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Kentucky Transportation Cabinet KEEN engineers along with the Sherman Minton Renewal bridge team were proud to visit Grace James Academy in Louisville to discuss the massive, bi-state bridge project and to offer young women of color a chance to try an interactive bridge-building activity. The presenters included engineers Eric Lauer from KYTC, and Mary Jo Hamman from Michael Baker International. The focus was to interest more women of color in the engineering field. Click below to see the video created by Jefferson County Public Schools.
WLKY reporter, Munashe Kwangwari, covered the visit. Click the button below to watch the news video and to read the article.
Engineer Andrew Perez, Highway District 5, studies intersection traffic
How Engineers Plan Transportation Projects
by Scott Thomson
Engineers aren’t just designers…they often have to be dreamers. In transportation, projects are conceived after studying a variety of inputs. Transportation planners rely on the public’s input to discover problems and hear their ideas for solutions.
How people choose to move from place to place is called their "mode of transportation." Planners have to consider these multi-modal transportation means when planning projects for the public. Transportation planning also include roads, railroads, rivers, and aircraft.
People are living longer and need a way to stay in shape. Planners recognize that walking and biking are two of the best ways to stay healthy. Multi-use paths, trails, and bike lanes are also ways to get around. In some areas like downtown and large school campuses, walking and biking are the preferred modes of transportation.
There are unique situations to keep in mind as planners "dream" about the future of transportation, like impacts to infrastructure due to increasing natural disasters and our reliance on the gas tax to fund projects as more people purchase electric cars.
What might need to be considered when planning a project?
Safety: Where do crashes occur? When and how frequent are those crashes?
- Narrow shoulders, no guard rails
- Blind intersections
- Tight curves
- Setting or Rising sun blinding drivers
Maintenance: Where do crews have to repeatedly return to fix things?
- Recurring pot holes suggest that the problem is UNDER the pavement
- Frequent rock falls that disrupt travel
- How bridges are holding up to traffic
Operations: Where does traffic get backed up today?
- Signal timing might need to be adjusted
- Certain turns have greatly increased volumes
- Are intersections safe for wheel chairs and the blind
Forecasting: Where will the traffic be in the future?
- A city’s development plan
- Businesses may plan to locate or expand in an area
- Regional population growth may increase traffic
- More trucks are using the roads.
Discussion Questions:
What do you think might be reasons to develop a project (ie. purpose and/or need)
What are some of the different modes of transportation?
How do we fund transportation projects now?
How might we fund transportation projects in the future?
Left: Luke Turner Right: Justin Wilson
It Takes a Team - KYTC's "Drone Duo"
Highlighting interesting roles at KYTC
by Amber Hutchinson
Drones, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), have been used to perform surveys of several types of projects such as project planning, maintenance, traffic, right-of-way, construction sites and bridge inspections.
Drone pilots, Luke Thomas, Transportation Engineering Technologist III, and Justin Wilson, Transportation Engineer II, of Highway District 8, have taken on the role of developing and implementing KYTC's drone program, from training new pilots to fostering new uses for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations across the Cabinet.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Justin - Training new users on UAS operations and showcasing data/deliverables. It’s always fun to see the enjoyment that people get from learning how to operate drones. I love it when we get to showcase that drones are used for more than simple reconnaissance.
Luke - The opportunity to be innovative. We have awesome opportunities to find and implement new ideas.
 Different types of drones on the bed of a truck.
Could you tell me about your most rewarding project/memory at KYTC?
Justin - My favorite project was getting the opportunity to take photographs with the drone beneath the tree canopy on a small bridge project. With this data we were able to provide a survey of the existing ground and provide a high resolution map of the site.
Luke - One of the first opportunities we had to implement the drones was for our traffic crew. We had a pole that had been knocked down and our traffic design crew needed a survey of the area in order to replace the pole. Instead of someone doing a traditional survey of the area, which would include a great deal of time in the roadway, Justin and I were able to fly a drone to the area and generate a 3D model without anyone being in the roadway. This really caused me to see how we could make our day-to-day operations safer.
College interns climbing the Eggner Ferry Bridge in Benton, KY- Gabe Marr, Shane Gray, and Caitlyn Brown. Photo by Tyler Goad from Highway District 2
KYTC's Internship Program
Did you know the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet offers paid internships for students and graduates to work alongside transportation professionals to gain hands-on experience? Opportunities are available in engineering-related fields, welding, mechanics, highway laborers, and more. Must be 18 years of age. For more information, email Ramona.Brock@ky.gov.
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