WEBVTT

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>> Good afternoon and welcome

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to the 19th Schnabel
Engeneering Lecture.

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My only job here is to introduce

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our host and that always
a pleasure for me.

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Alan Cadden is a principal at

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Schnabel Engineering and
he's a personal friend.

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A person that I
respect very much,

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Alan has first come first,

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he's a Hokie.  He

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did not want to remind
me when that happened,

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but he's certainly
a very proud Hokie.

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He is somebody who has been
always a very good friend of

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the geotechnical
engineering program and

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we appreciate that very much.

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Alan has 35 years of

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experience in the geotechnical
engineering field,

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for he has done,

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and if I start listing all
the things that he has done,

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I probably would use all
the time for the lecture.

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But also something
that distinguishes

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Alan is that he has always been

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very focused on servicing
the profession.

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He has played many
different roles in

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Geo Institute when he

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was president of the
Board of Directors.

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But also in other organizations,

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including ADAC,

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the International
Workshop on Micropiles,

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and several other organizations.

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I do have a long list of
things that I could say here,

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but I don't want to take

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full time from the reason
that you have come here,

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which is to watch our lecture.
Please Alan [OVERLAPPING].

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>> Doctor Rodriguez, appreciate
that. My notes here.

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The beginning, it is
always great being

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back in Blacksburg
here in Schnabel

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enjoys the opportunity
to come down,

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especially when you let us

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lecture in a beautiful
place like this.

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I love this [inaudible] campus,

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so this is nice to be
here and everything.

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I'm happy to be able to
introduce our 19th lecturer.

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It's a very exciting time
in civil engineering world,

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with significant workloads and

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banking projects
all over the place.

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But never really hurts a
civil engineering community,

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but Washington hands out

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a trillion and a
half dollars or so.

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Nice to keep us going there,

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just a little bit of background
on Schnabel Engineering.

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For those of you who are
not aware of the firm.

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Schnabel is approaching 70
years old at this time,

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or young, depending
on your perspective.

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Here, doesn't sound so bad.

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We have about 30 offices

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across the country and
from those offices,

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we offer services pretty much

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throughout the United States
and even around the world.

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These services grew
from traditional

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geotechnical engineering

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back when I started or two ago.

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To really encompass

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geostructural design,
dam engineering,

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tunnel design so soup
to nuts on all the fun

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geotechnical and the
structure out there.

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For me, some of

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the more exciting things
that we've been working on

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recently involves
applications of

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innovation around data science,

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digital twins, advanced
visualization.

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Been trying to
stretch a little bit

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of what we do traditionally in

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the geotechnical at some
of these new technologies.

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Schnabel is a 100%
employee owned company,

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so it's an ESOP,
corner us sometime.

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I'll be happy to
explain it to you,

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but it is really nice to be
really an owner in your own.

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That is the basis, so
bringing these lectures to

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campus each year really is
an opportunity for us to

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share some of the civil
engineering experiences.

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Give you a bit of insight on
how your career may evolve,

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even positively, some of
the other challenges that

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are in store for coming years.

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Today, I'm thrilled to be able

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to introduce a fellow Hockey,

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who has been integral
with some of

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the most incredible
infrastructure

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projects throughout her career.

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I have a chance to share some
of those stories with her.

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They're just fascinating,
Doctor Martha Gross

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is the Executive Director

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of Transit Development
and Delivery.

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Leading the major project

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Department for the
Maryland Department

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of Transportation
Maryland Transit.

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Prior to joining MTA
this past spring,

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she worked for the Virginia
Department of Transportation

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where she led the development of

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the $4,000,000,000 Campton Roads

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Bridge Tunnel Harbor Closing,

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and held senior commercial
and technical roles

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in the projects delivery.

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Rater for career, including

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previous private
sector experience

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with top 10 construction
contractors,

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global and engineering
consultants.

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She's worked on over

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$15,000,000,000 of projects
under construction.

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I'm sure I've seen $15 billion.

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Doctor Gross is a member of

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the Transportation
Research Board

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Standing Committee on Tunnels
and Underground structures.

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Published author on
major project delivery.

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He holds advanced degrees
in civil engineering

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and business from Penn
State, Virginia Tech.

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Was a Full bright scholar at

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the University of
Stuttgart in Germany.

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Today, Doctor Gross will present

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underground construction
development and

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delivery of complex
infrastructure projects.

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As geotechnical engineers know,

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no matter how many zeros are
in the cost of our project,

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unknown challenges of the
underground construction

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often has the most
complexity for dollar.

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Recognizing complexity and

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not simple cost
qualitative aspects of

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project planning helps
us ensure resources and

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mindsets in the right place

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to develop and deliver
these projects.

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What I understand that to be?

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Geotechnical professionals are

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the most important people
in infrastructure.

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I understand the
graduate student

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organization was recently

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at the Hanton Roads Bridge
Tunnel expansion project,

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so I think you'll be excited

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to hear some of the
inside stories,

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see some of these images here.

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I understand some of the
complexities and exclusions that

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are collected in

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the textbooks here and
you see right here.

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Without further ado,
please join me in

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welcoming

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Doctor Gross

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as our 19th Schnabel lecturer.

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>> Your resume, think

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about your resume, the
experience section.

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What's on it? What do
you plan to put on it?

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Somewhere in there,
you're going to have,

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if you don't have already,

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a list of dollar values,

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how big were the
projects you worked

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on and there's nothing
wrong with that.

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But that just shows how
intrinsically we think about

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our accomplishments in terms

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of the size of
projects we worked on.

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I want to speak some today

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on challenging that assumption.

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What makes a complex project?

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Should we value some, maybe

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in terms of other
things and zeros.

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The amount of costs
that goes into them.

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Should we respect some
challenging things that

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maybe have a lot
smaller project size?

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Today, we're going to look into

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defining a complex project,

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myths and facts and

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then look at the skills
that we need for these.

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Because you will
inevitably deal with

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complex projects of some shape

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and size during your career.

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We'll have an opportunity
to talk some about

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the Hampton Roads
Bridge tunnel expansion

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with some illustrations
as we heard.

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Things you might not have seen

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either during visits
to the project

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or read about during within
published materials.

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Then finally, we'll
summarize that all with

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some tools that you can use
for managing complexity,

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not just in the
post-graduation setting.

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But as well as the

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career-building thoughts
that you can be

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integrating now as you
plan your next steps.

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With that, let's dive into

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the definitions, complex
infrastructure projects.

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First, I want to challenge

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this myth that we talked about.

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The complexity is simply
proportional to project cost.

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Some things have a lot
more complexity per dollar

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than other projects do and

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I want to offer a few
examples of that.

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As we heard just a moment ago,

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I recently moved from
the highway space

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to the transit space.

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I'm finding for a fact when
you have a transit project

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that's worth a certain
amount, contract value.

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There's much more complexity,
many more stakeholders,

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many more layers to
connect and keep

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together with a traditional
highway project.

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We also see that
underground projects,

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much more complex and the
equivalent dollar value

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of the surface project.

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Finally, a standalone
projects versus modular,

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and I'll show you that with
an example on the next slide

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so we can get a feel for what
that complexity is like.

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Imagine two projects that have

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the exact same dollar value.

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One of them box culverts,
let's say, hypothetically,

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we would were to replace
all the box culverts in

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the Commonwealth of Virginia,
every single one of them.

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That would easily be a multi
billion dollar project.

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But intuitively, you know that's

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not a complex project
because modular,

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you're doing the same thing
over and over and over again.

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Now, think of another
project that might also

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be a multi-billion
dollar undertaking.

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Here's a tunnel boring machine.

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Instantly you see this
and your brain tells you

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that's a complex project.
What's the difference?

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What are some of these
things that help us

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intuitively lean toward
complexity here,

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but not complexity there?

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Let's feel that apart.
What are some elements of

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complexity that help us
say one project is harder,

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one project has more
to do with another?

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One is, many stakeholders,

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because the more stakeholder you

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have, the more touchpoints,

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the more coordination,
the more people

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you have to keep happy,

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in addition to delivering
that technical skill.

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Maybe there's a project that has

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a lot of political disability.

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If something goes wrong, it
ends up in the newspaper,

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and there are additional
pressures and complexities that

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arise from that additional
level of stream disability.

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Maybe it's a project like the
Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel

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with new technology.

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That tunnel boring machine was

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of a type that has the
largest of its size

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ever of its type ever to be
used from its manufacturer.

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There were some questions
having to do with

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that new technology.
Many unknowns.

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This is where
geotechnical engineers

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shine because just the fact of

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working underground means that

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there's so many things
you don't know.

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This tends for
geotechnical projects more

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directly into the
field of having

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greater complexity
just by their nature.

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Finally, I've picked on the
topic of nonlinear outcomes.

00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.620
Some projects, if you put a
certain amount of effort in,

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it's not proportional to
the outcome that comes out.

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I'm going to digress
slightly here because one of

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my themes throughout
the lecture is going

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to be connecting across fields.

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You'll hear that
number of times.

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And some of you may have
done business studies

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or worked in business or
will have business studies.

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If you do or if you have,

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you'll see a theme like this in

00:11:11.410 --> 00:11:14.770
management theory that
talks about acronyms

00:11:14.770 --> 00:11:17.320
that management studies uses to

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characterize uncertainty
and complexity.

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I actually came up with my
list independently of this,

00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:25.630
but it just goes to show
that business theory

00:11:25.630 --> 00:11:29.380
recognizes this whole this
whole concept of complexity,

00:11:29.380 --> 00:11:30.910
very similarly to how we apply

00:11:30.910 --> 00:11:33.440
it in infrastructure space.

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Let's go after another myth.

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Another myth is a project
that starts out being

00:11:39.640 --> 00:11:41.725
challenging and
complex is going to

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stay difficult and complex
all the way through.

00:11:43.975 --> 00:11:45.220
All those elements we saw on

00:11:45.220 --> 00:11:47.530
the previous slide are
going to stay constant.

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They're always going
to be challenging

00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:51.115
us each step of the way.

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The fact is, complexity

00:11:53.410 --> 00:11:55.345
varies during a
project's lifetime.

00:11:55.345 --> 00:11:57.700
Something can be very
challenging at the beginning,

00:11:57.700 --> 00:11:59.035
where the visibility is high,

00:11:59.035 --> 00:12:01.675
where that stakeholder
coordination isn't yet sorted out.

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That can simplify over time.

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That means the people
who start a project

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often are going to need
a much greater skill

00:12:09.060 --> 00:12:10.950
set being to deal
with complexity

00:12:10.950 --> 00:12:13.320
and folks who may be in
the middle of a project.

00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:15.180
Hasten to add some
projects pick up,

00:12:15.180 --> 00:12:16.290
and complexity at the end,

00:12:16.290 --> 00:12:17.625
depending what
things are maybe to

00:12:17.625 --> 00:12:19.515
work out project resolution.

00:12:19.515 --> 00:12:21.210
Even so, that
supports the point.

00:12:21.210 --> 00:12:24.395
The complexity varies
during projects lifetime.

00:12:24.395 --> 00:12:26.410
That's good for
realizing not only

00:12:26.410 --> 00:12:28.375
how it applies to
one's own skill set,

00:12:28.375 --> 00:12:30.190
but if you're a manager
staffing a project,

00:12:30.190 --> 00:12:32.215
you need to recognize
skills at the beginning,

00:12:32.215 --> 00:12:33.700
may be different from
the skills you need to

00:12:33.700 --> 00:12:35.980
staff one part way through.

00:12:35.980 --> 00:12:38.380
Let me illustrate
that latter point

00:12:38.380 --> 00:12:42.190
about project complexity varying

00:12:42.190 --> 00:12:43.810
during the course of a project.

00:12:43.810 --> 00:12:49.150
Anybody recognize
this bridge? Yes.

00:12:49.150 --> 00:12:50.290
>> [inaudible]

00:12:50.290 --> 00:12:52.450
>> This one It's another
long span bridge.

00:12:52.450 --> 00:12:56.335
This one's a little farther
south. We have any takers.

00:12:56.335 --> 00:12:59.620
>> It's replacement for the
old Cooper River Bridge.

00:12:59.620 --> 00:13:02.050
>> Cooper River Bridge. Yes.
The Arthur Ravenel Bridge

00:13:02.050 --> 00:13:03.730
in Charleston, South Carolina.

00:13:03.730 --> 00:13:05.260
I got to work on this project as

00:13:05.260 --> 00:13:06.835
a construction field engineer,

00:13:06.835 --> 00:13:08.680
and it was a dream job for me.

00:13:08.680 --> 00:13:11.140
I was just three years in
my career at that point.

00:13:11.140 --> 00:13:13.075
I had studied
structural engineering,

00:13:13.075 --> 00:13:14.500
and it was my dream
when I was in

00:13:14.500 --> 00:13:16.690
college to work on a
table stated bridge.

00:13:16.690 --> 00:13:19.645
I never imagined it would
happen so soon in my career.

00:13:19.645 --> 00:13:21.940
This was just a joy
to be on a project.

00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:23.170
It was every bit as beautiful

00:13:23.170 --> 00:13:24.760
as it looks at this picture.

00:13:24.760 --> 00:13:27.430
I worked on that project
for a year and a half.

00:13:27.430 --> 00:13:29.320
Suddenly, I got a notification

00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:31.315
from a home office
construction company.

