THE LOUISIANA · adage “Leaders are born, not made.” Yet, as civil engineers, many of us will...

Volume 13 • Number 4 August 2005

THE LOUISIANACIVIL ENGINEER

ACADIANA BRANCH • BATON ROUGE BRANCH

NEW ORLEANS BRANCH • SHREVEPORT BRANCH

Journal of The Louisiana Section

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IANA SEC

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2 THE LOUISIANA CIVIL ENGINEER / AUGUST 2005

PROFESSIONAL LISTINGS

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THE LOUISIANA CIVIL ENGINEER / AUGUST 2005 3

THE LOUISIANA CIVIL ENGINEERCONTENTSPresident’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Continuous flow intersections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5News from the Branches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8New Orleans Branch 2005 Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Student Chapter News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Section Annual Meeting

Registration and Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Louisiana Civil Engineering Conference and Show

Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Technical Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Section News and Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Tulane Engineering Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Photo Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Professional Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2, 26-27Services and Suppliers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

LOUISIANA SECTION • AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

Louisiana Engineering Center • 9643 Brookline Avenue • Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70809 • (225) 923-1662SECTION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PresidentNorma Jean Mattei, PE

University of New OrleansPresident-Elect

Kim M. Garlington, PELouisiana DOTD

Vice PresidentTimothy M. Ruppert, PE

U.S. Army Corps of EngineersSecretary-Treasurer

E.R. DesOrmeaux, PEE.R. DesOrmeaux, Inc.

Past PresidentBarbara E. Featherston, PE

Camp Dresser & McKeeDirectors-at-Large

J. Keith Shackelford, PEChenevert Songy Rodi Soderberg, Inc.

Ali M. Mustafa, PECity of Shreveport

Patrick J. Landry, PELouisiana DNR

Christopher G. Humphreys, PEProfessional Services Industries, Inc.

Assigned Branch DirectorsDaniel L. Bolinger, PE

DMJM+Harris, Inc.Thomas A. Stephens, PE

Stephens EngineeringBranch Directors

Kimberly Landry, EILafayette Consolidated Government

André M. Rodrigue, PEABMB Engineers, Inc.

Deborah D. Keller, PEPort of New Orleans

Kurt M. Nixon, PESmith and Raley, Inc.

SECTION TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CHAIRSGeotechnical

David P. Sauls, PELouis J. Capozzoli & Associates

StructuresAnthony F. Goodgion, PE

Linfield, Hunter & Junius, Inc.Environmental

Brant B. Richard, PEC-K Associates, Inc.

BRANCH OFFICERSAcadiana Branch

PresidentKimberly D. Landry, EI

Lafayette Consolidated GovernmentPresident-Elect

Dax A. Douet, PEC. H. Fenstermaker & Associates, Inc.

Vice PresidentM. Jamal Khattak

University of Louisiana – Lafayette

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE:Kim E. Martindale, PE, Chair (225) 379-1345Branch Presidents, MembersJames C. Porter, PE, Editor (225) 242-4556Yvette Weatherton, PE, Student Chapter News (225) 771-5870

PUBLISHER:Franklin Press, Inc., Baton Rouge, LAThe Louisiana Civil Engineer quarterly journal is an official publication ofthe Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers with anaverage circulation of approximately 1900. The Section does not guaranteethe accuracy of the information provided, does not necessarily concur withopinions expressed, and does not claim the copyrights for the contents in thispublication. Please submit letters and articles for consideration to be pub-lished by facsimile to (225) 242-4552, by e-mail to [email protected], or by mail to the Publications Committee c/o James C. Porter,PE • 2608 Terrace Avenue • Baton Rouge, LA 70806-6868.

SecretaryJoseph P. Kolwe, Jr., EI

Huval and Associates, Inc.Treasurer

Clint S. McDowell, PESite Engineering Inc.

Past PresidentJohn E. Bosch, Jr., PE

Maritime International, Inc.Baton Rouge Branch

PresidentAndré M. Rodrigue, PE

ABMB Engineers, Inc.President-Elect

Thomas T. Roberts, PEWaskey Bridges, Inc.

Vice PresidentBrant B. Richard, PE

Shaw GroupSecretary-Treasurer

Robert W. Jacobson, PEURS Greiner Woodward Cycle

DirectorsGregory P. Sepeda, PE

Sigma Consulting Group, Inc.Adam M. Smith, EI

Owen and White, Inc.Stephen M. Meunier, PE

Louisiana DOTDPast President

David M. Burkholder, PELouisiana DNR

New Orleans BranchPresident

Deborah D. Keller, PEPort of New Orleans

President-ElectWilliam H. Sewell, Jr., PE

DPW City of New OrleansVice PresidentChristopher L. Sanchez, EI

Consoer Townsend Envirodyne Engrs., Inc.Secretary

Nathan J. Junius, EILinfield, Hunter & Junius, Inc.

TreasurerRonald L. Schumann, Jr., PE

DMJM+Harris, Inc.Directors

Benjamin M. Cody, PEEustis Engineering Company, Inc.

Mohammed Tavassoli, PEProfessional Services Industries, Inc.

Past PresidentChristopher G. Humphreys, PE

Professional Services Industries, Inc.Shreveport Branch

PresidentKurt M. Nixon, PE

Owen and White, Inc.

President-ElectAshley T. Sears, EI

Aillet, Fenner, Jolly and McClellandSecretary

Rusty L. Cooper, EIAlliance, Inc.

TreasurerElba U. Hamilton, EI

Aillet, Fenner, Jolly and McClellandPast President

C. Eric Hudson, PEAlliance, Inc.

BRANCH TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CHAIRSBaton Rouge

StructuresDanny J. Deville, PE

McKee & Deville Consulting Engineers, Inc.Geotechnical

Gavin P. Gautreau, PELouisiana Transportation Research Center

EnvironmentalStephen D. Fields, PE

Compliance Consultants, Inc.Water Resources

Morris SadeMiraj Envirotek, Inc.

ManagementMichael N. Dooley, PE

Sigma Consulting Group, Inc.Pipeline

Roy A. Waggenspack, PEOwen and White, Inc.

TransportationP. Brian Wolshon, PE

LSU Baton RougeNew Orleans

StructuresMark H. Gronski, PE

U.S. Army Corps of EngineersGeotechnical

William W. Gwyn, PEEustis Engineering Company, Inc.

Environmental and Water ResourcesDavid A. Cole, PE

Montgomery Watson Harza, Inc.STUDENT CHAPTERS IN THE LOUISIANA SECTION

Presidents/Faculty AdvisorsLSU Jason Duhon

P. Brian Wolshon, PELa. Tech Daniel Hill

Aziz Saber, PEMcNeese Nick Pestello

Janardanan (Jay) O. Uppot, PESouthern Kevin Cowan

Yvette P. Weatherton, PETulane Joe Simpson

John H. (Jack) Grubbs, PEULL Justin Peltier

Paul A. Richards, PEUNO Eric Dallimore

Gianna M. Cothern, PE

The Louisiana Section is located in ASCE Zone II, District 14.Zone II consists of Districts 6, 7, 9, 10 and 14. District 14 consistsof the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia Sections.

Section Delegates to District 14 CouncilMiles B. Bingham, PE Timothy M. Ruppert, PE Ralph W. Junius, PEURS Greiner U.S. Army Corps Linfield, Hunter & Junius, Inc.Woodward Clyde of Engineers


President’s MessageNorma Jean Mattei, PE

Leadership (and management)Undergraduate engineering students are not

required to take business courses in manage-ment. As for leadership, most people hold to theadage “Leaders are born, not made.” Yet, ascivil engineers, many of us will ultimately findourselves in positions within our organizationsthat require one or both of these skill sets. Aftersome thought, I decided to write about leader-ship, and, to a lesser extent, management, as thefocus of the final President’s Message of myterm. You may say “Hey, wait a minute! Aren’tmanagers and leaders really the same thing?” Inresearching the topic for this article, I found thatthere have been recent changes in the way busi-ness in general looks at management and leader-ship.

Let’s think about that. A manager’s goalsarise out of necessities rather than desires.Managers excel in defusing conflict betweenindividuals by placating all sides. They mustmaintain a balanced budget, keep teams onschedule, and ensure that an organization’s day-to-day business gets done. Leaders, on the otherhand, adopt personal, active attitudes towardsgoals. Leadership is the accomplishment of agoal through the inspiration and direction of fel-low workers. Successful leadership in partstems from the leader’s understanding of theindividual goals of fellow workers and the abili-ty to relate those individual goals to the goal ofthe group.

When asked to define the ideal leader, mostpeople will emphasize traits such as intelli-gence, toughness, determination and vision.These are the qualities traditionally associatedwith leadership, but recent studies indicate thatthere are other personal qualities that can beattributed to outstanding leaders. PsychologistDaniel Goleman coined the term emotionalintelligence in 1995. The main components ofemotional intelligence are• self-awareness• self-regulation• motivation• empathy and• social skill.

Although these skills may sound unbusinesslike,in his study of 200 large companies, Golemanfound that truly effective leaders are distin-guished by having a high degree of emotionalintelligence. He also found that emotional intel-ligence can be learned.

Can management and leadership skills betaught? Obviously it is thought that manage-ment skills can — look at the growing numberof graduates with a master’s degree in engineer-ing management. How about the skills neededto be a good leader? Is it an innate ability —something one is born with? I don’t think so.As a child I was very shy, hiding behind mymother’s skirt. Even as a college student,although I was active in several student organi-zations, I avoided taking the position of presi-dent. I didn’t like the responsibility that positioncarried, and I hated public speaking. At thattime, just having to stand up in front of a group

and state my name made my heart pound and mypalms sweat. Flash forward to the present. I doquite a lot of speaking in front of groups of var-ious sizes. I now even enjoy it. And I have takenon several leadership roles in various organiza-tions, including serving as President of theSection. I personally have found that leadershipis something that you can grow into.

Small and mid-size engineering firms areusually run by engineers. But it seems that thelarger the organization, the less likely it willhave an engineer at its helm. Even the LouisianaDOTD seldom has an engineer in charge. Is thissomething that our profession should be con-cerned with? Surely there are civil engineers outthere who have the right stuff to lead engineer-ing organizations. Then should leadership betaught to civil engineering students — integrat-ing it into the curriculum along with everythingelse that a future CE needs to hit the ground run-ning in his or her career?

So how do you become a better manager orleader? You can get a degree in engineeringmanagement. There are even some engineeringand business graduate programs that emphasizeleadership and entrepreneurship. Author DaisyWademan always assumed that successful man-agers/leaders received sage advice from a wise,effective mentor that would carry them throughthe rest of their career. The advice, she imag-ined, was direct, deliberate, and handed downlike Grandpa’s watch from one generation ofmanagers to the next. So Wademan asked sever-al chief executives of various companies abouttheir personal nugget of wisdom that got them tothe top of their organization. She was surprisedthat much of the CEO’s advice came as happen-stance or in a nonbusiness environment, andoften took decades of experience to sink in.

I’ll include two concluding tidbits of busi-ness wisdom here. Neither of the two adviseesare engineers, but I think their advice is applica-ble to any manager or leader.

The first piece of advice comes from ShellyLazarus, CEO of the advertising agency Ogilvyand Mather. Her advice stems from an incident— actually it was something she overheard —that occurred very early in her career at a timewhen she had been working for Ogilvy abouttwo years.

I was sitting in my boss’s office preparingfor a very important meeting. One hourbefore the meeting, the planner on theaccount arrived at the doorway lookingabsolutely panicked. The computer hadgone down, she said, and she couldn’t getthe numbers out for the plan that we weresupposed to be presenting. Now, in thosedays, you couldn’t just turn the computer off

and then reboot. When the computer wasdown, it was down. The planner, almosthysterical, proceeded to run in circles,which I have never seen anyone actually dobefore or since. She had her head in herhands and kept saying, “What am I going todo? What am I going to do?” We watchedher going around and around in this sort offrenzy. Then, at a certain point, my boss —a man named Charlie Fredericks — got up,stood in her path, grabbed her by the shoul-ders, stopped her, and nearly shouted,“What are they going to do to you? Takeyour children away?”Lazarus says that, as a CEO, she has had

many Charlie Fredericks moments, where she isforced to stop, apply real perspective, and thenhelp the people around her do the same. Goodleaders keep things in perspective.

The second piece of advice comes fromDaniel Vasella, MD, CEO of the pharmaceuticalcompany Novartis. Again, it is not in stereotyp-ical advice form — an aphorism or a platitude— but as an incident that effectively drove homea point.

The incident occurred during my medicalresidency. Every morning our hospitalbegan with a short meeting. We physicianscoming on duty were briefed about what hadhappened with our patients overnight andwe heard about the new patients. The meet-ing was conducted in a highly disciplinedmanner; my boss disliked it profoundlywhen people came in late. In fact, beingtardy was unacceptable. One winter morn-ing, however, the weather was horrible, andthe roads were covered with ice and snow.As I drove to work, I realized I hadn’t left inenough time. Arriving about 15-20 minuteslate, I was embarrassed and began apologiz-

______________________________________This is the layout plan for a continuous flow

intersection, the subject of the feature article inthis issue. It serves as a figure in the article andit shows the layout for the construction at theintersection of Airline Highway at SiegenLane/Sherwood Forest Boulevard in BatonRouge. It features a 2-leg CFI along AirlineHighway.

(Continued on Page 20)

. . . I personally have found thatleadership is something that youcan grow into. . .


In 2002, our firm, ABMB, was studyingimprovements to route US 61 through Natchez,Mississippi for the Mississippi Department ofTransportation. During a progress meeting, anengineer with MDOT proposed that a new inter-section treatment concept be considered as analternative. He had learned about it in a presen-tation during a recent Institute of TrafficEngineers meeting he attended. The concept ofcontinuous flow intersection (CFI) was intrigu-ing, and it led to the firm contacting FranciscoMier, the gentleman who made the presentationduring the ITE meeting, to request additionalinformation.

