SUMMER 2017

d New-century Tech for a Century-old Highway d Pre-emptive Success d Practicing and Teaching Green Infrastructure d Design It As If It Were Your Own d When Quality Assurance is "Truly Fab" d How Do You Spell Relief? d Getting a Closer Look d Making Rough Roads Smooth Again d To Restore and Protect d Field Notes

IN THIS ISSUE Gulf State Park Lodge Construction Gulf Shores, Alabama

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Message from Perry HandCEO and Chairman of the Board

As 2017 progresses, Volkert continues to grow steadily and sustainably in size, services, and geographic reach. One very clear measure of our progress came this spring: Volkert ranked #94 among the “Top 500 Design Firms” in Engineering-News-Record. This is the firm’s highest-ever ranking and a climb of 21 places over last year.

Volkert’s ranking is a reflection of our associates, who are bringing innovation and quality to our clients. Green infrastructure and low-impact design are examples of the innovations that we are delivering to provide sustainability. In our nation’s capital, Volkert is partnering with the District to demonstrate the techniques and benefits of low-impact design (p. 5). Some of the new staff we've recently added (p. 12) are thought leaders in this technology.

Innovative technology is also being deployed in Florida, where bridge inspectors are using drones to help examine hard-to-access structures (p. 9) and have developed apps that automate the documentation of construction inspection work.

We’re also excited about the development of our services in the energy sector. What began as right-of-way for an Illinois utility’s power lines has grown into a full range of services that we provide for gas and electric transmission across multiple states (p. 4) and is now a core business for Volkert. Finally, we are delighted to be managing Alabama’s coastal restoration program (p. 11). Our coasts are national treasures and, having lived on the Gulf Coast for most of my life, I am gratified that we are bringing the very best science and expertise to this vital effort.

Whether you are headed to a coast this summer, or just spending time with family, I wish you all a safe and happy travel season and remainder of 2017.

Sincerely,

Perry A. Hand, PE, PLSCEO and Chairman of the Board

Volkert was selected for the 2017 Project of the Year award in the waste- and stormwater category by ACEC - Alabama for our work on the Fairhope Water Resource Recovery Facility in Fairhope, Alabama. Volkert evaluated, designed, and performed construction services for upgrades and modifications to the facility.

We also assisted with implementing measures to maintain permit compliance, address reduced facility capacity, improve efficiencies, and enhance effluent quality through nutrient removal and filtration practices.

THIS JUST IN:Volkert Wins ACEC Project of the Year Award

Perry A. Hand, PE & PLS

Volkert Wins MACE Project of the YearVolkert was selected for the Project of the Year award by Mobile Area Council of Engineers (MACE) for our work on the Baldwin Beach Express, Extension of C.R. 83 (C.R. 32 to C.R. 64) in Baldwin County, Alabama. The Baldwin Beach Express is an $85 million four-lane highway extending from I-10 to the Foley Beach Express, providing a faster hurricane evacuation route in times of severe weather.

This 13-mile project also provides travelers an alternative to passing through more than 25 traffic lights. The Baldwin Beach Express provides a safe and efficient roadway during seasonal months, easing traffic congestion and thus enhancing tourism, retail, and entertainment revenue in the area.

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New-century Tech for a Century-old Highway

As part of a $5 million IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity) contract, Volkert Texas Region is leading design services for the reconstruction and facility improvements for State Highway 6 through DeLeon, Texas.

One of the original 26 state highways proposed in 1917, S.H. 6 runs from the Red River in the Panhandle down to Galveston. The highway is part of corridor improvements by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to facilitate traffic and freight-moving from the Gulf Coast through west and north Texas, while also accommodating DeLeon’s local community. The route includes intersections with State Highway 16, the local school football and track stadium, and the city fairgrounds where DeLeon holds its annual Peach and Melon Festival.

“The urban section represents a big change from the traditionally rural nature of the roadways in and around DeLeon,” said Trevor Reed, project manager. “The project features more than 70 driveways that have to be carefully designed and coordinated with TxDOT and the community to ensure access is maintained and expectations are met."

