Volume 22, Issue 1

February | March 2015

EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING

G E O R G I A

ENGINEER®

INTO AWORLDWIDEMEGAFIRM

MICHAEL S. BURKE

LEADSAECOM

2 GEORGIA EnGInEER

Publisher: A4 Inc.

1154 Lower Birmingham Road

Canton, Georgia 30115

770-521-8877

E-mail: rfrey@a4inc.com

Editor-in-chief:

Roland Petersen-Frey

Managing Editor:

Daniel Simmons

Art Direction/Design:

Pam Petersen-Frey

contributing Authors

Tiffany Capuan

Fran Hardianto, P.E.

Haiying Huang, PhD

Ray James PE PhD

Shane Korfike

Thomas Leslie PE

Stephanie Aurora-Lewis, RA,

LEED AP

Jo Ann J Macrina, P.E.

Gary S. May, PhD, Dean

Wade H. Shaw, PhD, Dean

Daniel Simmons

The Georgia Engineer is published bi-monthly by A4 Inc. and pro-

vides a source of general engineering information to advance the busi-

ness of engineering companies governmental agencies, municipalities,

counties, department of transportation, businesses, and institutions in-

cluding the university system. Opinions expressed by the authors are

not necessarily those of the Georgia Engineer or its publisher nor do

they accept responsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a

matter of policy, neither do they endorse products or advertisements

appearing herein. Parts of this publication may be reproduced with the

written consent of the publisher. Correspondence regarding address

changes should be sent to the publisher via e-mail to rfrey@a4inc.com

or by dropping us a note at the address mentioned above. Subscrip-

tions are available by going online at www.thegeorgiaengineer.com

G E O R G I A

ENGINEER

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 3

As the Georgia Engineer enters its 22rd year in print, it’s safe to saythat the magazine had become something of an institution. This is quitean accomplishment, and we are proud of it.

This year, we have made major changes in the way your magazineis being published. We have broadened its appeal by including manymore subjects than we used to cover. We decided that it was importantto recognize the greater scope of disciplines that engineering is con-cerned with these days. Most of all, we want to inform, impress, andeven entertain our broad range of readers.

This issue on Excellence in Engineering is a prime example of thisshift toward innovative ideas and greater inclusion. You will find an ar-ticle on Excellence in Architectural Design, featuring the beautiful mainbuilding of Florida Polytechnic University, as well as Excellence in En-gineering Management, featuring the AECOM-URS acquisition. Thisis of particular interest in that two $10 billion engineering firms agreedto combine forces to create one of the largest engineering firms in theworld with virtually unlimited project opportunities in the A/E/Crealm. Another feature that we have added is the topic of Excellence inEngineering Education. We are delighted to say that all four major uni-versities with engineering programs in the state of Georgia have par-ticipated. And, of course, we will be giving well deserved recognition toour Engineers of the Year. Such exemplary professional dedication al-ways deserves the spotlight.

You will also note that we have included a great variety of new sub-jects for our readers’ enjoyment, such as hydraulic fracturing and the artand complexity of designing a foundation for a BART project in earth-quake-prone San Francisco. A lot of wonderful engineering projects arehappening all around us—even wildly unlikely ideas such as floatingtransportation tunnels. Yes, you read that right, have a look. Solvingproblems—this is what engineering is all about. We were particularlyhappy that the City of Atlanta’s Watershed Management team submit-ted a great presentation on going green to relieve flooding and doing, asthey always do, the right thing.

This new Georgia Engineer also has a different format. You willnotice that it is a bigger book with perfect binding. We hope you will likeit. If you do, let us know—send me a message at rfrey@a4inc.com

Pete

Roland Petersen-FreyEditor In Chief(770) 521-8877

Letter from the editor

GEORGIA EnGInEER4

cO

nT

EnT

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ENGINEERING AWARDSEach year, Georgia spotlightsexcellence in engineering inour state. See page 18 for thisyear’s pick for outstandingindividuals.

ATLANTA GOES GREEN TORELIEVE FLOODING The City of Atlanta is on a path to not onlygreener pastures to alleviate flooding but alsoa more sustainable infrastructure at thedirection of the Honorable Mayor KasimReed and the leadership team of theDepartment of Watershed Management. p8

WHAT IS HYDRAULIC FRACTURING? Hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ inshale gas formations has drasticallychanged the energy landscape in the U.S. inthe last few years. Annual shale gasproduction in the U.S. rose from 1,293 billioncubic feet in 2007 to 11,415 billion cubic feetin 2013. p14

FLORIDA POLYTECHNICUNIVERSITY Take a look at a brand new,innovative university thatis tailored to meet theevolving demands of anevolving 21st centuryeconomy. p22

MICHAEL S.BURKE

LEADS AECOMINTO A

WORLDWIDEMEGAFIRM

“Beyond the compellingbenefits that this

transaction creates forour combined clients,

stockholders, andemployees, the

combination of AECOMand URS dramatically

accelerates our strategy ofcreating an integrateddelivery platform withsuperior capabilities to

design, build, finance, andoperate infrastructure

assets around theworld.” p30

ATLANTA STREETCARS Two men dominate thestory of electric streetcarsin Atlanta in the last decadeof the nineteenth century,and they fought verypublically in what becameknown as the ‘SecondBattle of Atlanta.’ p38

p18

T a b l e o f

CONTENTS GEORGIA ENGINEER February | March 2015

Atlanta Goes Green to Relieve Flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Submerged Floating Tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

What is Hydraulic Fracturing?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Georgia Engineers of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Florida Polytechnic University: Innovation Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Warm Springs Extension, Fremont, California - First MSE wall constructed above a seismic fault line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Wolf Creek Library: a living room for the community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Michael S. Burke Leads AECOM into a Worldwide Megafirm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

How We Become a Best Company to Work For. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Atlanta Streetcars 1902-1949. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Diversifying Engineering Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Engineering the New U | Consolidation brings new opportunities to Kennesaw State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Mercer Engineering: Linking research with service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

The Importance of Examining the NSPE Code of Ethics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Georgia Engineering News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 5

p44

p28

p52

p42p8

ADvERTISEMEnTS

AMEC Foster Wheeler ....................................................................21

American Engineering Inc..............................................................37

Anderson Corporate Solutions......................................................17

CARDNO ............................................................................................21

City of Atlanta - DWM......................................................................7

Columbia Engineering ....................................................................54

CROM Corporation..........................................................................27

Edwards-Pitman Environmental Inc............................................43

Engineered Restorations Inc. .........................................................19

Georgia 811 .........................................................................................12

Georgia Institute of Technology .....................Inside Back Cover

Georgia Power ..................................................................................29

Hayward Baker .................................................................Back Cover

Hazen & Sawyer................................................................................41

HDR .....................................................................................................37

Keck & Wood ....................................................................................25

Kennesaw State University ...........................................................45

Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. ................................................37

MH Miles Company........................................................................48

Nova Engineering .............................................................................10

Prime Engineering Inc........................................................................3

Reinforced Earth Company............................................................55

RHD Utility Locating .......................................................................48

ROSSER International......................................................................27

S&ME ..................................................................................................37

Schnabel Engineering......................................................................37

Silt Saver.............................................................................................35

STV ......................................................................................................37

Terrell Hundley Carroll Right of Way Services..........................37

T•H•C ..................................................................................................51

TTL.......................................................................................................27

T. Wayne Owens & Associates, PC.............................................37

United Consulting..............................................Inside Front Cover

Vaughn & Melton ...............................................................................6

GEORGIA EnGInEER6

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 7

8 GEORGIA EnGInEER

Whitehall

Terrace

Rain

Garden

9FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

Atlantarelieve flooding

GOESGREEn

By Jo Ann J. Macrina, P.E. | Commissioner | Atlanta Department of Watershed Management

“What I am committed to doing is stopping the harm that is being done. I

want people to know that I’m not trying to do it on the cheap. I am going

to leave this office with this problem solved.”

The city of Atlanta is on a path to not only greener pastures to alleviate flooding but also a more sustain-

able infrastructure at the direction of the Honorable Mayor Kasim Reed and the leadership team of the

Department of Watershed Management.

Several communities in one of the combined sew-ersheds of Atlanta, Georgia experienced two con-secutive high rainfall events on July 9, 2012, 2.5inches in 45 minutes (between a ten to 25 yearevent), and then again on July 11, 2012, 2.0 inchesin 30 minutes (between a ten to 25 year event) thatoverloaded the combined sewer system. These andpast similar events have displaced families and im-pacted quality of life throughout the area. In theaftermath of the July 2012 storm events, MayorKasim Reed responded quickly to remedy the issueand personally assured residents that city expertswould put real solutions in place within a blazinglyquick 30 days.

As demonstrated by its 65 percent impervioussurface, this area has experienced changes over timeas highly urbanized areas will do and infrastructureimprovements have not caught up. The combinedsystem is not designed to carry high intensity peakstorms and can result in overflows from both thestormwater system as well as the combined sewersystem. Mayor Kasim Reed made a commitmentto the residents to assess the root cause issues andthrough sustainable measures, deliver a solution

that is not only effective but appealing to the com-munities.

Key goals for this project include (1) maximizethe use of Green Infrastructure to reduce the hy-draulic loading on the existing combined sewersystem during wet weather events; (2) utilize acombination of permeable pavers and other GreenInfrastructure BMPs and to optimize grey solu-tions such as additional underground storage; (3)utilize Green Infrastructure tools, techniques, andapproaches to create sustainable solutions that re-quire little incremental maintenance; and (4) addvalue and aesthetic appeal to the communities andgarner public support for these green solutionsthrough proactive use of Citizen Advisory Com-mittees, public meetings, and public outreach andeducation. Over the past decade, an extensiveamount of work to rehabilitate and replace theaging collection system has occurred as part of thefederal consent decree. Today, the city of AtlantaDepartment of Watershed Management recognizesthe need to take a new approach, one that mimicsnatural infiltration and storage with minimalmaintenance and intrusion with lower cost as the

- Mayor Kasim Reed | October 2012

4th Ward Capacity Relief Pond demon-strates. The decision that supported boththe Mayor’s sustainability initiative andWatershed Management’s goal of a moreeffective, efficient, and appealing ap-proach is what is now the first water-shed/sewershed-wide implementation ofa green infrastructure program in the cityof Atlanta.

Going Green with Infrastructure

Mayor Reed and Watershed Managementcommitted to an accelerated schedule thatincluded a 30-day design and construc-tion of some best management practices(BMPs) followed by a series of short-term projects while long-term BMPswere designed. These projects are sup-ported by one of the nation’s strongestpost-development stormwater ordinances(amended) that promote the use of greeninfrastructure/stormwater infiltrationtechniques to ensure that the Green In-frastructure Program would continuecity-wide. Additionally, Watershed Man-agement developed a Green Infrastruc-ture Manual for residential andcommercial properties within the city asthe standard for the implementation ofGreen Infrastructure BMPs.

To better understand the system hy-draulics for the Peoplestown community,Watershed Management performed anengineering analysis of the area’s drainageand combined sewer system utilizing In-novize integrated catchment methodol-ogy and XPSWMM computer-simulatedhydraulic modeling and best practices toselect the most effective measures. Thesedesign measures are to provide relief forthe 25-year, four-hour (3.68 inches ofrainfall) storm event. Based on the resultsof the engineering analysis, WatershedManagement determined that approxi-mately 24 million gallons of additionalstormwater storage was needed within thewatershed in order to alleviate flooding atPeoplestown and areas upstream.Shortly after the 2012 rain events, Water-shed Management implemented PhaseOne of the Southeast Atlanta Green In-frastructure Initiative, which consisted ofthe delivery of four bioretention areas

with a cistern, three rain gardens, and onedry pond in the Peoplestown, Mechan-icsville, and Summerhill neighborhoods.These projects provided capacity relief tothe combined sewer by selecting optimallocations that allow for maximizing theamount of infiltration from stormwaterrunoff. These green infrastructure facili-ties were designed to provide approxi-mately 350,000 gallons of immediatecapacity relief to critical portions of thecombined sewer system within a mere sixmonths.

Concurrently, the project team initi-ated design of Phase Two that included apermeable paver solution along more than20 streets concentrated in the heart of thecommunity. The storage beneath the

paver system attenuates the peak flow ratethat stresses the hydraulic capacity in thesystem. The DWM Infoworks CS mod-eling team identified three zones withinthe neighborhoods and city streets thatwill reduce stormwater impacts down-stream in the problem area of the com-bined sewer system. Approximately sixmiles of city streets are targeted for per-meable pavement along with bioretentioncells used as tree planters, making it oneof the largest permeable paver programsin the country. Collectively, the pavers areestimated to provide approximately sevenmillion gallons of additional storage thatwould otherwise immediately enter thecombined sewer system. Construction isexpected to begin spring of 2015.

10 GEORGIA EnGInEER

11FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

In February 2014, as part of PhaseTwo, Watershed Management completedconstruction of an award-winning vaultthat provides six million gallons of the re-quired 24 million gallons. The vault pro-vides storage for combined sewage duringrainfall events relieving capacity issuesdownstream at Peoplestown. The system,constructed beneath the Media Lot ofTurner Field, was designed to manage a25-year, four-hour storm event. The $19million project represented an astonishingconstruction feat requiring a fast-trackeddesign-build methodology with a four-month schedule to coincide with the At-lanta Braves offseason and twounprecedented winter weather events.

Greener Paths to capacity Relief

in the Future

The city of Atlanta will begin designingthe final two projects to achieve necessarylong-term flood relief in Peoplestown andthe surrounding neighborhoods, a secondstorage vault on the Connally Trunk Lineand a pond system that will provide ca-pacity relief and serve as a greenspaceamenity for the community.

Similar to the underground storagevault construction at Turner Field, thesecond vault will store excess combined

sewer flow from the existing trunk lines.The proposed eight million gallon struc-ture will help reduce peak storm flow indownstream portions of the combinedsewer system during the 25-year, four-hour storm event. The area above thevault will be converted into a green-space with a ball field adjacent toPhoenix Park. Design of the vault isunderway and construction is antici-pated to be completed in the summerof 2016.

Additionally, Watershed Manage-ment has proposed construction of a ca-pacity relief system that consists of threewet ponds with waterfalls, a stream, andtwo bioretention cells with walking trails.Stormwater from surrounding streets andproperties will be routed to the pondsproviding an additional two million gal-lons in stormwater capacity relief to thecombined sewer system. The initial con-cepts include a Japanese garden (refer tophoto), however, the city will seek inputfrom residents for the final design. Addi-tionally, having input from the neighbor-hood during the design process willcontribute to the sustainability of projectsin Peoplestown through community own-ership.

Mayor Kasim Reed will have kept his

promise of solving this long-standingproblem during his administration with acommitment of more than $65 million.The goal with this greenspace and all ofAtlanta’s infrastructure improvements isto not only reduce flooding and providecapacity relief, but to create a sustainablespace for residents to utilize and enjoy asan enhancement to their community. Themulti-phased project, swiftly and holisti-cally delivered by the dedicated team ofthe Department of Watershed Manage-ment, is a demonstration of the inspiringnew direction at the city of Atlanta. v

Turner Field Storage Vault

Japanese garden

GEORGIA EnGInEER12

13FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

he biggest problem withsubmerged floating tunnelsis that no one has ever builtone before. We’ve put menon the moon and used atomsmashers to unlock the se-crets of the universe but we

somehow haven’t quite been able bringourselves to try out a submerged float-ing tunnel. And it’s not because they’reinherently dangerous or outlandishlyexpensive, either. There’s no great hid-den dilemma that’s causing us to shyaway from making an attempt at thisnot-so-novel means of crossing a bodyof water. In fact, in most cases, accord-ing to cost analysis and safety studies,quite the opposite is true; they appearto be cheaper, safer, and more reliablethan traditional bridges. Again, theproblem really seems to come down tothe fact that no one wants to be the firstto build one. Until now.