After our firm’s top designers had the oppor-tunity to evaluate the concept in more detail fromthe information received and give it due consid-eration, we concluded that the CFI was not aviable concept. This finding was communicatedto the MDOT. However, contrary to this findingthe firm was directed to retain Mier’s services tofurther study the CFI concept through its appli-cation to at least one location along route US 61that may be appropriate. Two months later, werealized the potential of the CFI and ABMB exe-cuted an exclusive agreement with Mier to mar-ket the CFI in the United States.

Like ABMB’s engineers, the reaction ofmost other engineers based on a cursory reviewof the CFI concept is a strong reluctance toaccept such an unconventional solution to every-day intersection problems. This defines the chal-lenge that has been faced since 2002 in gainingany widespread acceptance of the CFI in themarket. Public officials are particularly notmotivated to expend tax dollars on what wouldappear to be an unproven concept. Additionally,previous research on unconventional intersec-tions has typically lumped the study of the CFItogether with 4 or 5 others that are clearly not aseffective in reducing congestion and are not asappealing to driver intuition. In the halo of suchuncertain general results, the CFI has been usu-ally given a pleasant reception followed by,“Come back after you have built a bunch ofthem.”

The good news is that some in the industryhave begun to appreciate the amazing potentialof the CFI. As a result, they are now moving for-ward with CFI studies, designs and construction.

ProblemChances are that you have been stuck in

heavy traffic recently or you have had to maneu-ver your way through a congested intersection.Experience indicates that long-term chronic traf-fic congestion from such problems can• erode our communities

• disrupt our infrastructure• lower our quality of life and• even threaten our health.

For instance, according to a recent study, beingstuck in traffic can increase a person’s risk ofhaving a heart attack.

Traffic congestion is a problem that plaguesmany at-grade intersections today. In mostcases, this congestion is caused by the continuinggrowth in traffic volume and aggravated by theturning movements at intersections, and this con-gestion tends to worsen over time despite the tra-ditional remedies applied. Constructing conven-tional turn lanes and adding storage capacity, andimproving signalization for at-grade intersec-tions may temporarily relieve congestion.However, sooner or later increased capacity willbe needed, and the right-of-way required forthese conventional improvements will not beavailable. For many such situations, a grade-sep-arated interchange appears to be the ultimate yetcostly solution.

There is, however the CFI — an alternativethat is increasingly gaining recognition for itsability to relieve congested intersections withoutthe adjacent property impacts of additional rightof way required and financial burdens thataccompany the construction of a grade-separatedinterchange. The CFI is an at-grade intersectionthat when carefully designed provides traffic vol-ume capacity comparable to that of a grade-sep-arated interchange and at a fraction of the cost.The CFI design has been demonstrated to offerdramatic, long-term capacity improvementscompared to the conventional at-grade intersec-tion.

ConceptThe design of the CFI centers on the concept

of removing the left-turn conflict from the mainintersection. This is accomplished by providinga CFI leg with a separate signalized crossoverintersection — an exclusive left-turn movement— for the left-turning traffic to cross in conflictwith the oncoming through traffic. Thiscrossover intersection is located several hundredfeet before the main intersection.

The left-turning traffic at the crossover inter-section crosses the opposing through traffic laneswhile the through traffic is stopped. It continuesdown the CFI leg approaching the main intersec-tion. This allows the left-turning traffic continu-ing on the CFI leg to move continuously andsimultaneously with the through traffic at themain intersection. The opposing through trafficis therefore no longer stopped exclusively toaccommodate the left-turn movements. The netresult is that this eliminates a signal phase and

effectively increases the traffic capacity throughthe main intersection.

The signals at the crossover intersection andthe main intersection are operated by the samecontroller and designed to provide smooth trafficflow. With the proper coordination of these sig-nals, the through traffic departing the main inter-section will receive a green light downstream asit approaches the crossover intersection signal.Simultaneously, the stored left-turning vehiclesreleased by the signal at the crossover intersec-tion and continuing on the CFI leg will receive agreen light as they approach the main intersec-tion. The signals for an efficiently designed CFIconfiguration will operate most effectively at alower cycle length than that needed for the con-ventional at-grade intersection.

There are 3 steps that can describe themaneuvers of a vehicle negotiating a left turnthrough a CFI intersection.

Step 1. The vehicle enters the left-turn vehi-cle storage bay as shown in Figure 1 and stops in

Continuous flow intersectionsBy Michael G. Bruce, PE and Lauren T. Picou, EI

Michael G. Bruce, PE, earned his BS degree in civil engineering from Louisiana State University in 1978. He is a licensed engineer in Louisiana,Alabama and Ohio. Bruce has over 27 years of experience in private practice. In 1985 he joined with partners to found ABMB Engineers, Incorporated.As a principal of the firm he manages and participates in the design, and the development of plans, specifications and estimates for traffic, highway, bridgeand general civil engineering projects.

Lauren T. Picou, EI, earned her BS degree in civil engineering from Louisiana State University in 2002. She is a certified engineer intern inLouisiana. Since graduation, Picou has been employed by ABMB Engineers, Inc. in its traffic engineering department working on a range of projectsincluding traffic impact studies, signal design and traffic modeling. She is a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Michael G. Bruce

Lauren T. Picou


the queue for the left-turn signal’s red light locat-ed at the crossover intersection indicated by thearrow and located several hundred feet before themain intersection. Overhead signing directs theleft-turning vehicles to queue at this left-turn sig-nal on this portion of the CFI leg.

Step 2. The vehicle queue receives the greenlight and the vehicle in this queue crosses theopposing through traffic lanes as shown in Figure2. The vehicle proceeds on the CFI leg indicatedby the arrow and approaches the main intersec-tion. Note that the opposing through traffic is onthe right and the channelized right-turning trafficis on the left of the CFI leg.

Step 3. As the vehicle proceeds in the vehi-cle queue on the CFI leg as shown in Figure 3and approaches the main intersection indicatedby the arrow the main intersection receives agreen light allowing the vehicle queue to turn leftwithout stopping. During this same time period,the opposing left-turn and through movementsare taking place. The opposing through trafficdoes not conflict with the simultaneous left-turnmovement at the main intersection because left-turn movement is occurring to its right. This isbecause the left turn movement turns away fromthe opposing through traffic rather than into theopposing through traffic as would be provided bythe conventional intersection.

Research/studies

Driver adaptationAlthough the roadway geometry for the CFI

is a different experience from conventional inter-sections, the maneuvers required are intuitiveand easily adapted to by drivers. Most drivers donot realize that they are in this unconventionalintersection. In the paper Human Factors Studyof the Continuous Flow Intersection..., it is con-cluded that

...about 80% of the first-time users of theintersection expressed positive commentsabout the design. After about a week of use,100% of the daily drivers sampled expressedpositive comments about the design. Theintersection is easily negotiated by driverswho are initially unfamiliar with the design

and that, after a short learning curve, nearlyall drivers are familiar and comfortable withthe intersection.

PerformanceThe Federal Highway Administration recent-

ly published a paper documenting the analyticalresults of a CFI performance study using VIS-SIM — a proprietary traffic and transit simula-tion modeling software package developed byPTV America, Inc. The analysis compared theCFI with conventional intersections given thesame traffic volume and number of approachlanes. Based on the results, it was concluded thatthe CFI

...consistently outperforms the conventionalintersection even at low traffic volumes. Thereduction in the number of phases onapproaches having (CFI) geometries resultsin tremendous vehicular delay savings aswell as considerable increase in the capacityof the intersection.

A variety of CFI configurations were testedthrough a range of vehicle volumes. The study

included 4-leg, 2-leg, and T-intersection CFIapplications. A summary of the results follows:• Percent reduction in average intersection

delay • 48% to 85% for a 4-leg CFI • 58% to 71% for a 2-leg CFI•19% to 90% for a T-intersection

• Percent reduction in the average number ofstops • 15% to 30% for under-saturated traffic

flow • 85% to 95% for saturated traffic flow

• Percent reduction in average intersectionqueue length • 62% to 88% for a 4-leg CFI• 66% to 88% for a 2-leg CFI• 34% to 82% for a T-intersection

EffectivenessIn the paper Design and OperationPerformance of Crossover Displaced Left-Turn (XDL) Intersections, it is stated thatheavy traffic flows on all approaches andmovements often create very congested situ-

Figure 1. Traffic is stored in a queue for the left turn movement on theCFI leg. It is held at the crossover intersection (see arrow) whileallowing the opposing through traffic to pass at the main intersection.

Figure 2. The traffic stored in the queue for the left turn movement onthe CFI leg is released from the crossover intersection. It crosses theopposing through traffic lanes and continues on the CFI leg (see arrow)toward the main intersection. Simultaneously, the opposing throughtraffic at the crossover intersection and at the main intersection is held.

Figure 3. As the traffic in the queue for the left turn movement on the CFI leg approaches the mainintersection, it is released so it may turn left without stopping. Simultaneously, the opposingthrough traffic is released from the main intersection, then the crossover intersection releases theopposing through traffic as it approaches from the main intersection.


ations resulting in poor level of service andover-saturation. The major side effects arepollution, increased stress levels and eco-nomic losses in terms of wasted time, to statea few. Researchers, primarily attempting toreduce congestion, delay, and crashes, havesuggested several innovative traffic intersec-tion designs. The most significant influenceis reducing the number of phases within asignal cycle.

AccessA potential drawback to the CFI is that it can

reduce the ease of access to abutting propertiesnear the main intersection. Access for the prop-erties adjacent to a CFI leg may be restricted tothe channelized right-turn lane. However, withthe inherent flexibility of the CFI, access issuescan be effectively addressed in most circum-stances. In many cases, the approaches with theCFI legs are chosen based on the access require-ments. Where the right-of-way is available, afrontage road can solve the access requirements.It should be noted that good access managementpractices dictate restricted access near congestedor high capacity intersections. This CFI draw-back may combine with good access manage-ment practices to be used as a tool to promoteappropriate access restrictions.

ComparisonIn the paper Travel Time Comparisons

Between Seven Unconventional ArterialIntersection Designs, unconventional intersec-tions are compared to their conventional counter-parts. It is suggested that “The continuous flowintersection always had the highest move-to-total-time-ratio of all the other designs, keepingthe traffic moving as its name implies.” It is alsosuggested that “The continuous flow intersectionprobably needs the smallest right-of-way of allthe unconventional designs.” The 7 designs thatwere studied are the• quadrant roadway intersection• median U-turn• superstreet median• bowtie• jughandle• split intersection and• continuous flow intersection.

A true benefit of the CFI concept is that it ishighly adaptable to the particular site conditionsof an intersection. A CFI leg can be placed onany or all approaches dependent on• right-of-way availability• access restrictions and• volume/capacity requirements.

TodayThe poignant questions concerning the

extent of the implementation of the CFI applica-tion that is not consistent with its performanceand effectiveness compared with conventionalintersections are• If the CFI is so great, why is it not being used

at every congested intersection in the coun-try?

• What is taking so long for the CFI to catchon?The answer is that many are hesitant to take

a chance on a concept that has not been widelytested and proven in the United States, especial-ly when tax dollars are at stake. Since the CFIconcept is new, and there are so few built in theUnited States, the general reaction is, “It soundslike a great idea, but let’s test it somewhere else.”

The CFI has made headway among trafficengineers who are confronted by limited budgetsand willing to consider innovative ways that maybe effective and efficient in solving intersectioncongestion. In Mexico, more than 50 existingCFI applications have proven their value in ser-vice over the last decade. They have reducedintersection delay and are well accepted bymotorists. In the United States, a prototype wasbuilt in 1996 at Dowling College in New York,followed by a full-scale project in Maryland atthe junction of state route MD228 and MD210


Figure 4. The layout plan for the construction at the intersection of US 61 and Junkin Drive that is part of the CFI project on the US 61 corridor inNatchez, Mississippi. It features a one-leg CFI to accommodate the large volume of left turn movements from Junkin Drive onto US 61.


News from the Branches

SHREVEPORTBy Kurt M. Nixon, PE, President

ACADIANABy Kimberly D. Landry, EI, President

Rain did not hamper the golf tournament thisyear as it did during the past couple of tourna-ments. As a matter of fact, it turned out to be abeautiful day on a splendid course. In short, itwas a lot of fun even for a hacker like me. Thewinners of this year’s tournament, RussellEngineering, were newcomers to the Branch golftournament and obviously represented them-selves well.

As in past years the proceeds from the golftournament allow the Branch to support twoscholarships for Louisiana Tech civil engineeringstudents. So on behalf of the Branch, I wish tothank all who sponsored and participated in thisyear’s tournament making it a success. Finally,congratulations to Ashley T. Sears, EI, for a ter-rific job coordinating this outstanding event.

Our April membership meeting however wasnot nearly as successful. We had decided to trysomething a little different by holding the meet-ing in Ruston on the Louisiana Tech University

campus. Our intent was to provide an opportuni-ty for our members in the eastern part of theBranch to have a convenient meeting locationand a PDH class a little closer to home and alsoallow the Branch to connect with the Tech ASCEStudent Chapter. Not one member from theMonroe and Ruston area came to the meetingoutside of two Tech professors — one of whommade the presentation. The other professor wasa past Tech Student Chapter faculty adviser.

The Ruston meeting, however, had a brightside because the handful of Branch memberswho made the trip over from Shreveport had agreat time discussing hypothetical ethical situa-tions with the many students who attended.Thanks to Kristen Jerome, a Tech civil engineer-ing student, for her help in coordinating the roomreservations and the catering. Finally, thanks toall the students who attended for helping us eatall the food, giving us some good ideas for futureactivities between the branch and the Tech ASCE

Student Chapter, and making a fun meeting outof what would have been a disappointing one.