“Additionally, the urban section we are designing will replace concrete ditches throughout the project with an improved storm sewer collection system,” Reed commented. “We are optimizing the proposed design within the existing right-of-way to accommodate this new drainage approach.”

According to Brian Huntsinger, senior project manager, this is the first 3D OpenRoads design project in Texas, and the Volkert staff are enjoying the opportunity to help TxDOT with the learning curve.

“We started from day one with the 3D design approach and were able to deliver a working model prior to schematic review and the public meeting,” said Huntsinger. “We are doing a lot of training internally to deliver the project as expected, and it’s a great opportunity to help TxDOT build their 3D OpenRoads design resources and set precedent for their expectations with the new technology.”

Volkert Texas Team Members:Brian Huntsinger, Sr. Project ManagerTrevor Reed, Project ManagerMaurice Pittman, Sr. Project ManagerSlone Harrison, Engineer in Training/DesignerTravis Falls, ManagerGeoffrey Gastelum, Senior Designer

A public meeting for the DeLeon Project (State Highway 6) was held at a local school.

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One recent Volkert West Central project helped the client reach its objective, despite never making it to construction. Laclede Gas had proposed a new 16-mile greenfield natural gas pipeline that would tie its St. Louis market from an existing meter station in St. Charles County, Missouri, to an existing Laclede-owned transmission line in St. Louis County, Missouri. “This was the first significant project of this size for Laclede in many years,” said project manager Travis Rogers. “The client’s processes are typically geared for small-scale operational projects, such as acquiring one or two parcels for minimal right of way of 10 to 25 feet. This project had roughly 45 parcels with the typical right-of-way at 115 feet. “When dealing with this number of landowners, it was key to have a good agreement to approach them with,” Rogers continued. “The Volkert team was able to bring new ideas and new approaches to the table to help draft a successful acquisition document.” Volkert was responsible for obtaining titles, contacting landowners along the proposed route for survey permission, coordinating survey efforts and non-environmental permits, completing boundary surveys with exhibits for acquisition, and acquiring easements through negotiation with landowners. The project was executed so quickly that the client was able to negotiate better terms from its existing supplier, negating the need to construct a new line.

Volkert West Central Team Members:Travis Rogers, Project Manager Roger Varney, Senior Land Manager Michael McCombs, Assistant Project Manager Shanna Ivey, Doc Prep/QA/QC/Title Lead Josh Zipprich, GIS Specialist Jason Schreckenberg, Survey/Engineering Manager Nancy Klarich, Database Lead

Pre-emptive Success

This map of St. Charles County, Missouri, depicts the general topography of the Laclede Gas project. (Image provided by Google, Inc., 2017)

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Practicing and Teaching Green Infrastructure

Green infrastructure has become an integral part of the development of transportation infrastructure design, and Volkert’s Mid-Atlantic Region is leading the way for DOTs and municipalities in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Volkert has provided design and construction management services for projects incorporating sustainable stormwater management (SWM) infrastructure since low impact development (LID) was in its infancy.

“At Volkert, we believe that every project has the opportunity to integrate green infrastructure,” said Oliver Boehm, RLA, head of Volkert Mid-Atlantic Region’s landscape architecture department. “For some projects, that may only be preserving a tree that residents want to save; for others, it is a comprehensive sustainable SWM approach. Our vision is to offer our clients the full spectrum of green infrastructure services – planning, design, construction, and monitoring.”

Ben Lineberry, PE, Volkert Mid-Atlantic’s vice president of construction services, commented further, “We worked with permitting agencies to develop acceptable design solutions, as green infrastructure standards for LID practices were previously not in existence in the District.”

A unique aspect of Volkert’s work is educating stakeholders regarding the purpose and benefits of LID facilities as opposed to traditional stormwater management facilities. Volkert also educates contractors regarding the construction of LID facilities while confirming correct construction and plant installations according to specifications and resolving field issues.

As a result of Volkert’s extensive and comprehensive experience with the design and construction of green SWM infrastructure, DOTs and municipalities have asked Volkert to conduct training for inspection, construction, and DOT personnel and other stakeholder agencies.

