Alaska Section

SocialITEs is a group started under the Alaska Section ITE with the mission of creating another networking medium for transportation professionals.  This is accomplished through social gatherings held in relaxed, informal settings where members interact on a more personal level.  Having the events be socially driven rather than technically driven gives a good contrast to the ITE Section luncheons, which are primarily technical presentations that do not allow much time for social interaction and networking.  Another advantage to the open social atmosphere is that it is all inclusive.  Although members of ITE are encouraged to join there will be no affiliation requirements to ITE in order to be a member of SocialITEs.  This allows for individuals to engage transportation professionals from the private and public sector as well as individuals that are generally interested in the transportation field.

The inaugural SocialITEs event was held in March and was a success.  The current and prospective SocialITEs members met at a local restaurant for food, drinks, and conversation.  The event was well attended and brought together individuals from all facets of the transportation profession.

The future plans for SocialITEs include events that promise to be both social and educational.  One of these events in planning is to take a tour of a construction site so design professionals can see a project through the eyes of the contractor.  Other plans include going on a city tour using exclusively public transportation to get an idea of any improvements that could be made, and setting up round table discussions with important transportation decision makers.

These SocialITEs events will attempt to unite people of the transportation industry.  This will create a multitude of positive outcomes.  Not only will members have access to contacts in all areas of the profession, but they will have had face-to-face experiences with those contacts making working with them instantly more comfortable and productive.  There will also be a unique advantage for members with projects similar to past projects of other members to draw on the experiences of those members and apply them to their current projects.  Also, with the variety of knowledge being brought to the table from the wide range of disciplines within SocialITEs members will be able to broaden their knowledge of transportation projects as a whole rather than just the aspect with which they are working.  As SocialITEs grows, so will its benefits.  With more members the experience and knowledge base will increase and therefore improve the quality of work of those involved and make it more enjoyable as well.

Karthik Murugesan

Secretary

Central Coast Section

The last meeting of 2009 was held at Acapulco Restaurant in Ventura. Our members came together to acknowledge Nazir Lalani for his contributions to the Central Coast Section, and to elect the 2010 Executive Committee. Nazir Lalani had recently retired from his position as Deputy Director of Public Works of Ventura County and has served ITE in many functions throughout his career. He is the recipient of several ITE awards as an acknowledgement to his extensive volunteering, which included the position of ITE International President and participation on various technical councils. Justin Link, the section’s president, presented Nazir with the ITE Central Coast Section Achievement award. Several colleagues expressed their thanks to Nazir and recollected their interactions with him over the course of his service at the City of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County and Ventura County.

2010 Central Coast board election results were presented and Zaki Mustafa, the District International Director, was available to swear in the new 2010 Executive Committee. Justin Link was awarded the Presidential Award for his service as President in 2009.

Anthony Gallo,

Secretary

Colorado/Wyoming

The Colorado/Wyoming ITE Section held their Annual Vendor Show at the Arvada Center on January 22, 2010.  Section President Ben Waldman presided over the meeting that was attended by 220 members and guests.  Ben thanked Will Johnson for coordinating the event which showcased 21 vendors displaying their latest technology for the transportation industry.

The Colorado/Wyoming ITE Section is now on Facebook.  A link has been posted on our Section’s website.

The Wyoming Engineers Society Annual Meeting will be held February 4-5 in Laramie.

Andrea Drake was the newsletter’s Puzzle Maniac contest winner.  Andrea donated her $25 prize to the Section’s scholarship fund.

A Colorado/Wyoming Section ITE luncheon was held on Friday, March 5, 2010 at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Colorado Springs. Section President, Ben Waldman, presided over the meeting.

Mr. Waldman called for nominations for the Section’s Secretary/Treasurer position.

The Spring Transportation Symposium was on held April 9th at the Pepsi Center.  ACEC will be joining ITE, WTS, and Rocky Mountain ITS in hosting the event this year.

Kari McDowell,

Scribe, Newsletter Co-Editor

Northern California Section

The Northern California Section of ITE has had a busy first three months of 2010.  The Section began the New Year with a January 21 luncheon meeting hosted by the City of Folsom.  Mark Rackovan, Senior Engineer with the City gave us a presentation on the impacts of the Folsom Lake Crossing on traffic volumes in the City of Folsom.  The Folsom Lake Crossing was completed in March 2009 as a replacement for the Folsom Dam Road, which was closed for security reasons after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.    The crossing reconnects a vital corridor between Folsom and Placer County.

