Video
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are step-by-step instructions about how to do a job or task properly to ensure consistent and quality results. St. Joseph County, Indiana, will share what they learned while developing and implementing SOPs for winter maintenance operations.
The City of Fort Wayne has implemented several successful strategies for its winter maintenance program including new technologies, investment in a new brine machine, pre-treating and deicing approaches, and a model staff training program. They’ll share their successes and lessons learned.
New transportation technologies, particularly in regard to connected and autonomous driving vehicles, present a challenge to local governments. Safety and cybersecurity concerns, inconsistent regulations that vary across states, and schisms within the vehicle industry present complications and uncertainty for full integration of these technologies into existing transportation infrastructure. Two of the issues that need to be addressed first are traffic incident liabilities and assurances that the driving technology cannot be hacked. Vehicle-to-vehicle technology includes signal communication between two or more vehicles, while vehicle-to-infrastructure involves signal communication between vehicles and signage or signal controllers. To date, only a few states have established legislation addressing autonomous vehicles. Local governments are going to have to establish regulations too. Given the fast pace of technology development and the slow pace of governmental change, now is the time to look at how operations will need to be altered and what the unintended consequences could be for policies and planning.Learning Objectives: Describe the implications of connected and autonomous vehicles for local government infrastructure.Identify the policy ramifications for local governments of these new technologies.Envision the impacts these technologies could have on your city or town.
Soon, vehicles will be able to see things that drivers can't, such as when a vehicle two or three cars ahead suddenly hits the brakes, or a car is about to run a red light, or when black ice is on the road. Connected vehicles are expected to make crossing intersections safer, reduce work zone crashes, and make it easier to manage a fleet of snow plows or other heavy vehicles. Road weather management systems will allow public works departments to capitalize on connected vehicle data to increase situational awareness, improve roadway levels of service and optimize the use of resources and materials. The Federal Highway Administration (FWHA) has released a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Infrastructure (V2I) guidance to assist agencies in preparing for emerging V2I/V2V technologies. Attend this session for a tutorial on what to expect and how to prepare.Learning Objectives: Examine connected vehicle technologies to see how they work and how they can benefit the public works community.Determine what will be needed to prepare for connected vehicles.Determine how connected vehicle technologies and applications can improve road weather operations.
In May 2016, streetcar services returned to downtown Kansas City, Missouri, after nearly 60 years. This $102 million transit investment has helped spur over $1.8 billion in economic development and significant growth in sales tax revenue along the streetcar's 2.2 mile corridor. Ridership exceeded one million riders in the first six months, averaging 6,300 riders a day. Join us for this walk-through of the project's evolution from design and funding to operation. In addition to being a linear transit project in a constrained urban right-of-way, this project included extensive utility relocations, ADA accessibility efforts, and traffic simulation upgrades. The streetcar maintenance yard was awarded a LEED Gold Certification, and this is the first transit project to obtain the ISI EnvisionA Platinum Sustainable Infrastructure Award.Learning Objectives:Identify alternative funding options for implementing a transit project.Explore the lessons learned in Kansas City, from construction to operation, along an existing urban street.Illustrate how fixed transit can be a tool to enhance development investment and economic growth.
Sometimes it is not until someone retires that an agency discovers just how many functions he or she covered. Those nearing retirement will be leaving with a wealth of knowledge that will be difficult to replace by hiring just one person. The focus of this session will be on preparing for attrition, creating and conveying career mobility, and developing a forward-thinking approach for organizational sustainability.Learning Objectives:Identify and create opportunities for current staff for upward mobility and a more conducive career focus.Develop a long-term approach to planning for attrition and creating transitional strategies.Help staff view public service in a way that meets organizational mission and goals.
Don’t miss this exploration of best management practices in the right-of-way. You will discover several approaches for utility coordination including mapping and using software to keep track right-of-way project status and to facilitate communication. Each speaker in this session will use the Pecha Kucha format (20 slides shown for 20 seconds each) to provide concise and ready-to-use information.Learning Objectives: Examine how mapping could help your city save moneyEvaluate the effectiveness of software to track what is happening in your right-of-wayIdentify best practices that will improve your management of the right-of-way
This session will discuss the process of how to construct a new athletic field from design, bid and installation and then how to develop a maintenance program to ensure safety and sustainability.
RISE (Reentry Initiative through Structured Employment) – The City of Fishers, Indiana, has created an inspiring program designed to both recruit highly motivated employees into public works positions and, more importantly, help in the rehabilitation process of citizens who made bad choices, paid their debt to society, and are now faced with the challenge of finding meaningful employment. Feeling that just providing employment is not enough, they established a monthly training regimen that includes basic personal financial management skills. Participants are also given the option of going through the agency's in-house CDL class. If there are positions available when participants complete the program, an opportunity is offered for them to apply for full-time employment. If no positions are open and they were model employees, they can receive a letter of reference from the Mayor. Will this solution work in your community?Learning Objectives: Provide a unique solution to workforce recruitment and engagement.Attract applicants that are motivated and eager to perform.Develop a life-changing program that affects the well-being of potential employees and their families.
Facilitated
by Thom Singer, the Conference Catalyst and Emcee
Join Thom for a fun conversation about what you’ve learned so far at PWX,
the best take-aways you’ll be sharing upon your return home, and your
thoughts for topics and formats for the 2018 PWX.