Volkert Mid-Atlantic Team Members: Ben Lineberry, Vice President of Construction ServicesOliver Boehm, Lead Landscape Architect

Volkert transformed a 1970s era impervious concrete space into a contemporary green roof harvesting run-off for irrigation.

Volkert provided Green Infrastructure construction management for DDOT’s RiverSmart project, showcasing dozens of LID devices.

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Design It As If It Were Your Own

Volkert Global and Volkert Franklin (Tennessee) have a new home as the first tenants to locate in the recently completed Two Greenway Centre—a site Volkert itself designed.

Volkert Franklin had been charged with performing the site design for a master-planned site to contain two 160,000-square-foot, mid-rise commercial office buildings – One Greenway Centre and Two-Greenway Centre – in the Cool Springs area of Franklin. Site design consisted of all grading, drainage, utilities, parking lot layout, permitting, and zoning compliance on the approximately 34-acre site. Additionally, Volkert was contracted to perform construction administration duties.

“A unique challenge for completion of the full site is that the project began in 2007, but due to the recession in 2008/2009, the developer decided to only build one of the two approved office buildings,” said project manager Robby Dickenson. “The site and building for One Greenway Centre was fully constructed and the site for Two Greenway Centre was only rough graded for future completion.”

In the fall of 2014, the developer decided to reactivate the site for Two Greenway Centre and began construction in the fall of 2015. Within the same timeframe, Volkert began looking for a larger office space due to the continued growth of the Volkert Franklin office. The then-under-construction Two Greenway Centre was one of the few available locations that fit Volkert’s needs.

After the search for new office space began, it was announced that Volkert Global would be headquartered in Franklin, co-located with Volkert's Franklin office. The LEED Silver-certified Two Greenway Centre was selected for the offices, and on April 3, 2017, Volkert moved into the new building.

Volkert Central Team Members:Robby Dickenson, Project ManagerBob Polk, Senior Vice PresidentMicah Wood, Senior Planner

Two Greenway Centre in Franklin, Tennessee, is the Volkert Franklin office as well as the headquarters for Volkert Global.

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Volkert’s Gulf Field Region is providing quality assurance inspections of precast/prestressed bridge members on behalf of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

“Volkert has been assigned all DOTD fabrication work that is constructed at the Gulf Coast Precast fabrication yard in Pass Christian, Mississippi,” said project manager Stephen Heraty. “This has allowed the DOTD to concentrate their staff on other fabrication yards. We also train their new employees in the fabrication field.”

The projects are assigned to Volkert under individual task orders and vary in size from projects taking just three weeks of work to a year or more. In the approximately 10 years Volkert has worked on fabrication projects for the Louisiana DOTD, it has been assigned 28 individual task orders that total more than one million linear feet of precast products.

Heraty said that he and his colleagues often manage multiple projects at once, and that each job has a different type of structural member and specification.

“With multiple projects going on at the same time, our experience really shines in the understanding of various plans and specifications for each project, then using that information to verify that each member is constructed properly,” Heraty said. “We have been selected three consecutive times by two different DOTD fabrication engineers to perform this work. That shows we are performing at a high level and to the client's satisfaction.”

Volkert Gulf Field Team Members:Stephen Heraty, Project ManagerLloyd Ostendorf, Project SupervisorAnthony Gennaro, Senior InspectorBradley Stewart, Senior InspectorGerald Bergeron, Senior InspectorBrandon Carpenter, Certified InspectorReba Cuevas, Office Manager

When Quality Assurance Is “Truly Fab”

Volkert performs inspection work at this Gulf Coast Precast fabrication yard for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

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How Do You Spell Relief?

Volkert is working with Escambia County, Florida, to bring much needed long-term congestion relief to Pensacola Beach.

The Pensacola Beach Congestion Management Plan project involves three short-term design/construction projects, public involvement, long-term congestion solutions for the core area of Pensacola Beach, additional parking options, and transit/trolley analysis.

