News

Recent News

• Nineteen Georgia ITE professionals, Georgia Tech students, and friends enjoyed each others company and traditional German food at Der Biergarten in Downtown Atlanta before the game. Our group of thirty or so sat together, socialized, and watched the Atlanta Thrashers take on the Calgary Flames at Phillips Arena. Sadly, the Thrashers lost by two points, but everyone seemed to have a great time anyway. Afterwards, some of the group went to RiRa Irish Pub to finish off a full night of fun. Photos!

• Event 3: SWEETWATER BREWERY TOUR
  WHAT: Sweetwater Brewery Tour
  WHEN: March 9, 2011; Doors to Sweetwater open to the Public at 5:30 PM.
  WHERE: Sweetwater Brewery (http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com/), 195 Ottley Drive, Atlanta, GA 30324.
  

• TRB Webinar - Roundabouts: An Informational Guide-Second Edition

  TRB will be conducting a web seminar or "webinar" on March 9, 2011, from 2:00p.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST that will explore the findings of NCHRP Report 672: Roundabouts: An Informational Guide-Second Edition Participants must register by clicking here at least 24 hours prior to the start of the webinar, space is limited, and there is a fee for non-TRB Sponsor employees. Webinar attendees will receive a certificate for 1.5 professional development hours.

• Governor's Legislation - Transportation Investment Act of 2010 - Talking Points Sheet

• ITE GA Coastal Area Meeting: Friday, February 25th, 2011

  Please join us on Friday, February 25, 2011 at the Johnny Harris Restaurant, 1651 East Victory Drive, at 11:30am
  Cost: $16
  Program: Savannah - Hilton Head International Airport Expansion Plans
  George Fidler Jr. PE. Director of Engineering
  RSVP by February 18 and select meal choice by calling Emma at (912)651-6600.
  Please mail your check or money order for your lunch cost to Emma Washington, City of Savannah Traffic Engineering Dept, P.O. Box 1027, Savannah, GA 31402

• Winter Workshop - Traffic Engineering Boot Camp, Sunday, February 27 - Monday, February 28

  The Georgia Section of ITE is beginning a new tradition. Be a part of history. Please join us at the inaugural Georgia Section ITE Winter Workshop. The 2011 Winter Workshop is being held at Winshape Retreat located on the campus of Berry College in Rome, Georgia. The day and a half conference will begin at noon on Sunday, February 27 and conclude by 4:00 p.m. Monday, February 28, 2011. The conference is only $140 if you register by Jan 14. The hotel accommodations are reasonable, too.

  The Georgia Section of ITE is committed to providing a great technical program in a great environment. The Winshape Retreat facility is a converted dairy facility located on the beautiful campus of Berry College. Berry College is the world's largest campus (in land area) with over 26,000 acres. The Winshape Retreat as its name implies is primarily a retreat facility designed as a meeting facility to allow guests to get away from the normal routine and enjoy each others company in a pristine setting. As a retreat facility, the Winshape Retreat has some restrictions that you should be aware of. No alcohol is permitted on the campus. The rooms do not have telephones, televisions or internet connection, and no children under the age of 18 are allowed. There is cell phone coverage throughout the facility and wireless internet connection is also available in most areas of the facility. Since this workshop is in February, no spouse or children's activities are planned. Of course, ITE members are always welcome, but members of other transportation-focused organizations such as WTS, ASCE, ASHE, GPA and others are invited as well.

• 2010 Annual Meeting Summary

  The Georgia Section held our Annual Meeting at Maggiano’s Perimeter on December 21st. We celebrated a very successful year, where we saw our membership grow by more than 8% to over 440 members. David Low, immediate Past President, gave a State of the Section report that highlighted some of our accomplishments, including the following:

  Leadership Development Program

  The Georgia Section recently completed its second Leadership Development Program. The program was developed in conjunction with ITE’s Southern District to equip members with the skills to help them provide more effect leadership in their organizations. Conducted over two days, the content of the curriculum included conducting effective meetings; developing relationships with peers and elected officials; effective leader communications; developing vision and action plans; educating, informing and engaging stakeholders; and coaching employees; and evaluating leadership effectiveness.