Our Younger Member coordinator and VicePresident, Elba Hamilton has also recently beenworking closely with Section Younger MemberCommittee chair in planning a calendar contest.This should be an outstanding opportunity for theASCE to connect with some younger engineersand future engineers while putting out a niceproduct to represent those companies supportingthis project. I want to encourage all to supportand get involved with this project.

If you have any interesting news you wouldlike to share with the Branch membership, ideasor request for meeting topics, or you are interest-ed in publishing an article in the newsletter,please email me at [email protected]. I hope you have a great summerand look forward to seeing everyone for the nextBranch membership meeting to be scheduled onthe 3rd Thursday in September.

With activities winding down for our usualsummer break, the Branch opted to veer awayfrom tradition and host a special June branchmembership meeting and luncheon. Althoughthe meeting was originally scheduled to elect the2005-2006 Branch Board of Directors, it provid-ed a unique opportunity for those branch mem-bers in attendance to commemorate the excep-tional service and contributions of some of ourcolleagues to the Branch community.

Specifically, during the June Branch mem-bership meeting, the Past Presidents of theBranch were acknowledged and honored for theirservice to the ASCE and the Branch. During thissame meeting, the Branch celebrated the distin-guished career of Robert S. Wang, PE, aProfessor in the Civil Engineering Department at

the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on theevent of his recent retirement. These current andformer Branch members have had a tremendousimpact on our civil engineering communitythrough their leadership and service to the pro-fession. A listing of the Past Presidents of theBranch is provided on its website at www.ascea-cadiana.net/about_asce.htm.

The Acadiana Branch Board of Directors forthe 2005-2006 administrative year will be:• Dax A. Douet, PE, President: C.H.

Fenstermaker & Associates• M. Jamal Khattak, PE, President-Elect:

University of Louisiana at Lafayette• Joseph P. Kolwe, Jr., EI, Vice President: Civil

And Structural Engineers (CASE), Inc.• Clint S. McDowell, PE, Treasurer: SITE

Engineering, Inc.• Joshua P. Stutes, PE, Secretary: Sellers and

Associates, Inc.• Kimberly D. Landry, EI, Past President:

Lafayette Consolidated GovernmentOn behalf of the Branch, I would like to wel-

come aboard our new officer, Joshua Stutes, andto extend congratulations and appreciation to ourBoard members for their dedication and accom-plishments during this administrative year. Iwould also like to wish the incoming Boardmembers every success in the new term. Branchactivities will resume with installation of theBoard for the 2005-2006 administrative year atthe September Branch membership meeting andluncheon later this year.

Have a great summer!

BATON ROUGEBy André M. Rodrigue, PE, President

My term serving as your President is comingto an end. As I write this message, the slate ofofficial nominees that will stand for election fornext Board of Directors are being prepared foryour consideration. Tommy Roberts, President-Elect, will succeed to the office of President forthe 2005-2006 term.

Those of you who attended the last member-ship meeting know what a treat it was to haveClaudia Alums discuss her experience with her 2Glasgow Middle School students, Delong Mingand Neal Woo, at the National MATHCOUNTScompetition in Detroit, Michigan. This was the19th trip to national competition for Alums. Shehas literally produced a dynasty of MATH-COUNTS competitors over the past 2 decades.

Her students won state competition in Louisianato qualify for nationals.

The Louisiana team consisted of Ming andWoo and 2 students from Caddo Magnet. Theyparticipated in the initial round of testing innational competition where the top 12 finisherswere invited to participate in the countdownround. Woo ranked 9th and entered the competi-tion. To add to the suspense, it was televised onESPN2. Alums brought a copy of the video forall to see. Woo stayed in the competition to thefinal and managed to fall behind by 2 questions,but demonstrating resilience, he answered thenext 4 questions correctly to claim 1st place.

Our PDH opportunity for this meeting was apresentation titled Crisis Management by John

C. Pine, Chair of the Department of Geologyand Anthropology and Director of DisasterScience Management at LSU. His presentationfocused on the crisis opportunity for which allSouth Louisiana residents are familiar — thehurricane. The Gulf coast from Vermilion Bay toMobile with New Orleans located in the middleis the busiest area of major storm activity in theU.S. Since 1937 more than a million acres ofcoastal marsh lands have been lost resulting insubstantially reduced storm protection.

In conjunction with the LSU HurricaneCenter, a category 3 hurricane was simulated to



NEW ORLEANSBy Deborah Ducote Keller, PE, President

As my presidency draws to a close, I wouldlike to thank the dedicated officers and commit-tee chairs in the Branch who worked together toprovide a continuous year of programs and activ-ities for our nearly 600 Branch members.Attendance during the Branch general member-ship meetings and luncheons has continued toexceed our expectations.

The April general membership meeting heldat the Southern Yacht Club featured noted authorBuddy Stall sharing his knowledge about thelocal history of the City’s development. TheMay meeting at Vooddo Bar-B-Que brought inRobert Esenwein, Vice President for environ-mental planning with Turner, Collie, BradenEngineers, to share the lessons learned in coastalwetlands restoration at Galveston Bay.However, the highlight of the year was the annu-al Branch awards luncheon attended by over 100members and guests. The luncheon and awardsceremonies were held in the famousCommander’s Palace Restaurant. The resumesand/or citations concerning the Branch memberswho were acknowledged for attaining the gradeof Life Member and presented with Branchawards are covered in the article in this issue

titled “New Orleans Branch 2005 Awards.”Christopher L. Sanchez, EI, Chair of the

2005 Louisiana Civil Engineering Conferenceand Show, is hard at work with the variousConference committees planning this annualBranch event. This work is being done in coop-eration with the co-sponsoring organization, theLouisiana Chapter of the American ConcreteInstitute. The notification and technical programfor this Conference scheduled for September 15-16, 2005 in Kenner at the Pontchartrain Centercan be found in this issue.

The Conference has become so successfulthat the Branch and the Louisiana Chapter of theACI have formally adopted a separate gover-nance structure for the Conference planning andhost organization. The new board for theConference consists of 3 appointees from eachorganization to provide continuity in leadershipand ensure the future of this important profes-sional development program. The Branchappointed• Gustave S. “Gus” Cantrell, PE• Frank C. McCaskell, PE and• Timothy M. Ruppert, PE

as its representatives on the board for the

Conference. The Louisiana Chapter of the ACIhas yet to make its appointments.

The election of Branch officers took place atthe May Branch membership meeting and lunch-eon where the following slate of officers waselected:• William H. Sewell, Jr., PE, President• Christopher L. Sanchez, EI, President-Elect• Ronald L. Schumann, PE, Vice President• Nathan Junius, EI, Treasurer• Benjamin M. “Ben” Cody, PE, Secretary• Mohammad Tavassoli, PE, Director and• Jonathan G. McDowell, PE, Director.

Installation of these Branch officers and thebeginning of the 2005-2006 administrative yearwill be in conjunction with the installation of theSection officers scheduled to be held during theSection Annual Meeting and awards banquet thatwill be hosted by the Branch in New Orleans onSeptember 16. See the information and regis-tration concerning the Section Annual Meetingand banquet in this issue.

For current information on all Branch activ-ities, as well as contact information, please visitwww.asceno.org

Life MembershipEvery year the ASCE advances its members

who qualify to the membership grade of LifeMember and it issues certificates to those mem-bers commemorating the event. The criterion toqualify to advance to the grade of Life Memberis when the sum of the age of the member inyears and the number of years as a dues payingmember of the ASCE reaches 95. Life Membersare exempt from paying national dues.

The Life Member certificates were present-ed in March during the Section Annual SpringMeeting awards banquet in Lafayette. Thisyear’s recipients from the Branch are J. AlvinBadeaux, Jr., Arthur A. DeFraites, Jr., Morris R.Heinzen, Donald F. Songenfrei, Leonce P.Wagusepack, Jr., and Thomas R. Wartelle.

J. Alvin Badeaux, Jr., PEBadeaux received his BS in civil engineering

from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in1963 and his MS in engineering mechanics fromRensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, NewYork in 1965. He began his career in the aero-space industry doing structural design for theBoeing Company on the Saturn Booster and forPratt & Whitney Aircraft on components of theApollo spacecraft and the Lunar ExcursionModule. Badeaux then entered the consultingengineering field and worked 3 years forFromherz Engineers in New Orleans beforeopening his own firm in Thibodaux. He is thefounder and Vice President of BadeauxEngineers, Inc., a structural and civil engineeringfirm that over the past 35 years has completed3000 different projects for over 250 different

clients.In addition to his membership in the ASCE

and several other engineering/technical societies,Badeaux has served as a member of the Boardof Direction of the Louisiana EngineeringSociety and President of the Louisiana Chapterof the American Concrete Institute. He is alicensed engineer in 11 states. Badeaux and hiswife, Judy, have 4 children, 2 of whom choseengineering as their profession.

Arthur A. DeFraites, Jr., PEDeFraites received his BS and MS from

Tulane University in 1953 and 1958, respective-ly. He is a licensed engineer and professionalland surveyor in Louisiana and in Mississippi.

DeFraites is the President of Gulf SouthEngineering in Houma that provides engineer-ing, architectural, land surveying, and planningservices primarily in the public works arena. Heserved on active duty in the U.S. Navy for 3years. DeFraites has served as Chair of theProfessional Engineers in Private PracticeDivision of the National Society of ProfessionalEngineers, and Chair of the Committee onFederal Acquisitions of Architectural andEngineering Services. He currently serves onthe Board of Advisors for the Tulane School ofEngineering. DeFraites and his wife, MaryHelen, have 5 children.

Morris R. HeinzenHeinzen has been an ASCE member in the

surveying and mapping division since he gradu-ated from South Dakota State University inBrookings with a BS in civil engineering in

1963. After a very short stint with the SouthDakota Highway Department in 1963, he beganhis current career with the U.S. NavalOceanographic Office in 1963 as a civil engi-neer. He served as a physical scientist workingin the field of hydrographic surveying, in nauti-cal charting, and in geographic information sys-tem (GIS) analysis. After working for about 10years, Heinzen returned to graduate school atCornell University in Ithaca, NY, in 1972 earn-ing his MS in geodetic and photogrammetricengineering in 1978 when his thesis,Hydrographic Surveys: Geodetic ControlCriteria, was accepted.

As its Treasurer, Heinzen remains an activemember of the American Association forGeodetic Surveying — a member organizationof the American Congress on Surveying andMapping. He received offshore hydrographiccertification #32 and inshore hydrographic certi-fication #41 from the ACSM in 1986. Hebecame a member of the ACSM hydrographiccertification board in 1988 and served as both amember and secretary of that board until 2004.

Morris continues his professional career thatspans over 40 years with the NavalOceanographic Office in hydrography andbathymetry. During his career he has conductedand participated in hydrographic surveys fornautical charting purposes along the coasts ofEgypt, Greece, Korea, Panama, Philippines,Taiwan, Hawaii, and along the coasts of theUnited States and its territories. Morris has con-ducted surveys in the approaches to both the

New Orleans Branch 2005 Awards



(Continued from Page 9)

Panama and the Suez canals. He has beeninvolved in the joint projects worked by NAVO-CEANO, National Geospatial-IntelligenceAgency, and the NOAA National GeophysicalData Center.

Donald F. Sorgenfrei, PESorgenfrei graduated with a BS in civil engi-

neering from LSU in 1964. After 2 years as anofficer in the U.S. Army that included duty inVietnam, he started his engineering career with alocal engineering firm but shortly thereafteraccepted employment with Modjeski andMasters, starting as a designer. Sorgenfrei hasspent the last 37 years in the construction andinspection of bridges. Over the years he hasbeen involved with the construction of 7 movablerailroad bridges replacing existing movablespans. Sorgenfrei has been involved in theinspection of bridges for all Class 1 railroads andmany short lines, and for a number of statedepartments of transportation. He routinelyresponds to bridge emergencies resulting fromaccidents and disasters, some of which involvedthe following bridges:• Sunshine Skyway Bridge — Tampa Bay• Bayou Canot Bridge — Mobile-Amtrak• Huey P. Long — New Orleans• 4 bascule bridges — Port of New Orleans• I-40 Arkansas River Bridge and• Loma Prieta Earthquake bridge damage —

Monterey, CA.At present Sorgenfrei is Senior Vice President ofModjeski and Masters and Director of the firm’sfield functions.

Leonce P. Waguespack, Jr., PEWaguespack received his BS from LSU in

1963. He immediately began employment withthe Louisiana DOTD and was involved with theI-10 Bridge over the Industrial Canal. In 1964,Waguespack began employment as an AssistantEngineer in the Engineering Department of NewOrleans Public Service, Inc., now Entergy NewOrleans, Inc. He held many titles at Entergy andworked for many of its subsidiaries includingLouisiana Power and Light Company, Entergy

New Orleans Inc., and Entergy Gulf States Inc.He specialized in the design and planning of gasdistribution and transmission pipeline systems.Waguespack retired from Entergy Services Inc.in November 2004 after nearly 40 years of ser-vice and he is enjoying retirement with his wifeLinda. Waguespack served as President of theNew Orleans Branch and as President of theSection.

Thomas R. Wartelle, PEWartelle received a BS in civil engineering

from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in1961. He is a licensed engineer in Louisiana andTexas.

Wartelle spent his entire career in the oil andgas industry, predominantly in structural engi-neering of deepwater offshore facilities. He hasmanaged projects in the Gulf of Mexico, theNorth Sea, and the Middle East, of which themost notable facilities were the Texaco Cyprus“D” platform — the second largest tripod typeplatform in the Gulf of Mexico, and the ChevronGenesis development project — a new deepwa-ter technology that resulted in substantial costsavings. Wartelle has managed multi-discipli-nary, worldwide staffs of over 750 employees.After 34 years with various components ofMcDermott, he joined Petro-Marine engineer-ing. Currently Wartelle is the manager of struc-tural engineering at Casbarian EngineeringAssociates LLC.