00:13:31.315 --> 00:13:33.340
They said, Martha, we
need to take you off

00:13:33.340 --> 00:13:35.755
Cooper River Bridge
replacement partway through

00:13:35.755 --> 00:13:39.590
and send you to this project.

00:13:43.380 --> 00:13:45.700
It's hard to figure out

00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:48.460
a more conventional diamond
interchange than this,

00:13:48.460 --> 00:13:50.110
but that's exactly what it is.

00:13:50.110 --> 00:13:52.030
This is Virginia Route 164,

00:13:52.030 --> 00:13:53.410
8:00 P.M. Terminals Boulevard

00:13:53.410 --> 00:13:56.080
Interchange and the Booming
Metropolis of Portsmouth,

00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.825
Virginia. Charleston
to Portsmouth.

00:13:58.825 --> 00:14:01.730
Why do you think the
company did this?

00:14:04.590 --> 00:14:08.455
This was Virginia's first
design-build roadway project.

00:14:08.455 --> 00:14:10.570
The Cooper River Bridge
was in its mid-stage.

00:14:10.570 --> 00:14:12.055
The complexity had leveled out.

00:14:12.055 --> 00:14:14.695
Even though it was a very
flashy project on paper,

00:14:14.695 --> 00:14:16.855
made for beautiful postcards,

00:14:16.855 --> 00:14:18.955
it had leveled out
where the complexity

00:14:18.955 --> 00:14:20.830
was at a lower level.

00:14:20.830 --> 00:14:22.615
This project was
just starting up.

00:14:22.615 --> 00:14:24.175
It was at its early stages,

00:14:24.175 --> 00:14:25.840
a lot of stakeholder management,

00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:27.430
a lot of dealing
with an agency that

00:14:27.430 --> 00:14:29.485
had never done
design-build before.

00:14:29.485 --> 00:14:31.600
As a result of this, I
got to work with some of

00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:33.685
the company's most
talented managers

00:14:33.685 --> 00:14:35.800
and most complex
thinkers in solving

00:14:35.800 --> 00:14:38.455
things that I had never run
across in my career before.

00:14:38.455 --> 00:14:40.330
I was working with the manager

00:14:40.330 --> 00:14:42.370
who became my boss
for this project.

00:14:42.370 --> 00:14:43.780
I was encouraged to

00:14:43.780 --> 00:14:45.550
plant the seeds and go
to graduate school,

00:14:45.550 --> 00:14:46.885
and come to Virginia Tech.

00:14:46.885 --> 00:14:48.505
This was a career changer,

00:14:48.505 --> 00:14:50.590
even though going from a project

00:14:50.590 --> 00:14:53.515
that was middle to
low complexity,

00:14:53.515 --> 00:14:55.315
to a project that
was high complexity,

00:14:55.315 --> 00:14:58.060
seemed very counterintuitive
to me at the time,

00:14:58.060 --> 00:14:59.260
but ended up propelling

00:14:59.260 --> 00:15:02.030
my career in a way
that I never expected.

00:15:02.250 --> 00:15:05.680
All right. So we talked
about nonlinear.

00:15:05.680 --> 00:15:08.365
How many people played with
one of these growing up?

00:15:08.365 --> 00:15:11.125
Slinky here. Yes.
Played with those.

00:15:11.125 --> 00:15:12.670
And the great thing
about a slinky is

00:15:12.670 --> 00:15:14.455
it behaves the same every time.

00:15:14.455 --> 00:15:16.240
But how many of
you once stretched

00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:18.670
your slinky so far
it never came back?

00:15:18.670 --> 00:15:20.815
I did that too.

00:15:20.815 --> 00:15:22.435
That's that nonlinear thing.

00:15:22.435 --> 00:15:25.120
The slinky suddenly behaved
in a way that nothing you

00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:26.650
knew had ever given you

00:15:26.650 --> 00:15:28.750
a reason to predict that it
would behave a different way.

00:15:28.750 --> 00:15:30.430
We learned about Hook's law,

00:15:30.430 --> 00:15:33.580
and everything is
proportional until it isn't.

00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:36.265
Similarly, in projects,

00:15:36.265 --> 00:15:38.785
especially when you get into
this realm of complexity,

00:15:38.785 --> 00:15:40.090
we can't extrapolate from the

00:15:40.090 --> 00:15:41.620
known and automatically
that will

00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:42.640
assume it applies over

00:15:42.640 --> 00:15:44.860
all possible ranges,
just like the slinky.

00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:46.630
Suddenly, without
warning reaches

00:15:46.630 --> 00:15:48.280
that point where
it stops behaving.

00:15:48.280 --> 00:15:50.815
The nonlinear.

00:15:50.815 --> 00:15:52.960
An application of
how that applies in

00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:54.850
the complex project space is,

00:15:54.850 --> 00:15:56.680
let's say there's a
construction company that's

00:15:56.680 --> 00:15:58.480
good at $100 million projects.

00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:00.670
A decent size, but
they're good at them.

00:16:00.670 --> 00:16:02.290
They have a good pattern.

00:16:02.290 --> 00:16:04.120
The company says, well, maybe.

00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:06.325
What if we did a one
billion dollar project?

00:16:06.325 --> 00:16:09.430
What if we just took the
same skills and mindsets,

00:16:09.430 --> 00:16:11.200
stretch them by 10 times?

00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:12.850
Maybe we would be
able to do that.

00:16:12.850 --> 00:16:16.690
Answer, things don't extrapolate
that way on that scale.

00:16:16.690 --> 00:16:19.585
You figuratively have to
take off your old head

00:16:19.585 --> 00:16:21.025
and put on a different head

00:16:21.025 --> 00:16:22.645
because these things
are non linear.

00:16:22.645 --> 00:16:24.880
You can't say the skills that
help me when I did small,

00:16:24.880 --> 00:16:26.350
simple projects with

00:16:26.350 --> 00:16:28.090
the exact same skills
when I stretched them,

00:16:28.090 --> 00:16:30.355
that help me with large,
complex projects.

00:16:30.355 --> 00:16:31.990
The slinky is good reminder,

00:16:31.990 --> 00:16:34.825
good analogy of how things
work up to a point,

00:16:34.825 --> 00:16:37.450
and then we need to put on a
different level of thinking.

00:16:37.450 --> 00:16:39.310
I stole this diagram from

00:16:39.310 --> 00:16:41.020
McKenzie report
that's talking about

00:16:41.020 --> 00:16:43.330
major projects and
the kinds of skills

00:16:43.330 --> 00:16:46.105
and mindsets that are needed
to develop them effectively.

00:16:46.105 --> 00:16:47.860
On the y-axis, we have

00:16:47.860 --> 00:16:49.570
what does the
organizational skill and

00:16:49.570 --> 00:16:51.025
capability need to have

00:16:51.025 --> 00:16:53.080
in order to make that
project happen well.

00:16:53.080 --> 00:16:55.450
On the X-axis, we
have project size,

00:16:55.450 --> 00:16:57.520
and I'd like to say complexity.

00:16:57.520 --> 00:16:58.900
What we see here is that

00:16:58.900 --> 00:17:01.075
for an initial level
of complexity,

00:17:01.075 --> 00:17:02.860
when a project is not complex,

00:17:02.860 --> 00:17:05.650
that gray level, the
methodology, the systems,

00:17:05.650 --> 00:17:07.300
and the processes are completely

00:17:07.300 --> 00:17:09.520
sufficient to get that
project delivered.

00:17:09.520 --> 00:17:10.990
But at some point, just like

00:17:10.990 --> 00:17:12.820
the slinky stopped being linear,

00:17:12.820 --> 00:17:14.170
when you get a project past

00:17:14.170 --> 00:17:15.685
a certain level of complexity,

00:17:15.685 --> 00:17:17.200
you start needing mindsets and

00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:19.525
practices that you
never knew existed?

00:17:19.525 --> 00:17:22.015
Maybe you never ran into
or never identified

00:17:22.015 --> 00:17:23.410
even a characteristic that

00:17:23.410 --> 00:17:25.150
could be an
engineer's skill set.

00:17:25.150 --> 00:17:27.280
This is that nonlinear aspect.

00:17:27.280 --> 00:17:29.050
Another way to think of this is,

00:17:29.050 --> 00:17:31.480
this is a science
project delivery.

00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:32.980
This might, for
instance, be what you're

00:17:32.980 --> 00:17:34.885
learning in your
engineering classes now.

00:17:34.885 --> 00:17:37.015
Here's the principles
that follow the rules.

00:17:37.015 --> 00:17:39.310
Here's the things that you
can calculate with a formula.

00:17:39.310 --> 00:17:40.735
It behaves the same way.

00:17:40.735 --> 00:17:42.610
There's principles
that always apply,

00:17:42.610 --> 00:17:44.410
and that's the science
of what you have to

00:17:44.410 --> 00:17:46.360
have for successful
project delivery.

00:17:46.360 --> 00:17:48.100
You can't do an
engineering project at

00:17:48.100 --> 00:17:50.410
all without having the
science behind it.

00:17:50.410 --> 00:17:53.680
But when you get past a
certain level of complexity,

00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:56.575
then you start needing this
additional blue triangle,

00:17:56.575 --> 00:17:58.120
the art, the mindsets,

00:17:58.120 --> 00:17:59.950
the practices, the
things that don't

00:17:59.950 --> 00:18:03.040
follow the linear rules that
you've seen in your studies.

00:18:03.040 --> 00:18:04.660
Let's unhack that a little bit.

00:18:04.660 --> 00:18:06.475
What does this mean practically?

00:18:06.475 --> 00:18:08.470
If we understand
what these skills

00:18:08.470 --> 00:18:10.135
are in the blue triangle,

00:18:10.135 --> 00:18:12.370
those are mindsets
and practices,

00:18:12.370 --> 00:18:14.245
as we saw on the previous slide.

00:18:14.245 --> 00:18:15.925
Just for illustration,

00:18:15.925 --> 00:18:18.760
some indicative mindsets
are listed out there.

00:18:18.760 --> 00:18:20.170
That's not what I
want to focus on

00:18:20.170 --> 00:18:21.550
as part of this lecture there.

00:18:21.550 --> 00:18:23.335
I'd like to dig a
little bit deeper into

00:18:23.335 --> 00:18:25.945
practices that we can
take on as engineers,

00:18:25.945 --> 00:18:27.550
understand how we can manage

00:18:27.550 --> 00:18:29.570
complexity in our own pursuits.

00:18:29.570 --> 00:18:32.130
One aspect that I
want to emphasize in

00:18:32.130 --> 00:18:35.570
this talk is connecting
across fields.

00:18:35.570 --> 00:18:37.420
I'm going to steal
that red arrow from

00:18:37.420 --> 00:18:40.600
the previous slide and put
it right here to emphasize.

00:18:40.600 --> 00:18:42.835
If you have one takeaway
from this lecture,

00:18:42.835 --> 00:18:46.000
I want it to be
connecting across fields.

00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:48.310
It's the skill that engineers
need to develop for

00:18:48.310 --> 00:18:51.895
successful management
complex projects.

00:18:51.895 --> 00:18:55.750
But what is theory
without an application?

00:18:55.750 --> 00:18:57.070
Let's dive in what that looks

00:18:57.070 --> 00:18:58.465
like in a practical project.

00:18:58.465 --> 00:18:59.770
We'll use the
Hampton Roads Bridge

00:18:59.770 --> 00:19:01.150
Tunnel to explain this.

00:19:01.150 --> 00:19:03.070
But I'm not going to give
you a technical tour

00:19:03.070 --> 00:19:05.050
on the science of the HRBT.

00:19:05.050 --> 00:19:07.045
I'm going to touch on
the art part of it,

00:19:07.045 --> 00:19:09.460
and I've chosen out some
examples of this project that

00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:12.205
look at how did the project
connect across fields.

00:19:12.205 --> 00:19:13.840
How did it touch on
areas that weren't

00:19:13.840 --> 00:19:15.850
solely geotechnical engineering

00:19:15.850 --> 00:19:17.335
or underground engineering,

00:19:17.335 --> 00:19:18.610
or the mechanical engineering,

00:19:18.610 --> 00:19:20.020
the tunnel boring machine?

00:19:20.020 --> 00:19:21.640
But each one of these
is selected to say,

00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:24.895
Here's engineering and,
engineering plus something.

00:19:24.895 --> 00:19:26.650
They can help us see practical

00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:28.300
examples what that looks like.

00:19:28.300 --> 00:19:30.840
Just a little bit
of setting some

00:19:30.840 --> 00:19:33.700
maybe more or less familiar
with Hampton Roads, Virginia.

00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:35.780
That star southeastern corner of

00:19:35.780 --> 00:19:38.260
the state is the region
we call Hampton Roads.

00:19:38.260 --> 00:19:40.280
It's the second largest
population center

00:19:40.280 --> 00:19:42.720
in Virginia after
Northern Virginia,

00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:44.715
and a lot of river crossings,

00:19:44.715 --> 00:19:46.400
which means heavy
traffic congestion.

00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:49.960
Every one of those black
circles you see on the map is

00:19:49.960 --> 00:19:52.140
a tunnel because that region

00:19:52.140 --> 00:19:54.040
did a stakeholder influences,

00:19:54.040 --> 00:19:56.240
which is the US Navy
says there will be

00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:59.280
no bridges across the
water crossings ships

00:19:59.280 --> 00:20:00.810
used to get to the open ocean.

00:20:00.810 --> 00:20:02.960
There's a stakeholder
constraint that

00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:04.200
this region has to have

00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:07.070
tunnels for its major
river crossings.