  Mentoring Program

  To better prepare young engineers for leadership roles, Georgia Section recently established a Mentoring program. The second group of individuals completed the training and received their “graduation” certificates at the December Annual Meeting. The engineers successfully completing the program included Patrick Allen, Tim Brandstetter, Brett Buchanan, Rama Chilukuri and Patrick McAtee.

  Awards

  Georgia Section ITE acknowledges members and other transportation professionals who have contributed significantly to the section or the profession in the past year. The following awards were presented at our Annual Meeting:

  • Idea Sharing Award – this award was presented to Eli Veith for his leadership role in the City of Alpharetta’s analysis of adaptive traffic control systems
  • John D. Edwards, Jr. Individual Achievement Award – Carla Holmes was presented this award for her work on updating the Policies and Procedures Manual
  • Karl Bevins Distinguished Service Award – Marsha Anderson Bomar received this award for her lifetime of service to ITE and to the Georgia Section
  • Transportation Professional of the Year – Jay Roberts, House Transportation Committee Chairman, was presented this award for his leadership in preparing and promoting House Bill 277, which will provide for a referendum in 2012 for a 10-year transportation sales tax in each of 12 regional districts throughout the state.
  • President’s Special Recognition Award – David Low recognized Winter Horbal with this award for her leadership of the Young Members Committee, which hosted 9 activities with over 200 participants in 2010.

  Scholarships

  Our 2010 scholarships were awarded to five deserving students. Georgia Tech students Stephanie Box, Susan Hotle, Christopher Rome and Adam Rosbury, as well as Southern Poly student Troy Galloway received scholarships.

• Bill Ruhsam recorded the meeting for our first ever podcast for the August meeting. We are currently working on getting the feed for the podcast set up so that you can subscribe through ITunes but for now you can download the file directly.

  August 2010 Monthly ITE Meeting.mp3

• The video below is from the London trip currently in progress. There are two videos posted under the newly created ITE Georgia page on Youtube. Check them out. More will be posted as they are received.

• Mentoring Class Announced

  News flash! GA ITE's mentoring program is primed to kick off its second year! This program's objective is to develop the future of our industry through six formal sessions lead by experts on topics including: Business Etiquette, Gender/Age Issues, Judgment/Political Decisions. In addition to formal gatherings participants are encouraged to communicate & get together on their own with the intention of sharing knowledge & experience. Seasoned industry professionals have been paired with younger members who have demonstrated involvement & shown potential for future leadership in the organization. This year's program is scheduled to kick off on July 13th and conclude at the December awards banquet.

  Your 2010 protégé class & mentors include:

  • Patrick Allen - Marion Waters
  • Tim Brandstetter - Vern Wilburn
  • Brett Buchanan - Phillip Allen
  • Rama Chilukuri - Carla Holmes
  • Alex Kennedy - Betsy Williams
  • Patrick McAtee - Kenn Fink

  For more information please contact this year's team: Scott Younker, Andrew Antweiler, Alvin James, Paul DeNard, Kristin Turner, Travis Hurt

• Half-Day Technical Exchange in Columbus

  Our Technical Committee is planning a ½ day technical meeting in Columbus on Wednesday, December 8th. This meeting is especially for members, other transportation professionals and technicians in Middle and South Georgia, but others are welcome. Ron Hamlett, City Traffic Engineer in Columbus, is coordinating local arrangements. Dwayne Tedder is developing the technical program, which will focus on ATMS type training.

• ITS Training Opportunity Dec. 8th - Georgia Section ITE - Technical Committee

  A training session is being held in Columbus, Georgia on December 8th, 2010. The Georgia Section of ITE - Technical Committee is sponsoring a half-day training opportunity to provide engineers and technicians training on video detection systems and adaptive traffic signal control systems. The fee for the training is $15, which includes lunch. Please see the attachment for further details.