Outreach Award for Community Service —Norma Jean Mattei, PE

The Section established the Outreach Awarda few years ago. To date no nominees for theSection Award have been submitted. This awardis given for outreach work done through theASCE as well as with area schools and the com-munity.

Mattei has chaired the Branch OutreachCommittee since its inception 6 years ago. In2000, she coordinated an annual outreach eventfor children during the New Orleans Jazz andHeritage Festival. The event began in its firstyear as a LEGO building activity in the chil-

dren’s area that evolved into Box City, where thechildren act as engineers designing the modelstructures out of cardboard boxes that are neededto turn an 8’ by 16’ street layout into the City ofNew Orleans. The model structures are placed inthe city according to building permit rules. Theparticipating children receive an ASCE doubloononce their construction is complete. This eventis always a big hit in the children’s area and it isa lot of fun for the children and the volunteersalike.

Each semester, Mattei volunteers to speak tostudents in area middle schools and high schoolsabout civil engineering as a career choice. Someof these schools include• Ursuline Academy• Archbishop Chapelle High School• St. Catherine of Sienna and• St. Christopher.

She is also active each semester doing a labdemo for the UNO College of EngineeringCareer Days — Aware Days — where local mid-dle school and high school students come to theUNO campus to find out more about civil engi-neering. Also, Mattei serves as the UNO facultyadvisor to Tau Beta Pi honorary fraternity and tothe Society of Women Engineers student chapter.

Mattei has been a judge each year for theNew Orleans Science and Engineering Fair, andsporadically judges for other science fairsincluding the National Association of Women inConstruction’s construction contests and thelocal high school science fairs.

She served as President of the Branch whenthe ASCE radio commercial for WWNO wasdeveloped. Mattei was also on the Branch plan-ning and development committee for theChannel 15 TV commercial for ASCE. Bothcommercials promoted public awareness of civilengineering.

Mattei is also the assistant leader of BrownieTroop 188.

Outstanding Young Civil Engineer Award —Stephen C. Bourg, PE

Since 1995, the Branch has annually recog-nized an Outstanding Young Civil Engineer. The

Norma Jean Mattei receives commemorativeplaque for the Branch Outreach Award forCommunity Service from President Keller.

Stephen Bourg receives commemorative plaquefor the Branch Outstanding Young CivilEngineer Award from President Keller.

Mark Gonski receives commemorative plaquefor the Branch Outstanding Government CivilEngineer Award from President Keller.


recipient must be 35 years of age or younger, amember of the Section, and a certified engineer-ing intern or licensed engineer. The candidatesare evaluated on their involvement in the ASCE,service to the advancement of civil engineering,service to the community outside of the field ofengineering, technological accomplishment, andother evidence of merit or character.

Bourg received his BS in civil engineeringfrom the UNO in 1994 and he is a licensed engi-neer in Louisiana. After graduation, Bourgjoined URS Corporation where his career hasfocused on the analysis and design of hydraulicconcrete structures such as large pump stations,locks, and water retaining and flood protectionstructures. Currently he is a project manager inthe URS Metairie office.

Currently, Bourg serves as the project man-ager for the Houma navigation canal lock andfloodgate project. He is responsible for theongoing design of this $135 million project thatconsists of feasibility reports, preliminary engi-neering, and plans and specifications for theentire lock complex that consists of a 110' x 800'lock and an adjacent 200' floodgate. Otherrecent projects include the Dwyer Road,Elmwood, and Whitney-Barataria pumping sta-tions.

While attending the UNO, Bourg served as amember on 2 concrete canoe teams, one of whichhe also served as its chair. As the chair, he over-saw the design and construction of the competi-tion canoe with which the UNO ASCE StudentChapter won the regional concrete canoe compe-tition and placed in the top five in the nationalcompetition both years Bourg participated.

Bourg has served on the planning committeefor the Branch-sponsored Louisiana CivilEngineering Conference and Show since 1998.For the past 5 years he has chaired the registra-tion for both the Conference and the SectionAnnual Meeting that includes an awards banquetand the installation of officers.

Bourg has also been active in the LouisianaChapter of the American Concrete Institute forthe past 7 years. He has served as the past chairof its student activities committee and he is cur-rently serving as the chair of its education com-mittee.

Outstanding Government Civil EngineerAward — Mark H. Gonski, PE

Since 1995, the Branch has annually recog-nized an Outstanding Government CivilEngineer. The recipient must be an employee ofa federal, state, or local government agency, amember of the Section, and a licensed engineer.The candidates are evaluated on their involve-ment in the ASCE, service to the advancement ofcivil engineering, service to the community out-side of the field of engineering, technologicalaccomplishment, and other evidence of merit orcharacter.

Gonski received his BS in civil engineeringfrom the New Jersey Institute of Technology in1978 and his MS in civil engineering fromTulane in 1991. He is a licensed engineer inLouisiana. Upon graduation from college,Gonski joined the Peace Corps and spent threeyears in Thailand working with the Royal ThaiIrrigation Department designing and construct-ing local irrigation projects.

In 1982, he joined the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers in the Structures Branch and now hasover 20 years experience with the Corps. Gonskiis the lead designer and technical manager of theHarvey Sector Gate project, the first float-instructure designed by a Corps district. He is alsothe lead designer and technical manager for theIHNC lock replacement project, which consistsof a 110' x 1200' lock, the relocation of twomajor bridges, channel excavation, a flood pro-tection realignment, hazardous waste clean-up,demolition work, and neighborhood mitigation.The current estimated construction cost of thisproject is $700 million. Gonski is also in chargeof the inspection and repair of all steel structureswithin the New Orleans District.

Gonski is a member of the Corps’ innovativenavigation program that continually developsmore economical methods of design and con-struction for the nation’s waterways. This year,he became the first regional structural specialistfor the Mississippi Valley Division. In thiscapacity, Gonski serves as a technical advisor for6 Corps districts providing design guidance fornavigation, flood control, pump, and drainagestructures.

Gonski is a member of the Branch Structures

Committee and served as its Chair in 2004.Gonski is also an active member of the AmericanWelding Society, and he is a certified weldinspector.

Outstanding Civil Engineer Award — DonaldC. Makofsky, PE

Since 1995, the Branch has annually recog-nized an Outstanding Civil Engineer. The recip-ient must be a member of the Section, and alicensed engineer. The candidates are evaluatedon their involvement in the ASCE, service to theadvancement of civil engineering, service to thecommunity outside of the field of engineering,technological accomplishment, and other evi-dence of merit or character.

Makofsy received a BS and an MS in civilengineering from Tulane University in 1963 and1968, respectively. He is a licensed engineer inLouisiana, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, and 6other states.

Makofsy is the President of MorphyMakofsy, Inc. His expertise is in structural andfoundation design for all types of buildings,bridges, piers, wharves, and roads. Makofsy pro-vided all the structural and foundation designrequired for refurbishing the historic structuresthat now house the National D-Day Museum.Other recent projects include• the Erato Street Cruise terminal• Harrah’s• East Jefferson Hospital• Loyola parking garages• Hollywood Casino — Shreveport and• Regional Airport — Shreveport.

He is a member of the American ConcreteInstitute, Consulting Engineers Council ofLouisiana, Louisiana Engineering Society, ThePrestressed Concrete Institute, and the Society ofTulane Engineers, and of the Board of Standardsand Appeals for the City of New Orleans.Makofsky is a frequent contributor to the JuniorOlympics, Volunteers of America, City Park,Audubon Institute, Society of Tulane Engineers,and Loyola University.

Makofsky has been a strong supporter of theASCE members on the engineering staff of


Don Makofsky receives commemorative plaquefor the Branch Outstanding Civil EngineerAward from President Keller.

Bill Conway receives commemorative plaquefor the Branch Lifetime Achievement Awardfrom President Keller.

Walter Blessey receives commemorative plaquefor his induction into the Section Wall of Famefrom President Keller.


Morphy Makofsky. He encourages their partici-pation in the ASCE as beneficial not only to theirprofessional development, but also as a way tocontribute to the mission of the ASCE. He hasalso been a guest speaker at many ASCE events.

Lifetime Achievement Award — William B.Conway, PE

Since 1995, the Branch has annually recog-nized the Lifetime Achievement Award. Therecipient must be 55 years of age or older, aFellow or Life Member, a member of the Sectionand a licensed engineer. The candidates are eval-uated on their lifetime involvement in the ASCE,lifetime achievement in civil engineering, tech-nological accomplishment, character, andintegrity.

Conway received a BA from DartmouthCollege in 1952 and a MS in Civil Engineeringfrom the Thayer School of Engineering,Dartmouth College in 1954. He is a licensedengineer in Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska,Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Maryland,Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York,Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.

Conway began his career with Metcalf andEddy and soon thereafter he joined the faculty atthe Thayer School of Engineering, DartmouthCollege as a civil engineering instructor. He thenjoined Raymond Pile Co. as a field superintend-ent followed by a year in the Navy ConstructionBattalions. In 1957, Conway joined Modjeskiand Masters as a junior engineer and in 1961 hewas appointed engineer-in-charge of the firm’sNew Orleans office. Conway quickly rosethrough the ranks and today he is Chairman andCEO of Modjeski and Masters.

Conway has 48 years of experience encom-passing virtually all aspects of bridge analysis,design, construction and retrofit. The NewOrleans office, under his direction, has carriedout the design of numerous interstate highwayinterchanges, viaducts, and overpasses. Conwayhas been the principal-in-charge of 8 MississippiRiver bridge crossings, including the secondspan of the Crescent City Connection and mostrecently the widening of the Huey P. Longbridge. He has also been the principal-in-chargeof the seismic retrofit of the San Mateo-Haywardbridge crossing San Francisco Bay and the vesselcollision vulnerability assessment of bridges on

the lower Mississippi River.Conway’s technical specialties include

design of deep-water caisson foundations, designof long span truss, girder, and cable-stayed sup-ported spans, retrofit and strengthening of steelstructures, and the management of design teamsfor major projects.

Conway is a frequent speaker to many engi-neering and community organizations. In 2001,he gave the annual David Hunter MemorialLecture sponsored by the Branch StructuresCommittee. Later that year, Conway was chosento give the Catherine and Henry Boh Lecture inCivil Engineering for the Tulane EngineeringForum.

Conway is a Fellow and Life Member of theASCE and served as the New Orleans Branchpresident in 1972. He is a regular speaker duringthe monthly Branch meetings and for theLouisiana Civil Engineering Conference andShow. Conway also regularly presents lecturesto student groups at Tulane and UNO as part ofthe engineering classes and the ASCE studentchapter meetings.

He is a Member of the Advisory Board forboth Tulane School of Engineering and the UNOCivil Engineering Department. In addition,Conway is a member of the American ConcreteInstitute, American Institute for SteelConstruction, Prestressed Concrete Institute andthe International Bridge, Tunnel, and TurnpikeAssociation, and a Fellow of the InternationalAssociation for Bridge and StructuralEngineering.

Inductee to the Louisiana Section Wall ofFame — Walter E. Blessey, PE

In 2002, in conjunction with ASCE’s 150thanniversary, the Louisiana Section establishedthe Wall of Fame. The Wall is located in theLouisiana Engineering Center in Baton Rouge,where ASCE rents office space. Each branch inthe Section is allowed one inductee each year.However, no one has been inducted to date.

An inductee must be a Fellow or LifeMember who has made significant contributionsto the engineering profession, supported and pro-moted the ASCE and civil engineering, and hasshown technological competence, high character,and integrity. Also needed are 3 letters of rec-ommendation from licensed engineers.

Blessey received his BS and MS in civilengineering from Tulane University in 1940 and1943, respectively. During his college years hewas also a pitcher on the Green Wave baseballteam. He is a licensed engineer and land survey-or in Louisiana.

Blessey began his career with the United GasPipeline Company in 1940. Within a year, hewas a part-time, visiting instructor at Tulane andin 1942 he joined the faculty as an assistant pro-fessor. In 1945, Uncle Sam called and Blesseywas commissioned in the Seabees. He returnedto Tulane in 1946 and in 1959, he became Chairof the Civil Engineering Department — a posi-tion he held until he retired in 1984.

Concurrent with his teaching career and afterhis retirement from Tulane until 1997, Blesseyalso worked as a consulting engineer specializing



— Calendar of Events —September 15 - 16, 2005 Louisiana Civil Engineering Conference and Show,

Kenner. For more information visit New OrleansBranch website.

September 16, 2005 Annual Meeting of Louisiana Section, New Orleans.For more information visit New Orleans Branch web-site.

September 22 - 23, 2005 ASCE Seminar * on Water Hammer in Transmissionand Distribution Systems, Dallas, Texas.

September 29 - 30, 2005 ASCE Seminar * on Finite Elements, Memphis,Tennessee.

September 30, 2005 6th Annual Tulane Engineering Forum: “Engineeringin a coastal environment,” New Orleans. For moreinformation visit the Tulane College of Engineeringwebsite: www.eng.tulane.edu.

November 3-4, 2005 ASCE Seminar * on Structural Condition Assessment,New Orleans.

November 3-4, 2005 ASCE Seminar * on Residential Land DevelopmentPractices, Dallas, Texas.

November 3-4, 2005 ASCE Seminar * on Structural Design of IndustrialFacilities, Atlanta, Georgia.

November 6-10, 2005 American Concrete Institute International FallConvention, New Orleans. For information or toregister call ACI at (504) 581-1000 or visitwww.concrete.org.

November 10-11, 2005 ASCE Seminar * on Financial Management for theProfessional Engineer, Atlanta, Georgia.

November 10-11, 2005 ASCE Seminar * on Pumping Systems Design, Dallas,Texas.

