CONTENT
May 2013
Florida airport pilots water
management program ..................4-5
Projects and people .....................6-7
Sophisticated document
management systems can save
time, money ................................... 8
SIGHT
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (left) was joined on a high-speed rail test run south of Dwight, Ill., by Sen. Dick Durbin (front center), U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood
(back center) and Federal Rail Administration Administrator Joseph Szabo. Copyright©: The State Journal-Register.
High-speed rail gains momentum
Illinois becomes leading example
Illinois has become the center
of high-speed passenger rail in the
Midwest and a leading example for
the service in the United States. The
Illinois Department of Transportation
(IDOT) and the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) started the
Illinois High-Speed Rail Chicago to
St. Louis program as part of the FRA’s
High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail
Program that was established in 2009.
The goal is to improve passenger and
freight transportation by delivering highspeed rail, a transportation mode that is
expected to be faster and safer than cars
and buses, to communities along the
Chicago-to-St. Louis rail corridor.
Illinois received $1.2 billion in
federal funding in 2010 to bring highspeed passenger rail service to the state.
In October 2012, 110-mph passenger rail
from
the
CEO
Welcome to this issue of Insight, in
which we’re excited to share news about
award-winning, precedent-setting projects
we’re working on with clients nationwide.
Hanson’s employees are on the
move — attending and exhibiting at the
following:
• Kentucky Aviation Conference, Sept.
4-6, Bowling Green, Ky.
• Association of State Dam Safety
Officials Dam Safety 2013, Sept. 8-12,
Providence, R.I.
• ASDSO Annual Conference, Sept. 9-12,
Hartford, Conn.
• AREMA 2013 Annual Conference in
conjunction with RSI/REMSA/RSSI
Exhibition, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, Indianapolis
We look forward to connecting with you
this year. As always, please feel free to
contact me at [email protected] if
I can be of service to you.
Sincerely,
Sergio “Satch” Pecori, P.E., ExecEng
President and CEO
Insight is a publication of Hanson Professional
Services Inc., a national, employee-owned
consulting firm providing engineering,
architecture, planning and allied services.
If you have any questions or comments, or if you
would like to receive our newsletter
electronically, please contact us. © 2013
Marketing Communications Manager,
Darrel Berry
Editors, Charlotte Curry and Amy Kay
Writers, Mandy Bekoin and June Stricker
Graphic Designer, Todd Denton
1525 S. Sixth St., Springfield, IL 62703
Phone: (217) 788-2450 Fax: (217) 788-2503
Email: [email protected]
www.hanson-inc.com
2
Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled
paper with agri-based inks.
service debuted in a demonstration on
a 15-mile segment of the corridor from
Dwight, Ill., to Pontiac, Ill. Service for
that segment opened the next month.
In March of this year, the FRA
selected Illinois to lead five partnering
states in acquiring the next generation
of locomotives, and the federal agency
allocated $808 million for the project.
IDOT will manage procuring at least
35 diesel locomotives for high-speed
passenger trains for Illinois, California,
Michigan, Missouri and Washington.
IDOT, the FRA and railroads are
working together to make sure that
improvements to tracks and crossings are
completed and requirements for positive
train control are met so that high-speed
rail can expand as much as possible in the
coming years.
Passenger trains traveling at speeds
as high as 110 mph are expected to be
available between Dwight and Alton, Ill.,
by 2015 and between Dwight and Joliet,
Ill., by 2017.
FRA issues two records
of decision
After receiving the $1.2 billion
federal award, IDOT’s Division of Public
and Intermodal Transportation selected
Hanson and Parsons Corp. to prepare a
Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) — a requirement for IDOT to
secure a Record of Decision (ROD)
for expanded 110-mph passenger train
service between Chicago and St. Louis.
The precedent-setting study is
helping Illinois and Missouri accelerate
their plans to offer high-speed rail along
the 284-mile-long corridor. The HansonParsons team worked with IDOT to
complete the Tier 1 EIS on an aggressive
18-month timetable, far less than the
usual three to five years needed to
complete a study of this magnitude.