Before going on about this, however,let me back up for a second and explain ex-actly what this off-putting bit of infra-structure is. A submerged floating tunnel(or SFT, also known as an Archimedesbridge) is a tubular road tunnel that floatsat a pre-established immersion depth in abody of water, stabilized by an anchoringsystem, that exploits the load bearing ca-pacity of water using the Archimedes prin-ciple. Instead of fighting against gravityand other forces with trusses and cables, aSFT relies on its own buoyancy to stay up.And since it is not floating on the surfaceof the water, the SFT escapes the dangerof being subject to tides, turbulence, watertraffic, and a whole host of other such dan-gers. Unlike a submerged tunnel, whichrests on the bed of the body of water that itcrosses, a submerged floating tunnel doesnot require long gradients that graduallybring traffic down to its ultimate depth,since it has the advantage of floating at aconvenient level no matter how deep thewater may be.

Despite these advantages, it seems likethe one thing that engineers have been alittle bit worried about is the risk that a col-lision with a boat or an anchor might causea catastrophic failure. There are two waysin which this is most likely to happen andeach of these ways corresponds to a differ-ent type of SFT. The first type of tunnelwould be attached to the sea/lake bed by aseries of cables that would counteract thebuoyancy of the tunnel itself, whereas thesecond type of tunnel would rely on top-side floats to keep the tunnel suspended,while the tunnel itself would not provideany buoyancy.

In the case of the first type of SFT aboat collision is most likely to occur withthe tunnel itself, as the anchoring cablesensure that the tunnel maintains a con-stant distance from the sea/lake bed butdoes not guarantee its distance relative tothe water’s surface. So an unusually lowtide or an unexpected climatic event couldcause the water level to drop dangerouslyclose to the tunnel, increasing the risk thatlarger vessels might collide with it. In thecase of the second type of tunnel a colli-sion is most likely to occur with the sur-face float that keeps the bridge aloft.While this design avoids the pitfall of thesea/lake bed anchored SFT by maintain-

ing a constant distance between the tunneland the water’s surface, it does subject it-self to certain risk by exposing key struc-tural elements (i.e. the floats) to thepossibility of collision with a boat.

These were precisely the problemsthat troubled the norwegian PublicRoads Administration as they consideredthe possibility of building the world’s firstsubmerged floating tunnel as an experi-mental solution to the problem of gettingvehicle traffic across the country’s manyfjords. However, a recently completed riskreport has concluded that the likelihoodof a collision-caused catastrophic failureof a SFT is not likely to occur for over10,000 years, which makes these tunnelssound fairly safe.

So norway is proceeding with itsplans to construct the very first SFT andthereby remove the longest-standing ob-stacle to their widespread adoption: theunknown. There are still a few tests to bedone and some more red tape remains tobe cut through, so there is no concretecompletion date yet. But norway’s PublicRoads Administration has made it clearthat they are going ahead with the proj-ect, which is exciting because it will surelyopen new doors to innovative water cross-ings in the future. v

T

By Daniel Simmons

Submerged Floating Tunnel

Different concepts for submerged floating tunnels

What is HydraulicFracturing?By Haiying Huang, Ph.D. | Associate Professor | School of Civil and Environmental Engineering | Georgia Institute of Technology | haiying.huang@ce.gatech.edu

ydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ in

shale gas formations has drastically

changed the energy landscape in the

u.S. in the last few years. Annual

shale gas production in the u.S. rose from 1,293 bil-

lion cubic feet in 2007 to 11,415 billion cubic feet in

2013 [1]. The u.S. is now again the world’s top natu-

ral gas producer.

Shale gas production is currently occurring in 16 states [2], pri-marily from Haynesville (Texas/Louisiana/Mississippi), Barnett(Texas), Marcellus (new York/Pennsylvania/WestVirginia/Ohio), Fayetteville (Arkansas), and Woodford (Okla-homa) plays. In addition, shale plays such as Eagle Ford (Texas)and Bakken (north Dakota/Montana) are producing shale oil.

Spanning across Tennessee and Alabama, the Chattanoogaand Floyd shale plays, which pass through the northeast tip ofGeorgia, have attracted some interests in recent years. Develop-ment of these fairly small plays is at its infancy [3]. Currently,there is no drilling activity for oil/gas exploration in Georgia [4].

Ever since the onset of the ‘shale gas boom,’ heated debatesand controversies on the economical benefits and societal im-pacts have inevitably accompanied the exploration and produc-tion activities, especially in the states with vested economicalinterests. Just within the last two months, Illinois approved theuse of ‘fracking’ for oil/gas exploration in november 2014 [5], butthe state of new York banned it in December 2014, after placingan indefinite moratorium for six years [6]. A December 4th newsfeature [7] in the prestigious leading science journal, nature, cast-

ing doubts about the optimistic domestic natural gas productionforecast by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA),prompted strongly worded exchanges between the journal andEIA [8] and the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) at theUniversity of Texas, Austin [9]. The gas price dip over the lastmonths is a reminder that volatility is the norm of the oil/gasmarket.

hydraulic Fracturing as a Reservoir Stimulation Technique

Economical and environmental pros and cons aside, technicallyspeaking, what is exactly hydraulic fracturing?

Hydraulic fracturing as a reservoir stimulation techniquegenerally involves first isolating a certain interval of the drilledwell, pressurizing the isolated interval with a fluid to break therock to create fractures, and finally injecting a mixture of fluidand proppants (usually sands) to keep the fractures open afterfluid injection terminates and reservoir production commences.Typically, the hydraulic fractures filled with proppants, or thepropped fractures, have larger permeability than the reservoir.The propped fractures therefore serve as the ‘highway’ for thehydrocarbon to flow from the reservoir to the well.

Hydraulic fracturing treatment involving large volume offluid and proppants, or massive hydraulic fracturing, has beenemployed in oil and gas extraction since the late 1960s. Criticalto the current commercial success is the combination of hori-zontal drilling with multistage hydraulic fracturing. Horizontaldrilling enables the operators to fracture a reservoir in multiplehorizontal sections, thereby increasing the contact area betweenthe fracture faces and the reservoir, and consequently the wellproductivity.

H

GEORGIA EnGInEER14

At large depth, the orientation of thehydraulic fracture in reservoir stimulationis primarily governed by the earth stresses.The existence of the natural fracture net-work in shale contributes to the complex-ity in the hydraulic fracture geometry.nevertheless, with the overburden stresstypically being the most compressive, thefractures grow on vertical planes on thewhole. Since the sedimentary rock forma-tions, where hydrocarbons can be found,are usually in horizontally stratified struc-tures, upward growth of the hydraulicfracture is therefore constrained by thelayers of rocks above the production zone.

In practice, growth of the hydraulicfractures can be monitored in real timeusing microseismic monitoring tech-niques. These techniques are similar tothose used for earthquake activity moni-toring in a way, since both are based onthe elastic energy released when the rockbreaks, except that the energy releasedduring hydraulic fracturing treatments isat a much smaller scale, hence the prefix“micro.’ Figure 1 shows that the fracturedepth obtained from microseismic meas-urements in the Marcellus shale is mostlybelow 5000 ft, while the aquifer is locatedwithin 1000 ft from the surface [11]. Therisk of fracture growth reaching theaquifer is therefore rather small.

‘Fracking’ has often been used to de-scribe any exploration and production re-lated activities in the mass media. How-ever, technically, hydraulic fracturingrefers to only one stage in the entire lifeof a well, which also includes exploration,drilling, well completion, and production[12]. If properly designed and executed, thehydraulic fracturing stage is likely to havethe lowest risks of polluting drinkingwater and inducing seismicity for thedeep wells. That is because the durationof the fracturing treatment is relativelyshort, typically about half an hour to afew hours, and the fracturing fluids usu-ally do not get into contact with the for-mations before reaching the bottomhole.The potential of drinking water contami-nation resulted from surface activities(e.g., transportation, waste storage, etc.) orduring drilling and completion as well as

the production stage is likely higher.

Risk of Induced Seismicity from Long

Term Fluid Injection

As concluded in a recent study by thenational Research Council (nRC) [14],compared to hydraulic fracturing forreservoir stimulation, long-term fluid in-jection for disposal and storage, includ-ing disposal of produced water from oiland gas production, poses a much moreserious risk of induced seismicity. De-pending mainly on the type of fluids and

the injection objectives, underground in-jection wells are grouped into six classesby the EPA [15]. Currently, there are 172,068 class II wells for “injecting brinesand other fluids associated with oil andgas production, and hydrocarbons forstorage.”

The first known incident of longterm fluid injection leading to earth-quakes occurred in the late 1960s in theRocky Mountain Arsenal, northeast ofDenver, Colorado [12]. Fluid injection isbeing linked to the recent increase in therate of M > 3.0 earthquakes (felt earth-quakes) in states such as Oklahoma [14, 15].In general, it is understood that the mag-nitude of induced seismicity is positivelycorrelated with the volume and the rate ofinjection. However, with large amount ofunknowns and uncertainties in the sub-surface characteristics, we are far from

being able to predict the induced seismic-ity associated with fluid injection. Localseismic monitoring is therefore essentiallyneeded in the ‘traffic light’ system to con-trol the injection operations as proposedin the nRC study [14].

hydraulic Fracturing beyond

Reservoir Stimulation

Aside from reservoir stimulation, hy-draulic fracturing is also a naturally occur-ring phenomenon and has been employedin many other engineering applications.

Dikes and sills formed from magma flow,as can be seen on the trails of StoneMountain, are natural hydraulic fractures.Hydraulic fracturing is an indispensabletechnique to measure the earth stresses[17]. The azimuth of the hydraulic fractureis an indication of the orientation of theearth stresses. After the fracture has beencreated, the fluid pressure to keep thefracture open is related to the magnitudeof the minimum earth stress.

In engineering applications, hydraulicfracturing mainly serves the purposes ofcreating space for disposal, establishing ahighly conductive pathway to connect therock matrix and the well, or breakingrocks in a controlled manner. In civil en-gineering, compensation grouting, or frac-ture grouting, as a remedial to minimizeground settlement is essentially a hy-draulic fracturing technique, except that

Figure 1. The true vertical depth (TVD) of the hydraulic fractures measured based on

microseismic activities in Marcellus shale [11].

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 15

16 GEORGIA EnGInEER

different types of fluids are being injected,and at a shallow depth, a horizontal frac-ture instead of a vertical one is expected.A notable case is the use of compensationgrouting in stabilizing the Big Ben inLondon when tunnel construction wasongoing underneath the tower. In en-hanced geothermal systems, hydraulicfracturing is employed to image the natu-ral fractures in the subsurface and to con-nect the injection well with the producingwell. In mining, hydraulic fracturing hasbeen used to ‘pre-condition’ the rocks soas to increase mining productivity andsafety.

concluding Remarks

The engineering applications of hydraulic

fracturing go far beyond reservoir stimu-lation for oil and gas extraction. As withany kind of technological development,fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a dou-ble-edged sword. While we take advan-tage of the technology to achieve energyindependence, we need to pay careful at-tention to the risks and manage them ac-cordingly.

countertop hydraulic

Fracturing Experiments

Materials:

• gelatin (e.g., Jell-O, preferably unfla-vored, colorless)

• small hollow coffee stir straw• fruit juice (or soda, syrup, etc.)• a clear glass jar (> 16 oz.)

• 5 ml dispensing syringe (with a tipthat can fit into the straw)

Procedures:

1) solidify gelatin in the glass jar accord-ing to the product instruction;

2) insert the coffee straw in the center ofthe jar

3) fill the syringe with fruit juice and in-ject the fluid slowly into the gelatin

Expected Results:

A planar fracture is expected to appear,starting from the tip of the coffee straw.Depending on the depth of injection,rigidity of the gelatin, fluid viscosity, andrate of injection, width and orientation ofthe fracture will vary. v

References

1. EIA, 2014. http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/res_epg0_r5302_nus_bcfa.htm

2. EIA, 2014. http://energy.gov/fe/downloads/where-shale-gas-found-united-states

3. Pawlewicz, M. J. and J. R. Hatch, 2007. Petroleum Assess-ment of the Chattanooga Shale/Floyd Shale-Paleozoic TotalPetroleum System, Black Warrior Basin, Alabama and Mis-sissippi, USGS Report (http://pubs.usgs.gov/dds/dds-069/dds-069-i/REPORTS/69_I_CH_3.pdf ).

4. http://www.fractracker.org/map/us/5. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/ct-frack-

ing-decision-1107-biz-20141105-story.html#page=16. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/nyregion/cuomo-to-

ban-fracking-in-new-york-state-citing-health-risks.html?_r=0

7. Inman, M., 2014. natural gas: The fracking fallacy, nature,vol. 516, p28-30.

8. EIA, 2014. http://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/article/nature_news_feature.pdf

9. BEG, 2014. http://www.beg.utexas.edu/shale/docs/na-ture_Response.pdf

10. Fisher, M. K., 2010. Data confirm safety of well fracturing.The American Oil and Gas Reporter.

11. King, G. E., 2012. Hydraulic fracturing 101: What everyrepresentative, environmentalist, regulator, reporter, investor,university researcher, neighbor and engineer should knowabout estimating frac risk and improving frac performancein unconventional gas and oil wells, paper SPE 152596 pre-sented at the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Con-ference, the Woodlands, Texas, USA.

12. nRC, 2013. Induced seismicity potential in energy tech-nologies, national Academy of Sciences.

13. http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/wells.cfm14. Healy, J. H., W. W. Rubey, D. T. Griggs and C. B. Raleigh,

1968. The Denver earthquakes, Science, vol. 168, p1301.15. McGarr, A., 2014. Maximum magnitude earthquakes in-

duced by fluid injection, Journal of Geophysical Research:Solid Earth, vol. 119, doi:10.1002/2013JB010597.

16. World Stress Map Project, http://dc-app3-14.gfz-pots-dam.de/pub/introduction/introduction_frame.html

17. Jeffrey, R. G., 2000. Hydraulic fracturing of ore bodies, U.S.Patent number 6,123,394.

Figure 2. Multiple nearly vertical fractures (a) and a horizontal penny-shaped fracture (b) created in gelatin.

(a) (b)

18 GEORGIA EnGInEER

GEORGIA ENGINEERS OF THE YEAR

Robert MacPherson isa Vice President atPrime EngineeringInc., a consulting engi-neering, architecture,and construction firmwith offices in Atlanta,Georgia; Baltimore,Maryland; Tampa,Florida; Orlando,Florida; Houston,Texas; and Hong Kong,China. Mr. MacPher-son’s career as a profes-sional engineer in thestate of Georgia spans

30 years. Through his career, he has worked to advance engi-neering as a profession, as an economic engine of the state, andas a means to a better quality of life for the citizens of the state.His personal mission statement is “….and to use my Godgiven talents to enhance the communities in which I work andlive so that people will know my passion and love of JesusChrist.”