00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:10.235
Now, why a bridge tunnel?

00:20:10.235 --> 00:20:12.350
You may have heard that
reference to Hampton Roads.

00:20:12.350 --> 00:20:13.730
We all know what a tunnel is.

00:20:13.730 --> 00:20:17.390
Enter it on land and you go
under water or under a city,

00:20:17.390 --> 00:20:18.665
come out on land again.

00:20:18.665 --> 00:20:21.395
Why would you need a bridge
to be part of that tunnel?

00:20:21.395 --> 00:20:23.900
Well, remember the
Navy said they didn't

00:20:23.900 --> 00:20:26.275
want bridges over
their ship channels.

00:20:26.275 --> 00:20:29.230
The challenge though is that
waterways in Hampton Roads,

00:20:29.230 --> 00:20:31.060
a very broad
tunneling technology,

00:20:31.060 --> 00:20:32.665
especially back in the 50s

00:20:32.665 --> 00:20:34.600
was not sufficient
to tunnel under

00:20:34.600 --> 00:20:36.700
one shoreline from one shoreline

00:20:36.700 --> 00:20:38.835
under the channel to get
to the other shoreline,

00:20:38.835 --> 00:20:42.125
and this map, which
gives us an example.

00:20:42.125 --> 00:20:44.165
We look at the bathymetry

00:20:44.165 --> 00:20:46.370
of the Southeastern
Corner of Virginia.

00:20:46.370 --> 00:20:49.310
The red and orange and
yellow colors are land.

00:20:49.310 --> 00:20:52.880
You can recognize the land
mass of Southeastern Virginia,

00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:56.105
Eastern Shore on the right
hand of that picture.

00:20:56.105 --> 00:20:58.730
Everything that's blue
and green and purple is

00:20:58.730 --> 00:21:00.680
water and by the
different colors

00:21:00.680 --> 00:21:02.330
you can see the
depth of the water.

00:21:02.330 --> 00:21:04.370
Purple and blue are
the deepest water.

00:21:04.370 --> 00:21:06.200
Green is the shallowest water,

00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:07.880
and this shows you
right away that there's

00:21:07.880 --> 00:21:10.715
two natural channels coming
into the Port of Virginia.

00:21:10.715 --> 00:21:12.710
One that goes to the left over

00:21:12.710 --> 00:21:16.295
here is the one that comes
into the Port of Virginia.

00:21:16.295 --> 00:21:17.600
The other channel that goes up

00:21:17.600 --> 00:21:19.220
north is the one that
goes to Baltham,

00:21:19.220 --> 00:21:22.145
we're up the Chesapeake
Bay and because

00:21:22.145 --> 00:21:23.420
the only place ships need to

00:21:23.420 --> 00:21:25.385
cross are those
natural channels,

00:21:25.385 --> 00:21:27.560
that's the only place
the tunnel needs to be.

00:21:27.560 --> 00:21:29.270
Back in the 50s, the solution

00:21:29.270 --> 00:21:31.010
the engineers came
up with to deal with

00:21:31.010 --> 00:21:32.360
the Navy constraint was

00:21:32.360 --> 00:21:34.430
the Navy doesn't care
about the shallow water.

00:21:34.430 --> 00:21:36.605
All that green area, light blue.

00:21:36.605 --> 00:21:37.835
Navy is never going to sail

00:21:37.835 --> 00:21:39.335
ships there because
it's so shallow.

00:21:39.335 --> 00:21:40.820
We're talking about
maybe five feet,

00:21:40.820 --> 00:21:43.040
10 feet, possibly 15 feet.

00:21:43.040 --> 00:21:44.765
It's not navigable,

00:21:44.765 --> 00:21:47.480
hence came the idea of building

00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:50.045
a bridge across
the shallow water,

00:21:50.045 --> 00:21:54.500
a tunnel from Ban Made Islands
under those blue channels,

00:21:54.500 --> 00:21:56.690
and then bridges again
to get back to shore,

00:21:56.690 --> 00:21:58.520
and that matched the
tunneling technology and

00:21:58.520 --> 00:22:00.665
ventilation capabilities
of the day.

00:22:00.665 --> 00:22:03.050
On the next slide, we're
going to zoom into this map,

00:22:03.050 --> 00:22:05.090
so you can see a little more
practically what that looks

00:22:05.090 --> 00:22:07.550
like not only from the
Hampton Road Bridge tunnel,

00:22:07.550 --> 00:22:09.830
but also for the Chesapeake
Bay Bridge Tunnel.

00:22:09.830 --> 00:22:12.770
Notice for instance, here these
little red stitches here.

00:22:12.770 --> 00:22:15.875
That's that metric signature

00:22:15.875 --> 00:22:17.570
of where that bridge tunnel is.

00:22:17.570 --> 00:22:20.960
We'll zoom in here, and you
can see exactly how both

00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:24.410
those bridge tunnels cross
over those natural channels.

00:22:24.410 --> 00:22:26.585
They came from
stakeholder coordination.

00:22:26.585 --> 00:22:28.670
We had to find a way
to deal with the Navy,

00:22:28.670 --> 00:22:32.340
but also with tunnel ventilation
technology at the time.

00:22:32.650 --> 00:22:36.965
Zooming back out, there's
the project location.

00:22:36.965 --> 00:22:39.320
But you can see now it's not
just crossing the water.

00:22:39.320 --> 00:22:40.940
That whole corridor is 10 miles

00:22:40.940 --> 00:22:43.610
long because we can't expand
simply the water cross.

00:22:43.610 --> 00:22:45.200
The cars would have
nowhere to go,

00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:47.810
so we have to not
replace the bridges

00:22:47.810 --> 00:22:50.995
and then also build new
highway on either side,

00:22:50.995 --> 00:22:53.500
scope it out to manage

00:22:53.500 --> 00:22:56.445
the congestion project
is meant to mitigate.

00:22:56.445 --> 00:22:59.630
Construction contracting.
How do you have a project?

00:22:59.630 --> 00:23:01.595
You can't throw a
party if no one comes.

00:23:01.595 --> 00:23:03.365
When the project was procured,

00:23:03.365 --> 00:23:04.835
these are some dates and

00:23:04.835 --> 00:23:07.055
facts of the project
when it was awarded.

00:23:07.055 --> 00:23:09.260
These are the names of the
construction stakeholders

00:23:09.260 --> 00:23:10.940
who are currently
building the project,

00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:12.980
and then also and significant,

00:23:12.980 --> 00:23:14.360
we will come back to this later.

00:23:14.360 --> 00:23:16.565
This is the funding
partner who paid for it.

00:23:16.565 --> 00:23:17.930
One of the big challenges with

00:23:17.930 --> 00:23:19.880
US infrastructure today is,

00:23:19.880 --> 00:23:21.545
where's the money
going to come from.

00:23:21.545 --> 00:23:23.780
Many of us as engineers focus on

00:23:23.780 --> 00:23:26.630
our formulas and
our calculations.

00:23:26.630 --> 00:23:28.025
But unless there's funding,

00:23:28.025 --> 00:23:30.350
our best designs will
never be realized.

00:23:30.350 --> 00:23:33.680
It's very important Hampton
Roads Bridge Tunnel expansion

00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:36.530
to align the project funding.

00:23:36.530 --> 00:23:38.945
Unusually, it's 92% regionally,

00:23:38.945 --> 00:23:41.780
that comes from a fuel
tax and sales tax that

00:23:41.780 --> 00:23:45.125
is paid by 14 cities and
counties and Hampton Roads.

00:23:45.125 --> 00:23:48.980
In the rest of Virginia,
your sales tax is 5.3%,

00:23:48.980 --> 00:23:50.900
in Hampton Roads 6%.

00:23:50.900 --> 00:23:54.440
That 0.7% difference goes into
this transportation fund,

00:23:54.440 --> 00:23:56.735
which helps pay for
projects like this.

00:23:56.735 --> 00:23:59.600
That flag is the regional
flag of Hampton Roads,

00:23:59.600 --> 00:24:01.820
representing the sea and

00:24:01.820 --> 00:24:04.070
the agriculture as well

00:24:04.070 --> 00:24:06.125
as the stars from the
cities and counties.

00:24:06.125 --> 00:24:09.680
You'll see that again. I'll show

00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:12.410
a little video here that
is before and after.

00:24:12.410 --> 00:24:13.910
You'll find it interesting,
but that's not

00:24:13.910 --> 00:24:15.485
what I want you to
take away from it.

00:24:15.485 --> 00:24:17.705
This was used to
communicate to the public,

00:24:17.705 --> 00:24:19.550
one of the important
stakeholders

00:24:19.550 --> 00:24:22.040
how to grasp what this
project was going to be.

00:24:22.040 --> 00:24:23.870
As engineers, we
look at plans and

00:24:23.870 --> 00:24:25.400
blueprints and have
a pretty good feel

00:24:25.400 --> 00:24:26.780
of what the project is.

00:24:26.780 --> 00:24:29.240
The public is not able to
read those blueprints,

00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:31.040
and if we try to
tell them in words,

00:24:31.040 --> 00:24:34.580
there's going to be a Marine
Trestle Bridge 6,000 feet

00:24:34.580 --> 00:24:38.705
long and a twin bow tunnel
at 46 feet diameter.

00:24:38.705 --> 00:24:40.445
That goes over the
public's head.

00:24:40.445 --> 00:24:41.960
How do we conceptualize

00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:44.030
the project in a way that
they can understand it?

00:24:44.030 --> 00:24:46.010
That was exactly what
this tool was meant to

00:24:46.010 --> 00:24:49.770
do and why we developed it
as part of the project team.

00:24:52.860 --> 00:24:56.800
It's a graphic rendering showing
the existing conditions,

00:24:56.800 --> 00:24:58.120
and we're going to
have a split screen

00:24:58.120 --> 00:24:59.620
showing the future
on the bottom,

00:24:59.620 --> 00:25:01.590
existing conditions on the top.

00:25:01.590 --> 00:25:03.770
Notice how the artist
put traffic congestion

00:25:03.770 --> 00:25:06.035
on top there and free
flowing traffic.

00:25:06.035 --> 00:25:08.910
Future conditions
we're going to make.

00:25:09.250 --> 00:25:13.130
We're coming from the north
as we saw on the Map there,

00:25:13.130 --> 00:25:14.390
coming across the first of

00:25:14.390 --> 00:25:16.505
the bridges to come to
the Man Made Islands.

00:25:16.505 --> 00:25:18.740
One of the things we had
to explain to numbing is,

00:25:18.740 --> 00:25:20.510
we need to expand
the Man Made Island,

00:25:20.510 --> 00:25:21.965
have space for the tunnel to go,

00:25:21.965 --> 00:25:24.250
and this helped the public see
very clearly what all that

00:25:24.250 --> 00:25:27.090
work with that island expansion
was to be representing.

00:25:27.090 --> 00:25:29.180
There's two tunnels
representative,

00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:31.925
we saw in the diagram
here with two lanes each.

00:25:31.925 --> 00:25:34.070
Now the public can
grasp what this means.

00:25:34.070 --> 00:25:35.855
They come out on
the South Island.

00:25:35.855 --> 00:25:38.090
They come back up on
the new Trestle Bridge,

00:25:38.090 --> 00:25:39.500
and then they can identify with

00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:40.910
the trestle bridges
they know today.

00:25:40.910 --> 00:25:42.800
There are two lanes
in each direction,

00:25:42.800 --> 00:25:45.185
and as they see this
construction taking place,

00:25:45.185 --> 00:25:46.625
now they have a
peg to hang it on.

00:25:46.625 --> 00:25:47.930
Now they can understand.

00:25:47.930 --> 00:25:49.280
This is our project. This is

00:25:49.280 --> 00:25:50.840
what our tax dollars
are covering.

00:25:50.840 --> 00:25:53.315
This is what we'll be able
to drive on in the future,

00:25:53.315 --> 00:25:54.980
and now they have a
sense of ownership and

00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:56.870
support that it means
something to them

00:25:56.870 --> 00:25:58.400
and they can be

00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:02.700
more educated participants
in the project delivery.

00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:08.060
Now moving on then to
another type of set of

00:26:08.060 --> 00:26:11.015
dots we have to connect
across fields, history.

00:26:11.015 --> 00:26:13.220
No project happens in a vacuum.

00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:16.505
One challenge we realized we
had organizationally was,

00:26:16.505 --> 00:26:17.900
I made a timeline of when

00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:19.610
all the tunnels had been
built in Hampton Roads.

00:26:19.610 --> 00:26:22.385
You saw that map earlier on
with those black circles.

00:26:22.385 --> 00:26:23.840
Look how those red dots are

00:26:23.840 --> 00:26:25.850
collected on the left
hand side of that chart.

00:26:25.850 --> 00:26:29.540
There's a huge tunnel
building in the 50s and 60s,

00:26:29.540 --> 00:26:31.805
and the benefit of that
organizationally was,

00:26:31.805 --> 00:26:32.930
let's say the builder on one of

00:26:32.930 --> 00:26:34.550
those tunnels needed an idea.

00:26:34.550 --> 00:26:36.050
He could just call
it a friend or

00:26:36.050 --> 00:26:37.670
a neighbor or an uncle and say,

00:26:37.670 --> 00:26:39.785
how did you solve it when
you built the previous one?

00:26:39.785 --> 00:26:41.870
Because there was so
much organizational

00:26:41.870 --> 00:26:44.240
or institutional
knowledge in that region.