The Tier 1 EIS was the first of its
kind in the U.S. to study high-speed rail
mixed with freight on the same track.
It also was the first EIS in the country
to receive two important RODs from
the FRA. These firsts were achieved
concurrently with a Hanson-led Tier 2
EIS that was conducted in Springfield, Ill.
Hanson received a recognition
award from the American Council of
Engineering Companies (ACEC) and an
honor award from ACEC of Illinois for
this project.
Tier 2 EIS projects under way
Established under the National
Environmental Policy Act, an EIS is
required for federally funded projects
that could significantly affect the human
environment. With tiered EIS studies,
the first tier addresses broader issues
such as alternative routes and major
infrastructure improvements. The second
tier is more site-specific and has more
detailed engineering and environmental
analysis.
Hanson, as a subconsultant to
Parsons, is conducting studies for a rail
flyover – or overpass – project for the
Tier 2 EIS from Joliet to Chicago.
IDOT recently selected Hanson for
an environmental study for the flyover
project of Springfield’s rail corridor. A
grade separation is needed south of the
city to alleviate congestion that would be
caused by increased rail traffic.
Illinois capital gets closer
to rail consolidation
In its ROD, the FRA approved
consolidating Amtrak passenger and
Union Pacific freight rail service from
the Third Street track to the 10th Street
corridor in Springfield. IDOT has
allocated $8.6 million to cover half the
cost of the design for the project, which
is anticipated to take two to three years to
conduct.
The city of Springfield selected
Hanson to provide design, land
acquisition and construction engineering
for the 10th Street rail consolidation
project.
The Third Street line will receive
The Illinois High-Speed Rail Chicago to St. Louis program will bring faster train service to communities
along the 284-mile--long corridor. Hanson has been involved in projects for the program, including
tiered environmental impact statements and new transportation stations.
upgrades to handle increases in freight
traffic while the 10th Street consolidation
is developed. The Third Street project is
expected to begin in 2015 or 2016.
Communities adapt to
transportation changes
Stations along the Chicago-to-St.
Louis corridor are being improved with
funding from IDOT. Hanson is providing
engineering services to the joint-venture
team of Legat/Mackie for this portion of
the new high-speed rail service. Hanson
also is a member of Legat’s team tasked
with designing new stations in Moline,
Ill., for rail service from Chicago to the
Quad Cities and in Rockford, Ill., for the
Chicago to Dubuque, Iowa, rail service.
Other communities located along
the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor have
constructed or are planning multi-modal
transportation stations to accommodate
higher-speed trains and to spur economic
development. Bloomington-Normal,
Ill., recently opened its Uptown Station,
a multi-modal center that serves as the
community’s central transportation hub.
This station also is located two blocks
from Illinois State University, which
enrolls more than 21,000 students.
Joliet’s multi-modal station is
scheduled to be complete in 2015, and
Alton recently received funding for
a station. Springfield also has started
planning for a multimodal center for
trains, buses and taxis.
For more information,
contact Kirk Brown at
(217) 788-2450 or at
[email protected].
Kirk Brown, P.E.
3
City of Naples Airport Authority leads
water management pilot program
Innovative program to address airport’s master drainage plan, impurities removal
and wildlife management
Naples Municipal Airport, recipient of
the Florida Department of Transportation’s
(FDOT) 2012 General Aviation Airport
of the Year award, is the site of a pilot
program to address what could become
a national standard in airport water
management. Funded by grants from
the Federal Aviation Administration and
FDOT, this program will study, design and
monitor water management ponds specific
to the airport environment. It is designed
to find solutions to runoff and stormwater
collection, water filtration and impurities
removal, and clean water distribution back
into nearby waterways.