December 5-6, 2005 ASCE Seminar * on Wetlands and 404 Permitting,Galveston, Texas.

December 15-16, 2005 ASCE Seminar * on Structural Renovation ofBuildings, Houston, Texas.

*For more information, call ASCE toll free at(800)548-2723 or visit the ASCE web pagewww.asce.org.


Student Chapter News

Jasmine Galjour wins scholashipBy E.R. DesOrmeaux, PE

Jasmine R. Galjour, a junior civil engineer-ing student who attends the University ofLouisiana at Lafayette, is one of the 7 recipientsof the nationally prestigious Samuel FletcherTapman Scholarship Award. This scholarship isgiven annually by the ASCE to as many as 12outstanding students who are enrolled in anaccredited engineering school and who are mem-bers of their ASCE student chapter and StudentMembers of the ASCE. Selection is based on theapplicant’s justification, educational plan, aca-demic performance, class standing, leadershipand financial need. In response to the newsJasmine observed,

I am humbled and indeed fortunate in receiv-ing the Samuel Fletcher Tapman ScholarshipAward. There are so many good students in civilengineering in the U.S. and I feel privileged to becounted in their ranks. My thanks go to all mem-bers of the ASCE. It is through your support ofASCE that scholarships such as this assist stu-dents in pursuing their academic goals.

Jasmine is also the recipient of the 2005-2006 Tau Beta Pi Records Scholarship and the2002 Wayne P. Wallace freshman scholarship,established in 1978 by E. R. and DianneDesOrmeaux. Wallace served as head of theDepartment of Civil Engineering, and Dean ofthe College of Engineering at the University.

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph

Galjour, Jasmine graduated from PonchatoulaHigh School in 2002 and entered the Universityof Louisiana at Lafayette as a freshman in the fallof 2002. In addition to maintaining a current3.968 grade point average, Jasmine is a part-timeemployee of Lafayette Utilities System, in the

Civil Engineering Section, where she works anaverage of 15 hours a week.

Jasmine has been an active member innumerous student organizations. Currently sheis the Secretary of the ASCE student chapter,President of Tau Beta Pi, President of theLouisiana Engineering Society student chapter,Secretary of Chi Epsilon, and serves the StudentGovernment Association as President of theCollege of Engineering. In 2003, Jasmine wasthe President of the Society of Women Engineersstudent chapter and elected to the UniversityStudent Senate. She is a member of the GammaBeta Phi, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Eta Sigmahonor societies.

Jasmine’s warm and caring personality isdemonstrated by her volunteer work assistinglearning impaired students by taking notes forthem in class, and assisting in supervising stu-dents at the Faith House domestic shelter. In arecent interview, her academic advisor,Xiaoduan Sun, PE, stated, “Jasmine is one of thefinest young ladies and one of the best students Ihave had in my engineering career.” After grad-uation, Jasmine expects to continue with gradu-ate studies leading to a doctoral degree in eitherstructural or environmental engineering, and shehopes to one day become an engineering profes-sor.

Jasmine Galjour

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY By Kevin Cowan, Jr.

Southern University became an official Linkof the Order of the Engineer as a result of a spe-cial project of the Chapter to establish the link.This effort was spearheaded by the VicePresident of the Chapter, Danielle Cooks.

There were 6 inductees who participated inthe first ring ceremony held April 27, 2005. Theywere senior engineering students David Bailey,Shannon Chambers, Kevin Cowan, Jr. andAndrea Payton and practitioners Nicole Harrisand Bryan Joseph. During the ceremony, theinductees accepted the Obligation of the

Engineer by pledging to uphold the integrity ofthe engineering profession, to use their skills toserve humanity and to conduct their businessaccording to the highest ethical standards.

Yvette P. Weatherton, PE presented theObligation and the stainless steel rings that are

worn on the fifth finger of the writing hand as areminder to the inductees of their obligations tosociety and a symbol to the public identifying theindividuals as engineers. The Order of the

Order of the Engineer inductees are (from left) senior students David Bailey, Shannon Chambers,Kevin Cowan, Jr. and Andrea Payton, and practitioners Nicole Harris and Bryan Joseph.

LSU

The Chapter representing the Deep SouthRegion participated in the 14th Annual NationalSteel Bridge Competition held May 27-28, 2005in Orlando, Florida. There were 44 steel bridgecompetition teams that participated in this eventhosted by the University of Central FloridaASCE Student Chapter resulting in 692 stu-dents, faculty and guests in attendance. TheChapter’s steel bridge team had a veryrespectable 3rd place finish. The University ofCalifornia, Davis and the University of Floridastudent chapters finished first and secondrespectively.



in structural and foundation design. The list ofprojects on which Blessey worked is lengthy,some of which are the• North Galvez overpass• Canal Boulevard underpass• Kaiser aluminum plant• double-arched cafeteria building in Angola• West Jefferson General Hospital• Clearview Shopping Center and• General American tank storage docks in

Goodhope.Blessey is also well known for his research

and publications predominately concerning foun-dation design. A sampling of these are• “High Capacity Long Steel Piles” for the

American Iron and Steel Institute — a testpile program on long high strength steel piles

• “Selecting the Best Pile Foundation” forWorld Construction

• “Updating Existing Urban Systems to the21st Century” and

• “New Orleans Grows on Deep Piles” forCivil Engineering magazine.Internationally, Blessey led a 6-week tour of

Central and South American major cities lectur-ing on prestressed and precast concrete. He alsodid a 2-week lecture series in Cali, Columbia onthe latest concepts in structural design. At theinvitation of the Australia Institute of Engineers,he did a 4-week tour of major Australian cities,lecturing on the latest U.S. developments instructural and foundation design. Blessey led a3-week tour of civil engineers through the majorcities of China, lecturing on U.S. design advance-ments. This culminated with a nationally tele-vised one-on-one interview with the VicePremier of China, Wang Zheng.

Blessey is a member of the Tulane EmeritusClub Board of Governors serving as Chair in2001-2002. He is also a member of Sigma Xi,Omicron Delta Kappa, Chi Epsilon, and Tau BetaPi honorary fraternities; and the AdvisoryCommittee on Specifications for the AmericanInstitute of Steel Construction. He was a mem-ber of the Dean’s Advisory Committee to theGovernor and the Domed Stadium Commission,advising on the design and construction of theLouisiana Superdome.

With the ASCE, Blessey served as thePresident of the Section, President of the District14 Council and the District 14 Director. In 1978,he became the first Section member to serve asthe President of the national ASCE. He is aFellow and Life Member.

Other awards that Blessey has received areLouisiana Engineering Society’s James M. ToddTechnological Accomplishments Medal,Outstanding Alumnus of the College ofEngineering at Tulane University, the firstLifetime Achievement Award recipient of theBranch, and a Special Citation Award from theBoard of Directors of the AISC.

In 2002, the Civil Engineering building atTulane University was rededicated as WalterBlessey Hall. Blessey did not donate millions ofdollars to buy this name. During the centennialof the Tulane School of Engineering, his Tulanecolleagues and former students began a fund in

his name for the building’s renovations. Over350 former students from 38 states contributed tothe fund and once renovation was completed, therededication took place. This is a testimony tothe level of respect that many share for Blessey.

Tomas L. Jackson, PE, from DMJM Harris,Ralph W. Junius, Jr., PE, from Linfield, Hunter &Junius, and Frank C. “Chuck” Fromherz, PE,from Fromherz Engineering wrote the three let-ters of recommendation for Blessey’s inducteenomination package. They are all Blessey’s for-mer students and are at the top of their respectivefirms. Jackson also served as President of theSection and as the Secton’s only other Presidentof the ASCE national organization. Junius andFromherz have served as Branch President. Hereare some of the things that they said:

Walter is an educator and practitioner whogave his students a theoretical as well as apractical education in civil engineering.Walter pushed his students into leadership byteaching as well as by his own example. Heserved not only as a mentor to me but also setvery high goals to challenge me in my owncareer and to also become a NationalPresident of the ASCE. — Tom Jackson

My experience as his student and his influ-ence on me is such that to this day I cannotenvision a better way to introduce an engi-neering student to civil engineering than tobe taught by Mr. Blessey. I still have andsecretly cherish both my steel and concretebuilding tracings drawn under Mr. Blessey’stutelage. I still use his methodologies in thedesign of waterfront structures. In my ownpersonal experience, Mr. Blessey was a pio-neer in developing analytical procedures fordesigning foundations using long piles. Istill have and use my US Steel design pam-phlet authored by Mr. Blessey. Of course,everyone knows that Mr. Blessey was thefirst national ASCE President fromLouisiana, and to this day the only other isformer outstanding student, Tom Jackson.— Ralph Junius

As Chairman of the Department of CivilEngineering, Mr. Blessey contributed signif-icantly to the profession by training a gener-ation of Tulane civil engineers. He alwayshad a close rapport with his students and westudents enjoyed the fact that after 15 or 20minutes of class he would launch into his“war stories” for the remainder of the period.These stories were his experiences in solvingvarious challenges that he had undertaken. Itwas several years after graduation that I real-ized that the crux of his class was not the the-ory but the war stories. The relating of thesepractical experiences was designed to instilla sense of engineering judgment and to gethis students to begin to think like an engi-neer.

Blessey has always demonstrated bril-liant technical competence coupled with highcharacter and integrity. He taught that anengineer’s first duty is to protect the public

and that is both ethical and expected that anengineer decline an engagement before par-ticipating with a client who would wantsomething contrary to this duty.— Chuck Fromherz

President’s Medal — Christopher L. Sanchez,EI

In 2004-2005, Sanchez served the Branchwith such distinction and dedicated service thathe received the President’s Medal from DeborahD. Keller, PE. Sanchez was elected by the mem-bership to serve in the office of Branch VicePresident. However, when the elected BranchTreasurer was given a work assignment out ofNew Orleans, Sanchez volunteered to continuehis former duties as Branch Treasurer additional-ly serving as acting Treasurer from September2004 thru May 2005. His office as Branch VicePresident included serving as the Chair of theLouisiana Civil Engineering Conference andShow — a major event that is the Branch’s pri-mary revenue source for funding its activities.During this time, Sanchez also retained his dutiesas the Branch liaison with the University of NewOrleans ASCE Student Chapter. He also volun-teered to serve on the Branch website committeeas it undertook a major initiative to reconfigurethe website.


Chris Sanchez receives commemorative plaquefor the Branch President’s Medal fromPresident Keller.

Engineer was established in 1970 in the UnitedStates to foster a spirit of pride, individualintegrity and responsibility in the engineeringprofession, to bridge the gap between trainingand practice and to present to the public a visiblesymbol identifying the engineer.

For more information visit www.order-of-the-engineer.org/history.htm.

The Southern University Link plans to holdanother ceremony during the fall semester thisyear. Future ceremonies following this areplanned to be held annually during the springsemester. For more information regarding theSouthern University Link please contactDanielle Cooks at [email protected]



Sections News and Information

Highlights of the April Membership meetingIt was noted that there is no wall space in the

Louisiana Engineering Center available to place aplaque commemorating the Section’s Wall ofFame award honorees. It was suggested that theSection make a “suitable place” on its future web-site to permanently commemorate the honorees.

The Distinguished Senior Civil EngineeringStudent Awards for each student chapter in thesection were announced and from among themthe recipient of the Section’s Outstanding SeniorCivil Engineering Student Award was reported bythe Student Awards and Activities Committee.The recipients are• Jeanne C. Arceneaux, Louisiana Tech

University• Eric J. Dallimore, University of New Orleans• Bart D. Grasso, Tulane University

• Shannon Chambers, Southern University• Clayton R. Cormier, McNeese State

University• Justin Peltier, University of Louisiana at

Lafayette and• Anna Wheeler, Louisiana State University.Jeanne C. Arceneaux was selected for theSection’s Outstanding Senior Civil EngineeringStudent Award.

The Section’s Nominating Committee pre-sented its slate of nominees to stand for electionfor the offices on the Section Board of Directorsfor the 2005-2006 administrative year. The nom-inees were• Timothy M. Ruppert, PE, President-Elect• E. Raymond DesOrmeaux, PE, VicePresident

• Ali M. Mustapha, PE, Secretary-TreasurerKim M. Garlington, PE, who is currentlyPresident-Elect will succeed to the office ofPresident of the Section. There were no nomi-nations made from the floor. The nominationswere closed and the nominees were electedunanimously by acclamation.

It was reported that the firm Crystal Tech hasbeen retained to host the Section website, andGator-T has been retained to design and maintainthe website. The new website will be immediate-ly updated by Gator-T and it will include theinformation and links to related sites that wereprovided on the previous website, and it shouldbe up and running in the near future.

Highlights of the May Board of Directors meetingThe implementation of the Section’s website

has been delayed because of an unexpected delayin transferring the domain name from the currenthost Network Solutions to Crystal Tech, the samehost that is used by the Acadiana Branch.Apparently identity theft issues have causedexpanded security measures that require that theindividual who originally established the accountwith Network Solutions and not the organizationbeing represented — the Section — to provideadequate identity with the instructions to transferthe domain name to a new host company. Gator-T has already completed the design of the newwebsite and once the transfer of the domainname is made from Network Solutions to CrystalTech the redesigned website will become imme-diately available.

Though the address change to mail theSection’s quarterly bank statement to the addressof the new officers has been accepted, interimaccess to the Section’s account is denied.Identity theft issues have apparently affecteddirect access to the Section’s bank account viaInternet and telephone denying access to the cur-rent officers of the Section. This was heretoforenot a problem. Measures have been initiated tocorrect the problem and maintain the authorizeduse of the full range of bank services to theSection’s current officers so that they may ade-quately monitor the Section’s bank accounts.