  For more information click here

• Transpo2010

  The conference is scheduled for December 12 to 15 and it will be held at the beautiful Sawgrass Marriot hotel in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The conference is being sponsored by ITSFL, ITSGA, ITE Georgia, ITE Florida, FDOT, GDOT, and FHWA. It will include golf, networking opportunities, and plently of technical sessions to inform you of the latest advancements in our industry.

• Attention Gwinnett County Transportation People

  The semi-regular gathering of Gwinnett transportation-interested people is Monday, Nov 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. in Lawrenceville. This group of engineers, planners, and "professional busy-bodies" meet to talk about bettering transportation in Gwinnett County. The next meeting will be at Oyster Bay Seafood Company (125 Crogan St) on the Lawrenceville Square. For more information email John.Karnowski@stantec.com or just show up Monday night

• T&DI - Calendar Alert

  November Meeting
  Program will feature: Erik Steavens, Intermodal Division Chief at GDOT discussing High Speed Rail and other rail initiatives
  Registration will be available soon. For questions, email Lenor Bromberg: lbromberg@keagroup.com

• 2010 Highway Capacity Manual Workshop

  When::September 30, 2010

  Where: Roswell-Alpharetta Public Safety Training Center The Georgia Section of ITE has requested McTrans conduct a one-day 2010 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) Workshop. This workshop will provide an overview and technical information on the 2010 HCM to be published later this year. Special attention will be given to those procedures that will change most, including Signalized Intersections, Urban Streets, Roundabouts and Freeway Weaving. The Highway Capacity Software (HCS) will be previewed to demonstrate the new features being implemented in the 2010 version. The cost of the workshop is $150 and certificates will be distributed to document 6 PDHs.

  You can read more about the training course content and register online at: http://mctrans.ce.ufl.edu/training/ (Note: Registration will be available after 8/16)

  Please contact McTrans with any questions at 1-800-226-1013 or mctrans@ce.ufl.edu. The Georgia ITE contact is Andrew Antweiler at aantweiler@roswellgov.com

• London Technical Tour Trip

  The Georgia Section of ITE is sponsoring a dynamic one week tour to London September 20, 2010 and would like to invite you to attend. Our hosts will be the Institution of Highways & Transportation (IHT). IHT is the equivalent of ITE in the UK. What will we do? Get first-hand knowledge of how they are dealing with roundabouts, addressing congestion, freeway management and traffic calming. We’ll share what we learn at next year’s Southern District Meeting in Lafayette.

  If you have any questions about the trip, please contact Naveed Jaffar at (770) 428-0157 njaffar@flohut.com or me at (770) 594-6422 dlow@roswellgov.com. If you think of others that might be interested, please let us know and we will contact them about the tour.

  2010 ITE trip to London information

• New Highway Safety Manual Workshop

  Who: Ga ITE presents a two-day training workshop opportunity for traffic professionals
  When: August 25 and 26, 2010
  Where: PBS&J conference room. 1600 River Edge Pkwy, Suite 600, Atlanta Ga, 30328
  Why: Transportation agencies will soon have a new safety analysis tool. The Highway Safety Manual provides information and tools to facilitate safety considerations for: system planning, project planning, construction, and operations/maintenance.
  