One part of the program will
include redesigning the airport’s water
management ponds. These man-made
ponds were designed to collect runoff and
stormwater from the airport and adjacent
non-airport properties; filter the water by
using vegetation and a permanent pool of
water that allows some impurities to settle
4
to the bottom of the pond; and gradually
release the clean water back into the
environment. At the Naples airport, this
water flows into Rock Creek, the Gordon
River and Naples Bay.
The water management ponds
across Florida are designed for specific
storms between a 10-year and 100-year
rainfall event and specific water-quality
volumes to settle out impurities. These
designs were believed to have the ability
to remove an average of 80 percent of
impurities. However, data collected across
Florida does not support that 80-percent
removal is feasible with the existing
design.
The water management ponds also
have a gentle, grassy slope that leads to
the pond. This can create a welcoming
home to wildlife, which increases the
potential for birds to collide with aircraft,
also known as bird strikes. Reducing the
potential for bird strikes is the reason
for the FAA’s and FDOT’s interest in the
ponds.
Hanson’s previous work has shown
that Florida airport runways, taxiways
and aprons have clean runoff before any
treatment and rarely need further quality
management. However, runoff from
commercial areas on or off the airport that
enters the airport stormwater system needs
treatment.
The Naples airport project monitors
and treats stormwater that was directed
onto the airport’s property from adjacent
industrial properties. This offsite, nonairport water creates a measurable
baseline to evaluate the effectiveness
of the pond design. Because the airport
has been in existence since World War
II and now is surrounded by developed
properties, roadways and waterways, the
airport works to address these neighboring
runoff problems with realistic, feasible
solutions.
(Left) The City of Naples Airport Authority in Naples, Fla., is leading a pilot program to address what could become a national standard in airport water management.
The program, funded by grants from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation, is positioned to find solutions to runoff and
stormwater collection, water filtration and impurities removal, and clean water distribution back into nearby waterways, while reducing possible wildlife attractants
that pose hazards to airplanes using the Naples Municipal Airport.
(Above) Water management ponds are located along the perimeter of the Naples Municipal Airport. A new design for these ponds is in the works to improve pollutant removal, reduce wildlife attractants and increase the airport’s useable land.
“The City of Naples Airport
Authority continually strives to be
a good steward, and this new water
management pilot program exemplifies its
dedication to providing exceptional water
management,” says Hanson’s Scott Brady,
P.E., senior aviation engineer.
The airport authority selected Hanson
to provide professional engineering
services for the update to the airport’s
master drainage system, and Hanson
coordinated the grant-writing efforts so
that these issues could be addressed. In
total, the project – which will include an
extension of Taxiway A – is estimated
at approximately $9 million, with
grants covering the vast majority of the
components.
Hanson’s team started with field
reconnaissance, surveys, geological
studies, wildlife studies and a review of
the existing data. The project included
detailed analysis, and University of
Florida researchers played a vital role
in preparing physical scale models and
computer simulations for the design of
new water management ponds as part of
the study.
The project design is expected to
result in after-treatment water quality that
approximates water quality from a natural
vegetative community such as a wetland.
The pilot program will not abandon
flood protection features during extreme
rain events, but will treat these events as
extremes, not the average condition.
The new design for water
management ponds will include vertical
gabions – wire baskets filled with
recycled concrete chunks – instead of
a gradual grassy slope to reduce the
wildlife attractant potential. The ponds
will improve water circulation over
conventional designs to promote the
separation of pollutants from the water.
The new pond design has the potential
to do more with less land, increasing the
airport’s useable land.
The project’s anticipated completion
date is in late 2013. Hanson’s team will
conduct post-construction monitoring for
two years to acquire statistical data on the
solutions presented.
The anticipated outcome of the
master drainage plan update is a system
that reduces standing water, improves
airport safety, allows for new development
and meets or exceeds environmental
criteria. It will provide a framework for
development and permitting for a planning
horizon defined by the airport and will
be permitted with the South Florida
Water Management District based on the
conceptual design.
For more information,
contact Scott Brady at
(941) 342-6321 or at
[email protected].
Scott Brady,
P.E.
