Thoughts From Engineers: When a Deep Tunnel Isn’t Enough: Milwaukee Wrestles with Combined Sewer Overflows
The City of Milwaukee was on the cusp of a victory lap. After several expansions to the Deep Tunnel storage system and other significant district-wide improvements to grey and green infrastructure, Milwaukee appeared more prepared than ever for the “mother of all rain events” to strike. The city’s extensive capital investments and long-term planning initiatives seemed to have paid off: combined sewer overflows (CSOs) were at a near-record low. Milwaukee appeared to be on a trajectory to move...
From the Editor: ‘Smart’ Solutions In Every Issue
When I started working as a civil engineer, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was in its infancy. The EPA began its work in December 1970, but the procedures and policies didn’t really affect our work for a few years. After they were in place, however, it changed the way we did business. The new EPA policies established requirements of additional justification for the need of any project. They also created the need for new expertise. At first, they seemed a burden, but soon it became...
ReEngineering the Engineer: What Am I Missing?
Historically, the kickoff keynotes for the NASCC Steel Conference are a must-see, and the 2019 conference in St. Louis was no exception. Orzan Varol presented the keynote this year titled “The Power of Contrarian Thinking.” The gist of the presentation was the need to innovate to stay ahead of the game in today’s world. Although the discussion revolved around all types of different industries, the lessons presented had obvious application to the steel design, detailing and fabrication businesses...
Infrastructure Outlook: Repairing and/or Replacing Bridges in the U.S. Will Open Up Thousands of Contracting Opportunities in 2019
A few motorists—those who are aware of America’s bridge conditions—occasionally are selective about the bridges they cross. Millions of other motorists, however, are unaware of the fact that government leaders nationwide are scrambling to find funds to repair old bridges throughout the United States. A recent report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association identifies more than 47,000 U.S. bridges that are in poor condition and in dire need of repairs. “Structurally unsou...
Project Management Insights: Don’t Keep Falling for These Project-Management Myths
In an industry that claims innovation and technology are necessary, welcomed and respected, it’s counter-intuitive and unprogressive to hold onto myths—especially regarding project management. Perhaps you or a colleague are steadfast in agreement of the following common myths; I’m offering an alternative viewpoint for consideration and change. Myth: Clients only want to work with a principal of the firm. I often see firm leaders stall the promotion of team members to project manager (PM) o...
Code Update: SuRe: The Standard for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure
Infrastructure is a key component of a functioning economy and fundamental to the livelihoods of billions of people throughout the world. Infrastructure supports social and economic systems by enabling access to critical services such as provision of water, health and education; increasing connectivity among cities through roads and other means of transport; and providing housing to the whole population. Infrastructure is developed to last for decades, and a large part of the infrastructure t...
Executive Corner: Is Your Business Focus Hurting Profitability?
Companies often say they’re client-, design- or employee-focused. The purpose of identifying your focus helps to communicate how you execute business strategies with your employees, clients, competitors and shareholders. Firms employ these focused strategies to create a path for delivering value and enhancing profitability. These are excellent examples of the types of possible focus areas to consider for your company. However, do they truly capture the essence of your company? An increasing n...
Thoughts From Engineers: Look to the Watershed to Protect Water Quality
The results of an in-depth study of groundwater released in early 2019 showed that 42 percent of private wells in southwest Wisconsin are contaminated with bacteria associated with farm operations and failing septic systems. In northeast Wisconsin, the region’s geology consists of a thin layer of topsoil over fractured limestone. Groundwater is vulnerable here, as cows outnumber people 5 to 1 in Brown County, Wis., and agriculture is the main economic driver (think Green Bay Packers), generating...
From the Editor: The Vocabulary and Eras Change, But Smart Engineering Is Timeless
Thousands of words are added to the dictionary every year. Some are “made-up” words added because they’re often used, like “buzzy” or “guac.” Some are old words with new definitions, such as “cloud” and “footprint.” Other words have even changed from nouns to verbs, as in “friend” and “text.” Some are new because we needed them, including “airplane mode” or “page view.” The language used in the engineering design world today is almost completely different from the language I learned in colleg...
ReEngineering the Engineer: Sustainability: How Can We Help?
At about the time I was leaving my old firm in 2004, one of the large national architectural firms we worked with made a corporate announcement. Their firm would be focusing on the green movement (predominantly LEED at the time) and were committed to designing their buildings to be more sustainable. They planned to have everyone in their firms, presumably the architects, achieve LEED certification within the next year, and they were asking all their consultants to do the same. They wanted everyo...
Video: Crashes Drop Measurably After Rural Road Safety Improvement Project on US 521 in Lancaster County
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June Issue 2026
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