There was an extensive discussion about aproposal that the Section cover the cost of thedues of the Student Members in the ASCE stu-dent chapters in the section. The reason for theproposal is that students often desire to belong toseveral student organizations on campus wherethe total annual dues can be as much as $100 ormore. On some but not all campuses this can bea significant deterrent to some students to takefull advantage of all of the opportunities theymay desire in the student organizations available.Also, history indicates that the most importantsource of new members into the ASCE are the

Student Members who transfer their membershipto the Associate Member grade after graduation.This is recognized as an important component tothe growth of the Section. There was also con-cern expressed that paying 100% of the dues fora Student Member may devalue their member-ship in the ASCE on the principle that if it costsnothing it is worth nothing.

The discovery in the previous billing cyclethat Life Members in the Section were not giventhe option on the invoice to make a voluntarycontribution to the Section has been addressed.Arrangements have been made to provide for theline item on the invoice for Section members inall membership grades to make a voluntary con-tribution to the Section. The voluntary contribu-tion to the Section will be a line item on the nextinvoice of all Section members for their Sectionand national dues.

It was proposed that a plaque to commemo-rate the distinguished civil engineering seniorstudents be purchased for each civil engineeringdepartment hosting a student chapter in theSection. The proposed plaques would be deliv-ered to each of the respective civil engineeringdepartments to be hung in an appropriate placeon campus. Each plaque would accommodate asmany as 36 engraved nameplates. An engravednameplate for each distinguished civil engineer-ing senior student would be delivered individual-ly by the Section to the Faculty Advisor or otherdesignated person to be installed on the studentchapter’s plaque.

A recent request of the Section to fund anindividual student’s planned activity raised sig-nificant concern. While the vote was to providethe funds requested, it was nearly divided evenlybetween those voting with apparently strong con-victions for and against funding the proposal. Agreat concern was that by honoring such arequest it would more than likely stimulate morerequests in the future to the extent that it wouldbe difficult for the Section to say no until it

becomes too expensive to say yes. Since honor-ing such requests would deplete the section’s sur-plus funds that are annually prorated and distrib-uted to the branches, the Board developed andapproved the policy to refer all unbudgeted, indi-vidual student requests for funds to the branch ofthe origin for its consideration.

The Board acted to extend an invitation tothe ASCE national to hold its 2007 Zone IILeadership Conference in New Orleans forwhich the Section agrees to provide the specifiedhosting requirements. While there are substan-tial costs involved in hosting this Conference, itis believed that the total cost of individual travelfor the Section leadership would be more toeither of the other proposed host sites being con-sidered — Atlanta and Nashville. Having theConference in New Orleans would provide theadditional opportunity for other leaders in theSection to conveniently attend the Conference attheir own nominal expense. This offers theopportunity to the largest number of Sectionleaders to gain the important experience and per-spective provided by the leadership conferences.It is considered important because of the poten-tial benefits to the Section and its membersthrough the improved quality of service providedby its better trained leadership.

The continuing decline in advertisement andlisting revenues in The Louisiana Civil Engineer,the Section’s journal, over the last few years hasfinally reached a point where the receipts arebeing exceeding by the publishing costs. It wasnoted that due to improvements in publishingtechnology the cost of publishing the journal hasremained relatively flat since the advertising andlisting rates were established 13 years ago. Forthis reason, it is believed that the revenue short-fall being experienced is due entirely to the lossin the number of advertisements and listings andthis is due to a general failure to maintain anaggressive, continuous effort to solicit new


Section members Robert L. Ardelean, PE,Susanne Dawson, PE, Jennifer A. Gemar, PErecently earned their civil and/or environmentalengineering license in Louisiana. If you are incontact with any of them, please offer them yourcongratulations on their accomplishment.

Louisiana residents, Glenn M. Gremillion,PE, Gonzalo J. Otero, PE recently earned theircivil and/or environmental engineering license inLouisiana and are not members of the ASCE. Acopy of this issue of the journal is sent to them asan informal introduction to the Section. If theywish to join and/or find out more about theASCE, they are hereby encouraged to visit theASCE national website, http://www.asce.org. Ifyou are in contact with any of these engineers,please consider formally introducing them to theSection by inviting them to attend a branch meet-ing as your guest.

Ryan J. Fuselier, PE, PLS, has been hired asEngineering Project Manager for theEngineering Division of C.H. Fenstermaker &Associates, Inc. A civil engineer, Fuselier bringsto this position extensive experience in drainageimpact analysis, sewer and water design, subdi-visions, roads and bridges, and land surveying.This experience in road and land developmentproject work, and extensive knowledge of mobile

video applications in the area of telemedicineand security in conjunction with an entrepre-neurial background are assets that make him wellqualified. Fuselier currently is Vice President ofthe Louisiana Society of Professional LandSurveyors. He was the owner and founder ofFuselier & Associates, Inc., an engineering andland surveying company in Eunice. Fuselier isthe co-founder of Wireless Fusion that develops,constructs and implements products and tech-nologies in the area of low bandwidth video, bio-metrics and telemedicine with an emphasis onwireless connectivity.

Lee W. Forbes, PE, has been hired as SeniorEngineer of the Engineering Division of C.H.Fenstermaker & Associates, Inc. Forbes earnedhis BS in petroleum engineering and his MS incivil engineering from Louisiana StateUniversity and he is a licensed engineer inLouisiana, Arkansas, Texas and North Carolina.Forbes has a broad background in both civil andenvironmental consulting with over 18 yearsexperience in design, project management, andregulatory compliance. Relying on his experi-ence in the various capacities as lead designer,project engineer, project manager and engineer-ing manager applied to water resources special-ization in watershed planning, stream and ripari-

an restoration, municipal solid waste manage-ment and bioremediation, Forbes will focus onthe firm’s water resources engineering andwatershed planning projects.

Jessica S. Cornay, PE, an Engineer Internwith C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates, Inc. since2000 when she graduated from the University ofLouisiana at Lafayette with a BS in civil engi-neering recently became a licensed engineer inLouisiana. As a project designer her areas ofexpertise include project management, designand layout of roadways, storm waterdetention/retention facilities, municipal facilitiesand preparation of cost estimates, and contractdocuments. Cornay earned her BS in politicalscience from the University of Louisiana atLafayette in 1997._______________________________________

Editor’s note: There are three disciplinesthat are licensed by the Louisiana ProfessionalEngineering and Land Surveying Board and thatmay be considered closely related to civil engi-neering. They are the environmental, structuraland architectural engineering disciplines. As ofJanuary 2005, the active engineering licensesconferred by the Board were approximately 6128in civil, 746 in environmental, 51 in structuraland 1 in architectural.


(Continued from page 4)

- Career Benchmarks -

Lee W. ForbesRyan J. Fuselier Jessica S. Cornay

ing as I sat down in the conference room.But my boss interrupted me. “On a day liketoday,” he responded, “only stupid peopleare on time.”

Vasella says that that one remark has had a deep,lasting impact on him. It made him realize thatsometimes you have to be willing to change yourown rules, even when they seem set in stone.Good leaders are flexible, when necessary.

From Wademan’s observations and the expe-riences of Lazarus and Vasella, one may con-clude that management and leadership skillsappear to be somewhat anecdotal, evolving andsubject to the individual’s experience in the cor-porate culture. From this, I think one may fur-ther conclude that the future engineer manager orleader would, like the MBA, greatly benefit from

a foundation — content, awareness and guidance— provided by formal management and leader-ship training. This foundation would provide thestudent a more acute awareness and a clearer per-spective of management and leadership on whichto consciously and effectively build the uniquepersonal traits that are needed to be the viablechoice for leading engineering organizationslarge and small.

Section businessIt has been an eventful year. The Section

Annual Spring Meeting and Conference, hostedby the Acadiana Branch and held in Lafayette,was very well attended. The Louisiana CivilEngineering Conference and Show, a joint eventsponsored by the New Orleans Branch and the

Louisiana Chapter of American ConcreteInstitute, was again very successful. The reor-ganization of our District 14 and District 10 intothe new Region 5 is ongoing and ahead of sched-ule. And a committee has been organized tobegin work on a report card for Louisiana’sinfrastructure, which can be a tool for use bygovernment agencies in targeting funding ofrepair/refurbishment of the state infrastructure inmost need.

I would now like to take some time andthank the Section officers and Board for all oftheir hard work this past year. They are the lead-ers of our profession. It has been my great pleas-ure to work with them and to serve you asSection President this past year.


- Observation -


advertising and listing accounts. On this basis,there would appear to be little justification forraising the advertising and listing rates other thanto support this failure and doing so may appear tobe unfair to those with current advertisementsand listings in the journal. A substantial effort istherefore being mounted to solicit new advertise-ments and listings. The Publications CommitteeChair plans to solicit new service and supplieradvertisements and professional listings from alarge address list that has been compiled and isstill growing. It was recommended that theaddresses of the potential new advertisers andlistings be sorted by branch and provided to thebranch presidents who are members of thePublications Committee. They and the branchleadership will be asked to directly solicit thosewho they know through personal and profession-al connections.

The Younger Member Committee is planninga fund raiser via the sale of a 2006 pictorial cal-endar featuring photographs of civil engineeringworks in Louisiana. The origin of the photo-graphs will be the winners of a photography con-test open to high school and college students.There was concern expressed that the time inter-val for the contest may not be sufficient —excluding the summer months — to achieve thedesired participation and to have the calendars

available for sale as planned during the LouisianaCivil Engineering Conference and Show in earlySeptember 2005. To allow more time for studentparticipation — during the fall semester — it wassuggested that orders be taken for the calendarduring the Conference and that orders be solicit-ed in the August and November issues of theSection journal. This would allow the productionand delivery of the calendars to be scheduled forlate November. The proposal and budget for theproject has yet to be delivered by the YoungerMembers Committee to the Board for its reviewand consideration for approval so that the fundsbudgeted for the Committee can be released. Toexpedite the Committee’s project, an exhibitbooth was offered on the floor of the exhibit hallof the Louisiana Civil Engineering Conferenceand Show where it can solicit orders and possiblydisplay some of the early photographic entries tothe contest.

The previous news and disappointment thatthere is no wall space available in the LouisianaEngineering Center for displaying a proposedSection plaque containing the nameplates of theSection’s Wall of Fame honorees was discussed.It was decided to try to make another last directappeal for the space to display the proposedplaque in the Center.

There was concern expressed about the qual-

ity of the contents of some technical programsoffered during branch membership meetings andsection-wide conferences. There have been“technical” programs presented that are consid-ered by some little more than a sales pitch madeby vendor sales representatives that are not ableto offer technical information about the applica-tion of their products. It raised the questionwhether there is sufficient educational value insuch presentations to offer a PDH to those inattendance. Some indicated that they screen ven-dor presentations and presenters to reasonably beassured that there is adequate technical content intheir presentations and that sales-related infor-mation is nominal.

There was also concern expressed that thereappeared to be too little effort made to encourageand solicit fellow ASCE members and other civilengineers working on projects in the branch andSection community to present their work as ameeting program or conference technical ses-sion. It was observed that some branches wouldbe hard pressed to fill all of the membershipmeetings scheduled annually with such technicalprograms. It was observed that the 4 branchescould cooperatively identify and exchange infor-mation about engineering presentations that areof acceptable technical quality.

The Tulane Engineering Forum 2005 isscheduled for September 30, 2005 from 8:30 amto 5:00 pm and will be housed in the NewOrleans Hilton Riverside. This one-day event —the 6th annual Tulane Engineering Forum spon-sored by the Tulane School of Engineering —includes a program of 4 concurrent sessions.The Forum, with the theme Engineering in aCoastal Environment, will feature sessions on

the subjects of hurricane effects infrastructure,environmental, energy, aerospace, coastal ero-sion, security, petrochemical and shipping pro-viding an opportunity for participants to earn 7professional development hours including 1 hourin ethics. An early registration discount is avail-able through August 21, 2005. For more infor-mation and registration visit the Tulane Schoolof Engineering website: www.eng.tulane.edu

— net surfing—

ASCE national organization:

http://www.asce.org

Note: Most ASCE-related pages can also be

addressed through links at this website. All

section and branch officers are listed at:

http://www.asce.org/gsd/localofficers

ASCE Acadiana Branch:

http://www.asceacadiana.net

ASCE Baton Rouge Branch:

http://branches.asce.org/batonrouge/

index.htm

ASCE New Orleans Branch:

http://www.asceno.org

Louisiana Tech ASCE Student Chapter:

http://www.latech.edu/tech/orgs/asce/

UNO ASCE Student Chapter:

http://www.uno/~engr/asce/asce.html

ULL ASCE Student Chapter:

http://www.engr.usl.edu/cive

Tulane ASCE Student Chapter:

http://www.tulane.edu/~asce

LSU ASCE Student Chapter:

http://www.ce.lsu.edu/~asce

ASCE Louisiana Section:

http://www.lasce.com

Louisiana Engineering Society:

http://www.les-state.org

Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land

Surveying Board:

http://www.lapels.com

Government service:The Minnesota Department of Transpor-

tation assistant commissioner, Dick Stehr, saysthat efforts to retain engineers include a career-development program but that state restrictionsprevent the Department from offering raises orcreating career advancement positions. For thisreason, the Department cannot compete with thecompensation offered engineers in private indus-try. However, engineers who have left theDepartment give a variety of other reasons forleaving government service. They include lowmorale, lack of responsibility and commensurateauthority to do the work, lack of opportunity toadvance and lack of performance-based rewards.(Minneapolis Star Tribune - 7/8/02) This shouldnot be surprising considering that the

Department has an engineers union. Union andgovernment pay scales and policies traditionallyreward and protect incumbents based principallyon their tenure, and not their performance, expe-rience or competence. When pay scales andpolicies assiduously encourage mediocrity, it issubstantially achieved by typically driving awayexcellent people and the commensurate excel-lence they bring to an organization. The prob-lems described by the engineers who left theDepartment appear symptomatic of leadership— or the lack thereof— founded on such medi-ocrity. Interestingly, it is suggested that theDepartment could do more in other ways toretain talented engineers.

