Like many others, my firm had a very busy 2017. We were fortunate to pick up a couple new clients at the beginning of the year, and that led to additional projects and a workload that caught us a little by surprise. We didn’t realize the pent-up demand for…
Code Update: Steel Bridge Design Specifications Revised in New AASHTO Edition
Interim revisions to AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications (7th Edition) were published in 2016 with a few minor revisions to the steel bridge design…
Executive Corner: Mitigating Taxes While Achieving Strategic Ownership Goals
In my experience, the top three reasons why A/E firms implement employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are taxes, taxes and taxes. However, although mitigating…
Structural Solutions: Nuggets of Wisdom for Engineers Young and Old, Part 3: The Final Chapter
My previous two columns covered two main pieces of advice I like to share with students at the Direct Connect session at the NASCC conference: careful use of computer software, and mastering verbal and written communication. In this issue, I’ll finish my…
From the Editor: There’s No Replacement for ‘Learning by Doing’
I recently visited a job site of a friend of mine who is a construction manager. I met with him to discuss the use of emerging drone and reality-capture technologies, but I ended up tagging along as he crisscrossed the site, solving one problem after another.…
Final Thoughts: Millennials Are ‘Engineering: The Next Generation’
Many members of my generation think we Baby Boomers are the greatest generation. After all, we protested against wars, fought for civil rights, and invented rock and roll. But we also produced this next generation of people. I am a Baby Boomer, and our generation…
Civil Spotlight: T.Y. Lin’s Heller Receives Special Award from Arizona DOT
This column in Informed Infrastructure aims to highlight a particular civil engineer or civil engineering project that received deserving credit for improving the profession. Joseph (Joe) Heller, P.E., a T.Y. Lin International (TYLI) design engineer, received…
From the Editor: Variety and the Growth of Community
Infrastructure Week (May 15-19; infrastructureweek.org) was recently held in Washington, D.C., and several other cities across the United States. Infrastructure Week was founded and is led by a bipartisan Steering Committee that includes leading business groups,…
From the Editor: Infrastructure Report Card Again Near Failing
Like for many students across the country, my kids’ school semester ended earlier this year. They each worked hard, doing their homework, studying for quizzes and tests, and preparing for finals. Also, like most kids, they would rather be spending their…
Final Thoughts: Bridges: Overcoming Gaps Literally and Metaphorically
The main theme of this issue of Informed Infrastructure is “bridges,” which allow people to cross rivers that used to be barriers. They provide a way to span a gap or valley rather than travel long distances around them. Bridges allow different modes of…