• The ITE Technical Committee is hosting the following webinar and inviting ITE and ASHE members to attend:

  Webinar: More, Better, Faster: Existing and Innovative Interchange Designs [Sponsored by ASCE Continuing Education and ASCE's Transportation and Development Institute (T&DI)]

  Presenter: Stephen B. Dearing, P.E., PTOE, Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc.
  PDH: 1.5
  Date: August 20, 2010
  Time: Noon - 1:30 P.M EST
  Venue: ARCADIS US Inc: 2849 Paces Ferry Rd, Suite 400 Atlanta, Georgia 30339
  

• Older Driver Safety Design Workshop

  Injury Prevention Program, Division of Emergency Preparedness, Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Georgia Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Safety Administration (FHWA) will offer the 2nd Older Driver Safety Design Train-the-Trainer Workshop for Georgia Traffic Engineers. The workshop is a one-day event scheduled for Wednesday, July 21, 2010 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mark Doctor, a Safety & Geometric Design Engineer with FHWA will conduct the workshop.

  We encourage traffic engineers to register early. The registration deadline for the Older Driver Safety Design Workshop is June 30, 2010. Only 30 spaces will be available for the workshop.

  Also, to register, you may contact Shaliondel Benton by e-mail: shaliondelbenton@hotmail.com or Amy Edwards by e-mail: aedwards@gohs.ga.gov

• Free Webinar on International Pedestrian Safety

  CHAPEL HILL, NC - The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) announces the next free Webinar in its Livable Communities Webinar Series:

  Pedestrian Safety From Around the World
  Wednesday, June 30, 2010
  2:00pm-3:00pm E.T.

  Presented by: Charlie Zegeer
  Director, Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

  In this presentation, Charlie Zegeer will discuss pedestrian safety from an international perspective. From China to Dubai to New York City to India, Charlie will lead us on a quick tour of pedestrian safety design and treatments from around the globe.

  Beginning with pedestrian safety statistics at the global and regional level, the presentation will uncover relationships between design, engineering treatments, and pedestrian safety and establish the basic principles that guide and inform these relationships. Charlie will also present a selection of results from the International Scan on Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety and Mobility, which examined pedestrian safety treatments at a number of locations throughout the world. He will also describe a case study from Miami-Dade County, Florida, regarding safety benefits that can potentially result from a comprehensive pedestrian safety program.

• Atlanta Braves vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Tuesday, June 15, 2010 @ 7:15 P.M.), $4/ticket: Joint Event with WTS and ITE

  We had 78 ITE members, friends, and family signed up for the event.

• Meeting Transportation's 21st Century Challenges Web Briefing

  This Web briefing is a showcase of selected presentations from the 2010 ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit, Meeting Transportation's 21st Century Challenges held in Savannah, GA in March 2010. The presentations are representative of the Planning and Transportation Operations tracks. The Web briefing is being offered in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

  The following topics will be presented:
  
  Revisiting Pedestrian Malls, Jessia R. Schmidt, Urban Designer/Planner II, Sam Schwartz Engineering, New York, NY, USA
  
  Abandoned Rail Lines Converted to Public Spaces, Morgan T. Whitcomb, Transportation Engineer, Sam Schwartz Engineering, New York, NY, USA
  
  Analysis of Alternative Level of Service Methodologies, Rachel E. Hiatt, Senior Transportation Planner, San Francisco County Transportation Authority, San Francisco, CA , USA

  When: Wednesday, June 9, 12:00 pm - 1:30pm (1.5 pdh)
  

• 2009 MUTCD: Traffic Signals and Accessible Pedestrian Signals - Webinar

  Date: Wednesday, May 26, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern
  Credit: 1 PDH
  Instructors: Ronnie Bell, P.E. and Dr. Billie Louise Bentzen
  Site Fee: $50.00
  The briefing will focus on the significant revisions that have been made to the standards, guidance, and options that are included in the 2009 MUTCD regarding traffic control signals, including pedestrian signals and accessible pedestrian signals. At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to identify the significant revisions that have been included in the 2009 MUTCD regarding traffic control signals.

  For complete details, click here.

• Fiber Optic Training Session

  The Technical Committee is sponsoring a half-day training opportunity to provide engineers and technicians the chance to "see, hear, and do". Sam Nelson, a representative from Corning Cable Systems, will provide a presentation and training on fiber optics. Included is hands-on training on fiber optic testing and fusion splicing equipment.