5
Project updates
The Louisville Regional Airport
Authority (LRAA) selected Hanson to
manage the Bowman Field Airport
Area Safety Program in Louisville, Ky.
Bowman Field is Kentucky’s largest and
busiest general-aviation airport. Through
this program, Hanson will assist the
airport in complying with new Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) safety
standards that are designed to protect
aircraft and neighborhoods surrounding
the airport.
••••••
is under way. Hanson’s plans for
Segment 4 (7.4 miles) are out for bid,
with an award scheduled for June.
Work continues on the grading plans for
Segment 2 and the telecommunication
system for the 32-mile-long project.
••••••
The University of Florida opened
its East Campus Data Center, a
25,000-square-foot facility that houses
the HiPerGator, the state’s most powerful
supercomputer. It is one of the top 500
supercomputers in the world and can
perform up to 150 trillion calculations
per second.
Rockford, Ill., recently received the
U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED®
Gold Certification. As a consultant to
Saavedra Gehlhausen Architects,
Hanson provided structural engineering
services for the 90,000-square-foot,
three-story center.
••••••
Hanson is part of a team led by Digital
Realty Trust that is studying the
feasibility of designing and constructing
a data center for a major technology
company in New York City’s growing
tech sector.
••••••
Hanson’s work continues on two Alaska
Railroad Corp. (ARRC) projects,
including providing office support for
construction of the 3,100-foot-long
Tanana River Bridge at Salcha, Alaska,
which is part of ARRC’s Phase I Northern
Rail extension. Pile driving for the
bridge piers resumed in January after
being suspended in December when
temperatures approached minus 40
degrees. More than half of the 19 piers
are in various stages of construction
and 165-foot steel girders are being
stockpiled at the site in anticipation of
beginning superstructure erection this
summer.
As part of the Port MacKenzie rail
extension, Hanson has completed
grading plans for Segments 3 (6.5
miles) and 6 (5.1 miles at the junction
with ARRC’s mainline) and construction
6
Hanson provided “mission critical”
commissioning services for the
university. Hanson reviewed the designs
and tested the building’s design loads;
controls; mechanical, electrical and
lighting systems; heating, ventilating and
air-conditioning (HVAC) system; and
building envelope. Testing included the
use of load banks to simulate electrical
and heat loads. Multiple simulated
failure mode tests were completed during
the system-integration testing. The
facility is expected to achieve LEED®
Gold Certification from the U.S. Green
Building Council.
••••••
Rock Valley College’s Karl J. Jacobs
Center for Science and Math in
The Stratton Lock and Dam provides
navigation and river control on the
Fox River near McHenry, Ill., allowing
recreational boat traffic to traverse
along a series of lakes. Working
with the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources’ Office of
Water Resources on Phase II of this
project, Hanson is preparing plans
and specifications and an estimate
of probable construction cost for
improvements to the lock and dam.
These improvements include extending
the lock downstream, demolishing an
existing gate structure and constructing
a replacement-gate structure upstream.
This portion of the project follows the
“Stratton Lock and Dam Pre-Design
Report” that Hanson completed during
Phase I, which evaluated alternative
lock-capacity improvements and
alternative gate structures.
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Hanson named technical discipline chiefs to help the firm strengthen its technical
services and to work with employees to identify professional development, training and
career-advancement opportunities. They include:
• Kipkoech K. Chepkoit, P.E., Ph.D. - Chief Geotechnical Engineer
• Anthony K. Comerio, P.E., CFM - Chief Water Resources Engineer
• Thomas E. Havenar, P.E., S.E. - Chief Bridge Engineer
• Lindsay D. Hausman, P.E. - Chief Aviation Engineer
• Robert J. Knoedler, P.E., CEM, CxA, EMP - Chief Commissioning Engineer
• Bill Losey, P.E. - Chief Railway Engineer
• David R. McDonald Jr., P.E., PTOE, Ph.D. - Chief Roadway Engineer
• Ryan Nation, P.E., RCDD - Chief Electrical Engineer
• Gary Rogers, PLS - Chief of Surveys
• Kevin M. Seals - Chief Environmental Scientist
• Matt Slager, P.E., LEED® AP - Chief Mechanical Engineer
• Dennis G. Wilkinson, P.E., S.E. - Chief Facilities Structural Engineer
Hanson participated in the “Pink
Steel: Building Strength From Within”
event at the site of the Springfield
Clinic 1st expansion in Springfield, Ill.