Mr. MacPherson earned a Bachelor’s degree in Civil En-gineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1984.After graduating from Georgia Tech, Mr. MacPherson joinedChicago Bridge & Iron as an engineer in training. He had theopportunity to work at a refinery, paper mill, and nuclear powerplant. In 1985, he joined Rindt-McDuff Associates as a proj-ect engineer. Later, he was employed by Metcalf & Eddy wherehe worked on municipal and industrial projects from 1991-1999. In May of 1999, Mr. MacPherson joined Prime Engi-neering Inc., where he has worked on various projectsincluding site development, municipal, industrial, and aviation

projects in his role as Market Segment Manager and VicePresident.

With more than 30 years of experience on hundreds oflocal, national, and international projects, Mr. MacPherson hasextensive experience in project master planning, engineeringdesign, and construction. His career spans numerous publicworks and public utilities projects. Mr. MacPherson offers astrong background in civil engineering combined with expert-ise in water and wastewater facilities. His experience with proj-ect delivery methods provides clients with a unique projectimplementation perspective.

Some of his career highlights include working with greatpeople on great projects. Two of his favorite engineering proj-ects include a slow sand filtration water treatment plant in ElYunque national Forest in Puerto Rico. This plant is designedso that no power is required to operate it, thus allowing con-tinuous operation even during devastating hurricanes. The sec-ond project is the detention pond at the Atlanta BotanicalGardens. This discreet system was designed to allow aquaticlife to grow in a water garden environment yet provide stormwater quality and treatment to occur without the public real-izing its purpose.

Mr. MacPherson has been an active member of the Geor-gia Society of Professional Engineers where has served as Sec-retary and President Elect. He currently serves as President.Mr. MacPherson loves teaching confirmation to 8th gradersat his church and spending time gardening in his yard.

He is married to Charlene Clark MacPherson, an electri-cal engineer from the same fine university. They reside in Ma-rietta, Georgia and have two children, David a senior atGeorgia Tech majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Lexi,a sophomore at Marietta High School with aspirations of at-tending Georgia Tech. v

Georgia Engineer of the year | Robert MacPherson

One of his favorite engineering projects in-cludes a slow sand filtration water treatmentplant in El Yunque National Forest in Puerto

Rico. This plant is designed so that no power isrequired to operate it, thus allowing continuousoperation even during devastating hurricanes.

The second project is the detention pond at theAtlanta Botanical Gardens. This discreet system

was designed to allow aquatic life to grow in awater garden environment yet provide stormwater quality and treatment to occur without

the public realizing its purpose.

19FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

Lifetime Achievement in Engineering | G. Edward Ellis

Ed Ellis has been in the transportation en-gineering profession in Atlanta since 1972.In that time, he has worked for the Geor-gia Department of Transportation for sixyears and in the consulting business for 36years, 15 of which included running hisown firm. He is currently transitioning toretirement.

He has consulted in both the publicand private sectors and has been responsi-

ble for several hundred traffic studies foreverything from malls to churches tomixed-use developments. Some of his pub-lic sector clients have included GeorgiaDepartment of Transportation (GDOT),Georgia Regional Transportation Author-ity (GRTA), Atlanta Regional Commis-sion (ARC), Metro Atlanta Rapid TransitAuthority (MARTA), and many cities andcounties. Ed also has worked for eight ofthe Atlanta area Community ImprovementDistricts (CIDs) and most of the majorcommercial developers in the Atlanta area.

Ed is often asked to speak to groupsand write articles about transportation is-sues. The number of panel discussions, pre-sentations, and articles he has beenresponsible for number in the hundreds.

Ed is a past president of the GeorgiaSection Institute of Transportation Engi-neers, past president of the AmericanCouncil of Engineering Companies ofGeorgia, winner of the Metro Atlanta En-gineer of the Year Award in 2000, and win-

ner of the Engineer of the Year in PrivatePractice in 1998. Ed was also awarded theKarl Bevins Award for outstanding serviceby the Institute of Transportation Engi-neers in 2001.

Ed served on the executive committeeand chaired the transportation committeefor the Council for Quality Growth, wasactive in the Georgia Conservancy Blue-prints Partners, and in the ULI SmartGrowth Committee, is a graduate of thefirst class of the Institute for Georgia En-vironmental Leadership, and has been avolunteer for transportation issues with theMidtown Alliance for nearly over ten years.Ed regularly helps to advise neighborhoodsregarding traffic studies and public work-shops, pro bono.

Ed attended the University of SouthCarolina and currently lives on Saint Si-mons Island with Jean, his high schoolsweetheart and wife of 43 years. They haveone daughter who is married, living in newJersey and raising two children. v

20 GEORGIA EnGInEER

Engineer of the year in Private Practice | Sam Mccachern

Sam Mccachern serves as presi-dent and chief executive officer.His responsibilities include im-plementing the company’sstrategic plan in the daily opera-tions of five offices. He is also aproject principal for engineeringprojects in South Carolina andGeorgia, providing strategic di-rection on the engineering issues,regulations, and processes affect-ing client projects. Sam’s 29 years

of experience includes site as-sessment, rezoning, preliminaryengineering, permit applications,engineering design, contractdocuments and specifications,and construction administrationfor a wide variety of projects.

Mr. McCachern began hiscareer with Thomas & Huttonin 1985 upon graduation fromnorth Carolina State University.He served in most engineering

and management capacities atthe firm. His engineering roles,with increasing responsibility, in-clude design engineer, projectmanager, and client manager.Sam’s management roles includecorporate secretary, treasurer,vice–president, senior vice–pres-ident, COO, CFO, and CEO.He is also a member of theBoard of Directors. v

young Engineer of the year | Angela Snyder, PE

Angela Sny-

der servesas a ProjectM a n a g e rfor Wolver-ton & As-sociates Inc.( W & A )and is re-s p o n s i b l efor oversee-ing design

activities, managing subconsultants, and co-ordinating with various agencies. Angela’sstrength as a project manager lies in herability to work well with people on a varietyof projects, understand complex projectsand deliver on her goals. Angela is driven,focused, and responsible. Her manager de-

scribes her as able to handle responsibilitiesbeyond her years of experience. She istrusted by her colleagues and clients, or-ganized and follows through consistently.W&A’s Project Managers are expected tobe ‘Renaissance Engineers’—tackling thethree‐part role of business development,people development, and technical man-agement. Angela has accepted this chal-lenge with enthusiasm and passion.

In her community, Angela was in-volved on the Tucker Civic Association’sSafety Committee and Zoning Board from2010 to 2012, helping to implement andprovide technical merit to safety projectsaround her neighborhood.

Angela is an active member of theEmbry Hill United Methodist Church(EHUMC), serving on the Children and

Youth Ministries Committee, volunteeringwith the Atlanta Food Bank, the FoodPantry, and Snack Sacks, a program thatprovides food for local schoolchildren whodo not have food to eat during summer andwinter breaks. She has recently been askedto serve on the finance committee for athree year term.

In addition to her professional com-mitment, she is at her core a devoted wifeto Joseph and mother to Adeline, almostthree years old. Much like Angela herself,Addie enjoys learning how things workand taking apart toys to learn their me-chanics. Angela enjoys watching her learnand discover and supports her engineeringinterests. She hopes to build the next gen-eration of women engineers throughAddie.v

Engineering Student of the year | brandie banner

brandie banner is a senior atGeorgia Tech from Alpharetta,Georgia. She is studying civilengineering with a concentrationin environmental systems, as wellas certificates in international af-fairs and social psychology. Dur-ing her time at Georgia Tech, shehas served in several studentleadership positions. Most no-

tably, she currently serves as Stu-dent Body Vice President.

Last year, Brandie’s all fe-male senior design team had thepleasure of winning first placeand the People’s Choice awardin the Georgia Tech InventurePrize competition for their ‘Sa-fiChoo toilet.’ During theSummer of 2014, Brandie wastesting their design in Kakuma

Refugee Camp.After graduation, Brandie

hopes to pursue a career in theinternational development field.She hopes to couple her passionswith her engineering educationto design systems related towater and sanitation in the de-veloping world. v

21FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

Engineering Technology Student of the year | nathan Tyler boyd

A nativeGeorgian ,n a t h a n

boyd grewup with histwo broth-ers in Lil-burn. Froman early age,n a t h a nshowed tal-ents of both

a scientific and artistic nature. At the ageof 13, nathan participated in a competitionwith the national Science League, and hewas one of the two students nationwide toachieve a perfect score.

After graduating from high school in

the spring of 2011, he enrolled in the CivilEngineering Technology program atSouthern Polytechnic State University forthe following fall semester. As he began toget more involved on campus, he assistedwith the Civil Engineering TechnologyDepartment’s Rubble House Project, aninitiative to create feasible housing solu-tions for victims of the 2010 Haiti earth-quake. Additionally, he began to work forSouthern Polytechnic State University as astudent assistant in the Civil EngineeringTechnology Department and as a residentassistant for the Housing and ResidenceLife Department.

nathan’s experience with the ConcreteCanoe contributed to a growing interest incomposite materials, and partially led to

gaining an internship with the GeorgiaDepartment of Transportation AsphaltMix Design Unit. During this internship,nathan assisted with the development of asample fabrication method and several as-phalt mix designs. He also gained a labo-ratory certification as an asphalt bindertechnician. He also had a brief internshipwith CC Land Surveyors where he mostnotably created 3D models for house lay-out plans.

After graduation, nathan plans towork and attend graduate school simulta-neously. One day in the future, nathanhopes to serve as a part-time middle schoolmath or science teacher and pursue cutting-edge research in materials engineering.v

22 GEORGIA EnGInEER

FLORIDAPOLYTECHNICUNIVERSITY:INNOVATION AGENT

23FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

Just three years ago, the 170-acre plot of

land at exit 41 on I-4 in Polk county was

nothing but a pasture – filled with little more

than weeds, cows, and brush. Today, that

piece of land is the location for a brand new,

innovative university that is tailored to meet

the demands of an evolving 21st century

economy: Florida Polytechnic university.

24 GEORGIA EnGInEER

Florida Poly opened its doors in Lakelandon August 25, 2014 and welcomed its In-augural Class of more than 500 students.Florida Poly is Florida’s 12th public uni-versity and the only one dedicated exclu-sively to STEM (Science, Technology,Engineering and Mathematics). The Uni-versity’s approach to education emphasizesapplied research, internships with industrypartners, and hands-on leadership oppor-tunities.

“When the Florida Legislature estab-lished the university in 2012, our Board ofTrustees launched considerable researchinto what degree programs were mostneeded for the economic advancement ofour community, state, and nation,” saysFlorida Poly’s Chief Operating Officer AvaL. Parker. “Their research revealed a signif-icant and growing need for workers withadvanced technology and engineering de-grees. We’ve built Florida Poly to meet thatneed.”

According to the Florida Chamber ofCommerce, Florida is facing a major skillsand talent deficit. Data from the FloridaDepartment of Economic Growth showsjob growth will be about 12 percent be-tween now and 2021 and that STEM-re-lated job growth is projected to be morethan double that. The state simply doesn’thave enough skilled employees to meet thedemand.

Florida Polytechnic university is

designed to change that.

In just two and a half years, Florida Poly’sfounding team designed a curriculum, builta campus, formed community partnerships,and recruited high-quality faculty, staff, andstudents.

Today, the University’s College of En-gineering and College of Innovation andTechnology offer students six undergradu-ate degree programs, two graduate pro-grams and 19 concentrations like Big DataAnalytics, Cloud Virtualization, MachineIntelligence, nanotechnology, Cyber Secu-rity, and Health Informatics. Degree pro-grams and specializations were selectedwith input from government and businessleaders to ensure that students graduatejob-ready.

Through its robust industry partner-ship program, Florida Polytechnic collabo-rates with a network of more than 70business, government, and nongovernmentorganizations to offer guidance on curricu-lum development, participate in joint ap-plied research projects, and offer internshipopportunities that stress practical applica-tion. Companies like Cisco, Microsoft,Coca Cola, and Lockheed Martin havesigned-on to support the university in thiscapacity—and the impressive list continuesto grow.

“At Florida Poly we believe that inno-vation occurs when research and creativityare applied to real-world challenges andopportunities,” says university president Dr.Randy K. Avent. “As a young, nimble or-ganization, we can continue to evolve andgrow in a way that maintains this success-ful equation; it’s what will set us apart fromother institutions.”

Even Florida Polytechnic University’scampus is designed to inspire students andfacilitate hands-on learning. The Univer-sity’s main classroom facility, the Innova-tion, Science, and Technology (IST)Building, is a state-of-the-art structure de-signed by world-renowned architect Dr.Santiago Calatrava.

Inside, students have access to cutting-edge laboratories, including an IBM Su-percomputer and Student Data Center, aVisualization and Technology Collabora-tion (VTC) Lab, and a Rapid ApplicationDevelopment (RAD) Makerspace Labwith dozens of MakerBot 3D printers andscanners.

Florida Poly is in its early days, but itsfounding leaders believe in its potential asan economic engine and in the tremendouslearning opportunities it is affording stu-dents.

“We are confident that our programswill produce graduates with the specializedskills, knowledge and self-assurance to im-mediately start work with demonstratedmanagement abilities and skills,” says uni-versity provost Dr. Ghazi Darkazalli. “It’san exciting time for Florida and for theuniversity. I look forward to seeing whataccomplishments lay ahead for our faculty,partners, and students.”

Already, Florida Poly has hosted an in-dustry summit, robotics symposium, and ahalf dozen other events that bridge the gapbetween academia and business. It has be-come a gathering place for thought leadersin the fields of technology and engineer-ing; it has become Florida’s new innovationagent. v

25FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

26 GEORGIA EnGInEER

ajor construction on the

Warm Springs Extension in

Freemont, california, began

in August of 2009 with the

commencement of Fremont

central Park Subway con-

tract. Work on the Design-

build Line, Track, Station and Systems

(LTSS) project, which began in October of

2011, will continue until the fall of 2015.

This project, when complete, will add 5.4-

miles of new track from the existing Fre-

mont Station South to a new station in

the Warm Springs District of the city of

Fremont.

In 2011 the BART (Bay Area RapidTransit) voted to authorize the award ofthe line, track, station and systems design-build contract to Warm Springs Construc-tors (Kiewit/Mass. Electric, JV). TheReinforced Earth Company (RECo) wasselected to design and supply the fourMSE walls for this project that includedtwo technically complex structures.

The two walls supporting Walnut Av-enue Bridge are the first RECo MSE wallssupporting a true abutment in California.In a true reinforced earth abutment, thebridge beams are supported on a spreadfooting bearing directly on the MSE struc-ture. One of these two walls (Abutment 2wall) is also the first MSE wall in the U.S.that is constructed directly above a seis-mic fault line. A pile supported abutmentcannot be used at this location becausethe abutment is located directly aboveHayward Fault. The use of piles, whichbehave like anchors for the abutment,would have adverse effects on the bridgesuperstructure during a seismic event dueto the relative movement between thetwo tectonic plates at this fault. Seismicdifferential movements at the groundlevel above the fault are estimated to bemore than six inches vertically and 24

inches horizontally. Therefore, to protectthe MSE wall and the abutment fromthese potential extreme differentialground movements, a two-foot thick con-crete slab is constructed below the wall asa ‘fuse’ that will level up the potentialsharp differential movements along theabutment.

In order to better accommodate dif-ferential settlement requirements slipjoint panels were utilized at the fault lines.The two abutment walls were designed toaccommodate a horizontal seismic accel-

eration coefficient of 0.75g with a maxi-mum allowable seismic lateral deforma-tion of two inches. Due to theseextremely high seismic design parame-ters, both the reinforcing strip lengths anddensities (number of strips per panel) areover 2.5 times the norm for a wall of thisscale.