00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:46.295
But as time moved on,

00:26:46.295 --> 00:26:48.080
the space between
those dots widened

00:26:48.080 --> 00:26:49.850
out and that meant
by the time we

00:26:49.850 --> 00:26:53.750
got to the Hampton Roads Bridge
tunnel in the late 2018s.

00:26:53.750 --> 00:26:55.745
We had very little
recent knowledge.

00:26:55.745 --> 00:26:57.740
The Midtown tunnel had
just been opened after

00:26:57.740 --> 00:27:00.530
about a 20 year delay
since the previous tunnel,

00:27:00.530 --> 00:27:04.370
but we were much worse off
as tunnel builders in 2015,

00:27:04.370 --> 00:27:06.290
2016, than fathers and

00:27:06.290 --> 00:27:07.310
grandfathers had been for

00:27:07.310 --> 00:27:08.885
the first round of
tunnel building.

00:27:08.885 --> 00:27:11.000
We acknowledged, we
realized we had to do

00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:13.880
organization capacity
rebuilding just

00:27:13.880 --> 00:27:15.440
by recognizing history here.

00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:17.300
We didn't have all the tools and

00:27:17.300 --> 00:27:18.620
experience at our fingertips

00:27:18.620 --> 00:27:21.000
that we'd had a generation ago.

00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:24.110
What are some of the things
that we were able to learn

00:27:24.110 --> 00:27:26.075
from looking at the past,
looking at history?

00:27:26.075 --> 00:27:28.400
Thankfully, some things
don't change and

00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:31.385
geological sections and
profiles and additions.

00:27:31.385 --> 00:27:33.410
We were able to use
the original borings

00:27:33.410 --> 00:27:35.060
from 1950s tunnel and

00:27:35.060 --> 00:27:37.460
the 1970s tunnel to help
understand what we had

00:27:37.460 --> 00:27:39.080
underground while early in

00:27:39.080 --> 00:27:40.775
the project development process,

00:27:40.775 --> 00:27:42.515
we were taking our own borings.

00:27:42.515 --> 00:27:44.450
You don't need to be a
geotechnical engineer

00:27:44.450 --> 00:27:45.785
to look at this and say,

00:27:45.785 --> 00:27:47.990
the difference between what's
under the North Island on

00:27:47.990 --> 00:27:49.490
the left and the South Island

00:27:49.490 --> 00:27:51.455
on the right are very different.

00:27:51.455 --> 00:27:53.285
We like to characterize this as

00:27:53.285 --> 00:27:56.225
our good island and
our bad island.

00:27:56.225 --> 00:28:00.090
Anyone who want to
guess which Bad Island?

00:28:02.170 --> 00:28:05.370
>> South Island. Why is that?

00:28:05.950 --> 00:28:09.065
I heard soft plays. That
is absolutely right.

00:28:09.065 --> 00:28:10.580
The South Island is
sitting on top of

00:28:10.580 --> 00:28:12.050
a peat marsh which is one

00:28:12.050 --> 00:28:13.310
of the most compressible and

00:28:13.310 --> 00:28:15.380
worst building
soils you can have.

00:28:15.380 --> 00:28:18.590
We knew that there was going
to be a challenge even

00:28:18.590 --> 00:28:20.270
having historical data from

00:28:20.270 --> 00:28:21.650
how the previous
tunnels were built,

00:28:21.650 --> 00:28:23.180
the soil samples we had,

00:28:23.180 --> 00:28:24.560
that this was going
to be a challenge

00:28:24.560 --> 00:28:26.045
working on the South island.

00:28:26.045 --> 00:28:28.280
In fact, I've taken
excerpt here from one of

00:28:28.280 --> 00:28:31.460
the borings from the
initial samples we had.

00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:33.260
Again, you don't have
to be a geotechnical

00:28:33.260 --> 00:28:34.280
engineer to know that words

00:28:34.280 --> 00:28:35.480
like that means this
is not going to

00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:37.070
be a great construction soil.

00:28:37.070 --> 00:28:40.790
Decayed vegetation,
decomposed vegetation,

00:28:40.790 --> 00:28:42.800
that's what we had to work with.

00:28:42.800 --> 00:28:44.840
We also looked back
from history and saw,

00:28:44.840 --> 00:28:46.625
how did they solve
this in the past?

00:28:46.625 --> 00:28:48.110
For the 1950s tunnel,

00:28:48.110 --> 00:28:50.165
the first one that was
built across the harbor,

00:28:50.165 --> 00:28:53.045
they simply excavated that
soft organic material

00:28:53.045 --> 00:28:54.455
and replaced it with sand.

00:28:54.455 --> 00:28:56.000
Presto, problem solved.

00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:58.850
In the 1970s, the challenge
was doing that was if they

00:28:58.850 --> 00:29:01.550
dug out close to
the 1950s tunnel,

00:29:01.550 --> 00:29:04.835
they would destabilize it
by excavating so close by.

00:29:04.835 --> 00:29:06.770
What was done instead was they

00:29:06.770 --> 00:29:08.480
put in sand drains
which are basically

00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:10.730
wicks that would allow
the water to come

00:29:10.730 --> 00:29:13.235
out of the clay and come
up through the sand.

00:29:13.235 --> 00:29:15.290
To hasten the process,
a surcharge mound

00:29:15.290 --> 00:29:16.955
was put on top of the island.

00:29:16.955 --> 00:29:19.280
Then the consolidation or

00:29:19.280 --> 00:29:21.575
settlement was measured
until they leveled out

00:29:21.575 --> 00:29:26.570
13 feet of settlement through
that soil there, very soft.

00:29:26.570 --> 00:29:28.730
What we did was we recognized
since we were going to have

00:29:28.730 --> 00:29:31.070
a tunnel boring machine
part of this project,

00:29:31.070 --> 00:29:33.200
we knew there would have to
be improvements made to keep

00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:35.825
the tunnel machine
from nose diving,

00:29:35.825 --> 00:29:37.400
going off alignment, or even

00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:38.975
the finished tunnel
from trying to float,

00:29:38.975 --> 00:29:40.310
because the soft soils were not

00:29:40.310 --> 00:29:42.425
sufficient to hold
it down in place.

00:29:42.425 --> 00:29:45.440
A cementitious ground
improvement is going to be

00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:48.350
necessary even at our very
early conceptual stages

00:29:48.350 --> 00:29:50.850
of understanding what
we need to be built.

00:29:51.280 --> 00:29:53.480
Let's actually
look at a photo of

00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:55.850
what this South
island looks like.

00:29:55.850 --> 00:29:59.120
The existing traffic tunnel

00:29:59.120 --> 00:30:03.860
or running diagonally in the
picture, this direction.

00:30:03.860 --> 00:30:06.815
The new tunnel is going to
start in this pit here.

00:30:06.815 --> 00:30:08.930
At TBM, a tunnel boring machine

00:30:08.930 --> 00:30:11.345
needs to start inside a
pit to begin its journey.

00:30:11.345 --> 00:30:12.845
That's called the shaft.

00:30:12.845 --> 00:30:14.450
One of the first exercises on

00:30:14.450 --> 00:30:16.280
the project was to
build this shaft

00:30:16.280 --> 00:30:17.750
and those soft tools were also

00:30:17.750 --> 00:30:20.090
encountered in that
shaft construction.

00:30:20.090 --> 00:30:21.710
But we were aware of that.

00:30:21.710 --> 00:30:23.240
We expected that
the contractor had

00:30:23.240 --> 00:30:24.590
mitigation measures in place

00:30:24.590 --> 00:30:26.505
to build that shaft
successfully.

00:30:26.505 --> 00:30:28.990
Now we're going to zoom into
that shaft and see what it

00:30:28.990 --> 00:30:31.525
looks like with the tunnel
boring machine in place.

00:30:31.525 --> 00:30:33.910
This is an aerial view
right from the top.

00:30:33.910 --> 00:30:35.530
This is just before
the tunnel boring

00:30:35.530 --> 00:30:37.290
started in April last year.

00:30:37.290 --> 00:30:39.470
The reason that they
made the shaft so long

00:30:39.470 --> 00:30:42.290
was the TBM came essentially,

00:30:42.290 --> 00:30:44.165
think of it as a
locomotive if you will,

00:30:44.165 --> 00:30:46.670
although it's a
different concept.

00:30:46.670 --> 00:30:48.740
Then three cars, we
call them gantries,

00:30:48.740 --> 00:30:50.510
Gantry 1, Gantry 2,

00:30:50.510 --> 00:30:52.070
Gantry 3, and

00:30:52.070 --> 00:30:53.300
Gantry 4 would eventually

00:30:53.300 --> 00:30:55.070
be attached once
there was space.

00:30:55.070 --> 00:30:57.470
The idea was to make
the shaft as long as

00:30:57.470 --> 00:31:00.740
possible as to accommodate

00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:02.495
as much of the TBM as possible,

00:31:02.495 --> 00:31:04.580
so that it can start out
on its journey without

00:31:04.580 --> 00:31:06.680
having to be assembled
subsequently.

00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:08.450
But that's what the
machine looked like from

00:31:08.450 --> 00:31:10.100
the grove. It was 46.

00:31:10.100 --> 00:31:12.500
It is 46 feet in
diameter which makes

00:31:12.500 --> 00:31:15.395
it the second largest
TBM in the US,

00:31:15.395 --> 00:31:17.330
second only to the
machine in Seattle,

00:31:17.330 --> 00:31:19.310
finished boring a few years ago.

00:31:19.310 --> 00:31:20.840
It is certainly something neat

00:31:20.840 --> 00:31:22.310
that we have here in Virginia.

00:31:22.310 --> 00:31:23.930
For those of you
who weren't able

00:31:23.930 --> 00:31:25.565
to take the field trip earlier,

00:31:25.565 --> 00:31:27.995
the tunnel boring will
be resuming this fall,

00:31:27.995 --> 00:31:29.990
going to approximately
next summer.

00:31:29.990 --> 00:31:31.130
If you have a chance to visit

00:31:31.130 --> 00:31:32.900
the project in
that span of time,

00:31:32.900 --> 00:31:34.400
I would really
encourage and recommend

00:31:34.400 --> 00:31:37.530
that something that you're
unlikely to see frequently.

00:31:38.230 --> 00:31:41.030
I mentioned we were going to
hear a little bit more about

00:31:41.030 --> 00:31:43.700
the TBM and also see
that flag again.

00:31:43.700 --> 00:31:45.990
Everybody recognize this?

00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:49.280
One of the calls I got part

00:31:49.280 --> 00:31:50.915
way through the project
from the contract.

00:31:50.915 --> 00:31:52.280
He said, ''Martha, you need to

00:31:52.280 --> 00:31:54.290
tell us how to paint the TBM''.

00:31:54.290 --> 00:31:57.665
I said, ''Let me
get back to you''.

00:31:57.665 --> 00:31:59.570
As an engineer I was puzzled,

00:31:59.570 --> 00:32:01.340
because we all know
that paint is going

00:32:01.340 --> 00:32:03.245
to wear off the first
six inches of tunneling.

00:32:03.245 --> 00:32:04.910
What's the big deal about having

00:32:04.910 --> 00:32:06.335
a special paint job at

00:32:06.335 --> 00:32:08.240
the front phase of
your cutter head?

00:32:08.240 --> 00:32:10.100
Our contractor
explained it to me.

00:32:10.100 --> 00:32:11.180
Said, ''Martha, when you're

00:32:11.180 --> 00:32:12.785
doing a bridge
construction project,

00:32:12.785 --> 00:32:14.585
the public can watch
that bridge be built.

00:32:14.585 --> 00:32:16.220
They can follow it.
They can appreciate.

00:32:16.220 --> 00:32:18.170
They can understand how
it's coming together.

00:32:18.170 --> 00:32:20.585
With a tunnel, there's nothing
for the public to see,

00:32:20.585 --> 00:32:22.055
nothing for them to follow.

00:32:22.055 --> 00:32:24.950
They have to have a very
compelling visual image of what

00:32:24.950 --> 00:32:26.480
that TBM looked
like before it went

00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:28.505
underground and
that's the motif,

00:32:28.505 --> 00:32:30.260
that's the icon that
will stay with them,

00:32:30.260 --> 00:32:31.940
long after the machine
has disappeared,

00:32:31.940 --> 00:32:34.070
there's nothing for
them to see day to day.

00:32:34.070 --> 00:32:37.085
That's why it's important to
have a compelling image''.

00:32:37.085 --> 00:32:40.610
It occurred I said,
the region has been

00:32:40.610 --> 00:32:42.710
critical making this
project possibly

00:32:42.710 --> 00:32:45.035
with that 92% of
project funding.

00:32:45.035 --> 00:32:46.580
This would be a
very worthy way to

00:32:46.580 --> 00:32:50.210
recognize those 14
cities and counties.

00:32:50.210 --> 00:32:51.500
Now those of you who
are familiar with

00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:54.320
Hampton Moods may
pick up on this,

00:32:54.320 --> 00:32:57.230
but eight of those cities
and counties that are

00:32:57.230 --> 00:32:58.730
contributing to the project are

00:32:58.730 --> 00:33:00.395
below South of the waterway,

00:33:00.395 --> 00:33:02.510
six of them are North
of the waterway.

00:33:02.510 --> 00:33:04.865
See how the stars are laid out.

