear LED fixtures. Because the project site was smaller than normal, traditional pole-mounted lights would have to be aimed skyward at an angle close to five degrees of vertical. Such a configuration would have been extremely inefficient and caused unreasonable amount of light pollution. Freese and Nichols solved the challenge by designing the LED system. The design’s lower light output, higher efficiency and lower-maintenance fixtures provide the City a significantly lower annual operating cost. The LED fixtures are expected to last 13 to 15 years, compared with two to four years for traditional lamps.

Rockdale Elevated Storage Tank City of Rockdale

New Solutions Brought to Light

Dan Koss, P.E., LC, is an

Electrical Engineer in

Fort Worth.

F e a t u r e d

INNOVATOR

Freese and Nichols, Inc. is a professional consulting firm serving clients across the Southwest and Southeast United States. With sustainability in mind, Freese and Nichols plans, designs and manages infrastructure projects. It is the only engineering/architecture firm to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Learn more at www.freese.com.

MissionInnovative approaches … Practical results … Outstanding service

VisionBe the firm of choice for clients and employees

Guiding PrinciplesWe are ethicalWe deliver qualityWe are responsiveWe add valueWe improve continuouslyWe are innovativeWe develop professionallyWe respect othersWe appreciate our clients and fellow employeesWe give back to our communities

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innovation2016 - freese and nichols, inc. · later, freese and nichols worked with the city to...

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