This project required approximately1700 panels that were cast by Harper Pre-cast in Salt Lake City. Harper did an ex-cellent job at casting the high strip densitypanels which required custom tie strip

Warm Springs Extension, Fremont, California First MSE wall constructed above a seismic fault line

MBy Fran Hardianto, P.E. & Shane Korfike | Reinforced Earth Company

Construction of Abutment 2

27FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

placement. The reinforcing strip installa-tion was labor intensive, and extreme carewas taken to adjust the layout pattern toavoid excessive overlapping. WarmSprings Constructors’ crew was verymeticulous with their installation proce-dures which resulted in superb finishedstructures and a very successful project.

MSE - Mechanically Stabilized

Earth walls.

Our MSE wall is called Reinforced Earth®made of precast concrete with steel rein-forcing strips and are 51/2” thick. Ourwalls can go as high as needed. The num-ber and length of reinforcing strips are ad-justed to support the height of the wall.Typically, the walls are between 31/2 feetto four feet below ground level and aresupported by a leveling pad typically 6”deep by 12” wide

The photo shows sheet piles that

were temporarily in place to support ex-cavation. Ninety percent of the time, thesheet piles are removed once the retain-ing structure is built. The article does saythat piles could not be used as they wouldnot perform well in a seismic event. Keepin mind the abutment was built directlyon a fault line. v

28 GEORGIA EnGInEER

olf creek Library is one of

eight libraries being newly

created by Atlanta-Fulton Li-

braries as part of a $275 mil-

lion capital Improvement

Program. LEO A DALy’s de-

sign challenge was to create

an iconic community destination and cat-

alyst for future growth. Envisioned as a

‘living room for the community,’ it uses

gestural shapes, a striking but warm ma-

terial palette, and light-filled spaces to

give the community a place to gather, be

inspired, and create memories.

Situated on a semi-wooded meadowsite developed to maintain its natural grad-ing and mature trees, the design takes ad-vantage of its spectacular views throughthe generous use of clear glass on the exte-rior facade. Interior and exterior spaces aredefined and uplifted by two gestures of up-ward movement—one copper and onestone—suggesting the ‘future’ for the for-ward-thinking Wolf Creek Community.The color palette is warm and traditional

with a contemporary and iconic expres-sion. The exterior property features an out-door reading garden and terraced seating.The library is sustainably designed toLEED-Silver standards with low-flow fix-tures, sensor-operated lighting, and low-eglass, among other features. The building’sinterior design suggests its role as the liv-ing room for the community, offeringopen, comfortable spaces equipped with

the latest technology, such as wi-fi, media& tablet checkout, and a cafe.

The library houses adult collections of58,000 square feet, children’s collections of5,000 square feet, computer/learning sta-tion room, teen area, music room, a sub-dividable community meeting room for125 people, and two conference roomswith 12-20 seats each as well as smartboards and projectors. v

WWolf Creek Library: A living room for the community

http://www.georgiapower.com/crc

Burke sums up hisfocus as CEO duringthe historic URSCorp. acquisition, “asour clients are ex-panding into emerg-ing markets aroundthe world, they wantus to be able to deliverassets for them in far-away places. They don’twant to have to go outand hire a new design andconstruction firm in every newcountry they go to…. We areconfident that we will achieve ourtarget of US$250 million in annualcost synergies.”

30 GEORGIA EnGInEER

31FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

MICHAEL S. BURKE LEADS AECOM INTO A

WORLDWIDE MEGAFIRM

“It is a huge task to get 100,000 people to work together in har-mony,” says Tom Bishop, President of Design Consulting Serv-ices for the Americas of AECOM Technology Corp. On October17, 2014, Michael S. Burke, Chief Executive Officer of AECOM,successfully led the finalization of the ambitious acquisition of itsrival & co-contributor on several projects, URS Corp. Burke ini-tiated the planning of the details of the merger for months priorto the final acquisition. AECOM is now one of the largest archi-tecture, engineering, construction, operations, and managementfirms in the world.

AECOM was originated in 1990 and came out of a merger of fiveAshland Chemical companies. AECOM is an acronym for: ar-chitecture, engineering, construction, operations, and management.Their headquarters are in Los Angeles where they are the largest,publicly traded company therein. Michael S. Burke is the currentCEO as of March, 2014 after having been an AECOM executivesince 2005. Burke was first hired as Senior Vice President of Cor-porate Strategy, then to EVP and CFO with responsibilities in fi-nance and accounting, legal, human resources, informationtechnology, communications, corporate strategy, and mergers andacquisitions. Some of AECOM’s prominent projects include:China national Convention Center, Hong Kong Science Park,Moses Mabhida Stadium, Liverpool One, Lakhta Center, AbuDhabi International Airport, and Cape Town Stadium. AECOMhas since won many various design and workplace awards and hasbeen involved in some of the world’s largest and highest profileprojects in many countries.

The 2014 uRS Acquisition

“Today is an exciting and historic day—for our industry, forAECOM and URS, and for our nearly 100,000 people around theworld who are serving our clients in over 150 countries,” saidBurke in a recent AECOM press release dated October 17, 2014.“Beyond the compelling benefits that this transaction creates forour combined clients, stockholders and employees, the combina-tion of AECOM and URS dramatically accelerates our strategy ofcreating an integrated delivery platform with superior capabilitiesto design, build, finance, and operate infrastructure assets aroundthe world.” AECOM purchased URS for $6 billion with $2 bil-lion in loans. Burke said to CnBC that AECOM plans to paydown their acquisition debt by the end of 2017 with strong cashflows coming from both AECOM and URS.

By Stephanie Aurora Lewis, RA, LEED AP

When the vast majority of American con-struction professionals are small-businessowners and employees of such, the con-struction industry is entering a new eco-nomic and commerce era where AECbusinesses are quickly becoming mega-sized and global with a dominance thatdoes not yet know any borders. “There aregreat advantages to being so large. We canshare cutting-edge technology from oneproject to another,” says Bishop. “For ex-ample, the online traffic signaling programthat will be installed within Sandy Springs,Georgia comes directly as a result of work-ing in London to redesign the signalingprogram for their roads and highways.”

Before the historic acquisition, bothAECOM and URS had headquarters inCalifornia with sales of approximately $10billion each yearly. The financial outlook

for URS began to wobble a bit as theirmain gas and oil industry projects wanedand their stocks decreased in value in early2014. Burke saw the acquisition of URS asan opportunity to expand their AEC andfinancial services in the governmental, in-frastructural, and energy sectors in whichURS was a key contributor nationally aswell as on an international scale. “Burkeinitiated conversations in June of 2014about how to coordinate the planningphase of the integration, the definitions ofthe two structures, and how they wouldmerge as all the roles were assigned beforethe final acquisition,” says Bishop.

“During the past three months, as wehave advanced our integration planning ef-forts, my belief that AECOM and URShad highly complementary operations andcultures has been solidly confirmed,” Burke

said in the AECOM press release datedOct. 17, 2014. “Our leaders have collabo-rated to develop a comprehensive integra-tion plan that will leverage our greater scaleacross our global platform.”

AECOM views the URS acquisitionas a positive for their clients, their own em-ployees, and for communities in the UnitedStates where they were able to hire addi-tional staff. “Our employees have beengiven greater career opportunities throughthis acquisition. For many, their opportu-nities are now two to three times larger,with better training and exposure to moreprojects overseas,” says Bishop. “In othercases, we have clients who want to use ourservices in several countries across theglobe rather than needing to go to a newcompany in each country.” Right before ac-quiring URS, AECOM also acquired the

GEORGIA EnGInEER32

Indianapolis-based Hunt ConstructionGroup that built several large arenasaround the U.S.

Indeed, the level of expertise thatAECOM does in the building industryaround the world is remarkable. For ex-ample, AECOM is working with ZahaHadid on the 2022 FIFA World Cup sta-dium in Quatar. To accomplish a buildingof that magnitude and of such compli-cated construction details, it is likely thatonly an international mega-firm couldhandle the task.

2010 Tishman Acquisition

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2010that AECOM had acquired 36 differentarchitecture, engineering, and environmen-tal companies from around the world todate. Then in late 2010, the new York con-struction giant Tishman Construction,serving as general contractor for theGround Zero reconstruction project, wasacquired. Tishman Construction stated atthe time of the acquisition that they werelooking to go global. Tishman thereforewelcomed its acquisition by AECOM afterten years of negotiations in an attempt todirectly grow their impact in markets out-side of the greater new York City vicinity. Building up a broad repertoire of expertisewithin the AEC industry gives AECOMan edge. “There are several clients whospecifically want to work with one com-pany that can provide the initial designservices, final design, construction, andeven operations and management servicesall wrapped up in one package,” saysBishop. When AECOM purchased Tish-man in 2010, it had 45,000 employees.With the acquisition of URS Corp. onlythree years later, AECOM now has100,000 employees; doubling its size inthree years.

“We believe this is an opportunistictime to make investments in marketswhose near—and long-term prospects re-main robust,” said John Dionisio, formerAECOM CEO, in the EnR Article, AfterTishman Acquisition, AECOM Buys TwoMore Firms, dated August 11, 2010. “We’renot waiting for market conditions to im-prove. We’re looking for new opportunities

and have aligned our global resources ac-cordingly.”

Tishman was provided a healthy buy-out option and in turn was able to spreadtheir wings to international markets suchas Abu Dhabi. This type of transaction oc-curred in the wake of the 2008 recessionwhich spawned a wide variety of financialdecisions designed to better protect thesecompanies from default. The 2008 reces-sion also elevated the risk of unpaid debtsby clients. Tishman escaped an unfortunateevent with MGM Resorts Internationalthat ended up owing $492 million to itsgeneral contractor and subcontractors.

Right after AECOM purchased Tish-man, they moved to acquire Davis Lang-don, a U.K.-based cost and projectmanagement consultant firm in October,2010. Then one day later, AECOM an-nounced they would acquire Mcneil Tech-nologies Inc., a Springfield, Virginia,government contractor specializing in ITand cyber security work.

The future with AEcOM

With the recent URS acquisition,AECOM expects to earn $19 million an-nually. When URS was acquired, AECOMalready had 60 percent of their projects lo-cated overseas while URS specialized ingovernment projects and infrastructure.The combination of the two companies isclearly complementary for both. Burkementioned in an interview with CnBC onJuly 14, 2014 that AECOM was specifi-cally looking to acquire more constructionexpertise in URS.

An engineer may raise the question:should engineering-based firms engage inconstruction? In 2007, URS Corp. acquiredthe Washington Group International andthen had them take over the ‘energy andconstruction division’ at URS, a businessstrategy similar to that of AECOM. Manyjournalists in past years have coupledAECOM and URS together as similartypes of megafirms. Both AECOM andURS already engaged in acquiring a con-struction base. Their motivations seem to bedriven by international clients who want onecompany to handle every phase of the proj-ect. As it stands, several journalists covering

the URS acquisition expressed surprise andcuriosity. Many bystanders are waiting tofind out how AECOM changes over thecoming years and how they continue to im-pact change on the AEC horizon.

AEcOM capital

Unlike any other engineering firm,“AECOM Capital is designed to bringcapital to projects,” said Burke in theCnBC interview. In 2013, AECOMTechnology Corp. launched a $150 millionprivate equity investment fund under thename of AECOM Capital. Very soon afterits inception, AECOM Capital committed$100 million to six projects totaling 2.3 bil-lion with five in the greater nYC area andone in southern California. John Liv-ingston, former Tishman executive, servedas the chief executive of AECOM Capital.Livingston then helped to launchAECOM Global Fund II LP with a targetof $200 – 300 million for real estate and in-frastructure deals. “We are proud to be ableto offer an innovative financing solution—to help address shortfalls in public fundingfor critical infrastructure projects and tohelp address the tightened credit environ-ment for private sector real estate projects,”said Burke in an AECOM press releasedated April 22, 2013. “Through these in-vestments, we now have an opportunity toparticipate as a vital partner in advancingprojects with our clients, while also gener-ating revenue as our clients utilizeAECOM’s traditional services.”

AECOM has been slowly, quietly ac-quiring numerous companies to developthe megafirm they are today where theycould purchase their biggest rival, URS.Burke sums up his focus as CEO duringthe historic URS Corp. acquisition, "as ourclients are expanding into emerging mar-kets around the world, they want us to beable to deliver assets for them in farawayplaces. They don’t want to have to go outand hire a new design and constructionfirm in every new country they go to…. Weare confident that we will achieve our tar-get of US$250 million in annual cost syn-ergies.” v

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 33

ngineers by nature are num-

bers-centric. We love to

compare numbers, and

therefore climbing in the

rankings is important. As the

leader of our regional office

for burns & McDonnell in At-

lanta, it’s extremely gratifying to have our

team be ranked as one of the top 25 en-

gineering firms in the city along with

being part of the number one ranked

electrical transmission and distribution

division in the world.

It’s the workplace rankings, however,that seem to create the most chatter—aswell as a lot of interest to join our firm.With a turnover rate of four percent, farbelow the national average, we continue toattract the best and brightest from aroundthe world. Our regional office is ranked asa Top Workplace in Atlanta by the AJC,and our global firm has consistentlyclimbed up the Best Companies to WorkFor rankings with FORTUnE magazine—now listed at number 14.

One of the most common questions Iget from colleagues is, “What’s the secretto making your company a top company towork for?” There’s no ‘one-size fits all’ for-mula, but we’ve found that there are somekey categories that have been critical increating a work environment that we enjoyspending time in every day.

Own your career

In a company that is entrepreneuriallydriven, we continue to implore our em-ployee-owners to cultivate their careersand think and act like an ‘owner.’ Keepingthis owner mentality live is a key to har-nessing the power and spirit of our organ-ization.

Burns & McDonnell is 117 years-old,but in 1986 the company experienced a re-birth when we took a giant leap of faithand purchased the company from ArmcoSteel, becoming 100 percent employee-owned. That was our turning point that

united us in the passion we shared for ourfirm. Owning the company and beingpart of an Employee Stock OwnershipPlan allows each employee-owner to ben-efit in the success of the firm—and ulti-mately helped define our corporate culture.

We’ve always been a great place towork, but creating a corporate culture in-fused with that entrepreneurial spirit intoeach of our employee-owners laid thefoundation to build Burns & McDonnellinto a best place to work. Since we all ownthe company, we are personally vested inthe success of every project and everyclient. Every move we make is followed by

two key questions: Is this good for ourclients? Is this good for our employee-owners?

Offer challenging Work in a Great

Atmosphere

We live in one of the most rapidly growingregions in the country, which allows ourAtlanta office to play a key role in devel-oping innovative design and constructionsolutions particularly in the areas of avia-tion, municipal water and wastewater, andelectrical substation design. There’s aunique sense of pride that comes from col-laborating with leaders in your community

EBy Arnold Olender | Vice President | Burns McDonnell

How We Become a Best Company to Work For

Employee-owners Wendy Creek and Matt Bracewell prepare breakfast for families at

the Dunwoody Ronald McDonald house.

GEORGIA EnGInEER34

35FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

36 GEORGIA EnGInEER

to make the city you and your family callhome a best place to live.

When employers can provide yourteam with challenging projects and a fan-tastic work environment, you are on yourway to nirvana. For example, at Burns &McDonnell, 92 percent of employee-own-ers say they often or almost always enjoytheir colleagues and find their workplaceto be fun and cooperative. Building a senseof camaraderie and respect among em-ployee-owners strengthens teams and laysthe groundwork for success.