Our February luncheon meeting was held at the City of Rancho Cordova on February 18 and was sponsored by Kimley-Horn and Associates.  At this meeting, representatives of Thomas Enterprises and Kimley-Horn and Associates gave the group an update of the Sacramento Railyards project.  The Railyards is a collaborative effort between the City of Sacramento and Thomas Enterprises.  The 240-acre site is located just north of Sacramento’s central business district and east of the Sacramento River.  It is recognized as the largest urban infill site in this region and presents Sacramento with a significant opportunity to accommodate future growth utilizing sustainable and smart growth principles.

March was a busy month and included a luncheon meeting, as well as the Section’s 37th Annual Vendors Night event Roseville.  The meeting was sponsored by Omni-Means and the speakers included Paul Miller of Omni-Means and Scott Gandler and Jason Shykowski of the City of Roseville, who all offered perspectives on closely locating roundabouts and signalized intersections at the Roseville Galleria regional shopping center.  The recent 465,000 square foot ($240 million) expansion of the Westfield Galleria at Roseville makes this retail center the largest in the Sacramento region. Omni-Means worked closely with Westfield and the City of Roseville to design all on-site and off-site transportation improvements required to keep traffic moving. Locating a modern multi-lane roundabout only 200 feet west of a high volume traffic signal on a six lane arterial is certainly not standard practice; however, that is exactly what was needed to solve the complex traffic flow issues. The roundabout opened on Black Friday November 2008 and has functions as planned ever since.

The Section’s 37th Annual Vendors Night event was held at Hutchins Street Square in Lodi on March 18.  As in past years, this event drew a large crowd to see the products of nearly 30 vendors.  The event included a product showcase during the day and a buffet dinner during the evening.  Well over 100 people stayed for the dinner portion of the event.  The Section also sold raffle tickets, the proceeds of which go to assist student initiatives in our region.  We believe we set a record by selling over 1,300 raffle tickets.  Vendors provided a variety of raffle prizes, including the grand prize: a weekend getaway to Monterey.  Upcoming events include our annual Golf Tournament, which is scheduled for Friday, May 14, 2010.

Our reduced luncheon cost of $10 has proven very popular and we have received many compliments on the cost reduction.  Many people would prefer to spend $10 on a sandwich lunch over paying $20 or more on a “fancy” lunch.

David Tokarski

Section Past President

Oregon Chapter

The 20th Annual Oregon ITE Golf Tournament was held on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Oregon. As an ITE-sponsored event, the tournament provided a unique opportunity for over 50 private consultants and public officials to engage in an open environment during a friendly game of golf. Key sponsors for the event included Kittelson & Associates, Inc., Quality Counts, CH2MHill, David Evans & Associates, Inc., DKS Associates, and Lancaster Engineering.

The Oregon Chapter of ITE hosted another Happy Hour/After Work Social on Thursday, October 1st at Kells Irish Pub in downtown Portland, Oregon. The happy hours are purely social events that provide a great opportunity to get together with fellow traffic engineers over a pint of ale and a bite to eat. These events have been well attended by students as well as professionals, and provide great networking opportunities.

The Oregon ITE October Section lunch was held on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at Bridgeport Brewing in Portland, Oregon. Over 40 people turned out to listen to Ed Fischer from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) present on his recent Pedestrian/Bike Scan Tour of five European countries, including Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Ed was Co-Chair of the AASHTO/FHWA/NCHRP International Technology Scanning Team that went to Europe in May 2009 looking at innovative bicycle and pedestrian treatments that may have some application in the U.S. The presentation focused primarily on various Engineering applications, as well as education programs, encouragement strategies, and enforcement practices in use throughout Europe.

Traffic day was held on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 in conjunction with the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) NW Section Annual Meeting in Eugene, Oregon. Traffic Day provided three different tracks to chose from, including signals, signing and markings, and safety. The main portion of the IMSA meeting (outside of Traffic Day) was focused on advanced training sessions on wide range of topics, including traffic signals, signs and marking, lighting, and fiber optics.. IMSA is a great resource that provides trainings on materials not often covered.

The 18th annual ITE Traffic Bowl was held on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale, Oregon. This and future traffic bowls were officially renamed the William C. Kloos Traffic Bowl in honor of the late Bill Kloos, whose contribution to the transportation engineering profession extended well beyond his participation in ITE. A total of five schools participated in the event, including Portland State University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, University of Washington, and former traffic bowl champions, University of Portland. It was an exciting event that culminated in the victory of a new champion, Portland State University, and the presentation of a newly designed ITE Traffic Bowl trophy. The old trophy, with the previous 17 Traffic Bowl champions engraved, has been retired and is in the possession of the Oregon Section ITE group.