The Pink Steel event honored those
affected by breast cancer and invited
the public to sign a pink beam that
will become part of the clinic’s new
facility, which will house a women’s
health center, surgical units and
cancer-care center.
Hanson is providing structural and
electrical engineering services for the
facility, which features more than 2
million pounds of steel covered in a
pink protective coating.
••••••
Corporate awards
Recognitions
Jeff Ball, P.E., senior vice president and
principal of infrastructure
services, was named
Engineer of the Year by
the American Society of
Civil Engineers (ASCE) –
Central Illinois Section.
Cindy Loos, P.E., regional vice
president, received the
Outstanding Engineer
Award from the Central
Illinois Section of the
Society of Women
Engineers.
Kurt Bialobreski, P.E., PTOE, a traffic
engineer at Hanson’s
Peoria, Ill., office, was
named the Young Engineer
of the Year by the American
Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE) – Central Illinois Section.
Sergio “Satch” Pecori P.E.,
ExecEng, president and
CEO, was named a fellow
with the American Council
of Engineering Companies
(ACEC).
ZweigWhite named Hanson to its
Zweig Letter 2012 Hot Firm List –
a listing of the top 100 fastestgrowing architecture, engineering
and environmental consulting firms in
the country. Hanson appeared at No.
96 on the list.
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Getting your money’s worth
Sophisticated document management
systems can save time and money
Documents often are a client’s final product when selecting
an engineering, architecture or planning consulting firm. These
documents may describe research, environmental issues,
construction plans or evaluations. The information typically
is supported by data the consulting firm obtains, which could
include numerous contributing files.
With concerns about information streamlining and
accessibility in the digital age, clients and consultants value
effective document management systems that organize and
safeguard information and provide a single source for sharing
up-to-date information with the project team.
“An estimated 40 percent of engineering time is dedicated
to locating and validating information from disparate systems,”
said Malcolm Walter, Bentley Systems Inc.’s chief operating
officer, in BE Magazine’s article, “Return on Interoperability:
The New ROI.”
Bentley – a leader of comprehensive software solutions for
sustaining infrastructure – recognized 58 projects as Be Inspired
award finalists during its 2012 conference in Amsterdam. Sixty
percent of the projects were located outside of the U.S. Hanson
is proud to receive international accolades for its customized
document management system created for the Interstate 74
Mississippi River Crossing Corridor project.
The $1.4 billion project for the Iowa and Illinois
departments of Transportation will connect Bettendorf, Iowa,
and Moline, Ill. The work includes realigning and replacing the
Mississippi River Bridge and reconstructing six interchanges.
The prime consultant, Alfred Benesch and Co., selected Hanson
to lead the document management program and provide
design services for one of three project sections. Document
management complexities included two clients with different
computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) standards; three
8
Hanson’s CADD Administrator Sean Keene (left) met with Bentley Systems CEO
Greg Bentley during the 2012 Be Inspired Innovations Infrastructure Conference,
held in Amsterdam.
cities, two counties and multiple state and local agencies; a
700-person project team that included 20 subconsultant firms;
approximately 30,000 documents; and a two-week startup time
to create the system.
Hanson’s CADD Administrator Sean Keene led the project’s
system, a custom-designed solution using Bentley’s ProjectWise
and Project WebParts with Microsoft’s SharePoint. By
integrating the products, Hanson’s team addressed issues such
as the ability to aggregate data from multiple sources, CADD
application integration, reference file and CADD standards
management and project team notifications.
For more information, contact Sean Keene at (317) 293-9024 or
at [email protected].