Been there. Knew that. What’s new?Amen! - Editor


The Younger Member Committee officers ofthe Section, and including the Section Chair andthe chairs for the Baton Rouge, New Orleans andShreveport branches are together sponsoring astatewide photography contest.• Geoffrey, L. Wilson, EI, Baton Rouge• Jonathan P. Hobbs, EI, New Orleans• Elba U. Hamilton, EI, Shreveport• Yvette P. Weatherton, Section

This is part of the Committee’s public out-reach campaign intended to raise public aware-ness and promote a better understanding of thecivil engineering profession, and attract studentsinto seriously considering civil engineering as anexciting and challenging career choice.

High school and college students inLouisiana are encouraged to submit amateurphotos that depict positive images of civil engi-neering works throughout Louisiana. They mayinclude new civil engineered facilities under con-

struction and those in service such as theLouisiana Superdome in New Orleans, the LakePontchartrain Causeway, the Horace WilkinsonBridge/New Mississippi River Bridge in BatonRouge.

It is anticipated that there will be 12 winningphotographs selected and the photographer ofeach will receive a $100 award as well as havingtheir photographs published in a full color calen-dar among civil engineers throughout the state.It is intended that the calendar will be sold tocivil engineers with the hope that the studentchapters and YMC activities will benefit fromany profits accrued. For additional contest infor-mation and guidelines, please visithttp://www.subr.edu/asce. The entry deadline toparticipate in the contest is October 15, 2005.

Attention• retired civil engineers and• professional photographers.

We may be seeking someone just like you to con-sider being a contest judge. Judges are beingsolicited at this time. Corporate sponsors arealso being sought to fund the prizes and defrayprinting costs for the calendar. Sponsorships willbe acknowledged by 2" x 5" advertisements(approximate dimensions) on the pages of thecalendar with the photographs. The cost will be • $175 for 1 advertisement and• $350 for 2 advertisements appearing either

on the same page or on different pages.Anyone interested in participating may applydirectly using the forms provided. Those havingquestions about participating in any of theseopportunities please feel free to contact yourbranch YMC chair or Yvette P. Weatherton, PE,your Section YMC Chair by email at [email protected].

Picture perfect photo contestBy Yvette P. Weatherton, PE


determine effects of its tidal surge on southeastLouisiana. The simulated hurricane took a pathup the Mississippi River, through New Orleansand into Slidell. This is considered the ultimatedisaster situation for the geography of the NewOrleans region. As you may know, most of NewOrleans is below sea level. The MississippiRiver and Lake Pontchartrain surround the citycausing the city to act as a sump constantly beingprotected with levees and massive pumps.

The model produced an 18-foot tidal surgethat rushed up the Mississippi River. However, itwas not this surge moving up from the River’smouth that poses the greatest threat to NewOrleans. The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet

canal, a short navigable channel connecting theMississippi River to Lake Borgne, facilitates thepassage of large ships to the Gulf of Mexico viaits shorter path. The canal provides the firstopportunity for the tidal surge to enter NewOrleans resulting in the complete inundation ofthe 9th Ward and Lakefront Airport as it makesits way through the city.

Shortly thereafter, the surge reaches LakePontchartrain causing severe flooding north andwest of the city and on the north lake shore. The14' to 17' storm surge would continue upriver,past Baton Rouge. The immediate impact of theflooding is apparent but it would also leave mostareas in its aftermath without power, food, water,

medicine or transportation for weeks, if notmonths.

Pine revealed that the lesson learned fromthis simulation is how to mitigate or prevent acrisis. A crisis occurs when an organization failsto prepare, adapt or plan to respond to emergen-cies or uncertain events — a deviation from theexpected. Planning is required to manage a cri-sis and it involves assigning and then managingthe risks. Pine concluded that we should desig-nate a disaster recovery system and incorporatepre-event functions of risk management, safetymanagement and contingency planning intoeveryday business plans.


Editor’s JournalBy James C. Porter

Plan stamping

The recent headway reported in the NationalSociety of Professional Engineers’ EngineeringTimes concerning plan stamping rules reignitedthe heartburn they give me as a professionalengineer. I have in the past and feel compelled tocontinue to express just how ridiculous I believethese rules are in their current incarnation. Ibelieve that the plan stamping rules misrepresenta legitimate and important regulatory obligationof the engineering profession concerning pri-mary public health and safety issues and convertit into a blatant attempt to copyright protect theplans of the owners of established engineeringoffices. I further believe that the motive — con-scious or unconscious — of these owners whowrite or control the writing of these rules for therest of the profession is to protect their businessinterests to the detriment of their competitorsthrough the rule-making process. Coming fromour leadership, I believe the nature of these rulesplaces the entire engineering profession in moralturpitude.

These rules would appear to be a correlationof some of the elements in codes of ethics thatinspired a federal antitrust suit brought againstthe ASCE and the National Society ofProfessional Engineers and others by the U.S.Department of Justice in the early 1970s. Bothsocieties, after losing an appeal to the U.S.

Supreme Court, are under a consent decree tostrike their offending antitrust-violating ethicsrules and not implement new ones. The planstamping rules written by the same interest groupappear to support the same antitrust issues, butalso they appear — I would guess — to raise theissue of a state government’s right to violate fed-eral antitrust law. The state licensing boards arenot under the consent decree and thereby create anew rules-making playground for the same play-ers to engage in their same malignant activity.

The part of these prescriptive rules that Ibelieve are so offensive is that the engineer musthave active, real-time participation in the super-vision and control of the plan developmentprocess. I accept that this would be an impera-tive in the large and/or unique project that breaksnew ground relative to the experience of thoseinvolved in the technology and/or where the riskof failure is otherwise significant enough that ateam effort is important in ferreting out anypotential problems from several perspectives andsolving the problems discovered.

Conventional projects like metal buildingand residential/apartment frame construction onconcrete slab foundations that occur with someregularity ordinarily require little or no engineer-ing team effort. This is particularly true whenperformed in the established consulting engi-

neering office where comparable plans are on filethat are close to what is required, and there aremany experienced structural detailers familiarwith the nearly standard details used. The role ofthe experienced structural detailer is then to inde-pendently advance drawings as close to finalplans as it is possible based on experience andthe drawings in the firm’s archives. The role ofthe experienced engineer is to take these nearlycompleted plans and completely review them andthen supervise any revisions that may be neces-sary to reasonably assure that they are engi-neered, complete, constructable, meet the appli-cable code requirements, and conform to generalhealth and safety standards.

While this relatively routine process wouldappear to be practical and appropriate for routinestandard plans and work in an established engi-neering office and easily meet the engineer’spublic health and safety obligations, it is specifi-cally contrary to the plan stamping rules.However, these rules are not written to apply toengineers in established engineering offices.And as a matter of practicality, they are not.They are written to apply to individual engineerswho, with a low overhead, are in some areas ofwork effective competitors of the owners ofestablished engineering offices — those who are


Intellectual EntrepreneurshipThe Intellectual Entrepreneurship Program

at the University of Texas at Austin was foundedin 1996 in its Office of Graduate Studies byRichard A. Cherwitz who was then AssociateDean of Graduate Studies and who is now theDirector of Intellectual Entrepreneurship. Thegoal of this program is to produce citizen-schol-ars. Focusing on academic and professionalwriting, technology, consulting, ethics, entrepre-neurship, advanced teaching methods, and aca-demic and professional internship, the Programoffers cross-disciplinary programs that allow thegraduate students in the portfolio of participatinggraduate programs it serves to supplement theirdiscipline-specific education. This is done, forexample, through collaboration between stu-dents in highly theoretical disciplines and thosein applied fields of study.

The premise of Intellectual Entrepre-neurship is that intellect is not exclusive to theuniversity and entrepreneurship is not exclusiveto business but mutually an innate part of both.In a deeper sense, entrepreneurship is considereda process of cultural innovation and an attitudefor engaging the world by which creation ofmaterial wealth is but one motive/outcome —measure of success. Intellectual entrepreneurstake risks, seize opportunities, discover/createknowledge, innovate, collaborate, and solveproblems in any venue such as business, govern-ment or education.

The citizen-scholar is more than a researcher

contributing to a specialized, disciplinary knowl-edge. Through academic engagement the citi-zen-scholar also takes to heart the ethical obli-gation to contribute to society — discoveringand putting to work knowledge that makes asocial difference. Citizen-scholars own and areaccountable for their education simultaneouslyusing their intellectual assets as a means toexpand their specialized, disciplinary knowledgeand as a lever for social good.

The university academic culture is foundedon disciplinary contribution through the prolifer-ation of specialized, disciplinary knowledge thatis valued most when it is derived from originalthought and independent discovery. This culturedevalues teamwork involving multi-institutional,cross-disciplinary and collaborative investiga-tion. It is urgent and important that this devalu-ation as a cultural obstacle to intellectual entre-preneurship be addressed to more effectivelyharness the vast intellectual assets of the univer-sity. Intellectual entrepreneurship is in a muchbroader context comparable to applied researchin which implementation is an integral part.

It is time to reflect on what it will take tofashion genuine synergy between universitiesand their community partners to facilitate theexpansion of specialized, disciplinary knowl-edge and lever it for social good — intellectualentrepreneurship. The Intellectual Entrepre-neurship Program appears to be both a meansand a catalyst for this change. For more about

Intellectual Entrepreneurship visitwww.utexas.edu.

It is alleged that certificate programs, intern-ships and professional development coursesintended to supplement the discipline-specificeducation will not solve the larger structuralproblem addressed by an intellectual entrepre-neurship program. They fail to address the fun-damental question — How is knowledge opti-mally organized, integrated and put to work?

If this allegation is valid and the ultimategoal of the ASCE body of knowledge for the pro-posed master’s or equivalent civil engineeringeducation is to essentially produce a citizen-scholar, it would suggest that its academic bag-gage outside of the discipline-specific subjectsmay have not one but two serious flaws. First,civil engineering professors typically are notcompetent or experienced in other than disci-pline-specific subjects and second, the other thandiscipline-specific subjects will not effectivelyaddress the significant entrepreneurial issueseven if taught competently. If true, this may leadone to conclude that the existing civil engineer-ing graduate curricula — master’s and doctorate— should be one of the largest customers in theportfolio of an intellectual entrepreneurship pro-gram where it is available. This would appear toleave the ASCE BOK and MOE as a very poorquality second choice, and by comparison, a rel-atively ineffectual, stand-alone academicchimera.



exclusively or at least largely represented on thestate licensing boards and in the NCEES.

The typical victim of a complaint inLouisiana is an easy mark — the individual engi-neer who has few resources to defend himself.The source of the complaints are typically theiraggrieved competitors — owners of establishedengineering and architectural firms. Thereby, therules are selectively applied to the individualengineer exercising the same appropriate prac-tice of carefully reviewing independently pre-pared conventional engineering documents justas the engineer employees do in the establishedengineering office.

I contend that how, when and where suchengineering documents are prepared is not a rel-evant public health and safety issue. It is onlyrelevant that the sealed engineering documentsfor a particular project have been reviewed and

revised by the engineer as may be necessary forthe application for which they are intended.Contrary to the reason for the very existence ofthe state licensing boards and the NCEES, someof their licensees are inappropriately and unfair-ly judged on conformance to an arbitrary, pre-scriptive rule by which they are not necessarilyheld to the underlying principle in practice rela-tive to public health and safety.

I believe that plan stamping should be gov-erned by well-founded, briefly stated principlesrequiring professional judgment and interpreta-tion considering the specific conditions of theproposed project. It should not be governed bythe complex series of convoluted, prescriptiverules advocated by the NSPE, and the NCEES,and that are used in Louisiana and in any statewhere licensing boards may blindly implementcopycat rules.

We engineers do like to think of ourselves asprofessionals, don’t we? It is because it reflectsa need for intelligence, ethics and a recognizancenormally expected of a professional in the exer-cise of good judgment. The need for prescriptiverules — in general — are indicative of the regu-lation of simple matters executed by simple peo-ple of which engineering and engineers in myopinion are not. From this, I can only concludethat the NCEES and its member state licensingboards insult and degrade the entire engineeringprofession that they are entrusted to regulate. Itis through their effrontery and for no other reason

ately protect the practice of a better representedsegment of the profession among them from thelegitimate practice of others.

Greenlight for engineering systems

What appeared eventually to be a fad tech-nology taught in the civil engineering curriculumin the 1960s and 1970s was engineering systems.Engineering systems involved the application ofvarious optimization procedures or techniquesthat are applied to mathematical models. Theremathematical models describe the characteristicperformance spectrum of various engineeringsubsystems that together interact with each otherand make up a larger system. The optimuminteraction of these subsystems with each otherwhen used together as part of a larger system wasof particular interest. Individually and independ-ently each subsystem has an optimum operatingsolution. The optimization algorithm is used tofind the global optimum solution for the mathe-matical model of the larger system in which var-ious subsystems are incorporated and interact.The particular optimization algorithm selectedwould depend on the characteristic performancespectrum and interaction of various engineeringsubsystems being considered. The global opti-mum solution for the larger system will mostprobably occur where none of the subsystemswould necessarily be operated at its local opti-mum but at some other point in their individualcharacteristic performance spectrum to producethe global optimum of the larger system.

For me, the engineering systems concept hada substantial appeal technologically and profes-sionally. I was actually involved in a researchand development project that made use of engi-neering systems principles in a practical applica-tion that clearly demonstrated its promise. Asquickly as engineering systems rose to promi-nence in the civil engineering curriculum, iteventually disappeared. I was later informed byone of its proponents that the problem it solvedwas not a significant issue in the one-time fund-ing building structures. Given the technologicaloptions, it appeared the most that the applicationof engineering systems could improve initialcosts was typically in the 2 percent range.