The annual Technical Workshop was held on Tuesday, January 26th at ODOT Region 1 in Portland, Oregon. The workshop provided insight into current roundabout practice and informed participants of recent updates to several guidance and engineering documents typically used in the profession, noting key changes or new information. We heard from a number of guest speakers including Ed Fischer from ODOT, Brian Walsh from Washington State DOT, Lee Rodegerdts and Scott Beaird from Kittelson & Associates, Inc., Robin Lewis from the City of Bend, OR, Brian Barnett from the City of Springfield, OR, and Vince Hall from Clackamas County.

The Oregon Chapter of ITE hosted another after work social on Thursday, February 4th at Kells Irish Pub in downtown Portland. The happy hours are purely social events and provide a great opportunity to together with fellow traffic engineers over a good pint of ale and a bite to eat. These events have been well attended by students as well as professionals, and provide great networking opportunities.

Our March Section meeting was held on Thursday, March 18 at Bridegeport Brewery in Portland, Oregon. The City of Portland Bicycle Coordinator, Roger Gellar, provided a presentation on the Portland Bicycle Plan. Portland’s recently adopted Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 focuses principally on policy, network and design improvements in support of a city where 25 percent of all trips will be made by bicycle. Roger discussed the plan’s highlights as well as current efforts to advance its implementation.

Matt Bell

San Diego Section

San Diego ITE President Marc Mizuta kicked off the February meeting.

Jennifer Rosales, Principal Transportation Engineer of Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) from Portland, Oregon, gave a campaign speech for the position of International Director. Joel Freedman gave a presentation on the subject of The SANDAG Activity-Based Travel Model and its structure, benefits and use in transportation forecasting.

SoCal ITE President Arief Naftali kicked off the March meeting.“Improving Traffic Data Collection: Technology and Methodology Updates” Kevin Deal, Operations Manager, NDS Iteris representative gave an update on their end to end solutions for detection, communication, and data collection.

“Nevada State Highway 318: Closing a public highway for a land speed record & various ITE updates ” Ken Ackeret, PH. D., PE, PTOE, Kimley-Horn and Associates, International Director, ITE District 6

“Current Trends and Pending Legislation in the Transportation Industry”

Clark Fernon, PE, Senior Vice President, TY Lin International

SF Bay Area ITE Section

On February 18, 2010, the San Francisco Bay Area ITE Section (SFBayITE) held a joint meeting with the South Bay Traffic Officials Association (SBTOA) at Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant in downtown San José.  The featured speaker was Hans Larsen, Acting Director of Transportation for the City of San José, with the topic “Bike Lanes, Bullet Trains, Pod Cars and Potholes.”  This “State of City Transportation” address covered the City’s bold new plans for a safe, sustainable, and multimodal transportation system.  A total of 100 transportation professionals attended the meeting.

Rail is a key transportation mode for the City of San José.  The City is working aggressively to secure federal and state funding for the initial segment of the planned California High Speed Rail (HSR) system, which is anticipated to serve San José and the Bay Area by 2017.  Work continues to bring Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to downtown San José.  Construction for the BART Warm Springs Extension from Fremont has already begun, with expected completion by 2014 at a cost of $840 million.  The proposed 10-mile Warm Springs – Berryessa segment is expected to begin construction in 2011, with an expected cost of $2 billion and completion by 2025.  Expected completion for the final link from Berryessa to downtown San José’s Diridon Station and Mineta San José Airport is in 2025.  The City’s vision is an intermodal Diridon Station that would include HSR, BART, regional Caltrain rail, and local Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail, as well as (potentially) a new A’s baseball stadium.

In November 2009, San José adopted the 2020 City Bicycle Plan, which looks to expand its current 250-mile network to 500 miles.  The plan’s goal is to increase bicycle mode share from one percent to five percent, which is close to the City of Portland’s (Oregon) current national high of six percent.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission ranked San José 15th among Bay Area cities in pavement condition in 2008-09.  Regional solutions being considered to raise revenue to improve roadways include increasing local gas taxes, developing a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) based user fee, toll roads, and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes.

Traffic safety has improved significantly in San José over the last 20 years, which Mr. Larsen credited to the efforts of Jim Helmer, former City Director of Transportation.  Over that time period, the City’s collision rate has decreased from 7.6 to 3.0 injury crashes per thousand residents.  This reduction was attributed to various engineering solutions, including traffic signals and traffic calming devices, as well as improved safety education, especially among local schoolchildren.  San José will be installing its first red-light enforcement cameras this summer and is also looking at using cameras for speed enforcement.

San José has elicited interest from several international firms to develop a personal rapid transit (PRT) system, known as the Airport Transit Connector Project.  This automated podcar system would link the Mineta San José Airport terminals with nearby Caltrain and VTA train stations located outside the airport.  VTA has issued a $4 million grant to study alternatives, with a goal of completing the system by the end of 2015 and a potential cost of $500 million.

Andrew Kluter, P.E.