Research has shown that approximately 70 percent of the beach visitors are area residents making a day trip to enjoy the water, sand, and sun. Over the years, the traffic congestion, the lack of parking, and the inability to safely accommodate a growing number of pedestrians have created a negative impact on visitors, as well as to those living on the beach.

One concept has been the most widely accepted and appears to be moving forward for approval and design, according to project manager Mike Warnke of Volkert's Gulf Design Region. It involves pedestrian underpasses at several key locations within the Pensacola Beach core area, along with the construction of roundabouts. In addition, plans propose several conceptual parking areas and the addition of transit/trolley system stops to ease the beach parking issues.

“The traffic congestion problem is not new for Pensacola Beach, and the Santa Rosa Island Authority and Escambia County have been involved in studies and concepts dating back 10 to 15 years,” said Warnke. “Our main challenges for the long-term congestion solutions are balancing the needs of vehicles and pedestrians, parking, and the wants of the stakeholders. Each component will be evaluated to develop solutions that provide relief in the short term as well as promote safe and efficient operations for many years to come.”

Volkert Gulf Design Team Members:Shawn Justice, Vice President, Principal in ChargeScott Golden, QA/QC ManagerMike Warnke, Project ManagerClark Bailey, Traffic EngineerClark Kennedy, Traffic EngineerAmy O’Laughlin, Junior EngineerJay Dickson, Planner

Pedestrian underpasses will greatly alleviate Pensacola Beach traffic congestion, as shown in this rendering.

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Getting a Closer Look

In an ongoing partnership with the Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE), Volkert Florida Region is providing structures inspection for more than 390 bridges, 440 over-lane signs and toll gantries, 250 high mast lights, and 50 large culverts along the state’s turnpikes.

“We are currently providing FTE with hands-on inspections, including above- and underwater inspections, confined space penetration dive inspections, and fracture critical inspections,” said project manager Dan Teal. “We’ve also recently begun using small unmanned aerial systems – drones – in inspecting high bridges and high mast light structures on this contract.”

Teal said the use of drones in their inspections is fairly new, but that they were able to work with a service provider to look at six bridges and all of the high mast light towers.

“The bridges were originally scheduled to be inspected using a snooper, an under-bridge access truck that involves a lane closure,” he explained. “We were able to use the drone to allow close visual access under the bridges, which kept us from having to disrupt traffic. With the high mast light towers, the drone allowed unprecedented visual access to the upper portions of the lights – parts of the structures that haven’t been seen since the structures were built – and gave us an up-close look at joint areas that are prone to cracking.”

Teal said that while drone inspection is a helpful tool, it does not replace hands-on inspections.

“Replacing a snooper inspection with a drone inspection is only advisable for bridges that are in good shape, and it is only intended to replace the snooper inspection every other cycle," said Teal. "If the drone observes something of concern, it’s important that we still have the capability to use a snooper or lift truck to perform our regular hands-on inspection.”

Volkert will begin using an in-house drone for the high mast light inspections next month.

Volkert Florida Team Members:Dan Teal, Project ManagerDrew Appler, Deputy Project ManagerEd Rucks, Jr., Field SupervisorMelissa Franklin, Project Administrator

Drone technology allows for simple, safe preliminary inspection of high mast lighting.

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Making Rough Roads Smooth Again

A 20-mile section of I-85 from Vance County, North Carolina, to the Virginia state line is getting a major overhaul.

“The concrete pavement was constructed in the early 1960s, and it is not uncommon to see North Carolina Department of Transportation crews patching the roadway,“ said Jamal Atkins, project manager. Volkert’s Carolinas Region is providing construction engineering and inspection services and is the prime engineering firm on the rehabilitation and reconstruction project. The firm’s experts address the deteriorating pavement conditions and the enhancement of operations and safety through improved shoulders and increased vertical clearance of structures.

The concrete paving project required the contractor to build a concrete laboratory, where mixing, loading, and testing takes place on-site. Volkert provides the quality assurance at the lab site to test the compressive and flexural strength of the delivered concrete. The project also involves grading, drainage, asphalt paving, and structure work.