  What: ITE Georgia Section Technical Exchange - Fiber Optics and Equipment
  When: May 25th 10:00 am - 3:00 pm (4 pdh)
  

• Good Urbanism 101 is back! - (view document)

  Join the Georgia Conservancy's Growth Management Program and Georgia Tech professors Richard Dagenhart, Doug Allen, and David Green for a six-class course focusing on the history, principles, and current practices about designing better cities and a better Atlanta. Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30 p.m., April 15 - May 4, AGL Building, Centergy Building, Atlanta, GA.

  For the general public, $200 for the six sessions (a few scholarships are available).Continuing education credits are available for some professions with an extra $100 charge. AIA (Health, Safety, and Welfare and Sustainable Design) and AICP CEUs are being pursued. For Professional Engineers self reporting, the Georgia Conservancy will provide assistance. Visit the Good Urbanism 101 website for more information and to register online today!

• ITE Transportation Modeling Webinar

  You are invited to register to attend the ITE Transportation Modeling Webinar sponsored by the Georgia Section ITE Technical Committee. The webinar will identify various transportation model types; show the relationship between data collected and output of models; and explain how travel forecasts are used to compare to transportation capacity for a supply/demand analysis.

  Date & Time: Tuesday, May 4, 2010, Noon to 1:30 PM
  Location: Street Smarts, 3160 Main Street, Duluth, GA 30096
  

• Rails, Trails and Sails – Portsmouth Meeting Recap: April 11-14, 2010

  The Southern District ITE Annual Meeting in Portsmouth had a strong Technical Program and provided many opportunities to network and catch up with colleagues from around the Southeast. We visited with International President Paul Eng-Wong as well as the three candidates for International Vice President Rock Miller, Ray Davis and Troy Peeples.

  The Georgia Section was represented by David Low, Mike Holt, Todd Long, Jim Pohlman, Harry Strate, John Edwards, Kenny Voorhies, Shawn Pope, Bob Beebe, Howard Harris, Martin Bretherton, Scott Mohler and John Funny. Rick Day was there, but is now with the South Carolina contingent.

  Secretary-Treasurer

  Martin Bretherton edged out Cindy Pionke in the election for Southern District Secretary-Treasurer. Becky White and Tim White will move up one notch to Vice President and President respectively for calendar year 2011.

  Traffic Bowl

  The Georgia Tech Student Chapter did very well. The Georgia Tech Traffic Bowl team, comprised of Alek Pachowski, Matt Kittelson and Rama Chilukuri won the competition and collected the $3,000 first prize. The District contributed $1,500 for second and $700 for third. Also in the finals were North Carolina State and Virginia. Georgia Tech will go on to represent the District at the International ITE Annual Meeting in Vancouver. Clemson had won the Traffic Bowl for the last four years, thanks to Wayne Sarasua's excellent preparation of his team.

  Best Student Chapter Award

  With an outstanding Annual Report, the Georgia Tech Student Chapter won the Best Student Chapter Award. Clemson was runner up.

  Best Section Award

  The Best Section Awards in Group 2 (smaller sections) went to Alabama (winner) and South Carolina (runner up). In Group 1 (larger sections) North Carolina won the Best Section Award and Georgia was runner up.

  Hoose Award

  Stan Polanis with the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina won the Hoose Award.

  Hensley Award

  The Traffic Bowl competition, the brainchild of James Foster (Mobile County), led to his receiving the Hensley award this year.

  Thomas Award

  Dyan Damron, in Neel-Schaeffer's Nashville office, who has worked tirelessly with the student chapters in the District, received the Joe Thomas Young Member Award.

  Exnicios Award

  The John Exnicios Government Service Award went to Steve Strength, with Louisiana DOTD.

  Educator Award

  Dan Turner of the University of Alabama received the Transportation Educator of the Year Award. Dan has just retired. The University of Alabama just added the newest student chapter of ITE.