With a goal to help employee-ownersdeliver on that ever challenging work-lifebalance, Burns & McDonnell offers a va-riety of different services at its officesaround the globe to make life easier: well-ness programs, flexible work hours, dis-counts to fitness centers, and direct accessto the Alpharetta Greenway. We have anin-house travel agency, a credit union, andeven an online classified service to getdeals on everything from cars and homesto appliances and game tickets.

Give back and Get Involved

It’s common to think of work in terms ofwhat you get—a paycheck, a bonus, healthcare. We have found that employees arealso invested in what they give. In fact, ac-cording to a recent study, more than 50percent of millennials were influenced toaccept a job based on that company’s in-volvement with causes; and 79 percent ofpeople prefer to work for a socially re-sponsible company, according to Cone

Research. At Burns & McDonnell, community

involvement is a way of life. Employee-owners view a commitment to philan-thropy as a benefit because it feels good togive back and make a difference. That’swhy we created the Burns & McDonnellFoundation to reflect our strong belief ingiving back to the communities in whichwe live and work that focus on four strate-gic areas: educational outreach, environ-mental responsibility, human services, andarts and culture.

In the last year alone, we donatedmore than $2.5 million and countless vol-unteer hours. We paint houses. We cleannature trails and streams. We make meals.We do anything it takes to make a differ-ence.

Each year, Burns & McDonnell se-lects a national charity to focus its effortson a companywide level. In 2014, Burns& McDonnell worked with the RonaldMcDonald House Charities raising more than $170,000.

In addition, we even provide a matchprogram that allows us to support our em-ployees and nurture our communities atthe same time. We’ll match up to $250per employee-owner each year to help am-plify charitable efforts for a number of ini-tiatives.

These are just a few of the key ingre-dients that contribute to a recipe for a BestCompany to Work For at Burns & Mc-Donnell. Each company has the power touncover its own recipe for success. If youwould like to learn more about Burns &McDonnell including our culture, ourservices, our people, our locations, and ourcareer opportunities, please stop by ourWeb site at burnsmcd.com.

Author: Arnold Olender, Vice President,Burns & McDonnell aolender@burnsmcd.com3650 Mansell Road, Suite 300Alpharetta, GA 30002

About burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a company madeup of more than 5,000 engineers, archi-tects, construction professionals, scientists,consultants and entrepreneurs with officesacross the country and throughout theworld. We strive to create amazing successfor our clients and amazing careers for ouremployee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is100 percent employee-owned and is proudto be no. 14 on FORTUnE’s 2014 list of100 Best Companies to Work For. Formore information visithttp://burnsmcd.com v

(R-L): Arnold Olender (Regional Office Manager), Shawn DeKold, Lucas Rice, and Oko

Buckle (regional practice leaders), serve employee-owners during the annual Chili

Bowl celebration. The Chili Bowl, held on the first working day of each year, commem-

orates January 3, 1994 when employee-owners burned the mortgage to celebrate the

final payment on the loan to purchase the company from Armco Steel, then went in-

side to warm up with chili.

Atlanta employee-owners participate in

Rivers Alive each year, cleaning up trails

and streams.

37FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

38 GEORGIA EnGInEER

Atlanta Strtcars1902-1949

DOMINATE THE STORY OF ELECTRICSTREETCARS IN ATLANTA in the last decadeof the nineteenth century: Joel Hurt and Henry Atkinson.They both controlled interests in competing streetcar andelectric power companies and fought each other in

newspapers, at City Council, in courts and other venues in what became known as the‘Second Battle of Atlanta.’

39FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

by Thomas c. Leslie

TWOMEN

Photo credit: Atlanta History Center

40 GEORGIA EnGInEER

It became clear that there was room for only one streetcar

/power company in Atlanta, and Hurt was induced by Boston

financiers to sell to Atkinson. The deal closed in 1902, and a

consolidated company was created, the Georgia Railway and

Electric Company. The city of Atlanta approved the merger in

short order in a ‘consolidated ordinance’ which provided for an

initial cash payment to the city of $50,000 and annual pay-

ments of one percent of gross earnings per year in years one to

three, two percent in years four to 23, and three percent there-

after (which remained in effect until MARTA acquired the suc-

cessor transit company in 1972). The new company included

streetcar, electric light, steam, and (later) gas light properties.

It represented the complete monopoly of public utilities in At-

lanta (except the publically-owned waterworks).

Joel Hurt left the stage and Henry Atkinson stepped into

the background and yielded leadership of the conglomerate to

its new president, Preston S. Arkwright.

It was not until 1907 that state legislation gave regulatory

oversight of public utilities to the Georgia Railroad Commission

(renamed the Public Service Commission 1922).

Arkwright was the right person to weather these winds of

change. The public had wearied of the streetcar battles, dis-

trusted the companies, and was unhappy with service and fare

levels. Arkwright saw that change was necessary and adapted

skillfully. He initiated an effective advertising campaign that

became an integral part of company policy and operations. In

1903, the company sponsored development of the Ponce de

Leon Amusement Park (now the old Sears site being redevel-

oped into Ponce City Market). In 1906, the company acquired

an interest in the Atlanta Crackers Baseball team (later a con-

trolling interest). In 1907, the Crackers moved to their new

home in a stadium across Ponce de Leon Ave. from the amuse-

ment park. Streetcars were run regularly to serve both venues.

The decades following the creation of the consolidated

company were bountiful years for Atlanta streetcar service. A

five-cent fare was set in 1908 for the core service area and was

not raised until 1919, when a 1-cent increase was approved. Be-

tween 1902 and 1912, the network expanded from 138 track

miles to 195 miles (there were 220 miles of single track equiva-

lent in 1924). The number of cars in service increased from 116

in 1904 to 264 in 1913. In addition, an interurban line opened to

Marietta in 1905—a one-hour trip with a fare of 35 cents from

Atlanta’s Five Points to the Marietta Square. It was closed in

January 1947 largely due to the opening of US Highway 41 in

1940 and the convenience the new highway afforded competi-

tion from bus companies, as well as private automobiles.

The street railway was very well run during the decade fol-

lowing consolidation. Arkwright continued to market the com-

pany, but his success was aided by larger trends: no automobile

competition, low inflation, and a plentiful supply of labor. Street-

car operators worked 14-hour days, six days per week.

During these go-go years, the company set its sights on

another interurban line, Atlanta to Stone Mountain. It opened

in November 1913 and operated until 1948. The line had run

from Atlanta to Decatur for some years with a five-cent fare.

This line was extended through Ingleside (Avondale Estates),

Scottdale, and Clarkston to Stone Mountain—a distance of

over nine miles. The Railroad Commission approved a fare of

25 cents from Decatur to Stone Mountain and reaffirmed the

Atlanta-Decatur fare of five cents.

In the following years, there were less favorable winds for

streetcars: a federal income tax in 1913, a national recession in

1914, a labor strike in 1916, increasing car sales, and free-lance

‘jitneys’ that ‘robbed’ the streetcar of customers. Jitneys were

private cars that solicited riders at streetcar stops on irregular

schedules. (Think Uber or Lyft). In 1925, Atlanta prohibited jit-

neys.

While the American entry into World War I in 1917 in-

creased inflation and tightened the supply of workers, it also

dramatically increased ridership. The increased cost of labor

and capital, however, exceeded the increased revenue from

more patrons. The national data shown in Table 1 encom-

passes the World War I period and indicates how financial per-

formance changed for streetcar systems. Nationally, the

streetcar track mileage peaked in 1917.

The diverging lines of revenue and expenses continued

during the 1920s and seemed to rekindle public alienation.

Capital investment in upgrades and major maintenance be-

came problematic and resulted in lower quality of service. Traf-

fic congestion increased on downtown streets as automobile

ownership rose. The auto drivers largely blamed streetcars for

creating congestion on downtown streets, and streetcar riders

blamed automobiles for ‘vehicular mayhem.’ Fares did not

keep up with expenses, and filings with the Public Service

Table 1. Percent Change in Streetcar Indicators, 1916 - 1920

General Consumer Prices +83%Streetcar Wages +94%Operating Expenses +123%Streetcar Fares +37%Net Revenue -10%

Source: Mass Motorization + Mass Transit, 2008, David W. Jones

Commission for increases produced hotly contested disputes.

Adding to pubic disaffection with the street railway was

the deep animosity of Mayor James L. Key toward privately

owned utilities—he favored public ownership. Municipal own-

ership was by far the exception in the U.S. Key was mayor from

1922 – 24 and again in 1930. He opposed almost every action

by the street railway company when he was in office and out.

Against this backdrop, Arkwright felt that the company

had two choices: retreat from public transportation or make

costly investments to upgrade track and trolley. He chose to

stick with the street railway and sold $4 million in bonds to fi-

nance necessary upgrades. They bought new cars that only re-

quired one person to operate rather than two and enhanced

electrical system reliability. Labor relations were good. To re-

capture public confidence, the company paid for a comprehen-

sive transportation study by the New York-based firm, Beeler

Organization (although the city was the client).

The Beeler Report was provided to city council in late-1924

and was construed as a successful approach to re-establishing

public confidence in Georgia Power and the city. The report

supported fare increases and the construction of viaducts over

the railroad lines through downtown. The city sold $1,00,000

in bonds to fund the viaducts, which now formed the ‘roof’ of

Underground Atlanta.

The Georgia Railway and Electric Company became the

Georgia Railway and Power Company in 1911, and in 1927 Rail-

way was dropped from the name. Preston Arkwright remained

at the helm of the new Georgia Power Company.

During the Great Depression, streetcars simply survived.

There was very little money for either capital upgrades or ex-

pansion. The automobile era became firmly entrenched and

was set for explosive growth in the post-World War II era. Rid-

ership increased during the war years due to gas rationing and

the general mobilization of the U. S. The Marietta interurban

line set ridership records largely due to the thousands of work-

ers at the Bell Bomber plant (now Lockheed).

Although Georgia Power bought 40 more one-man trolley

cars in 1927, this was their last streetcar purchase. In 1937,

Georgia Power bought its first ‘trackless trolley’ —a bus pow-

ered by overhead electrical wires. In a petition to the Public

Service Commission in 1946 to eliminate the streetcar to

Stone Mountain, Georgia Power stipulated that it was “now in

the process of modernizing its transportation system in and in

the vicinity of Atlanta by the substitution of motor buses and

trackless trolleys for street railway services.”

Although the federal Securities and Exchange Commission

had previously ordered Georgia Power Company to divest itself

of its transit operations, the order was lenient in the timing of

divesture. During a labor strike and union negotiations in

1950, Georgia Power reached an agreement for the sale of its

transit operation to the Atlanta Transit Company. As part of

its formation, MARTA acquired the Atlanta Transit Company in

1972 for $12.9 million.

The last electric trolley rolled in Atlanta in 1949. The last

trackless trolley ran in 1963. The ‘modernization’ of mass tran-

sit from electric to diesel fuel was complete. The rise of the

automobile was king. In post-World War II America, there was

broad prosperity, the VA guaranteed loans for veterans to buy

homes, and suburban living became the American Dream.

The history shows that the first electric streetcar in At-

lanta was in 1889, and it ran 1.5 miles to Inman Park. By 1924,

there were 220 miles of track in service. In 1949, 25 years later,

the last streetcars ran in Atlanta. The East line of MARTA’s

heavy rail system opened in 1979 and reached 47.6 miles of

rail and 38 stations by 2000. Just a few months ago, the new

Atlanta Streetcar began operation over a 2.7-mile route. It will

be an interesting journey to follow the evolution of these sys-

tems in the coming years. v

41FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

*This article is largely based on Mule to MARTA, Vol. II, Jean Martin, Atlanta History Center, 1977

42 GEORGIA EnGInEER

ore than fifty years ago,

Georgia Tech made history

by becoming the first uni-

versity in the South to inte-

grate voluntarily, without

court order. Then, as now,

Georgia Tech was focused

on a rigorous, high quality education,

and our students and faculty believed

that anyone who could do the work de-

served to be here.

We have come a long way from ad-mitting our first African American stu-dents to being the number one institutionin the nation in graduating underrepre-sented minority engineers over the pastdecade. It has been a very deliberate jour-ney on our part, and we are going to con-tinue and strengthen our efforts to attract,retain, and graduate outstanding minoritystudents who will be the technology lead-ers of tomorrow.

At Georgia Tech, we are already lead-ing the way in a number of initiatives re-lated to diversity in STEM education.Tech is an institution that graduates morewomen and minority engineers than otherengineering schools. For example, GeorgiaTech graduates approximately ten percentof all African American Ph.D. engineersin the nation. At Tech, the existence of acritical mass of students and faculty fromdiverse backgrounds fosters a sense ofcommunity.

It is important to emphasize thatGeorgia Tech’s diversity programs do notexist in a vacuum. Our dual degree engi-neering program with the historically blackcolleges of the Atlanta University Center,for example, has been at the heart of our ef-forts to graduate minorities with engineer-ing degrees for more than 40 years.Partnerships such as this with minority-serving institutions are a key factor in ournational leadership. Currently, we partnerwith 35 institutions ranging from AlabamaA&M University to Xavier University.

Another outstanding program oncampus is SURE (Summer Undergradu-ate Research in Engineering/Science).SURE is a ten-week summer research pro-gram designed to attract qualified minor-ity students into graduate school in thefields of engineering and science. Theoverall goal of the program is to exposeminority students to engineering and sci-ence research, and as a direct consequence,interest them in opportunities availablethrough graduate study. For a ten-week

period these students engage in meaning-ful research in engineering (electrical,aerospace, chemical, civil, computer, envi-ronmental, industrial, mechanical, or ma-terials), and applied science (physics,chemistry, biology, or mathematics).

Along with another program calledFOCUS, we are introducing minority un-dergraduates to the potential benefits of anadvanced STEM degree. FOCUS has be-come a model for a number of other pro-grams across the country and is one of the

M

Diversifying Engineering EducationBy Dr. Gary S. May | Dean, College of Engineering | Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta high school student participating in Project ENGAGES, a science education

program in partnership with three minority-serving public high schools in the City of

Atlanta, to raise the awareness of students to the world of engineering, science, and

technology through real-world, hands-on research projects.

DR. GARy S.

MAy is dean

of the college

of Engineering

at Georgia

Institute of

Technology.

In that

capacity, he

serves as the

chief academic

officer of the

college and

provides leadership to over 400 faculty members and

more than 13,000 students. The College of Engineering

at Georgia Tech is the largest producer of engineering

graduates in the United States.

43FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

nation’s premier programs for raisingawareness of graduate education. GeorgiaTech launched the FOCUS recruiting pro-gram in 1991 with the goal of increasingthe number of master's and doctoral de-grees awarded to underrepresented minori-ties not only at Georgia Tech butnationwide. FOCUS lays the groundworkfor achieving this goal by bringing togetherundergraduate students to meet with fac-ulty, peers, alumni, and speakers from thecorporate and government arenas.

Also noteworthy was our FacilitatingAcademic Careers in Engineering andScience (FACES) program. This was acollaborative effort between Georgia Tech,Emory University, Morehouse, and Spel-man. The goal was to get minority under-graduate students interested in attendinggraduate school, and then once enrolled,provide the financial means and supportmechanisms to ensure that they obtain aPh.D. Over the duration of FACES from1998 to 2013, 433 underrepresented stu-dents received Ph.D.s in STEM fields atGeorgia Tech—more than any university

in the nation over that span. The ultimateobjective of the FACES program was toalter the ‘face’ of the engineering and sci-ence professoriate, such that it includes agreater number of people of color.