00:33:04.865 --> 00:33:08.690
Really was a very intentional
and meaningful nod to

00:33:08.690 --> 00:33:10.970
the region who was very
grateful and appreciative

00:33:10.970 --> 00:33:13.700
that we acknowledge the
contributions in this way.

00:33:13.700 --> 00:33:16.910
But one of the things that
also goes into a TBM project,

00:33:16.910 --> 00:33:18.410
because you have to
name your machine.

00:33:18.410 --> 00:33:20.270
You can't start boring
until your machine

00:33:20.270 --> 00:33:22.310
has a name and by tradition,

00:33:22.310 --> 00:33:24.740
the machine has to
have a female name.

00:33:24.740 --> 00:33:27.920
How did we find out what
that name should be?

00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:30.230
We went to school children
in the region and said,

00:33:30.230 --> 00:33:32.510
we need you to have a
competition and come up with

00:33:32.510 --> 00:33:34.070
an explanation and nomination of

00:33:34.070 --> 00:33:35.960
who the name of
our TBM should be,

00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:38.000
what the name save ought to be.

00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:39.725
School children
were very clever.

00:33:39.725 --> 00:33:41.000
In one of the local
middle schools

00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:42.485
they said, ''That movie,

00:33:42.485 --> 00:33:44.660
Hidden Figures was based on

00:33:44.660 --> 00:33:46.250
engineers and mathematicians who

00:33:46.250 --> 00:33:47.690
worked in Hampton, Virginia.

00:33:47.690 --> 00:33:49.970
That's the city of the
North end of the tunnel''.

00:33:49.970 --> 00:33:51.860
We named the TBM Mary,

00:33:51.860 --> 00:33:53.600
for Mary Jackson who was one

00:33:53.600 --> 00:33:56.090
of the engineers
and Hidden figures.

00:33:56.090 --> 00:33:58.460
There's tying it all together.

00:33:58.460 --> 00:34:02.510
A very regional recognition
not only for Motif machine,

00:34:02.510 --> 00:34:04.040
but also for its name sake.

00:34:04.040 --> 00:34:06.380
Again, this is how we
connect with the public.

00:34:06.380 --> 00:34:07.790
These were our stakeholders.

00:34:07.790 --> 00:34:09.800
We could have just
painted a machine

00:34:09.800 --> 00:34:12.155
any geometric pattern,

00:34:12.155 --> 00:34:14.180
but here was an opportunity
to connect with

00:34:14.180 --> 00:34:16.310
the community who was
paying for the project,

00:34:16.310 --> 00:34:17.555
who was helping it happen,

00:34:17.555 --> 00:34:18.830
and we were glad
to be able to take

00:34:18.830 --> 00:34:21.260
advantage of that opportunity.

00:34:21.260 --> 00:34:23.720
With that, let's move
on to some other things

00:34:23.720 --> 00:34:25.160
where we had to connect
different fields,

00:34:25.160 --> 00:34:26.780
not just stakeholders,

00:34:26.780 --> 00:34:29.180
not just military,
not just history.

00:34:29.180 --> 00:34:31.385
We discovered we
had a bird issue.

00:34:31.385 --> 00:34:33.545
We saw that picture
of the South Island.

00:34:33.545 --> 00:34:36.080
That South Island,
before we started

00:34:36.080 --> 00:34:38.870
the construction project
had a lot of open space,

00:34:38.870 --> 00:34:41.690
fantastic place for
migrating birds to nest,

00:34:41.690 --> 00:34:43.190
because there were no predators.

00:34:43.190 --> 00:34:45.305
They were not connected
to the mainland.

00:34:45.305 --> 00:34:47.330
Also, there was a smog's
board of fish that

00:34:47.330 --> 00:34:50.195
these birds could eat right
outside this nesting ground.

00:34:50.195 --> 00:34:52.115
We learned also
birds are like fish.

00:34:52.115 --> 00:34:53.705
They come back to
where they hatch.

00:34:53.705 --> 00:34:56.435
Every year over the decades
since that island was built,

00:34:56.435 --> 00:34:59.825
there are more and more
of these migratory birds.

00:34:59.825 --> 00:35:01.445
Now most of them were seagulls,

00:35:01.445 --> 00:35:03.920
but a very small number were
threatened species which

00:35:03.920 --> 00:35:05.060
meant you couldn't just tell

00:35:05.060 --> 00:35:07.070
a bird colony move
somewhere else,

00:35:07.070 --> 00:35:09.500
we're going to build a
TBM launching shaft.

00:35:09.500 --> 00:35:11.600
There had to be some
thoughtful coordination with

00:35:11.600 --> 00:35:13.340
the environmental engineers and

00:35:13.340 --> 00:35:15.230
the wildlife biologists to say,

00:35:15.230 --> 00:35:17.300
how do we deal humanely
with these birds

00:35:17.300 --> 00:35:18.320
recognizing we do need to

00:35:18.320 --> 00:35:19.970
build this construction project,

00:35:19.970 --> 00:35:21.410
but we can't just pave

00:35:21.410 --> 00:35:22.880
over this area where
these birds were

00:35:22.880 --> 00:35:26.150
nesting and leave them on their
own to find another home.

00:35:26.150 --> 00:35:28.760
Well it turned out that we

00:35:28.760 --> 00:35:31.610
had an opportunity
to share the space.

00:35:31.610 --> 00:35:34.040
That's how congested the
South island was and

00:35:34.040 --> 00:35:36.740
not only was there no safe
space for the birds to nest,

00:35:36.740 --> 00:35:38.150
but more importantly also

00:35:38.150 --> 00:35:39.710
for the construction operations.

00:35:39.710 --> 00:35:41.600
If the birds had
laid an egg there,

00:35:41.600 --> 00:35:43.040
there would have to
be a perimeter set

00:35:43.040 --> 00:35:45.845
of all around that
egg until it hatched.

00:35:45.845 --> 00:35:47.420
Which would mean
construction operations

00:35:47.420 --> 00:35:49.010
would have to shut down
and potentially on

00:35:49.010 --> 00:35:51.590
a critical path if an
egg were to be laid in

00:35:51.590 --> 00:35:54.635
an area that was part of the
construction operations.

00:35:54.635 --> 00:35:56.450
For the sake of the
birds as well as for

00:35:56.450 --> 00:35:58.160
the sake of the
construction operations,

00:35:58.160 --> 00:36:01.055
they really needed a safer
space to be able to nest.

00:36:01.055 --> 00:36:03.065
Now there was a
historical island

00:36:03.065 --> 00:36:04.985
up in the upper left
of that picture.

00:36:04.985 --> 00:36:06.440
It wasn't inhabited, it wasn't

00:36:06.440 --> 00:36:08.360
used for much, and someone said,

00:36:08.360 --> 00:36:09.890
''Wouldn't it be
ideal if we could

00:36:09.890 --> 00:36:11.570
somehow encourage this colony of

00:36:11.570 --> 00:36:13.040
birds to move over to

00:36:13.040 --> 00:36:15.830
that uninhabited island that's
historically protected,

00:36:15.830 --> 00:36:17.225
where there's no construction,

00:36:17.225 --> 00:36:18.875
and then they'll
have a safe place.

00:36:18.875 --> 00:36:21.140
But there was no
precedent in literature,

00:36:21.140 --> 00:36:23.690
how you just pick up and
move a colony of birds.

00:36:23.690 --> 00:36:26.930
We had to coordinate with a
number of stakeholders in

00:36:26.930 --> 00:36:28.730
different fields and we found

00:36:28.730 --> 00:36:31.685
out that there was a
solution for this.

00:36:31.685 --> 00:36:33.920
Part of it was setting
up decoys and bird

00:36:33.920 --> 00:36:35.990
calls on that historic island,

00:36:35.990 --> 00:36:38.900
but the other one it's
our employee of the month

00:36:38.900 --> 00:36:43.010
[LAUGHTER] You can hire

00:36:43.010 --> 00:36:44.360
trained border collies and

00:36:44.360 --> 00:36:47.660
handlers who will help
chase birds away humanely.

00:36:47.660 --> 00:36:49.010
Border coolies don't eat birds,

00:36:49.010 --> 00:36:50.555
but they just have
great fun chasing them.

00:36:50.555 --> 00:36:51.785
This then it looks like

00:36:51.785 --> 00:36:53.210
sheep and they're
herding animals.

00:36:53.210 --> 00:36:55.760
They love to chase sheep,
they'll chase anything.

00:36:55.760 --> 00:36:58.355
By having these
trained border collies

00:36:58.355 --> 00:36:59.750
able to patrol the islands,

00:36:59.750 --> 00:37:02.270
but their handlers and encourage
the birds not to nest.

00:37:02.270 --> 00:37:04.070
The birds quickly
got the message that

00:37:04.070 --> 00:37:06.320
that other island is
a much calmer space.

00:37:06.320 --> 00:37:08.735
Sure enough over the course
of a couple of years,

00:37:08.735 --> 00:37:10.310
the bird colony
has been entirely

00:37:10.310 --> 00:37:12.950
moved and they're able
to nest there safely.

00:37:12.950 --> 00:37:14.885
The construction is
able to proceed.

00:37:14.885 --> 00:37:17.240
If we go back to the
picture we had before,

00:37:17.240 --> 00:37:18.530
you can see that the space

00:37:18.530 --> 00:37:20.045
available on the historic island

00:37:20.045 --> 00:37:21.710
isn't quite as large a the space

00:37:21.710 --> 00:37:23.330
available on the South island.

00:37:23.330 --> 00:37:25.130
That's why during
bird season which

00:37:25.130 --> 00:37:27.005
is between April and September,

00:37:27.005 --> 00:37:29.495
these three barges covered
with nesting material,

00:37:29.495 --> 00:37:32.585
sand, and gas are also
pulled into position.

00:37:32.585 --> 00:37:36.470
The birds will use that space
as well as a portable nest.

00:37:36.470 --> 00:37:38.660
A lot of creativity
went into this,

00:37:38.660 --> 00:37:39.995
a lot of coordination among

00:37:39.995 --> 00:37:41.300
fields that you
wouldn't normally think

00:37:41.300 --> 00:37:44.390
go together to make
this success possible.

00:37:44.390 --> 00:37:46.010
Let's look at another discovery

00:37:46.010 --> 00:37:48.120
of things we didn't expect.

00:37:48.640 --> 00:37:51.170
Any geotechnical
construction folks

00:37:51.170 --> 00:37:53.520
want to take a
guess what this is?

00:37:54.690 --> 00:37:57.340
>> Hydromill, this
is the machine we

00:37:57.340 --> 00:37:59.380
used to build the
walls of the shaft.

00:37:59.380 --> 00:38:01.300
That was that tri cell shape

00:38:01.300 --> 00:38:03.085
that we saw the TBM sitting in.

00:38:03.085 --> 00:38:06.040
In order to dig that
shaft or constructed,

00:38:06.040 --> 00:38:07.660
this machine digs essentially

00:38:07.660 --> 00:38:09.550
rectangular holes in the ground.

00:38:09.550 --> 00:38:12.460
When you put one rectangular
hole next to another,

00:38:12.460 --> 00:38:15.085
you can trace out
that tri cell shape.

00:38:15.085 --> 00:38:17.035
Similar to a drilled shaft,

00:38:17.035 --> 00:38:21.265
you can fill that hole with
slurry with a resteel cage,

00:38:21.265 --> 00:38:23.020
and then with a
treme pipe port from

00:38:23.020 --> 00:38:25.045
the bottom to the
top with concrete,

00:38:25.045 --> 00:38:26.860
and then it becomes a
concrete wall that then

00:38:26.860 --> 00:38:29.065
can be part of holding
the shaft in place.

00:38:29.065 --> 00:38:31.270
We kept these hydromill
trench cutters very

00:38:31.270 --> 00:38:32.650
busy digging those deep

00:38:32.650 --> 00:38:34.630
rectangular holes
to build our shaft.

00:38:34.630 --> 00:38:36.040
Now, once in a while, we'd have

00:38:36.040 --> 00:38:39.070
a challenge where the hydromill

00:38:39.070 --> 00:38:41.215
would get stuck and wouldn't
be able to do its job.

00:38:41.215 --> 00:38:42.610
When those wheels quit turning,

00:38:42.610 --> 00:38:44.260
we'd have to pull it
back to the surface and

00:38:44.260 --> 00:38:46.150
hose off mud and slurry to see.

00:38:46.150 --> 00:38:49.825
What is this thing binding
up on, what got it stuck?

00:38:49.825 --> 00:38:52.960
One day, this is the
image we got and there is

00:38:52.960 --> 00:38:54.850
this big metallic chunky thing

00:38:54.850 --> 00:38:57.025
stuck in the teeth
of the hydromill.

00:38:57.025 --> 00:39:00.175
We got where we can
take a post or look

00:39:00.175 --> 00:39:03.400
at it, spherical metal objects.

00:39:03.400 --> 00:39:04.990
Anybody want to hazard to

00:39:04.990 --> 00:39:06.370
guess what we're
looking at here?

00:39:06.370 --> 00:39:07.165
>> Cannonballs.

00:39:07.165 --> 00:39:08.710
>> These are cannonballs.

00:39:08.710 --> 00:39:10.150
What I learned by talking to

00:39:10.150 --> 00:39:12.715
military explosive ordinance
disposal specialists

00:39:12.715 --> 00:39:14.620
is when your
cannonball is small,

00:39:14.620 --> 00:39:16.480
say four to five
inches in diameter,

00:39:16.480 --> 00:39:19.000
the odds are less likely that
there's explosive material

00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:21.940
inside because just physically
four or five inches,

00:39:21.940 --> 00:39:23.860
it's less likely to fit.