  President's Special Recognition Award

  Richard Atkins received a special President's Award from Jim Westmoreland for his work in the Leadership Development Program.

• Georgia Section ITE Mentoring Program Flyer

  A six month program pairing young members with experienced mentors. Presentations and discussion about career-building topics such as:

  • Politics and relationships
  • Dealing with the media
  • Charting a career path Basic financial management
  • Business etiquette
  • Presentation skills
  • Leadership development
  • Networking
  • Gender, cultural, and age issues and opportunities

  Application to download

• Inaugural ITE GA Coastal Chapter

  When: Friday, April 23 - 11:30 a.m.
  Where: Johnny Harris Restaurant, 1651 East Victory Drive, Savannah, GA
  Who: Open to all members and prospective members of ITE
  What: Installation of an adaptive traffic signal system, Glen Bollinger - Traffic Eng. Columbia County
  Email Patricia Rhodaback with City of Savannah (prhodaback@savannahga.gov) to RSVP for lunch and the program. (For details and menu options, check our the GA Section ITE website).
  

• Young Members Activity
  What: Hike the Mountain
  Where: Stone Mountain Park - bottom of the mountain
  When: Saturday, March 27, 2010, 10:00 AM.
  Who: ITE young members (and those who feel young for this event) and friends and/or family.
  
  E-mail Winter Horbal (wghorbal@foresitegroupinc.com) if you are interested in carpooling or meeting at the park so she can have an estimate of how many people to be looking for on Saturday. It will also be beneficial to know who is interested just in case they have to reschedule due to weather.

• International ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit will be March 14-17 in Savannah, GA.

• Technical Session: Updates to the MUTCD
  Focusing on Signals, Signs, Markings
  Date: March 23, 2010
  Time: 2pm-5pm
  Location: DeKalb County Transportation
  1950 West Exchange Place, Room 118C
  Fire Dept Headquarters
  Tucker, GA 30084
  Cost $10
  Earn: Professional Development Hours
  RSVP: Space is limited. Please reserve your spot by contacting Elaine Turman at (770) 492-5219 or returman@co.dekalb.ga.us
  Our local National Committee Members (John Hibbard, Larry Overn, and Marion Waters) will be highlighting changes to the MUTCD in the signals, signs, and markings chapters. In addition, a panel discussion will give additional insight related to the changes with an opportunity for discussion from the participants. Sponsored by: ITE Technical Committee, Patrece Keeter, Chair

• Affliates, please register your dues payment on-line here

• Governor's Legislation - Transportation Investment Act of 2010 - Talking Points Sheet

• International ITE Technical Conference and Exhibit will be March 14-17 in Savannah, GA.

• ITE 2009 Annual Report posted

• The ITE Young Members/Activities Committee is having their 1st Event of 2010 - Come out and bowl or just come out and enjoy a good time amongst friends.

  When: Monday, March 1, 2010 @ 6:30 PM

  Where: AMF 300 Atlanta located at 2175 Savoy Dr., Atlanta, GA 30341

  How Much: Monday Bowl Your Brains Out - All you can Bowl $20 (includes shoe rental). $3 Domestic Drafts and Well Drink specials for those interested. Feel free to bring a friend or co-worker to join in on the fun! Please send Tim Brandstetter or Winter Horbal an e-mail to let us know you (and others) are coming to bowl by February 25th, 2010 so we can get a good head count for the big event. We are looking forward to seeing you on March 1st, 2010!

• Martin Bretherton has been nominated as a candidate for Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern District ITE in 2011. (Bio)

• The Marketing Committee is looking for volunteers to help with some initiatives this year. Contact Shannon Fain at shannonf@streetsmarts.us for more information.

• 2010 Summer Seminar is July 18-21

• The November '09 newsletter has been posted (Here) Check it out!

• Georgia Section ITE has shirts you can order with the new logo (Here)

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Webmaster: Shawn Pope