In 2013, we partnered with the SloanFoundation to transition FACES to theUniversity Center of Exemplary Mentor-ing. The new partnership, initiatedthrough the Foundation’s Minority Ph.D.program, is designed to identify universi-ties with a proven track record of success-fully educating underrepresented minoritygraduate students in STEM disciplinesand empower these universities to expand,strengthen, and institutionalize effortsaimed at minority recruitment, mentoring,educational support, and professional de-velopment.

This is the vision we are working torealize at Georgia Tech. And over the past15 years, we have redoubled our commit-ment to attracting and keeping morewomen and minority students in engi-neering. This commitment is evident, notthrough a single, silver-bullet program, but

rather through a wide array of initiativesand approaches.

Our aim is to be a campus of inclusiveexcellence, a place that respects and valuesdiversity in all aspects of our daily life as acampus community, and a place that pro-vides all of our students with the resourcesthey need to succeed.

The quality of engineering is en-hanced by diversity. Without diversity, welimit our ability to find the best engineer-ing solutions. In a global economy, wemust design products which are intendedfor many different customers from manydifferent cultures. Homogeneous teamswill be limited in their range of possiblesolutions.

In celebrating excellence, GeorgiaTech has been and continues to be a leaderin diversifying engineering education. Bydoing this, we are providing engineers whocan create solutions to address the multi-disciplinary, global problems that we facein the future.v

DR. GARy MAy

or one engineering school,

the consolidation of Kenne-

saw State and Southern

Polytechnic State university

has opened a gateway for

new opportunities and ex-

traordinary possibilities.

The Southern Polytechnic College ofEngineering and Engineering Technology,as the school of engineering was renamed,kept ties to its successful history, whilelooking ahead to its future growth.

“This consolidation provides oppor-tunities we didn’t have, historically, as asmall polytechnic,” said Thomas Currin,dean of the Southern Polytechnic Collegeof Engineering and Engineering Technol-ogy. “We will have the ability to draw onother departments and resources through-out the university.”

The Board of Regents of the Univer-sity System of Georgia approved consoli-dation of Kennesaw State and SouthernPolytechnic State University in early 2015.It is the state’s fifth consolidation of highereducation institutions.

The ‘new University,’ named Kenne-saw State University, combines the bestfrom two of Georgia’s most respected in-stitutions in higher education. As one ofthe 50 largest public universities in thecountry, this comprehensive universityserves as a destination campus, offeringstudents a broad spectrum of quality aca-demics, a growing and vibrant campus life,award-winning dining facilities, and awide array of Division I athletic offerings,including football this coming fall.

With two campuses in Kennesaw andMarietta, Kennesaw State began 2015with three new colleges, including theSouthern Polytechnic College of Engi-neering and Engineering Technology, Col-lege of Architecture and ConstructionManagement, and College of Computing

and Software Engineering. The three col-leges remain at the Marietta campus.

Currin, who served as dean since 2010with SPSU and now takes the helm as theengineering dean at Kennesaw State, ex-plained that the 15 bachelor’s degree pro-grams and four master’s degree programsin the engineering college remain the samewith consolidation.

“Our engineering degree programswill continue to be interdisciplinary andmultidisciplinary in nature,” said Currin.The Southern Polytechnic College of En-

gineering and Engineering Technology isthe second-largest college of engineeringin the state and enrolls more than 2,000students.

The College is also part of the Geor-gia Consortium of Engineering Schools,which aligns engineering education acrosspublic and private colleges, includingGeorgia Tech, University of Georgia,Georgia Southern, and Mercer University.

Popular Degree Programs

All of the undergraduate degree programs

F

Engineering the New U | Consolidation brings newopportunities to Kennesaw State UniversityBy Tiffany Capuano

GEORGIA EnGInEER44

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 45

at Kennesaw State’s Southern PolytechnicCollege of Engineering and EngineeringTechnology are accredited by the Accred-itation Board for Engineering and Tech-nology (ABET).

Kennesaw State offers one of only twoundergraduate programs in systems engi-neering in the state of Georgia, accordingto Currin. Systems engineering blends en-gineering, systems thinking, and manage-ment to address business and technicalneeds. An offshoot of industrial engineer-ing, systems engineering focuses on oper-ational aspects.

Minors in nuclear engineering andaerospace engineering are offered withinKSU’s systems engineering program.Graduates are qualified to enter careers inthe aerospace or automotive industries, ornuclear power generation.

The nuclear Regulatory Commission,the agency that regulates commercial nu-clear power plants and nuclear materials,often looks to the college’s systems engi-neering degree program to find its newesttalent. In fact, this year, more than 20 stu-dents have landed scholarships from thenRC.

“The systems engineering degree isthe no. 1-demanded degree by organiza-tions who are looking to hire,” Currin said.He added that it is one of the more popu-lar degree programs in the college.

Mechanical engineering, specificallymechatronics engineering, is also popularamong students and has seen rapid growthin recent years. Mechatronics combinescomputer, electrical, and mechanical engi-neering with project management and isone of the fastest growing careers focusedon the design and enhancement of robot-ics and automated systems. KSU’s mecha-tronics, or ‘robotics on steroids’ as Currindefined it, is one of only nine such degreeprograms in the United States.

Prior to consolidation, the systems en-gineering and mechanical engineering werehoused within the same department, butnow operate independently. Software engi-neering, which is ABET accredited andfalls under the College of Computing and

Software Engineering, provides bachelor’sand master’s degree options for students.

Applied Engineering Research

With many engineering degrees to choosefrom, undergraduate student research op-portunities are abundant at KennesawState. Engineering students assist facultyon applied research grant projects, such asthe evaluation of pavement design for theGeorgia DOT or solar research related tothe fabrication of solar cells.

Like many engineering colleges, pro-prietary research is common. Many engi-neering firms look to the SouthernPolytechnic College of Engineering andEngineering Technology for research as-sistance, explained Currin.

“Firms often seek proof of concept totake their idea or product to venture capi-talists,” he said. “Our senior design teamsfind ways to define a concept. This is theresearch component, not the developmentaspect, of R&D.”

Currin is excited about new researchgrant possibilities for engineering facultywith the college’s new affiliation with Ken-nesaw State because many national Sci-ence Foundation (nSF) grantopportunities are based on an institution’ssize and Carnegie classification.

Engineering faculty serve as advisorsfor students working on research projectsand bring a wealth of industry experienceto the university’s classrooms and labora-tories. All Kennesaw State engineeringfaculty are Professional Engineers (PEs)and/or have no less than three years expe-rience working in their respective fields.

“Faculty who have been out in indus-try bring a different viewpoint,” Currinsaid. “They are versed in the theoreticalside, but can do the end game.”

Experienced Graduates

Besides quality research experience, class-room theory, study abroad opportunities,and work in state-of-the-art laboratory fa-cilities, students gain a wealth of knowl-edge by joining one of 14 studentorganizations and competition teams in

the college. “Our engineers are creative, just a dif-

ferent type of artist,” said Currin. “Theywant to create new and different ways tosolve problems.

“The worst thing is tell a room full ofengineering students that there is no solu-tion to a problem,” he chuckled. “Thewheels start turning immediately.”

Competition teams are one way forstudents to use their creative problem solv-ing outside of the classroom. KSU Motor-sports builds and designs a Formula car forthe Society of Automotive Engineers(SAE) International student competition,ranking among the nation’s top teams. Thestudent chapter of the American Societyof Civil Engineers (ASCE) concrete canoeand steel bridge teams also rank nationallywith their respective creations.

“We are giving our students relevantexperience so they are ready to enter theworkforce. We are providing the workforceof the future, and have built a reputationof providing graduates who can go towork,” said Currin. “What we have heardfrom employers is that our grads under-stand their jobs sooner than their peersfrom other institutions.”

As companies and engineering firmscontinue to notice the strength of the uni-versity’s engineering graduates, Currinseeks to grow the number of endowmentsfunding scholarships. The college receivedits first endowed engineering scholarship,named for the late Paul Radow, an engi-neer who helped design the launch pad el-evator system for the U.S. space program,and a champion for innovating U.S. indus-try, prior to consolidation – something thathas energized Currin and made him ex-cited about opportunities for future KSUstudents.

For Currin, the vast possibilities forthe Southern Polytechnic College of En-gineering and Engineering Technologyaren’t the only things making him onehappy dean.

He’s pretty ecstatic about footballstarting at KSU, too. v

For more information about engineering programs and opportunities at Kennesaw State university, visit

www.kennesaw.edu/engineering

GEORGIA EnGInEER46

ercer Engineering is about

improving the world through

education, research, discov-

ery, inspiration, empower-

ment, and service. Our

graduates enter their profes-

sional careers equipped with

real-world education and experience,

and a commitment to serving their com-

munities. At Mercer, the AbET-accred-

ited bachelor of Science in Engineering

(bSE) degree takes an interdisciplinary

path that includes a core curriculum in

electrical, mechanical, and industrial en-

gineering. Integrated within the curricu-

lum is study of technical communication

—a communication-enhancing focus on

the written and spoken word. under-

graduate specialties can be completed in

six engineering disciplines and Mercer

Engineering also offers Master of Science

degrees in eleven technical fields.

The curriculum and the programs arenot the whole story however. Our goal istranslational research to leads to innova-tion and service. Mercer Engineering pre-pares students to serve the rapidlychanging technical demands of a new cen-tury, we intentionally seek to link our re-search efforts with service to ourcommunity. The academic programs pro-vide breadth across engineering core skillsand depth in technical specialties whilefaculty and students combine technologyand research with service through oppor-tunities to serve the needs of others, par-ticularly in under-developed places aroundthe world.

A fine example of this orientation isDr. Ha Van Vo’s research to develop a uni-versal prosthetic device that can be fabri-cated at low cost to aid land mine victimsin Vietnam with below-the-knee artificiallimbs. Designed and manufactured by Dr.Vo’s student team, these prosthetics havechanged the lives of over 2,000 people. Hecontinues to refine these devices within ac-

ademic labs and programs and then takesstudents to clinics in Vietnam each year tofit patients. Listen to his story:

Dr. ha van vo, Associate Professor of

biomedical Engineering

Mercer university, Macon, Georgia

“As a young boy living in Vietnam, I dis-tinctly remember seeing people who hadno legs crawling on the ground. The warhad ended, but many of the landmines re-mained—and still remain—causing explo-

sions that resulted in lost limbs. Becausethey were receiving no help from theirgovernment, or even from their fellow cit-izens, these amputees had been reduced tobegging for money and food, making themseem more like animals than humans tome. It was at this time I decided that help-ing these individuals by creating prosthet-ics would be my life’s work.

“I came to America in April 1990. Ihad graduated from high school, but Iworked manual labor jobs until I passed a

M

Mercer Engineering: Linking research with serviceBy Wade H. Shaw | Dean and Kaolin Chair of Engineering | Mercer University & Shawna Dooley

Dr. Ha Van Vo and Students Fit a Prosthetic in a Vietnamese Clinic

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 47

college entrance exam and began takingclasses. Always working toward the goal ofinventing a prosthetic, which I finally ac-complished and patented in 2008, I earneddegrees in biomedical engineering, medi-cine (with specialties in podiatry and or-thopedics), manufacturing, andmechanical engineering. I applied to teachbiomedical engineering at Mercer Univer-sity in 2005-06. I only submitted one ap-plication because I felt the mission ofMercer fit exactly with my personal mis-sion. Having graduated from a large pub-lic university, where students rarely sawthe professor, I craved personal interactionwith students through smaller classes.

“I work with my students, who are allseniors or master’s level, as a partner.Building on solid foundations of mathand science, I encourage their natural cu-riosity by giving assignments and projects,work alongside the students in the lab andhope to inspire innovation. Since inspira-tion can strike at any time, I remain avail-able to students after class, sometimes lateinto the evening and during weekends. Inclass, I take a more practical than theoret-ical teaching approach by using multipletext books, case studies, and x-rays. Real-life applications such as x-rays underscorethe human element of biomedical engi-neering and remind students that theirend design will personally affect some-one’s quality of life.

“Several years ago, a mechanical engi-neering student named Jake asked to workwith me. Being an upperclassman, hethought building a prosthetic would beeasy. He understood robotics and the de-sign of replacement parts for inanimateobjects. He had not, however, consideredthe anatomy and physiology of the im-plant. After he observed his design, heconsidered its function in a patient’s gait,the flex of an ankle and the general condi-tion of muscles in limbs supporting theprosthetic, in addition to factoring inwhether the prosthetic would be comfort-able because of its composition andweight. When Jake confronted the differ-ence in designing for a human being in-stead of a robot, a light bulb turned on.Beyond the classroom or lab, students are

continually challenged, experiencing theimpact of their work through Mercer onMission trips. Since 2009, we have trav-eled to Vietnam five times to conduct or-thopedic field clinics, taken 81 Mercerstudents, and fitted over 2,000 amputeeswith prostheses. In addition to fitting am-putees, we have seen 5,708 orthopedic pa-tients in our field clinics in Vietnam.

“These trips are interdisciplinary andcollaborative in nature—in addition to en-gineering and medical students and fac-ulty, liberal arts (and othernon-engineering) students participate.Prior to the trip and based on the stu-dents’ academic disciplines, courses aretaught to prepare the students for theirroles in fitting prosthetics.

“Students attend academic confer-ences and present research with me, butsome of their most impressive accom-plishments have occurred in the field.During a recent Mercer on Mission trip,several students modified our smallestprosthetic to fit a pediatric patient.Though we currently only see adult pa-tients, these students knew they could takeapart and re-design the prosthetic to fit ayoung boy. They succeeded. Witnessingthis experience confirmed that my stu-dents not only understand the concepts ofbiomedical engineering and prosthetic de-sign, but that they have incredible empa-thy for their fellow human beings. For therole I have played as their teacher, I feel Ihave also succeeded.”

Different by Design

So you see how Mercer Engineering iscommitted to preparing its graduates forprofessional practice with sensitivity tothose in need. Engineering has alwaysplayed an important role in raising thequality of life for a global community. It isan exciting time to study and practice en-gineering and be part of a discipline thatbrings tremendous benefits to our world.Our labs are busy with design projects andcreative innovations on the cutting edge oftechnology. The key ingredient is the peo-ple—faculty, staff, and students, whotranslate the needs of people into designproblems that challenge our skills as engi-neers. We like to say that Mercer Engi-neering is ‘Different by Design’ and we liketo explain why that is so! v

GEORGIA EnGInEER48

ecause engineering services

have such a direct impact on

quality of life for all people,

engineers are expected to

maintain the highest stan-

dard of honesty, integrity,

impartiality, fairness, and eq-

uity. As outlined in the national Society

of Professional Engineers (nSPE) code of

Ethics, engineers must dedicate them-

selves to the protection of public safety,

health, and welfare—something that re-

quires continuous research, study and

analysis. Today, we call this standard of

behavior ‘engineering ethics.’

Above all, engineering requires publicacceptance, and often public funding,which means public confidence is vital.And just as in the cases of medicine andlaw, that confidence can be shaken quickly.

In order to keep up with the designfield’s changing landscape and preservepublic confidence, continuing educationand ongoing study of the model nSPECode of Ethics, review of state-specific re-quirements, and examination of case stud-ies and board decisions is vital.