00:39:23.860 --> 00:39:26.365
When your cannonball is
nine inches in diameter,

00:39:26.365 --> 00:39:27.610
it is very likely to be

00:39:27.610 --> 00:39:29.455
a shell that has
explosive things there.

00:39:29.455 --> 00:39:32.860
This is a live shell,
the military EOD

00:39:32.860 --> 00:39:34.810
later took it away
and blew it up,

00:39:34.810 --> 00:39:37.615
and definitely had live
material left in it.

00:39:37.615 --> 00:39:41.020
We found nine of these in
the course of working on

00:39:41.020 --> 00:39:44.860
the island. Where
did these come from?

00:39:44.860 --> 00:39:49.070
How did an island we got in
the 50s and expanded the 70s?

00:39:49.830 --> 00:39:53.035
We had to dig that
history again and see,

00:39:53.035 --> 00:39:56.755
where did that sand originally
from [inaudible] 1750s.

00:39:56.755 --> 00:39:58.600
That sand was
hydraulically dredged from

00:39:58.600 --> 00:40:01.420
the local area
permissible borrow area

00:40:01.420 --> 00:40:04.045
[inaudible] to the South island.

00:40:04.045 --> 00:40:06.010
This was an area
where there were

00:40:06.010 --> 00:40:09.625
known military historical
fortifications.

00:40:09.625 --> 00:40:14.125
It was very logical, very
likely it was cannon fire.

00:40:14.125 --> 00:40:16.450
Many years, decades,

00:40:16.450 --> 00:40:18.280
not centuries in this area

00:40:18.280 --> 00:40:22.770
[inaudible] buried the sand
permissible borrow area.

00:40:22.770 --> 00:40:24.555
Nobody realized that
they were picked up

00:40:24.555 --> 00:40:27.180
hydraulic in the
50s and the 70s.

00:40:27.180 --> 00:40:28.680
Nobody realized
they got buried in

00:40:28.680 --> 00:40:31.090
the island, but we found them.

00:40:31.740 --> 00:40:34.795
We were able to take care
of those nine cannonballs,

00:40:34.795 --> 00:40:36.745
no harm was done,
no one was injured,

00:40:36.745 --> 00:40:39.130
and man good friends of our
military expose ordinance

00:40:39.130 --> 00:40:40.390
exposing frenzy,

00:40:40.390 --> 00:40:44.260
but [inaudible] TBM has

00:40:44.260 --> 00:40:45.760
to tunnel through
the same territory.

00:40:45.760 --> 00:40:48.500
What the TBM do?

00:40:50.100 --> 00:40:53.185
This was not something
that come up with.

00:40:53.185 --> 00:40:57.280
TBM usually go through
native soil through

00:40:57.280 --> 00:41:01.180
[inaudible] it's
been adjusted with

00:41:01.180 --> 00:41:04.840
[inaudible] been
fund rec to figure

00:41:04.840 --> 00:41:07.120
out how is our TBM
that's already been

00:41:07.120 --> 00:41:09.730
manufactured to big
respond or behave,

00:41:09.730 --> 00:41:12.220
sucks up one of these
things in its of head.

00:41:12.220 --> 00:41:14.260
We brought first principles,

00:41:14.260 --> 00:41:16.570
what we did was we brought
together a workshop

00:41:16.570 --> 00:41:19.780
on factors, TBM
tunneling experts.

00:41:19.780 --> 00:41:21.370
We also brought in military

00:41:21.370 --> 00:41:23.335
explosive ordinance
disposal experts,

00:41:23.335 --> 00:41:25.165
we just have to
talk to each other.

00:41:25.165 --> 00:41:26.950
TBM tunnelers explained,

00:41:26.950 --> 00:41:28.930
here's the course
where the soil power

00:41:28.930 --> 00:41:31.150
will be ticked up and
processed through the machine,

00:41:31.150 --> 00:41:32.620
and the Navy experts,

00:41:32.620 --> 00:41:34.225
the military experts said, well,

00:41:34.225 --> 00:41:36.340
based on these types
of cannonballs and

00:41:36.340 --> 00:41:39.175
the power of explosive
ordinance in the 1800s,

00:41:39.175 --> 00:41:41.605
here's the explosive
power you could expect.

00:41:41.605 --> 00:41:43.330
We took them out to a tour of

00:41:43.330 --> 00:41:45.715
the TBM that was under
assembly at that point.

00:41:45.715 --> 00:41:46.990
This is one of the parts of

00:41:46.990 --> 00:41:48.865
the TBM we were most
concerned about.

00:41:48.865 --> 00:41:50.335
That's the jaw crusher,

00:41:50.335 --> 00:41:51.760
it's great for rocks.

00:41:51.760 --> 00:41:54.280
What if you catch a cannonball
in your jaw crusher?

00:41:54.280 --> 00:41:56.690
We didn't want to find out.

00:41:57.060 --> 00:42:01.360
There we have a military
E8 on the right-hand side,

00:42:01.360 --> 00:42:03.040
inside our slier fire box,

00:42:03.040 --> 00:42:05.440
the draw crusher, looking
at the size of the steel,

00:42:05.440 --> 00:42:09.565
looking at the dimensions
of the machine.

00:42:09.565 --> 00:42:12.685
Once he got out of slier
fire box, he said,

00:42:12.685 --> 00:42:14.440
relative to the explosive power

00:42:14.440 --> 00:42:16.585
of what's in a
cannonball, he said,

00:42:16.585 --> 00:42:19.550
no machine could eat
cannonballs for lunch,

00:42:19.640 --> 00:42:22.500
but just by being able
to bring together or

00:42:22.500 --> 00:42:24.720
connect across those
very unlikely fields.

00:42:24.720 --> 00:42:26.340
Thankfully, to our knowledge,

00:42:26.340 --> 00:42:27.960
we didn't pick up
any on the way out,

00:42:27.960 --> 00:42:29.715
there's still a
chance of TBM we'll

00:42:29.715 --> 00:42:31.740
have to encounter that
area on the way back,

00:42:31.740 --> 00:42:34.055
but now we have a path forward.

00:42:34.055 --> 00:42:36.535
Discovery Number 3,

00:42:36.535 --> 00:42:41.530
anyone want to guess what this
looks like? Fossils, yes.

00:42:41.530 --> 00:42:43.270
We were looking at the
material coming from

00:42:43.270 --> 00:42:45.700
the TBM conveyor
belt last September,

00:42:45.700 --> 00:42:47.350
and somebody said, this
doesn't look great.

00:42:47.350 --> 00:42:49.060
They hit the emergency
stop button,

00:42:49.060 --> 00:42:51.160
threw the fragments to
a five gallon bucket,

00:42:51.160 --> 00:42:53.335
brought them back to the
trailer, washed them off.

00:42:53.335 --> 00:42:57.220
We had found bones from TBM.

00:42:57.220 --> 00:43:00.430
Then we mapped, this
is where they were,

00:43:00.430 --> 00:43:02.500
they were about 100 feet

00:43:02.500 --> 00:43:06.055
underground. What's
going on here?

00:43:06.055 --> 00:43:09.040
We called the Virginia
Museum of Natural Histories,

00:43:09.040 --> 00:43:11.035
that's our
paleontology, friends.

00:43:11.035 --> 00:43:13.460
We sent those samples and said,

00:43:13.460 --> 00:43:16.275
what just happened
here, what's going on?

00:43:16.275 --> 00:43:19.320
Thankfully, if we look
back at this collection,

00:43:19.320 --> 00:43:21.000
the one on the far
right-hand side,

00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:22.755
the one you can see
with the closest,

00:43:22.755 --> 00:43:25.310
right-hand picture is a tooth.

00:43:25.310 --> 00:43:27.685
Based on that tooth,
the paleontologists

00:43:27.685 --> 00:43:28.750
were able to identify

00:43:28.750 --> 00:43:33.925
these fragments and determined
that this was a mastodon.

00:43:33.925 --> 00:43:36.670
Yes, we have mastodons
in Virginia.

00:43:36.670 --> 00:43:39.370
A surprise to many
of us that they

00:43:39.370 --> 00:43:42.640
were present up until relatively
recent geological time.

00:43:42.640 --> 00:43:44.560
That's the one on the right,
you can see it's very

00:43:44.560 --> 00:43:46.675
close to the size on the left,

00:43:46.675 --> 00:43:48.070
close to the size of

00:43:48.070 --> 00:43:50.740
the traditional elephant that
we recognize on the right.

00:43:50.740 --> 00:43:52.690
These are just a
few illustrations

00:43:52.690 --> 00:43:54.190
of things we probably
haven't heard about

00:43:54.190 --> 00:43:55.915
Hampton Roads Bridge
Tunnel project

00:43:55.915 --> 00:43:58.000
that required us to
connect across fields,

00:43:58.000 --> 00:43:59.500
to deal with complexities,

00:43:59.500 --> 00:44:01.420
and things that hadn't
come up before,

00:44:01.420 --> 00:44:02.920
things where there
wasn't a cookbook or

00:44:02.920 --> 00:44:06.235
a textbook solution
to do with this.

00:44:06.235 --> 00:44:08.545
To bring it all back together,

00:44:08.545 --> 00:44:10.540
those tools are
managing complexity.

00:44:10.540 --> 00:44:12.130
How do we get some takeaways and

00:44:12.130 --> 00:44:14.065
some lessons learned
to deal with this?

00:44:14.065 --> 00:44:15.895
We'll come back to this picture,

00:44:15.895 --> 00:44:17.980
and the things you can
see where we talked about

00:44:17.980 --> 00:44:20.455
connecting across
fields, that's the art.

00:44:20.455 --> 00:44:23.500
You can see that all our
best geological bowings,

00:44:23.500 --> 00:44:25.300
all our best geotechnical
engineering,

00:44:25.300 --> 00:44:27.730
all our best tunnel
design, still science.

00:44:27.730 --> 00:44:29.320
Really took that
art of connecting

00:44:29.320 --> 00:44:30.760
those additional
fields to be able to

00:44:30.760 --> 00:44:34.525
solve those examples that
I showed you a moment ago.

00:44:34.525 --> 00:44:36.805
How does one learn to do this?

00:44:36.805 --> 00:44:38.500
Does one just concentrate hard

00:44:38.500 --> 00:44:40.480
and hope it comes together?

00:44:40.480 --> 00:44:42.550
Let me offer some
practical tools of how

00:44:42.550 --> 00:44:44.560
we can work to build
these skill sets and

00:44:44.560 --> 00:44:46.270
become increasingly

00:44:46.270 --> 00:44:48.595
comfortable with
connecting across fields.

00:44:48.595 --> 00:44:51.670
First of all, it doesn't
come immediately,

00:44:51.670 --> 00:44:53.170
it has to take time.

00:44:53.170 --> 00:44:55.510
In the academic environment,

00:44:55.510 --> 00:44:56.950
we study for several years,

00:44:56.950 --> 00:44:58.180
we get a piece of
paper at the end.

00:44:58.180 --> 00:45:00.730
Here's a diploma, now you
have this level of knowledge,

00:45:00.730 --> 00:45:02.185
you can check that box.

00:45:02.185 --> 00:45:03.700
This skill set isn't like that,

00:45:03.700 --> 00:45:04.885
you'll never get
a piece of paper,

00:45:04.885 --> 00:45:05.965
say you've mastered it.

00:45:05.965 --> 00:45:08.140
It's more like a sunset,
it comes gradually,

00:45:08.140 --> 00:45:09.460
and you get better and better at

00:45:09.460 --> 00:45:11.665
it imperceptibly over time.

00:45:11.665 --> 00:45:14.470
As you seek out complex
projects to work on,

00:45:14.470 --> 00:45:16.225
that gives you an
opportunity to work with

00:45:16.225 --> 00:45:18.445
and for people who
have these skills.

00:45:18.445 --> 00:45:19.600
You remember my example,

00:45:19.600 --> 00:45:21.880
the $22 million
diamond interchange,

00:45:21.880 --> 00:45:24.250
I got to work for someone
who had this skill.

00:45:24.250 --> 00:45:25.720
I learned a tremendous
amount just by

00:45:25.720 --> 00:45:27.640
watching how that
individual solves

00:45:27.640 --> 00:45:29.845
problems and dealt
with challenges

00:45:29.845 --> 00:45:33.580
and took apart complexity
and made it more manageable.

00:45:33.580 --> 00:45:35.335
One thing that's helped me in my

00:45:35.335 --> 00:45:37.675
more recent career experience,

00:45:37.675 --> 00:45:40.735
as senior people would
outline the path forward,

00:45:40.735 --> 00:45:42.475
I'd also often be thinking,

00:45:42.475 --> 00:45:43.810
here's how I would solve this,

00:45:43.810 --> 00:45:45.910
here's what I would
say, and increasingly,

00:45:45.910 --> 00:45:47.290
as what I had in my mind,

00:45:47.290 --> 00:45:49.675
calibrated, with what the
senior people were saying,

00:45:49.675 --> 00:45:50.830
I got more confidence,

00:45:50.830 --> 00:45:53.245
I got a greater voice just to
go ahead and say that thing

00:45:53.245 --> 00:45:54.760
because of the opportunity to

00:45:54.760 --> 00:45:55.900
calibrate people who knew

00:45:55.900 --> 00:45:57.850
what they were doing
in their field.

00:45:57.850 --> 00:46:00.385
Finally, continuing education.

00:46:00.385 --> 00:46:02.935
By this, I don't mean
professional development hours,

00:46:02.935 --> 00:46:05.530
the kind that you get to keep
your PE license current.

00:46:05.530 --> 00:46:08.350
I don't even mean maybe getting
another academic degree,

00:46:08.350 --> 00:46:10.900
that continuing
education is valuable,

00:46:10.900 --> 00:46:12.610
it's good, and you
should pursue it,

00:46:12.610 --> 00:46:14.575
but continuing
education, the sense

00:46:14.575 --> 00:46:16.945
of being aware of
adjacent fields,

00:46:16.945 --> 00:46:19.045
ones that you might not
normally think about,

00:46:19.045 --> 00:46:20.395
ones that you might
not normally look

00:46:20.395 --> 00:46:22.210
at as a connective
with engineering.

00:46:22.210 --> 00:46:23.680
One challenge we do have as

00:46:23.680 --> 00:46:25.165
engineers, we're very silent,

00:46:25.165 --> 00:46:26.350
we love our field, we're very

00:46:26.350 --> 00:46:28.240
proud of it, and
that's good and right,

00:46:28.240 --> 00:46:30.400
but we should respect a
little more the other fields

00:46:30.400 --> 00:46:33.295
like paleontology,
communications,

00:46:33.295 --> 00:46:35.800
business and finance, because
you can see how each of

00:46:35.800 --> 00:46:37.240
those played into helping make

00:46:37.240 --> 00:46:40.130
this project possible
and successful.

00:46:42.100 --> 00:46:44.480
As we bring this to a close,

00:46:44.480 --> 00:46:46.700
I wanted to acknowledge the
good conversations I had

00:46:46.700 --> 00:46:49.190
with geotechnical engineers
at the reception last night.

00:46:49.190 --> 00:46:50.390
These are some thoughts I took

00:46:50.390 --> 00:46:51.710
away from those conversations.

00:46:51.710 --> 00:46:52.820
I wanted to share with the room

00:46:52.820 --> 00:46:53.840
for those of you who may not

00:46:53.840 --> 00:46:56.285
have been in the
conversations we had.

00:46:56.285 --> 00:46:58.160
One challenge is, let's say,

00:46:58.160 --> 00:46:59.450
as you connect across fields,

00:46:59.450 --> 00:47:00.980
you find one that's
very interesting to

00:47:00.980 --> 00:47:03.335
you and you gravitate toward it.

00:47:03.335 --> 00:47:05.420
I grappled with this
because my studies

00:47:05.420 --> 00:47:07.115
originally were as a
structural engineer.

00:47:07.115 --> 00:47:09.155
I got an honors
undergraduate degree.

00:47:09.155 --> 00:47:11.690
I got a very competitive
international fellowship

00:47:11.690 --> 00:47:13.685
to study structural
engineering abroad.

00:47:13.685 --> 00:47:15.935
That is my career branched
in another direction.

00:47:15.935 --> 00:47:17.405
I felt guilty for a while,

00:47:17.405 --> 00:47:19.250
I was turning my back
on all this investment

00:47:19.250 --> 00:47:20.615
in structural engineering,

00:47:20.615 --> 00:47:23.090
until I realized I'm
not abandoning it.

00:47:23.090 --> 00:47:24.605
I'm building on top of it.

00:47:24.605 --> 00:47:26.120
It's a foundation
that's enabling

00:47:26.120 --> 00:47:27.935
me to move forward in my career.

00:47:27.935 --> 00:47:30.350
If you went to a similar
crossroads and you worry

00:47:30.350 --> 00:47:31.550
about do I need to

00:47:31.550 --> 00:47:33.530
stay in exactly the
thing that you studied?

00:47:33.530 --> 00:47:35.045
No, you can build on it.

00:47:35.045 --> 00:47:37.400
Your skill set here is
to learn how to learn,

00:47:37.400 --> 00:47:39.470
and you're putting that
to good use by continuing

00:47:39.470 --> 00:47:42.620
to expand your education.

00:47:42.620 --> 00:47:44.600
Another topic that
came up last night

00:47:44.600 --> 00:47:45.830
is business education.

00:47:45.830 --> 00:47:47.600
Some of you in
looking for ways to

00:47:47.600 --> 00:47:49.490
connect across
fields have raised

00:47:49.490 --> 00:47:50.990
questions about engineers and

00:47:50.990 --> 00:47:53.090
MBAs. Should you pursue one?

00:47:53.090 --> 00:47:54.380
When should you pursue one?

00:47:54.380 --> 00:47:56.435
I want to touch here
on the when question.

00:47:56.435 --> 00:47:58.130
Because often it
makes a lot of sense

00:47:58.130 --> 00:47:59.855
if you're an engineer getting

00:47:59.855 --> 00:48:01.490
a bachelor's and master's degree

00:48:01.490 --> 00:48:03.320
to do your engineering
degrees back to back.

00:48:03.320 --> 00:48:05.615
Makes a lot of sense
because the content

00:48:05.615 --> 00:48:09.200
has a good touch
point and overlap.

00:48:09.200 --> 00:48:11.270
With an MBA, I would recommend,

00:48:11.270 --> 00:48:12.530
if this is something
that appeals to you,

00:48:12.530 --> 00:48:14.855
waiting several years after
you finish your studies,

00:48:14.855 --> 00:48:17.450
getting industry experience,
both on the outside,

00:48:17.450 --> 00:48:19.205
to get a business degree
rather than doing

00:48:19.205 --> 00:48:21.230
back-to-back with
your initial studies.

00:48:21.230 --> 00:48:23.435
Why is that? Because an MBA is

00:48:23.435 --> 00:48:26.600
a magnifying glass on the
previous experience you gain.

00:48:26.600 --> 00:48:28.205
As you have zero experience,

00:48:28.205 --> 00:48:29.615
there's nothing to magnify.

00:48:29.615 --> 00:48:31.010
You will get a lot

00:48:31.010 --> 00:48:32.660
less out of the degree
than if you have

00:48:32.660 --> 00:48:34.595
several years of work experience

00:48:34.595 --> 00:48:36.395
to be able to get
the most out of it.

00:48:36.395 --> 00:48:38.480
As you hear the course
concept, to say,

00:48:38.480 --> 00:48:39.860
now I have something in my own

00:48:39.860 --> 00:48:41.345
experience, that makes sense.

00:48:41.345 --> 00:48:43.130
That course is more logical.

00:48:43.130 --> 00:48:45.290
I see the application
of that concept.

00:48:45.290 --> 00:48:48.350
Then finally, this ties in to

00:48:48.350 --> 00:48:49.670
the point about complexity

00:48:49.670 --> 00:48:51.785
changing throughout the project.

00:48:51.785 --> 00:48:54.425
Some people will start a
project and feel duty-bound.

00:48:54.425 --> 00:48:56.915
I need to stay on that
project until it finishes.

00:48:56.915 --> 00:49:00.050
But one principle that I
like to remind myself is,

00:49:00.050 --> 00:49:02.435
only do what only you can do.

00:49:02.435 --> 00:49:03.980
If you've been on a project or

00:49:03.980 --> 00:49:06.245
an undertaking for spun of time,

00:49:06.245 --> 00:49:08.270
other people can do your job.

00:49:08.270 --> 00:49:09.710
Maybe you've trained
them how to do it.

00:49:09.710 --> 00:49:11.465
Maybe they've built new skills,

00:49:11.465 --> 00:49:13.190
and they can do it.

00:49:13.190 --> 00:49:14.720
Maybe that's the time
to think about doing

00:49:14.720 --> 00:49:16.100
something else that only you can

00:49:16.100 --> 00:49:17.780
do to give them space

00:49:17.780 --> 00:49:19.895
to spread their wings
and grow their muscles,

00:49:19.895 --> 00:49:21.050
and then give you a chance to do

00:49:21.050 --> 00:49:24.600
something that fills a slot
that nobody else is filling.

00:49:25.240 --> 00:49:27.980
Takeaways, recapping

00:49:27.980 --> 00:49:29.780
our three points for
the presentation.

00:49:29.780 --> 00:49:31.700
We talked about
project complexity.

00:49:31.700 --> 00:49:33.695
Even though we put
zeros on our resume,

00:49:33.695 --> 00:49:35.360
I do it, there's nothing
wrong with that.

00:49:35.360 --> 00:49:36.800
But we have to remember,
we shouldn't be

00:49:36.800 --> 00:49:38.585
impressed just
because we see zeros

00:49:38.585 --> 00:49:40.520
that project complexity
isn't necessarily

00:49:40.520 --> 00:49:43.160
proportional to its cost.

00:49:43.160 --> 00:49:45.620
We have to keep in mind
the different mindsets.

00:49:45.620 --> 00:49:49.835
Remember the slinky of recognizing
projects aren't always

00:49:49.835 --> 00:49:55.025
proportional to different
sizes and levels of challenge.

00:49:55.025 --> 00:49:57.785
We talked about illustrations
of underground projects,

00:49:57.785 --> 00:50:00.140
how that shows us very
practical illustrations

00:50:00.140 --> 00:50:01.760
for connecting across fields,

00:50:01.760 --> 00:50:03.980
how we saw their
technical solutions and

00:50:03.980 --> 00:50:05.570
non-technical
solutions for helping

00:50:05.570 --> 00:50:07.220
carry that project forward.

00:50:07.220 --> 00:50:10.670
Finally, we talked about tools
for managing complexity.

00:50:10.670 --> 00:50:12.560
We like to label our
college degrees and

00:50:12.560 --> 00:50:14.615
put them in boxes and
say I've achieved this,

00:50:14.615 --> 00:50:16.265
and I'm an expert in that.

00:50:16.265 --> 00:50:17.975
It's a fantastic starting point.

00:50:17.975 --> 00:50:21.125
That's the gray bar that we
saw in a diagram earlier.

00:50:21.125 --> 00:50:23.090
You have to have the
science to build

00:50:23.090 --> 00:50:25.220
anything to do in but it's not

00:50:25.220 --> 00:50:30.140
enough to gain that increase
in those other fields.

00:50:30.140 --> 00:50:36.660
Any record. Happy to
take any questions.

00:50:36.790 --> 00:50:44.840
>> I'd like to

00:50:44.840 --> 00:50:46.790
point out that only
do what only you can

00:50:46.790 --> 00:50:50.855
do best to work
yourself out of a job.

00:50:50.855 --> 00:50:55.140
Find somebody else. Train
him. Any questions.

00:50:56.500 --> 00:50:58.910
>> This is like a
management question,

00:50:58.910 --> 00:51:00.080
but it is a technical question

00:51:00.080 --> 00:51:03.680
regarding what makes you assign

00:51:03.680 --> 00:51:09.500
that tri-cell design for the
tunneling of the key shaft?

00:51:09.500 --> 00:51:11.600
>> Because we
didn't need struts.

00:51:11.600 --> 00:51:13.805
When you do a rectangular shaft,

00:51:13.805 --> 00:51:15.530
struts all over
that make it very

00:51:15.530 --> 00:51:17.465
difficult to move
materials in and out,

00:51:17.465 --> 00:51:20.045
as well as to move
anything vertically.

00:51:20.045 --> 00:51:22.220
With the. What design,
you need to instruct

00:51:22.220 --> 00:51:23.780
only two struts and
the touching points

00:51:23.780 --> 00:51:27.130
of the surface of?

00:51:27.130 --> 00:51:32.810
I think [inaudible].

00:51:32.810 --> 00:51:35.010
>> Questions about
cannonballs? Yes.

00:51:37.960 --> 00:51:40.820
>> I want to know the current
progress of the project.

00:51:40.820 --> 00:51:42.995
What stage of the
project right now?

00:51:42.995 --> 00:51:44.600
>> Certainly. The TBM

00:51:44.600 --> 00:51:48.350
has the first tunnel from the
South Island to the north.

00:51:48.350 --> 00:51:50.360
That's about an
8,000-foot journey,

00:51:50.360 --> 00:51:53.750
which roughly a year
came out in April 2024.

00:51:53.750 --> 00:51:55.640
Contractors are
currently disassembling

00:51:55.640 --> 00:51:57.320
and reassembling the TBM.

00:51:57.320 --> 00:52:00.290
The shield of this fork's plan

00:52:00.290 --> 00:52:03.035
now is starting south this fall,

00:52:03.035 --> 00:52:04.490
starting at the Northland,

00:52:04.490 --> 00:52:05.870
then continuing to the South

00:52:05.870 --> 00:52:09.470
Island numbers of approximation.

00:52:09.470 --> 00:52:13.745
That journey should complete
summer of fall 2025.

00:52:13.745 --> 00:52:15.320
That won't be the
end of the project;

00:52:15.320 --> 00:52:17.285
that exactly would show up.

00:52:17.285 --> 00:52:19.310
There's a lot of fit-out
that has to be done,

00:52:19.310 --> 00:52:22.355
not just building during
that time of year,

00:52:22.355 --> 00:52:25.550
but also the electrical,
mechanical systems,

00:52:25.550 --> 00:52:28.040
communications,
fire suppression,

00:52:28.040 --> 00:52:29.840
as well as finishing
the land sign.

00:52:29.840 --> 00:52:31.850
The current completion date for

00:52:31.850 --> 00:52:34.370
the project will be
approximately spring 2027.

00:52:34.370 --> 00:52:39.770
Time traffic, sorry,

00:52:39.770 --> 00:52:46.460
they're getting a bridge.

00:52:46.460 --> 00:52:47.660
All the bridges, so
those of you who

00:52:47.660 --> 00:52:48.980
have driven I-64 Camas,

00:52:48.980 --> 00:52:51.470
the bridges you have driven
on will be replaced at

00:52:51.470 --> 00:52:53.150
their bridges will be

00:52:53.150 --> 00:52:56.165
demolished, replaced
with structures.

00:52:56.165 --> 00:53:03.000
The tunnel stays the
existing tel change bridges.

00:53:06.820 --> 00:53:10.565
What made you decide
to get your PhD?

00:53:10.565 --> 00:53:13.490
I can imagine that must
be a tough decision.

00:53:13.490 --> 00:53:15.560
A lot of thought went into it.

00:53:15.560 --> 00:53:18.590
I'll give you a few of
the ingredients that one

00:53:18.590 --> 00:53:23.160
was I had already gotten my
master's degree early one.

00:53:23.470 --> 00:53:27.725
That was the next question:
should I go further?

00:53:27.725 --> 00:53:30.770
The way that came
about, remember

00:53:30.770 --> 00:53:32.900
that bridge at Charleston
I showed earlier.

00:53:32.900 --> 00:53:36.680
That was a pivotal project,

00:53:36.680 --> 00:53:41.000
accurately 20 years in to get.

00:53:41.000 --> 00:53:47.720
[inaudible] Let me my
attention because I like

00:53:47.720 --> 00:53:51.035
big infrastructure to happen
and to realize that money

00:53:51.035 --> 00:53:53.450
is a holdup to necessary
infrastructure

00:53:53.450 --> 00:53:54.905
coming into existence,

00:53:54.905 --> 00:53:56.270
not so much the technical things

00:53:56.270 --> 00:53:57.665
that I had studied at school,

00:53:57.665 --> 00:54:00.305
made me want to learn
more about business.

00:54:00.305 --> 00:54:02.690
But then the other thing in
parallel was that I had done

00:54:02.690 --> 00:54:07.160
some adjunct teaching at a
college around that time.

00:54:07.160 --> 00:54:10.280
I got feedback that you
should consider teaching.

00:54:10.280 --> 00:54:11.450
You have some skills
here. I said, well,

00:54:11.450 --> 00:54:14.135
maybe if I want to learn
more about the subject area,

00:54:14.135 --> 00:54:15.395
and then have the
ability to teach

00:54:15.395 --> 00:54:17.420
professionally in the future,
I can combine these two,

00:54:17.420 --> 00:54:19.430
and a PhD will be the
right way to do it.

00:54:19.430 --> 00:54:32.200
Yes.

00:54:32.200 --> 00:54:32.835
>> [inaudible].

00:54:32.835 --> 00:54:34.740
>> With the project
or with the career

00:54:34.740 --> 00:54:43.995
[LAUGHTER] I wish I had
realized these things sooner.

00:54:43.995 --> 00:54:46.140
I fretted and worried
and chafed far too

00:54:46.140 --> 00:54:49.500
much and for us to
realize that there

00:54:49.500 --> 00:54:51.255
is these ingredients that we can

00:54:51.255 --> 00:54:53.700
explore and lean on and have

00:54:53.700 --> 00:54:56.670
a bit more peace
and certainty and

00:54:56.670 --> 00:54:57.870
not have to worry so

00:54:57.870 --> 00:55:00.045
frequently because most of
us worry about our careers.

00:55:00.045 --> 00:55:02.130
What will I do next?
What will I do now?

00:55:02.130 --> 00:55:04.230
Just realizing there's tools in

00:55:04.230 --> 00:55:06.300
the tool to consult wise people

00:55:06.300 --> 00:55:08.250
around us to consult
people and have

00:55:08.250 --> 00:55:10.395
a little bit more
experience and recognize.

00:55:10.395 --> 00:55:11.820
This happens to
everyone, I don't

00:55:11.820 --> 00:55:13.440
need to fret and chafe about it.

00:55:13.440 --> 00:55:14.700
If I could rewind,

00:55:14.700 --> 00:55:17.080
I wouldn't have
worried quite as much.

00:55:17.240 --> 00:55:21.780
>> Your new roles. What
do things you need to do?

00:55:21.780 --> 00:55:25.260
What's your greatest
challenge looking forward to.

00:55:25.260 --> 00:55:28.335
>> A little bit of
context is in my new role

00:55:28.335 --> 00:55:29.700
working on major projects

00:55:29.700 --> 00:55:31.590
for Maryland Transit
Administration.

00:55:31.590 --> 00:55:33.450
I've now moved into light rail.

00:55:33.450 --> 00:55:35.865
This is a new technical
specialty for me.

00:55:35.865 --> 00:55:38.250
Previously, I've worked
with highways and tunnels.

00:55:38.250 --> 00:55:41.520
The nomenclature and technical
challenges of light rail.

00:55:41.520 --> 00:55:43.170
Yes, I'm coming up to speed on,

00:55:43.170 --> 00:55:45.375
but those aren't the
primary challenges

00:55:45.375 --> 00:55:53.850
project planning challenges.

00:55:53.850 --> 00:55:54.040
In

00:55:54.040 --> 00:55:55.140
so

00:56:06.050 --> 00:56:07.650
many layers

00:56:07.650 --> 00:56:13.860
of things science.

00:56:13.860 --> 00:56:16.360
How do we take accidents?

00:56:20.300 --> 00:56:26.460
How do we help the State the
official financial support

00:56:26.460 --> 00:56:29.230
bring those cases together.

00:56:43.610 --> 00:56:46.050
This is a great example
of connecting in

00:56:46.050 --> 00:56:47.700
frost feel for decades,

00:56:47.700 --> 00:56:49.035
engineers who focus on.

00:56:49.035 --> 00:56:51.540
How do I build it or how
do I build it a cheaply?

00:56:51.540 --> 00:56:54.820
Recognizing that suability I

00:56:55.010 --> 00:56:58.230
give you an illustration
for Bridget.

00:56:58.230 --> 00:57:01.030
Existing trestle bridge,

00:57:01.310 --> 00:57:05.085
very low and close
to the surface.

00:57:05.085 --> 00:57:11.175
The bridge be higher
average higher than it.

00:57:11.175 --> 00:57:20.350
Also be a couple of
higher up in salt?

00:57:31.310 --> 00:57:34.200
Designed these for 100 years

00:57:34.200 --> 00:57:35.100
two

00:57:35.100 --> 00:57:45.090
steps ridge.

00:57:45.090 --> 00:57:50.410
Sometimes the existing
bridge so much.

00:57:59.720 --> 00:58:02.920
>> The driver for

00:58:07.550 --> 00:58:12.030
how much voice did
we have assistant?

00:58:12.030 --> 00:58:17.670
[inaudible].

00:58:17.670 --> 00:58:23.325
>> Very good point,
stainless re additional rev.

00:58:23.325 --> 00:58:27.390
This came about with it
started with the agency.

00:58:27.390 --> 00:58:29.505
Virginia department
of transportation,

00:58:29.505 --> 00:58:32.565
but with influences from
the engineers in house,

00:58:32.565 --> 00:58:35.565
as well as consult engineers
who advised the agency.

00:58:35.565 --> 00:58:37.470
There is a voice
for engineers to

00:58:37.470 --> 00:58:39.480
be able to give
technical advice.

00:58:39.480 --> 00:58:41.040
Here's the state of the art.

00:58:41.040 --> 00:58:43.335
Here are the best practices
coming down the page.

00:58:43.335 --> 00:58:46.860
Then owners have
expertise available,

00:58:46.860 --> 00:58:48.570
say when next
project comes along.

00:58:48.570 --> 00:58:50.040
Here's ways now that
we can implement

00:58:50.040 --> 00:58:51.090
these best practices

00:58:51.090 --> 00:58:53.550
that the technical experts
have brought to our view.

00:58:53.550 --> 00:59:10.950
>> [inaudible]

00:59:10.950 --> 00:59:12.180
>> One way that we did this was

00:59:12.180 --> 00:59:15.120
very important scale
requirement to co

00:59:15.120 --> 00:59:16.830
locate the teams on

00:59:16.830 --> 00:59:19.650
smaller or less complex
construction projects.

00:59:19.650 --> 00:59:21.465
The contractor will
have a field office,

00:59:21.465 --> 00:59:24.495
the designer will be maybe
the designers office.

00:59:24.495 --> 00:59:26.865
The owner will be sitting
in the headquarters,

00:59:26.865 --> 00:59:28.620
but on this project, we
said there's going to be

00:59:28.620 --> 00:59:31.170
so much need for
close communication.

00:59:31.170 --> 00:59:34.725
We made a requirement to have
the cont design builder.

00:59:34.725 --> 00:59:36.915
The owner's personnel and

00:59:36.915 --> 00:59:40.125
the contractor's designer
physically in the same space.

00:59:40.125 --> 00:59:42.510
That communication we just

00:59:42.510 --> 00:59:43.650
walk down the hall and chat with

00:59:43.650 --> 00:59:46.050
somebody versus risking
misunderstanding

00:59:46.050 --> 00:59:48.225
because we waited
until a meeting,

00:59:48.225 --> 00:59:50.100
or we sent something
by e mail that perhaps

00:59:50.100 --> 00:59:52.425
wasn't construed as intended.

00:59:52.425 --> 00:59:54.270
That's one practical
example of how

00:59:54.270 --> 00:59:57.160
the collaboration
is being realized.

00:59:57.850 --> 01:00:01.500
>> Coated staff during

01:00:01.500 --> 01:00:04.440
the big project is becoming
more popular and it requires

01:00:04.440 --> 01:00:07.560
some promise on everybody's
part get to go to

01:00:07.560 --> 01:00:08.790
the same office every day

01:00:08.790 --> 01:00:12.400
and work on some of these
challenging projects.

01:00:12.620 --> 01:00:15.240
>> That's a good point
because it's important for

01:00:15.240 --> 01:00:17.430
co located that project.

01:00:17.430 --> 01:00:19.335
Staff is in the
office five days.

01:00:19.335 --> 01:00:22.785
Some of their parent
company five days agree.

01:00:22.785 --> 01:00:24.810
That cultural detention almost

01:00:24.810 --> 01:00:27.100
for people who used to work

01:00:27.950 --> 01:00:36.940
construction prosecuted higher
value even flexibility.

01:00:38.330 --> 01:00:41.325
>> Thank you for coming
and giving the talk.

01:00:41.325 --> 01:00:43.290
I won't be jealous or anything,

01:00:43.290 --> 01:00:45.780
but we were excited
to find to find

01:00:45.780 --> 01:00:48.810
some rota bones in
our offshore cores?

01:00:48.810 --> 01:00:50.340
We did not find
any mess on teas,

01:00:50.340 --> 01:00:51.600
so a bit jealous there,

01:00:51.600 --> 01:00:55.320
but I guess the question I
had was you talked about

01:00:55.320 --> 01:00:57.150
learning these skills and it

01:00:57.150 --> 01:00:59.835
goes beyond college education.

01:00:59.835 --> 01:01:01.230
As a professor, I got to

01:01:01.230 --> 01:01:03.510
think we talked a
lot about getting

01:01:03.510 --> 01:01:07.890
these technical baselines
and technical knowledge,

01:01:07.890 --> 01:01:10.020
but I think a lot of
students still hear about

01:01:10.020 --> 01:01:13.200
stakeholders or public
engagemental senior design class.

01:01:13.200 --> 01:01:16.995
Is there some fundamental
building blocks that we should

01:01:16.995 --> 01:01:21.195
be looking at as we look
at education as a whole,

01:01:21.195 --> 01:01:23.280
and not just save
that until you get to

01:01:23.280 --> 01:01:25.500
the vary in or you get
out into industry?

01:01:25.500 --> 01:01:28.020
>> That's part of what
lectures like this are for.

01:01:28.020 --> 01:01:31.500
You're doing exactly the
right thing to concentrate on

01:01:31.500 --> 01:01:32.775
that because you
have limited space

01:01:32.775 --> 01:01:34.980
curriculum fit those things in.

01:01:34.980 --> 01:01:38.670
Looking for the opportunities
around the edges, capstone,

01:01:38.670 --> 01:01:42.045
but also visiting
speakers, trips,

01:01:42.045 --> 01:01:44.680
opportunities for students to

01:01:44.720 --> 01:01:47.175
open up some of these horizons.

01:01:47.175 --> 01:01:52.740
Parallel to
[inaudible] the extent

01:01:52.740 --> 01:01:54.750
you plant those seeds or
bring up those examples.

01:01:54.750 --> 01:01:59.910
To the extent that
could be enriched

01:01:59.910 --> 01:02:09.240
[inaudible] voices
stat judicial.

01:02:09.240 --> 01:02:17.760
>> I got time here,

01:02:17.760 --> 01:02:20.580
but I do have a couple
of things for you.

01:02:20.580 --> 01:02:23.190
I first want to make sure that

01:02:23.190 --> 01:02:25.710
as you're riding around the
Maryland Transit and near

01:02:25.710 --> 01:02:37.800
University of
Maryland clear much.

01:02:37.800 --> 01:02:40.440
[inaudible] Is appreciation for

01:02:40.440 --> 01:02:44.205
presenting this and being
a part of the Al family.

01:02:44.205 --> 01:02:47.170
Thank you very much,
reminder of the.