Cost Effective Solutions for Congestion

A June story on the website Inside Science presents several innovative intersection designs as a solution to the rising problem of traffic congestion.

These unconventional intersection designs - continuous flow, median u-turn, and diverging diamond - share a common feature. They focus on reconfiguring the flow-stifling left turn. See the linked article for accompanying video that illustrates some of these

Can these designs prevent the $2.3 billion gallons of fuel currently wasted each year by vehicles idling at intersections? We don't know if it's The Answer, but we're working hard to be part of the solution, not the problem.

For more details on innovative intersection design, including the diverging diamond interchange, mark your calendar for Feburary 3, 2010. OHM's Stephen Dearing, PE, Professional Traffic Operations Engineer will present More, Better, Faster: Existing and Innovative Interchange Designs. The webinar is co-sponsored by ASCE's Transportation & Development Institute and ASCE Continuing Education.

Creative Commons Photo Credit: richardmasoner

TAUD Take Two: A Simple, Do It Yourself Asset Management System

By now most of the altruistic souls dedicated to public works know that our infrastructure - in the case of utility districts, water and sewer systems - requires a minimum level of annual maintenance to function. Asset mManagement is a philosophy that makes intuitive sense. It's like owning a car. You have to invest modest sums every so often to keep your vehicle in operating condition. Want to skip the oil changes, tire rotation and brake replacements to save a few bucks in the short term? We'll see you at the side of the road.

If asset management is a smart concept, why isn't everyone using it? One reason could be that asset management as it relates to finance's depreciation accounting (like GASB 34) is complex, time consuming and does not incorporate the condition of your infrastructure. We advocate an easy, do-it-yourself method of managing your community's biggest assets. With historic data and simple tools, you can benefit from the promise of asset management: to provide the level of service you wish at the lowest life cycle cost.

Asset Management for Infrastructure: Identification, Prioritization and Justification

View more documents from OHM Advancing Communities.

OHM Talks to TAUD about Declining Revenues

Last week, OHM principal Evan Pratt spoke to leaders in the Tennessee Association of Utility Authorities about a painful subject: declining revenues. While the recession hasn't hit Tennessee as hard as some of the original rust-belt states (Michigan, anyone?), Utility Authority leaders are still looking for ways to trim expenses and stretch those shrinking revenues a bit further. OHM's message? Utilities and municipalities must find a way to cut costs, but eliminating or postponing maintenance is not the answer!

Failing to invest in maintaining a community's billion dollar assets (its water, sewer and storm systems) is akin to buying a luxury car and driving it for 100,000 miles without changing the tires, brakes, or oil.

Municipal Utility Districts Declining Revenue OHM

View more documents from OHM Advancing Communities.

Civil Engineering Society Releases Criticial Infrastructure Guidance

ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) just published a report, Guiding Principles for the Nation's Critical Infrastructure. The purpose of the guide was to outline key attributes for "successful, safe, resilient, and sustainable critical infrastructure systems". The ultimate goal is to protect public safety, health and welfare to "prevent infrastructure disasters, such as levee breaks in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis."

ASCE's website lists four fundamental guiding principles for the Nation's critical infrastructure systems:

1. Quantifying, communicating, and managing risk.

2. Exercising sound leadership, management, and stewardship in decision-making processes.

3. Employing an integrated systems approach.

4. Adapting critical infrastructure in response to dynamic conditions and practice.

The final 42-page report is available for download from ASCE's website: http://content.asce.org/files/pdf/GuidingPrinciplesFinalReport.pdf