The contractor has received further incentive by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to expedite the completion of the project by almost one year. Volkert’s team is working with the NCDOT to provide additional inspection personnel to the project as needed.

Volkert Carolinas Team Members:Jamal Atkins, Project ManagerWarren Walker, Vice President, CEI Manager

Concrete paving and reconstruction is taking place on I-85 in North Carolina.

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To Restore and Protect

Volkert is managing Alabama’s long-term, multidisciplinary restoration program, administered and overseen by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an environmental and economic disaster for the Gulf Coast, causing billions of dollars in damage. Recovery is still underway and will be for decades. Settlements with BP and other responsible parties will result in more than $20 billion coming to the region over the next 15 years for environmental and economic recovery projects.

“Restoration at this scale has never been attempted anywhere in the world,” said program manager Bethany Carl Kraft. “Anyone can build one oyster reef, but what we are trying to do is both repair damage from an oil spill and improve our environment and economy. In South Alabama, and really along the entire Gulf Coast, the health of the economy and that of the environment are intrinsically linked.”

Kraft said Volkert is uniquely positioned to manage the program because of the engineering, environmental, and program management expertise it brings to bear.

“One of the challenges of this project is also the most exciting aspect,” Kraft continued. “As program managers, how can we support the state to plan, sequence, implement, and monitor projects in such a way as to make the sum of the projects greater than their individual parts? How can we use these projects to make our economy and ecology stronger than it was before the spill?” she said.

“In 15 to 20 years, we hope to see a fully recovered Alabama with projects on the ground that benefit the people, economy, wildlife, and beautiful habitats of the State.”

Volkert Program Management Team Members:Leon Barkan, Senior Vice President, Program ManagementBethany Carl Kraft, Program ManagerBrett Gaar, Vice President, Gulf Region Environmental Service Line LeaderPaul Bradley, Environmental Services ManagerTrent Farris, Environmental ScientistPaige Felts, Environmental Project ManagerStan Winter, Construction Manager

Volkert is managing the construction/program for the Lodge at Gulf State Park in Alabama.

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Randy Redmond, PE, is leading Volkert’s development and growth in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area as vice president of Volkert’s Texas Region. Randy brings a strong history of experience and leadership in highway transportation programs and project delivery methods, having served TxDOT for nearly 30 years in multiple capacities.

Ralph S. Bove, Jr., joins Volkert as vice president for our Florida Region’s Project Development and Environment (PD&E) practice. With 33 years of experience, Ralph brings extensive expertise to managing PD&E and NEPA studies for FDOT’s transportation and improvement projects.

Mark McConnell, PE, joins Volkert as vice president and Mississippi operations manager. Mark brings nearly three decades of experience with the Mississippi Department of Transportation, where retired in 2016 as chief engineer and deputy executive director. In 2010 Mark was named Mississippi Government Engineer of the Year.

Barry Fagan, PE/PLS, ENV SP, CPMSM, CPESC, CESSWI, brings over 26 years of environmental and construction experience to Volkert. Barry is leading Volkert’s new Green Infrastructure service line, focusing on livability, sustainability, and resilience. He is recognized across the nation for his innovative approaches to construction and post-construction stormwater management.

J. Michael Wintermute, PE, joins Volkert as our Pennsylvania operations manager. His responsibilities as practice builder for the tri-state area (Pennsylvania-New York-New Jersey) include business development, client relationships, and project management. Michael brings 23 years of experience with PDOT and transportation consultants in design, construction, and alternative delivery.

Jesse Garcia, PE, joins our Houston office as a senior project manager. Jesse has over 35 years of PS&E (plan specification and estimate) experience in the design and construction management of roadway projects, with construction costs ranging from $1.5 million to over $1.2 billion, including projects with the TxDOT Houston District.

Joe Hitterman, PE, comes to Volkert with more than 24 years of experience in transportation design and project management. Joe, who began his career at FDOT District 7, has been lead engineer or project manager on many facilities in and around the Tampa Bay area.

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Field Notes