To help assess your knowledge of cur-rent ethics code and how to apply it to areal-life scenario, observe the followingnSPE Board of Ethical Review case,which looks at the ethics of whether an en-gineer can perform work in a state forwhich he or she is not licensed, andwhether that engineer can use a colleaguelicensed in that state to certify the work.

The Case: A property owner retainedengineer ‘Robin’ to perform a property con-dition survey for an apartment complex aspart of the refinancing of the property.Robin visited the site, observed the apart-ment complex, asked relevant questions,and prepared a property condition report(PCR) that generally met appropriate in-dustry and client standards.

The following week, the owner of the

apartment complex contacts Robin andsends a blank certification document toRobin to complete, sign, and seal so thatthe owner can use the form to comply withthe state’s condominium conversion law(under which the property owner is re-quired to disclose the condition of variouscommon items to potential purchasersunder seal of a professional engineer li-censed in the state).

Robin informs the owner that this re-quest is not within the scope of his originalservices. In addition, Robin informs theowner that he agreed to perform the serv-ices with the assumption that a PE licensein the state where the work was being per-formed was not required. Robin is not li-censed in the state in which the property islocated. However, Robin later locates‘Bruce,’ a professional engineer licensed inthe subject state, who agrees to reviewRobin’s report and sign and seal the certi-fication document for a fee.

Can Robin ethically agree to performthe service for the owner? Can Bruce eth-ically agree to sign and seal the certifica-tion document?

Yes, Robin could ethically agree toperform the service for the owner. Robin

correctly assumed the owner of the prop-erty sought a general review of the prop-erty, which did not require a license fromthe state. However, Bruce could not ethi-cally agree to sign and seal the certificationdocument unless a provision exists understate law to permit successor engineers tofollow strict procedures and review engi-neering drawings and sign and seal thosedrawings.

Some state boards have limited provi-sions that permit successor engineers to dothis. Otherwise, the possibility of ‘planstamping,’ which is inconsistent with thenSPE Code of Ethics, would be unethicaland illegal.

Fundamental to the practice of profes-sional engineering is compliance with stateengineering licensure laws, performingservices only in areas of your competence,and acting for each employer or client asfaithful agents or trustees. Licensed profes-sional engineers must be scrupulous in ful-filling obligations for engineering licensure,which includes staying up-to-date on thenSPE Code of Ethics and satisfying engi-neering ethics continuing education re-quirements. v

B

By Ray James, P.E., Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Civil Engineering | Texas A&M

The Importance of Examining the NSPE Code of Ethics

For more information about engineering ethics

continuing education and the NSPE Code of Ethics, Dr.

James’ video-based courses can be found at

www.RedVector.com.

About Ray James: Ray W. James, P.E., holds a Ph.D. inEngineering Mechanics from the University of Texas. Asthe holder of the Bovay Faculty Fellowship, he is the TexasA&M College of Engineering’s course coordinator andregularly teaches a course titled Engineering and Ethics,which is required of all engineering majors at Texas A&M.A registered professional engineer in Texas, Dr. James has

authored or co-authored more than 25 publications and is the co-author of Engi-neering Ethics—Concepts and Cases, Wadsworth-Cengage Learning. He has de-veloped and taught courses on engineering ethics for professionals and firms across thecountry.

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 49

The Accelerated Bridge Construction–University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC) recently honored Michael BakerInternational’s bridge experts with twoproject awards in recognition of designinnovation and performance excellence.ABC-UTC presented the awards at the2014 National Accelerated Bridge Con-struction Conference in Miami, Florida,in December 2014. A total of four proj-ects were given awards, and MichaelBaker International was the lead de-signer on two of these projects.

Aaron Stover, P.E., S.E., project man-ager in the firm’s Louisville, Kentucky, of-fice accepted the award for the Eggner’sFerry Bridge project. This complex proj-ect involved rapid replacement of a majortruss span carrying US 68 over KentuckyLake in Western Kentucky, which had col-lapsed after an oversized cargo ship hit thebridge. This vital link to the Land Be-tween the Lakes national Recreation Areawas rapidly restored in two months, and aweek ahead of schedule.

Michael Arens, P.E., S.E., projectmanager in the firm’s Midvale, Utah, officeaccepted the award for the Sam WhiteBridge Design-Build project. This 300-foot, two-span bridge over I-15, weighingin excess of four million pounds, wasmoved into place using Self-PropelledModular Transports (SPMTs) which min-imized disruption to traffic flow to a singleovernight closure of the interstate. At thetime of the bridge move, this project repre-sented the largest bridge ever moved intoplace using SPMTs.

“Michael Baker International has ex-celled at these types of projects because ofthe ingenuity of our talented bridge engi-neers and the enthusiasm they have for cre-ative solutions,” said John Dietrick, P.E.,S.E. and the company’s Bridge and High-way Practice Director. “Actually, we weredeeply involved with another similar ABC-UTC award-winning project—the Milton

Madison Bridge over the Ohio River be-tween Kentucky and Indiana. Recognitionthrough these awards is a demonstration ofthe commitment to innovation and excel-lence of our people, and we are honored toshare these awards with our clients andproject partners.”

As a Gold Level Sponsor of the con-ference, three Michael Baker Internationalemployees conducted presentations as partof the conference proceedings:• Virginia DOT I-95 Accelerated

Bridge Construction Project–JorgeSuarez (with Scott Fisher, VDOT)

• Development of national Slide-InBridge Construction Guide for Fed-eral Highway Administration –Michael Arens

• Accelerated Replacement of the

Eggner’s Ferry Bridge–AaronStover.v

50 GEORGIA EnGInEER

ENGINEERING NEWSMichael baker International Recognized at 2014 national Accelerated bridge construction conference

GEORGIA

Sam White Bridge. Photo credit: Utah Department of Transportation

Ananth Prasad, PE, has joined hnTb cor-

poration, assuming a national role as

leader of the firm’s transportation prac-

tice. Prasad will develop and direct

strategies that enhance hnTb’s service

to state departments of transportation

across the country. he is based in the

firm’s Tallahassee, Florida, office.

“Having Ananth share his under-standing of the immense challenges facingtransportation agencies today will translatewell to other DOT and transportationagencies around the country,” said RobSlimp, PE, CEO, HnTB. “Our firm isproud to be a leading infrastructure solu-tions provider to DOTs—central to our100-year legacy. Ananth’s understanding ofthe impact of emerging technologies on thetransportation system will be especiallycritical to transportation agencies as theyprepare for the future of our transportationsystem.”

Prasad departed the Florida Depart-ment of Transportation’s top position Jan.2, 2015, following his four-year appoint-ment by Gov. Rick Scott. In a December2014 statement, Gov. Scott praised Prasadsaying, “Secretary Prasad has been part ofmy administration since the very begin-ning, and he has been pivotal to makingsure we could make a record investment ofover $10 billion in our transportation sys-tem this year (2014).”

Prior to his becoming secretary ofFDOT, Prasad served as assistant secretaryfor engineering and operations for theagency. Prasad rejoined FDOT in July2010 after a two-year position as a vicepresident with HnTB.

As FDOT secretary, Prasad led theagency with a budget of $10 billion and6,500 employees responsible for providinga safe and efficient transportation systemto the fastest growing state in the country.His forward-looking leadership resulted infinancial close of the state’s largest public-private partnership, the $2.4 billion I-4 Ul-timate Improvement Project in Orlando;delivering SunRail commuter rail service inCentral Florida; creating a system of man-

aged lanes in South Florida; securing fund-ing for the new intermodal center at Or-lando International Airport; andcompletion of Tampa International Air-port’s master plan.

Prasad has more than 24 years of ex-perience in the transportation industry, in-cluding 22 years with FDOT, where hepreviously held the positions of chief engi-neer and director of construction. He was

responsible for implementing various in-novative contracting techniques, includingpublic-private partnerships, and he hasbeen a proponent of advanced technologiesto improve safety and mobility.

Engineering news-Record, the toptrade magazine for the transportation con-struction industry, named Prasad one of theTop 25 newsmakers for 2013 and recog-nized FDOT as the Southeast Owner ofthe Year.

Prasad completed his undergraduatestudies at national Institute of Technologyin Rourkela, India, and earned a master’sdegree in civil engineering from the Uni-versity of Florida.

About hnTb

HnTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure solutions firm servingpublic and private owners and contractors.With more than a century of service,HnTB understands the life cycle of infra-structure and addresses clients’ most com-plex technical, financial, and operationalchallenges. Professionals nationwide delivera full range of infrastructure-related serv-ices, including award-winning planning,design, program management, and con-struction management. For more informa-tion, visit www.hntb.com. v

51FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

hnTb corporation welcomes Ananth Prasad, infrastructure expert, as leader of national transportationpractice and senior vice president

Ananth Prasad, PE

Former Florida Department of

Transportation secretary joins HNTB

All Aboard Florida will be the nation’s

first privately owned, operated and main-

tained intercity passenger rail service op-

erating between Miami and Orlando with

intermediate stations in Fort Lauderdale

and West Palm beach.

With stations planned in the down-towns of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and WestPalm Beach and at the future IntermodalFacility at Orlando International Airport,All Aboard Florida will connect Florida’skey cities in a new way that sparks socialand economic opportunities while offeringan exceptional guest experience. Rail serv-ice is well suited to address travel betweenheavily populated and visited markets, andAll Aboard Florida will be anchored bytwo of the most dynamic cities in the U.S.,Miami and Orlando.

Siemens, a major provider of rail in theU.S. since the 1980s, will build the loco-motives and passenger coaches for the AllAboard Florida passenger rail project. Im-portantly, both the locomotives and thepassenger coaches, will be ‘Made in Amer-ica’ at Siemens’ solar-powered rail manu-facturing hub in Sacramento. Today in theU.S., Siemens is providing rail vehicles, lo-comotives, components and systems tomore than 25 agencies in cities such asWashington D.C., new York, Boston,Philadelphia, Denver, Salt Lake City, Min-neapolis, Houston, Portland, Sacramento,San Diego, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Char-lotte. Globally, Siemens designs and man-ufactures across the entire spectrum ofrolling stock including commuter and re-gional passenger trains, light rail, andstreetcars, metros, locomotives, passengercoaches, and high-speed trainsets.

The stainless steel passenger coaches,the first to be manufactured by Siemens inthe United States, will be state-of-the-art,ADA compliant and designed for comfort,featuring special ergonomic seating andWi-Fi. The train sets will also be levelboarding, which allows for the ease ofboarding without steps and provides easieraccess for bikes, walkers, strollers, andwheelchairs.

The train will ‘set the bar’ for future railtravel by combining speed, design, technol-ogy and service. Operating at maximumspeed and efficiency, All Aboard Floridawill make the trip between Miami and Or-lando in just under three hours, represent-ing a time savings of 25 to 30 percentcompared with existing travel options.Compared to other passenger rail systemsin the U.S. and world, and based on exten-sive research, this three hour travel time isknown as the ‘sweet spot’ between key dis-tances, making it “too long to drive, and tooshort to fly.” Additionally, the project willrun on an existing corridor for the major-ity of its journey and will have minimal en-vironmental impact to the areassurrounding its operation.

All Aboard Florida will serve a diversemarket that includes families, businesstravelers, leisure travelers and groups – bothinternational and domesti—and fills the20-year demand for intercity passenger railconnecting Central and South Florida.Once onboard, passengers will enjoy a hos-pitality-driven experience—from free Wi-Fi, to high quality meal and beverageservice, to seating options designed to meetthe needs of each passenger.

In addition to the rail service itself,each All Aboard Florida station will serveas its own destination with shopping, din-ing and entertainment venues to be enjoyedby travelers and non-travelers alike. The

company plans to develop approximately 4million square feet of transit oriented de-velopment near the three stations in SouthFlorida that will include a mix of office,residential and commercial components.

All Aboard Florida is a first-of-its-kind, history-making endeavor. This serv-ice will set a new standard for privatelyfunded, operated and maintained intercitypassenger rail in the U.S., marking a newera in Florida’s rich rail history by reignit-ing Henry Flagler’s inspired vision to cre-ate greater connectivity and fueling futuregrowth and prosperity. The project, and thetransit oriented development that will sur-round each station, will catalyze growth, re-vitalize local economies, spur tourism andgenerate more than 10,000 new construc-tion and more than 2,000 permanent jobs.The service is expected to be operationalbetween Miami and West Palm Beach bythe end of 2016 and to Orlando by early2017. v

All Aboard Florida

Ft. Lauderedale

West Palm beach

GEORGIA EnGInEER52

Epsten Group headquarters First to Reach LEED Double Platinum Through v4

Always seeking to raise the bar on sus-

tainable building solutions, Epsten Group

is pleased to announce the LEED v4 beta

Platinum certification for Existing build-

ings Operations and Maintenance (LEED

Eb:O+M) of its innovative office building,

The Edge. based on research, this is the

world's first project ever to achieve dou-

ble Platinum with an initial certification

under LEED for new construction and

Major Renovations (under LEED bD+c) and

a subsequent certification under LEED ver-

sion 4 Eb:O+M.

“To the best of our knowledge, we arethe only firm in the world to achieveLEED Platinum under LEED version 4for operations, after previously achievingLEED Platinum for the building’s majorrenovation,” said Dagmar B. Epsten, pres-ident and CEO of Epsten Group. “Thus,we have brought this 1940s building to thelatest current operational standards forLEED Platinum, and a double Platinumachievement.”

The Edge is also the first ever toachieve LEED EB:O+M certification undera process that uses an Establishment reviewand a Performance review, allowing for easysubsequent performance reviews and re-cer-tifications during the building’s entire life-time. These recognitions position thisproperty as a model for sustainable buildingsin Atlanta and beyond. The Edge earned itsfirst LEED certification, a LEED-BD+Cv2009 Platinum certification, in 2011. Ep-sten Group was among a distinguishedgroup of firms selected by the U.S. GreenBuilding Council to pilot LEED v4, be-coming the world’s third LEED EB:O+Mv4 Platinum certified project.

“We always think about the entire lifecycle of a building and the future of sus-tainability,” Epsten said. “That’s why wewere honored to be a part of beta testing ofLEED v4, and why this certification forThe Edge is so meaningful. Buildings canbe constructed with the best high-perfor-mance features, but over time, their envi-ronmental benefits can diminish if theyaren’t operated and managed properly.

now, The Edge can serve as a standard ofexcellence in sustainability for the lifetimeof a building.”

LEED v4 opens a new chapter in thestory of LEED, in which the initial certifi-cation is just the starting point. LEED v4focuses more on outcomes and the educa-tion of building owners. Although certified,it is The Edge’s operations and mainte-

nance that defines its ongoing contributionto sustainability. Life-cycle achievements,including energy and water use perform-ance, a healthful environment, tracking ofpurchasing and waste, and verification andreporting, make a building like The Edge amodel for sustainability.

Located in Atlanta’s historic OldFourth Ward and originally constructed in1946, The Edge has already achieved fourGreen Globes in addition to its two LEEDcertifications, as well as an AIA Georgia2013 Design Awards-Citation Award, aTOBY Award from BOMA Atlanta, anAward of Excellence for Sustainable De-sign from the Atlanta Urban Design Com-mission, and a finalist position for theUrban Land Institute of Atlanta’s Awardfor Excellence. The building’s sustainablefeatures include a thin-film photovoltaicsystem, a green roof, high-efficiency sys-tems and lighting, well-insulated walls withan air barrier, water-efficient fixtures, low-VOC finishes, and salvaged wood. UnderLEED EB:O+M, The Edge earned pointsfor a wide variety of operational practicesincluding alternative transportation, energyefficiency, sustainable purchasing and anoccupant education program.

