I thought we could take a break from our discussion about standards for heavy construction with digital design files in this article and talk about recent coverage on the same issue in some other professional publications. I’d like to share highlights from two articles that touch on the topic of digital data for heavy construction projects. The first was featured in LiDAR Magazine. It was entitled “3D Engineered Models – From Projects to Companies, and Companies to Industry”.

The article begins with an interesting summary of the data silo most civil engineering work currently sits in. It said: “Traditionally, design data created by the civil engineers has been somewhat isolated and fragmented from the rest of the project team. What they created very often would not move across to contractors, nor was it intended to do so. Contractors were expected to create their own set of information separate from the engineer, and there was no easy way to close this gap – one that could enable the rich design information to cross over to the construction phase, let alone address the legal framework by which it could happen.”

Although cold hard cash is mentioned in this part of the article, it is clear from the statements that money is being wasted here. When does that waste occur? This waste occurs when the contractor recreates digital products from hard copy design documents when the engineer already has a digital file sitting on his or her workstation computer.

The article continues by listing the benefits that using a 3D model (as part of a BIM/CIM) can bring to the construction project. The benefits listed in the article include:

• Communication of design intent during planning, zoning, and public involvement meetings.
• Helping project stakeholders understand the scope and intent of the project.
• Allowing project stakeholders to visually explore the engineer’s designs before construction.
• Allowing detection of errors where they are less costly to fix using constructability analysis.
• Reducing requests-for-information/change orders.
• Allowing the calculations of cut/fill volumes.
• Visualizing a project’s environmental impacts.
• Assisting in the scheduling of heavy construction.
• Assisting in the determination of sequencing for lane closures, utility outages, trade sequencing, equipment scheduling, and material delivery/management.

The article also lists savings the contractor can realize from a 3D model. These savings include:

• Time saved by reduced wait time for construction staking and construction layout services performed by the land surveyor.
• Reduced effort by the contractor in the field and office.
• More efficient operations resulting in reduced material use and equipment use.
• Reduces the need for interpretation or interpolation of data shown on the construction plans.
• Reduces the amount of rework.

The second article was featured in Topcon’s InPosition Magazine.  The article was entitled “Stakeless, Stringless – Top to Bottom”. It described the construction of a 6 mile long 4-lane highway in Northeast Arkansas by Weaver-Bailey Contractors. As part of the project Weaver-Bailey needed to:

• Remove a 4 inch thick layer of top soil.
• Install a 6 inch thick stone base layer.
• Install a 1 inch thick asphalt layer to prevent cracking.
• Install a 10 inch thick layer of concrete paving.

The contract had heavy equipment outfitted with a RTK GPS and laser level machine control system. This allowed for fine grading of the subgrade layers without survey stakes. The same system was used on the paving machine that laid the 10 inch thick concrete layer. The machine control system for the concrete paving could make fine adjustments to the paver movements and achieved paving tolerances of 1/4”.

The entire project was constructed without traditional surveying stakes or string lines to control finish grad paving.

The ACEC‐CA 2014 Annual Conference was held in La Quinta (Palm Springs area) April 6th through 8th with the State Board meeting on the 9th. Sierra Chapter members attending included Tom Holdrege, Stephen Boll, Jeff Cox, and myself. The conference was held at the beautiful La Quinta Resort and Spa, which was founded in the 1920s. The resort now has 41 pools, 53 hot tubs, and is surrounded by golf courses and a backdrop of the Santa Rosa Mountains.

Keynote speakers for the conference comprised Gordon Enas (DWR), who discussed the BDCP and the proposed conveyance tunnels project; Dr. John Husing, a research economist, who presented aspects of the southern California economy; and the Salton Sea Panel Discussion. The Owners Night and Welcome Reception attendance was lively, and included various Federal, state, and local agencies. The Alternative Delivery Panel included a lineup of Kome Ajise (Caltrans Deputy Director, Planning and Modal Programs), Bob Close (Parsons Brinckerhoff), and others. Of the usual and less usual suite of breakout sessions, I was only able to attend the one on marketing and outreach with social networking. It was very good, and as a result, I almost… almost, signed up for a Twitter account.

The Board Meeting was held on Wednesday afternoon, and we discussed a host of association issues including strategic planning, policy platforms, and advocacy. A key topic was ACEC-CA’s AB401 lawsuit, with strong feelings exhibited all around. I am sure that discussion will be continuing.

The 2014 ACEC-CA conference was a good one. I just wish I hadn’t had to spend so much time on work, so that I could have enjoyed the conference and resort more.

Chris Neudeck, Vice President of Kjeldsen, Sinnock & Neudeck (KSN) gave a great presentation at our April 16th dinner meeting. Chris discussed current events in the San Joaquin Delta including the effects of SB 5 200-year flood protection regulations, the enforcement authority of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board (SB 753), and current drought planning and impacts for local water quality and levels.

SB 5 would substantially limit residential, commercial, and industrial development after July 2016 unless a community meets California’s Urban Level of Flood Protection (protection against 200-year flood events) or is making adequate progress toward meeting that protection. Chris discussed potential impacts on communities and compared Sacramento, which is making adequate progress, to Stockton, which would have extreme difficulties meeting the requirements.

On SB 753, which allows for substantial fines for non-compliant levee encroachment violations, Chris described the difficult situation for owners that previously followed the rules, valid at that time, and had obtained permits for their encroachments. The Central Valley Flood Protection Board can impose administrative penalties up to $50,000 for a single violation, which can be more that civil penalties imposed by a court.

Chris described the salinity impacts to the Delta resulting from the current drought and proposed emergency dams to be built across three channels in the Delta. He also discussed statewide reservoir conditions, and compared storage levels of Los Angeles-area reservoirs with those in the rest of the state.

Chris was a very engaging speaker and had plenty to say. The audience wanted more, with many staying well past the end of his talk.

Our May Meeting speaker will be Tom Zlotkowski, Executive Director of the Capital SouthEast Connector JPA.

In March of 2008, Tom became the Executive Director of the Elk Grove-Rancho Cordova-El Dorado Connector JPA, currently referred to as the Capital SouthEast Connector JPA.  The JPA is responsible for the planning, environmental review, design, and construction of “Connector” which is a proposed 35-mile multi-modal transportation corridor southeast of Sacramento. Amongst other duties, Tom oversees project and program development, funding and fiscal planning, as well as community and governmental interests.  To date, a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) was adopted in April, 2012, concurrent with the selection of the project general alignment. Other recent project milestones include the adoption of an initial Plan of Finance (POF), along with Project Design Guidelines (PDG) by the JPA board of directors in March, 2013.  The project was made eligible for Design-Build procurement by the state legislature in September, 2013.

Previously, Mr. Zlotkowski was the Director of the Sacramento County Department of Transportation where he oversaw the planning, design, construction and ongoing maintenance & operations of 2600 miles of street and highways located in the unincorporated areas of Sacramento County.  He was responsible for an organization of 375 employees, with a $160 million annual budget to maintain, operate and improve a transportation system that includes over 5,000 lane miles of road.  Tom is widely recognized for innovative approaches to advance transportation solutions within the Sacramento region and for making numerous improvements to the local and regional transportation system.

Tom’s professional acknowledgements include the Institute of Transportation Engineers, “2007 Distinguished Service Award” and the American Public Works Association, “2006 National Transportation Manager of the Year.” He is both a registered Civil and Traffic engineer in the state of California as well as holding a national certification as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE).