Infrastructure pros learn about trends at annual TransOvation Workshop

A group of transportation construction and design professionals, as well as public officials, from across the U.S. discussed industry trends at the Fifth Annual Dr. J. Don Brock TransOvation Workshop, held recently in St. Paul, Minnesota, and hosted by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF).

The goal of the conference is to promote creative thinking, offering participants the opportunity to use new ideas to solve problems or join new markets.

The theme this year was “Breaking Down Barriers: Accelerating Innovation in Transportation Construction.” Presentations were given by HC Bridge Company, 3M, HNTB Corp., Microsoft, EMSEAL and several industry leaders.

One workshop was hosted by Federal Highway Administrator Greg Nadeau, who asked attendees to think of obstacles to innovation in their own businesses. They were also asked to brainstorm potential solutions for removing these obstacles and moving forward.

While at the event, officials named the recipient of the 2015 TransOvation Award. This year’s winners were Bohannan Huston Inc., Kiewit New Mexico Co. and the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT). They teamed up and used the Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge System on the Interstate 25/Paseo del Norte Reconstruction project and came in on time and on budget on the rehabilitation of two bridges and the construction of five other in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The team used accelerated bridge construction (ABC) techniques, which prevented common problems with settlement on bridge approaches.