The LEED EB:O+M certification ofThe Edge is just the latest in a long line ofachievements for Epsten Group. The firm

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 53

54 GEORGIA EnGInEER

Dagmar b. Epsten, FAIA, LEED Fellow, cxA,

President and cEO of Epsten Group, has

been named as one of 12 women to be

honored with a Womenetics 2014 POW!

Award.

Dagmar Epsten, a registered architectand globally recognized leader in high-per-formance buildings, along with her firmEpsten Group, has pioneered best sustain-able design practices in buildings nation-ally and internationally. Epsten Group hasa successful track record of providing de-sign, consulting, systems and building en-velope commissioning, and LEEDcertification review services on over 7,000buildings in more than 50 countries.Clients include corporations, developersand institutions such as Zoo Atlanta,which has tasked Epsten Group to providearchitectural and interior design, LEEDconsulting, and energy modeling for trans-forming the historic Cyclorama buildinginto a first-class events facility.

Since 2009, Womenetics has presentedthe POW! Awards to recognize extraordi-nary female leaders who have attained ahigh level of transformative success in busi-ness, academia or a nonprofit, and arechange agents in the community, respectedfor significant contributions locally andglobally.

“POW! Awards recipients are dy-namos,” said Elisabeth Marchant, founderand CEO of Womenetics. “They exude

confidence, spark innovation and bring the‘POW!’ factor to everything they do.”

Epsten Group’s own LEED Platinumcertified office ‘The Edge,’ on Atlanta’sEdgewood Avenue, is known as a local cat-alyst for redevelopment in the new street-car neighborhood and as an internationalpilot site for the ongoing evolution ofLEED certification. The building was re-cently recognized as the world’s firstLEED Double Platinum recipient for amajor renovation followed by the latestLEED standard for operations.

Dagmar Epsten serves enthusiasticallyon several boards and committees, includ-ing the Board of Advisors for the GeorgiaTech College of Architecture where she es-tablished the Epsten Environmental Vi-sion Prize, given annually to seniors in the

School of Architecture. Amanda Brown Olmstead nominated

Dagmar Epsten for the award as she is im-pressed by Dagmar’s impact: “Dagmar Ep-sten is a woman we relish working with,because of the quality standards she sets forherself and all who work around her.” Ep-sten Group is highly regarded by clients forthe high-performance building standardsthe company upholds and implements. Thefirm is also committed to its internal qual-ity processes and is accredited to ISO17065 for LEED certification reviews.

The Atlanta POW! Awards luncheontakes place on April 29, 2015, from 11:00a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the Georgia Aquarium.The public is invited to network with andsupport these women of action and pur-pose by attending the event. Tickets areavailable now at www.womenetics.com. v

Dagmar Epsten

Dagmar Epsten named one of 12 women honored with Womenetics 2014 POW! Award

has received numerous awards for its workin all project phases from design to opera-tion, has been recognized twice as one ofthe Top 300 Small Businesses of the South,one of EnR’s top 100 design firms of theSoutheast, and was ranked on Inc. Maga-zine’s list of fastest-growing private com-panies in America. Epsten Group is alsothe global leader in LEED reviews, havingconducted certification reviews for 7,000projects in more than 50 countries. Thefirm was recently awarded a high-profiledesign project for Zoo Atlanta, convertingthe historic Cyclorama building into aunique event facility overlooking a mixed-species savanna exhibit. v

Georgia architecture and engineeringfirm designs Liberty Plaza, adjacent toCapitol Hill, for public and civic use.

On the heels of Governor nathanDeal’s January 12 inauguration, a newreimagination of a former plaza has beencompleted at the Georgia State Capitolbuilding. The outdoor civic space, calledLiberty Plaza, was redesigned by Atlanta-and Columbia-based architecture and en-gineering firm Stevens & Wilkinson. Theintroduction of this area expands CapitolHill’s grounds across Capitol Avenue forpublic use. As a supporter of the project,Deal attended the January 16 dedication ofthe space in downtown Atlanta.

Stevens & Wilkinson was selected bythe Georgia Building Authority (GBA)and the Georgia State Financing and In-vestment Commission (GSFIC) to recre-ate Liberty Plaza as a gathering place forcelebrations, ceremonies, and assemblies forboth lawmakers and citizens. In conjunc-tion with landscape architecture firmHughes Good O’Leary Ryan (HGOR)and civil engineering firm Long Engineer-ing, Stevens & Wilkinson provided full de-sign services including the demolition of aparking deck, the creation of the plaza andan addition of strategic entryways to en-hance connectivity.

“Our team of architects and engineersimplemented smart design solutions to en-sure the plaza is beautiful, sustainable andaccessible for large numbers of citizens,”said Bill Clark, AIA, LEED AP, presidentof Stevens & Wilkinson Atlanta.

According to the GBA, this redesignof Liberty Plaza will enable it to becomethe major focal point for large and smallgroups holding public rallies and assem-blages both during and between legislativesessions. In keeping with the GBA’s visionof the space’s use, the design team plannedLiberty Plaza’s entrances with large crowdsin mind. The plaza’s new strategically de-

signed, broad entryways enhance connec-tivity to surrounding thoroughfares, andthe plaza itself can now hold more than3,400 people.

Full design services were the under-taking of Stevens & Wilkinson’s designteam. One of the first tasks to meet theproject’s goals was executing the demoli-tion of an existing decades-old parking

55FEbRuARy | MARch 2015

Stevens & Wilkinson reimagines Georgia State capitol Grounds

Photo credit: Stevens & Wilkinson

structure occupying the, now, site of Lib-erty Plaza. Once demolition of the formerparking garage had taken place, Stevens &Wilkinson implemented a recycling andreuse strategy to incorporate the materialsinto the new plaza.

While all of the steel from the formerstructure was recycled, the remaining con-crete was reused as backfill material forLiberty Plaza. This strategic design ideawas crucial to the repurposing of materialswhere possible and ensuring the new at-mosphere of Liberty Plaza was in line withthat of the existing, neighboring state gov-ernment buildings and other surroundings.

Liberty Plaza is strategically locatedwithin walking distance of public parkingand Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Author-ity (MARTA) stations and bus stops to re-duce vehicular traffic patterns around theCapitol area. Broad sidewalks, street treesand an accessible ramp connecting to anoverhead pedestrian bridge were conceivedand added by Stevens & Wilkinson andHGOR to enable increased walkability forgroups making use of Liberty Plaza.

Given the large capacity of the plaza,Liberty Plaza was designed with safety andsecurity in mind. Stevens & Wilkinson en-sured that the plaza can be secured with gatesand fencing, and the area will be continu-ously monitored by surveillance cameras.

In order to promote Georgia’s rich his-tory and incorporate it into the design ofLiberty Plaza, the Stevens & Wilkinsondesign team included installations of relo-cated public art. Among the public art arereplicas of both the Liberty Bell and theStatue of Liberty, which draw likenesses toLiberty Plaza in both their names andAmerican symbolism of freedom.

Visitors will enjoy plaques exhibitingexcerpts from both the Declaration of In-dependence and Preamble to the Consti-tution, which are displayed alongsideinscriptions with the words to The Star-Spangled Banner and Pledge of Allegiance.

Furthermore, Georgia-harvested gran-ite and a native Georgia plant palette werechosen for the design to as a representativeof the state’s natural resources. These ele-ments of the design contribute to the aes-thetic concert between Liberty Plaza and

the existing surrounding state governmentbuildings.

About Stevens & Wilkinson: Foundedin 1919, Stevens & Wilkinson is a full-ser-vice commercial architecture, engineeringand interior design firm committed to pro-

viding clients with ‘Smart Design Solu-tions.’ The firm’s combined design capa-bilities equate to projects executed withcreative, innovative and holistic design so-lutions. www.stevens-wilkinson.com. v

Photo credit: Stevens & Wilkinson

Photo credit: Stevens & Wilkinson

GEORGIA EnGInEER56

Express charging | Das Auto

2015 Washington Auto Show, two of the

top automakers, volkswagen of America

and bMW of north America, together with

chargePoint, the largest electric vehicle

charging network, announced an initiative

to create express charging corridors along

heavily-traveled routes on the East and

West coasts. Designed to increase the

number of fast charging locations, the ini-

tiative will help meet the large and grow-

ing demand for convenient, publicly

available electric vehicle fast chargers, in-

cluding direct current (Dc) Fast charging

locations, and support the adoption of

electric vehicles in the united States. In the

initial phase, the aim is to install nearly

100 Dc Fast chargers across both coasts,

with plans to expand the program to in-

crease access to fast charging across the

country. These newly installed Dc Fast

chargers will be added to the growing

chargePoint network of more than 20,000

charging spots in north America.

With more than 280,000 electric ve-hicles sold in the United States, EV own-ers need more charging flexibility while onthe go. The express charging corridors willprovide electric vehicle drivers access toDC Fast chargers along the most heavilypopulated and highly-trafficked regions onInterstate 95 on the east coast, from Bostonto Washington, D.C., and on the west coastcovering and connecting the metropolitanareas of Portland, San Francisco, Los An-geles, and San Diego. The installations willoccur both within and between relevantmetro areas, strategically-spaced at a max-imum of 50 miles apart, making it eveneasier to take long road trips in an EV.

“A robust network of conveniently lo-cated DC Fast charging stations will go along way toward increasing electric vehicleadoption and making electric vehicle own-ership even more enjoyable,” said RobertHealey, Head of EV Infrastructure atBMW of north America. “The expresscharging corridors are another importantstep in the development of the U.S. e-mo-bility infrastructure that makes longer dis-tance travel a real option for consumers,

particularly along the most heavily traf-ficked portions of both coasts—making theBMW i3 and other electric vehicles evenmore appealing.”

“Volkswagen believes in a holistic ap-proach to e-mobility in order to create aseamless experience for the consumer,” saidJörg Sommer, vice president, product mar-keting and strategy, Volkswagen of Amer-ica. “The investment in the expresscharging corridor will provide e-Golf andother electric vehicle owners with theadded support to travel their day-to-day

and popular long distance routes.”Each fast charging location along the

express charging corridors is expected toinclude up to two 50 kW DC Fast charg-ers, or 24 kW DC Combo Fast chargerswith the SAE Combo connector, used inboth BMW and Volkswagen electric vehi-cles as well as many other electric vehiclesthat incorporate a DC Fast Charging ca-pability. When charging at a 50 kW sta-tion, both the BMW i3 and theVolkswagen e-Golf can charge up to 80percent in 20 minutes. Both vehicles can

FEbRuARy | MARch 2015 57

58 GEORGIA EnGInEER

In november 2014, AMEc plc and Foster

Wheeler AG combined to create Amec

Foster Wheeler, a new force in global en-

gineering, project delivery, asset support,

power equipment, and consultancy. In

creating the new company, Amec Foster

Wheeler is building on the proud her-

itage, skills, and customers relationships

of two historic engineering giants with

over 150 years of experience.

The combined company, with a highlyskilled workforce of over 40,000 in morethan 50 countries, has a broader geographicspread, doubling its revenues from growthregions such as Latin America, and isstrongly positioned across the entire oil andgas value chain and in other key markets.More specifically, Foster Wheeler’s capa-bilities in the refining and processing of oiland gas complement

AMEC’s upstream business in explo-ration and production. The two companiesalso make a good geographical fit, withAMEC’s north American and Europeanfootprint enhanced by Foster Wheeler’sstrengths in the Middle East and Asia.

Amec Foster Wheeler is ranked num-ber two in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’sTop 25 Engineering Firms for 2014. Thecompany operates in the oil and gas, min-ing, clean energy, power generation, envi-ronment and infrastructure markets. Inaddition, the company is a leading designer,fabricator and supplier of advanced boiler

systems for the power generation and in-dustrial markets.

The firm’s history in Georgia datesback to 1946. In Georgia, Amec FosterWheeler has more than 1,000 employeeslocated in five metro Atlanta offices, alongwith locations in Warner Robins andBrunswick. These offices provide environ-mental services, engineering, design, andconstruction services to clients across mul-tiple sectors, including conventional power,nuclear, renewables/bioprocess, power,transmission & distribution, water, govern-ment, industrial/pharmaceutical, trans-portation, and infrastructure.

Amec Foster Wheeler’s broad array ofengineering, scientific and technical disci-plines provides a full range of services tomore than 8,000 public- and private-sec-tor clients. The company’s professional andtechnical specialists work to become themost trusted partner for their customers byconsistently delivering excellence, bringingtogether the knowledge, expertise and skillsof its people from across their global net-work. On all projects, Amec FosterWheeler strives to maintain the delicatebalance between humans and nature, fo-cusing on sustainable engineering, plan-ning, and design principles.

Through the years, Amec FosterWheeler has assisted clients with majorGeorgia development projects such as At-lantic Station and Aerotropolis (the former

Ford Motor Company site), where theyprovided environmental remediation andsite development services; Plant Vogtle,where they conduct construction materialtesting and geotechnical engineering forthe first new nuclear plant in the US innearly 30 years; and engineering and con-struction services for the installation of agypsum dewatering facility for the South-ern Company’s Plant Bowen inCartersville, Georgia. Plant Bowen hasbeen described as one of the US’s cleanestcoal-fired power plants and one of thelargest recycling centers in the world.Among other key projects, Amec FosterWheeler is on the team building the newAtlanta Falcons stadium, regularly workswith the Georgia Department of Trans-portation on projects throughout the state,and continues to assist the Savannah Har-bor Expansion project by helping to meetthe dissolved oxygen criterion for portdeepening.

“We take pride in our involvement inGeorgia’s development over the decades,”said Allen Kibler, East Group Leader forAmec Foster Wheeler’s Environment &Infrastructure business. “With our ex-panded footprint and resources, we’ve gota world of expertise at our clients’ disposal,enabling us to see solutions in the mostchallenging environments. And we’ll con-tinue to be a trusted partner to our clientsthroughout Georgia.” v

AMEc combines with Foster Wheeler

charge up to 80 percent in 30 minutes ata 24 kW station. Locations will also in-clude Level Two chargers, currently themost commonly available public charg-ing stations, which are compatible withall electric vehicles. Level Two stationscan dispense up to 25 miles of range perhour of charging, providing a full chargefor the BMW i3 and the VW e-Golfwithin 3.5 to four hours.

The DC Fast charging stations will bepart of the ChargePoint network and canbe easily accessed with a ChargePoint orChargenow card or with the ChargePointmobile app.

“Our goal at ChargePoint is to geteveryone behind the wheel of an EV andprovide EV charging everywhere they go,”said Pasquale Romano, ChargePoint CEO.“With strategically-placed stations wheredrivers need them, these express chargingcorridors will give EV drivers the freedomto go farther and have an EV as their onlycar without limitation.”

Installations have already begun on thewest coast, with the first location in SanDiego County. There is a target of nearly100 DC Fast charging spots in the firstphase, available by the end of 2015. DCFast chargers along the express charging

corridors are expected to be installed inconvenient locations such restaurants,shopping centers, rest stops, and more.ChargePoint will leverage its existing cus-tomer base and knowledge on usage to pickstrategic locations either where drivers cur-rently charge, or to fill in spaces wherethere is currently a lack of infrastructure.

With the investment, Volkswagen,BMW and ChargePoint are providingdrivers with the ability and confidence toenjoy longer distance driving andrecharge their electric vehicles quickly, ul-timately leading to greater electric vehi-cle adoption.v

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