The financing decisions that determined thesuccess of a building project — build or no build— at the time centered around what was quickand dirty in terms of getting a project completed

and in service — making money — as quickly aspossible. Buildings were typically financed andconstructed by investors/promoters out to make aquick buck with no intention of long-term own-ership nor sense of stewardship for the environ-ment. Therefore, long-term issues such as ener-gy efficiency, durability and ongoing operationsand maintenance associated with service lifecosts and subsystem selection were completelysubordinated or ignored in deference to the initialcost to finance a project. This driving force as Iremember having it explained could easily toler-ate an approximately 5 percent increase in theinitial cost over what may be the optimum mak-ing the application of engineering systems moot.

The energy crisis in the 1970s influencedwhat appeared to be a temporary interest in thelong-term economics of energy efficiency in theconstruction of buildings. Though some of theinnovations that were developed to improve ener-gy efficiency during this time and the lessonslearned may have been generally retained, con-tinued interest in energy efficiency and newdevelopments appear to have quickly faded intothe background once high energy costs becameless of a factor. Similar to the historical interestin only the economics of the initial costs — itappears that interest in service life costs wasdriven purely by the business motives to satisfythe economic conditions of the moment. Itappeared that if the motive of pure economicinterest in building construction was the drivingforce, stewardship of the environment wouldalways be trumped by the availability of relative-ly inexpensive energy. In this environment, the 2percent improvement in the initial costs achievedby the optimum solution provided by the engi-neering systems approach does not make it anongoing viable technology.

A series of feature articles in a special sec-tion of the October 2004 issue of CE News clear-ly brought engineering systems to mind when itwas noted that green buildings cost no more than2 percent of a standard building and it was stated

Sustainability often is referred to as living ina way that allows optimization of economic,environmental and social aspects — or the

triple bottom line. The challenge becomesone of coming up with ways to systematizethe concept.It was pointed out that the $3 trillion a year

construction industry was grounded in an era ofa different ethic and founded on a sense of unlim-ited abundance that discounted waste and pro-moted growth and consumption as its underlyingvalues. Protecting and sustaining life were notmeasured in terms of monetary worth. All of thisappears to be rapidly changing.

A new ethic of green value is founded inconstruction using high-quality building prod-ucts with the least environmental impact andseeking the highest level of occupant health. TheWorld Green Building Council has near 5,000members in 10 nations. The 5-year-old greenbuilding rating system of the U.S. GreenBuilding Council (Established 1993) —Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED) New Construction — is a standard fornew construction that is now being used in 5 per-cent of the new construction and used as amethod to review, measure and document sus-tainability of buildings. The LEED standards forexisting buildings, commercial interiors and oth-ers are in various stages of development andimplementation. Green building ordinancesbased on LEED are being adopted by dozensmunicipalities in the U.S. with incentives forboth public and private projects. LEED has beenadopted nationwide by the General ServicesAdministration. More than 6,000 building pro-fessionals have taken and passed a LEEDAccredited Professional exam, and it is becom-ing more common for professional green servic-es to be offered by firms and mandated by own-ers.

Driven by environmentalists and engineersalike, the green movement and sustainable devel-opment continue to gain momentum in the build-ing industry. The application of engineering sys-tems may have a place in this environment that isbecoming more ethics-based rather than purelyeconomics-based. However, there are long-termeconomic benefits that can accrue to the succes-


than a petty, not-so-hidden agenda to inappropri-


located approximately 15 miles south ofWashington, D.C. This intersection received theprestigious Francis B. Francois Award forInnovation from the American Association ofState Highway and Transportation Officials.

We have been overwhelmingly happy withhow it has run, and the flow has minimizedbackups that were pretty significant prior tomaking this move,

said David Buck, a spokesman for the MarylandState Highway Administration.

Selected projectsABMB has presented the CFI concept to the

transportation officials in several states and hasconducted numerous studies for potential appli-cations. The following are short descriptions ofthe firm’s experience with some of the CFI appli-cations currently under consideration:

Airline Highway Corridor Study Baton RougeA 5-mile corridor along Airline Highway

from Florida Boulevard to Old JeffersonHighway was analyzed as part of this study. Thecorridor consists of 4 travel lanes and it includes13 signalized intersections. The study tested thepotential benefits of implementing a two-leg CFIapplication on the Airline Highway approachesat 4 key locations considering the current yeartraffic (2004) and the 20-year projected traffic.

The near optimum signal cycle length select-ed for the CFI configuration was 90 seconds —much lower than the current 150-second cyclelength at the conventional intersections. Thecycle lengths and split times for the adjacent 9intersections remaining in the corridor were low-

ered to 90 seconds to enhance progression. Theresults of the analysis were compared to theexisting configuration and a proposed plan towiden Airline Highway to 6 lanes over a lengthof 3 miles in the corridor. The results indicatedthat while there is substantial benefit obtainedwith the 6-lane widening option, there is agreater benefit obtained with the CFI option interms of reduced travel time in the corridor andaverage intersection delay. In addition, the costof constructing the CFIs was much less than the6-lane widening option.

As a result, one of the intersections, AirlineHighway at Siegen Lane/Sherwood ForestBoulevard was selected as a pilot project todemonstrate the benefits of the CFI by relievingits heavy congestion and delay. The CFI pro-posed at this location and shown on the coverpage of this issue consists of two CFI legs onAirline Highway with a geometric configurationthat is based on the right-of-way restrictions.This intersection is one of the most congestedintersections in Baton Rouge with the heaviestcongestion occurring when traffic volume is thehighest during the afternoon peak hour. Theaverage peak hour intersection delay at this loca-tion is currently near 4 minutes. The CFIimprovements are estimated to dramaticallyreduce the peak hour intersection delay to about30 seconds, and result in less congestion andshorter queue lengths. This pilot project is cur-rently under construction and scheduled to becompleted by January 2006.

US 61 Natchez, MississippiThis US 61 corridor study was launched to

determine the roadway improvements necessaryto meet current and future traffic demand at twointersections — US 61 at Junkin Drive and US61 at Devereux Drive — along with 7 other inter-section/interchange locations on US 61. Ananalysis using the CFI application was complet-ed at these 2 intersections for the interim year(2005) and the design year (2025). Several alter-native configurations were studied to determinethe preferred CFI solution at both locations. Theresults of the VISSIM models for the preferredCFI solution revealed it would improve trafficoperations when compared with the convention-al alternative considered.

The preferred CFI alternative recommendedfor the Junkin Drive intersection shown in Figure4 is a one-leg CFI design to accommodate a pro-jected heavy left-turn movement on JunkinDrive. Other conventional improvements studiedconsisted of an undesirable 3-lane left-turnmovement on Junkin Drive to provide the capac-ity for the heavy left-turn traffic volume. Itresulted in only marginally acceptable levels ofservice. The CFI alternative can be constructedwithin the existing right-of-way, and it allowsfull access to an adjacent shopping center,improves access to an adjacent medical centerentrance and offers a substantial intersectiondelay reduction. This CFI application is current-ly in the final design phase.

At the Devereux Drive intersection, it is rec-ommended that a southbound flyover be con-structed on US 61. While improved traffic oper-ations would be provided by the CFI application,the route continuity provided by the southboundflyover was considered the primary need.




sive owners of a facility over its service life thatare realized through the initial capital investmentjustified through environmental ethics. Theinvestor/promoter may actually recover this larg-er initial investment through a higher sale priceoffered for the value perceived by buyers that

appreciate and account for lower operating andmaintenance costs. If the design and construc-tion environment driven by green ethics is sus-tained in the long-term as opposed to its volatili-ty when driven by pure economics, the 2 percentimprovement to the optimum initial costs and as

much as 15 percent improvement in the servicelife costs refined by the engineering systemsapproach may result in engineering systemsbecoming the viable, supporting technology itonce appeared to promise.

Freedom

Participation in the workplace, as does citi-zenship in a free society, requires that theemployee sacrifice unbridled freedom to accom-modate others. In the workplace, there is tangi-ble compensation for this sacrifice. This is anoversimplification but it appears reasonably cor-rect. It explains a clear expectation of the com-mand and control function in the organizationthat is reinforced by stated obligations and tangi-ble compensation. The imposition of limits onthe freedom of a member of an organization isvoluntarily accepted by the member throughbeing free to cease employment... Quit! Hell!Another common tactic beyond the scope of thisdiscussion is for members to join forces and con-spire to extort concessions from the employer.

As a glue to hold an organization together inan effective and competitive way, stated obliga-tions and compensation to limit freedom andreinforce command and control do count for as

much as wartime military organizations demon-strate. Even in the wartime military, it is only afoundation on which much must be built toimprove effectiveness. This is even more true inpeacetime.

I believe that the key to superior effective-ness is found in the spiritual nature of the humanbeing that is driven by something other than thetangibles of command, control and compensa-tion. Just as the regimen of resting and eatingwell, and exercising regularly is not necessary tosustain life but important to the quality andlength of life, so are active and positive relation-ships at home, work and across the breadth ofone’s life important to effectiveness. They areneeded to build a healthy spiritual base on whichmeaning and quality is given to life in the firstplace. I believe that feelings of love, joy, sereni-ty, patriotism and esprit de corps are examples ofthe outward evidence of spiritual development.

Members of an organization with superioreffectiveness are most likely nurtured and boundto it spiritually through its culture. An organiza-tion cannot be all things to all people; however, itshould strive to be an empowering, significantother — intimately connected — to its members.This is done through conscious recruitment, cul-tivation and retention efforts that seek to formspiritual bonds through matching the values ofthe members and the culture of the organization.The spiritual bonds sought transform membersfrom begrudging servants responding to thecommand and control of others to faithful andindustrious actors responding independently andcorrectly to conditions through intimate under-standing. They are thereby free to act in the bestinterest of the organization and their own bestinterest that effectively merge toward one and thesame through growing, mutual, spiritual bonds.




MD 140 Corridor Study Westminster, MarylandIn this study, a 3-mile corridor was analyzed

along state route MD140 for the existing condi-tions and the design year (2025) conditions. Thecorridor consists of 6 signalized and 2 unsignal-ized at-grade intersections. Currently, the stateroute MD140 corridor experiences heavy con-gestion particularly during the afternoon peakhour. The corridor was analyzed using VISSIMsoftware and tested considering conventional at-grade intersection improvements — more turnlanes and through lanes — interchange improve-ments, and CFI improvements. The CFIimprovements were applied to 3 of the intersec-tions. Results indicated that using the 2025design-year traffic volumes, both the convention-al at-grade intersection improvements and theinterchange improvements would experiencetraffic breakdown. Only the CFI improvementsprovided enough capacity to maintain an accept-able level of service at the intersections studied.

SummaryABMB has participated in every step of the

process to consider the CFI, from the initial mod-eling using VISSIM software, to the final designplans. Each CFI application studied has been aunique situation where the design is varied tomeet the site-specific needs. Signal timing andthe geometry must work closely together to rea-sonably ensure that the traffic operates efficient-ly in each signal phase and that no vehicle will bestopped in the intersection for 2 or more red lightconditions. The number of lanes, the signal cyclelength and split times are determined based ontraffic volume, right-of-way and access issues.

In addition, signals at adjacent intersections areanalyzed to determine any impacts. In mostcases, the proposed CFI configuration will workbest with a cycle length lower than that in thecurrent intersection operation. Signal cyclelengths at the adjacent lower volume intersec-tions are often lowered to match that of the pro-posed CFI improvement to improve progression.This typically results in the better operation ofthese adjacent intersections because their cyclelength is set to the longer cycle length needs ofthe existing conventional high volume intersec-tion proposed for the CFI improvement.

The result expected of a CFI operation is thesmoother, more continuous flow of the traffic.The following benefits of the CFI are consider-able:

It is economical. The CFI alternate costs lessthan roadway widening or the grade-separatedinterchange.

It is safe. While an overpass may obstructthe line of sight, the CFI provides a clear line ofsight. At a CFI constructed in Maryland, studiesshow that no accidents have been attributed todrivers unfamiliar with — or confused by — itsconfiguration to date.

It can be constructed faster. Compared to agrade-separated interchange, a CFI takes lesstime to build and requires less utility relocation.In many cases, travel lanes can remain open dur-ing construction.

It saves motorists time. Because the CFI letsmore cars pass through an intersection on thegreen light, drivers spend less time stuck in traf-fic. According to ABMB studies, the CFI designtypically reduces intersection delay by 50 per-

cent or more compared to the conventional at-grade intersection designs.

It provides more capacity. The CFI can han-dle far more traffic volume than the conventionalat-grade intersection. The CFI requires onlyslightly more right-of-way than the conventionalat-grade intersection, and substantially less right-of-way than the grade-separated interchange.

It is easily adapted to by drivers. Eventhough the CFI may be unfamiliar to drivers atfirst, they adapt to it easily and quickly becomingfamiliar and comfortable with it.

It is flexible. The CFI can be installed inone-, two-, three-, and four-leg configurations.

It is environmentally friendly. The CFI isenvironmentally friendly because it reduces con-gestion and pollution.

ReferencesR. Jagannathan and Joe G. Bared, Design and

Operation Performance of CrossoverDisplaced Left-Turn (XDL) Intersections(Also Called Continuous Flow Intersections(CFI)), Presented at the 83rd TransportationResearch Board Annual Meeting, January11-15, 2004, Washington, D.C.

P. Abramson, C. Bergren and R. Goldblatt,Human Factors Study of the ContinuousFlow Intersection at the Dowling CollegeNAT Center, (June 1995).

Reid, J. D.; Hummer, J. E., Travel TimeComparisons Between SevenUnconventional Arterial IntersectionDesigns. Transportation Research Record,Issue 1751. (2001).



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