Episodes
In this episode of AASHTO's ETAP Podcast, Tony Bush, Stormwater Branch Manager in the Environmental Services Office at the Washington State Department of Transportation speaks on its stormwater management innovations and key takeaways. 
Published 07/06/23
ITE younger member Anamaria Torres joins the podcast to talk about the wealth of opportunities within ITE for both student and younger members ITE provides for this population. A senior transportation engineer at Stantec, Anamaria talks about the value of not just building her transportation knowledge within the organziation, but also her networking and leadership skills. As Co-Chair of ITE’s premier leadership program LeadershipITE, Anamaria conveys how ITE helps younger members find their...
Published 07/04/23
The guests on this month's episode of AASHTO's ETAP Podcast are Ohio DOT's Erica Schneider, Assistant Environmental Administrator and Tom Barrett, ODOT's Historic Bridge Program Manager and State Byways Coordinator.  They speak on Ohio’s Historic Bridge Inventory, Evaluation, and Preservation Plan and how other DOTs may implement these findings in their state.
Published 06/07/23
Richard Montanez, Deputy Commissioner of Transportation for the City of Philadelphia, joins the podcast to talk about the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program (SS4A) and how the city plans to use the $30 million grant award it recently received from the US Department of Transportation funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. He describes the unique safety challenges faced by the city, and discusses the planned multimodal safety improvements for several of the city's streets and traffic...
Published 05/23/23
FHWA recently launched its Wildlife Crossings Program, approving $350 million for wildlife crossing projects to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity. The Oregon Department of Transportation has set a successful wildlife corridor program, reducing 86% of wildlife-vehicle collisions. In this episode, Cidney Bowman, Wildlife Passage Program Coordinator with Oregon DOT, speaks on the state's work.
Published 05/03/23
Peter Koonce, engineering manager with the Portland Bureau of Transportation in Oregon, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about the opportunities and challenges facing traffic engineers in the profession today. He gives an overview of some of the efforts taking place on the ground in Portland to improve outcomes for all users including equity, safety and Vision Zero initiatives, and more. Peter also shares with listeners a bit of what they can expect when visiting Portland...
Published 04/27/23
Leaders of the transportation sector sit with us as they consider today's transportation climate and how DOTs can best equip tomorrow's leaders in tackling future challenges. Joining us today are Sara Stickler, Thomas Davidenko, and Alicia Walker. Sara is the President and CEO of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) International, Thomas is the Director of Programs at the Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT), and Alicia is the Director of Programs and Strategic Engagement at the...
Published 04/05/23
Stephen Buckley, P.E., AICP, Vice President Planning and Advisory Services at Kimley-Horn, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discus the collaboration between transportation planning professionals and engineers. Having began his career as an engineer, and now working as a planner, Steve shares some of the key milestones along the path of his career, discusses real-life examples of successful collaboration between the two groups of professionals, and offers up guidance for how...
Published 03/28/23
In 2012, voters in three Georgia regions approved a one percent sales tax to fund local transportation projects. In 2023 the Georgia Transportation Investment Act is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Joining us in this podcast is Kenneth Franks, State Transportation Investment Act Administrator, speaking on TIA’s success, future projects, and the regional and local impact.  
Published 03/01/23
Greg Johnson, administrator for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discuss the ins and outs of this $6 billion project spanning the Columbia River and connecting the states of Washington and Oregon. The project is replacing a 106 year-old bridge on I-5, the only west coast interstate in the United States that goes between Canada and Mexico. Johnson talks about the complexities of managing a large infrastructure project, what it’s like...
Published 02/28/23
The NJTPA is the metropolitan planning organization responsible for the distribution of federal transportation funds for 13 counties in northern New Jersey, including Cranford. They also assist counties and municipalities in improving transportation infrastructure. David Behrend serves as the executive director of the agency and Ted Ritter is the manager of external affairs. They join the Cranford Radio podcast to talk about the work of the agency and to provide examples of how their work...
Published 02/24/23
The US has experienced severe weather changes including floods, droughts, and hurricanes, damaging infrastructure and habitats. Recently, the country experienced a wave of winter storms one of which took place in the State of New York. Listen to this episode to hear from Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez to learn about how the New York State Department of Transportation works to build a resilient transportation system.
Published 02/01/23
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discuss the latest trends in roadway safety and how local, state and federal officials can lead with innovative solutions and approaches to reducing the national fatality rate. She also talks about how the Safe System Approach can help get the United States to zero, and shares her passion and personal connection to roadway safety.
Published 01/25/23
In this episode of AASHTO's Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast, Lee Smith, Interim Traffic Operations Division Director at Tennessee DOT and Dr. Dan Work, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University, join the podcast to discuss the I-24 MOTION test bed. 
Published 01/05/23
In this episode of AASHTO's Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast, Roger Millar, AASHTO’s newest president and Washington State DOT Secretary of Transportation, joins the podcast to discuss AASHTO’s presidential emphasis areas. 
Published 12/08/22
Eric Rensel, Vice President at Gannett Fleming and Chair of the ITE Council Leadership Team, discusses the skills that engineers and transportation planning professionals bring to the table and how the two can work together successfully on transportation projects. He also shares more on the initiative to bring more transportation planning professionals into ITE, and the wealth of resources the organization has to offer these professionals.
Published 11/29/22
This episode of the Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast interviews Laura Rogers, deputy director of The Ray, to examine the future of roadways in America. EPISODE NOTES Founded in 2014, The Ray is a Georgia-based corporate venture devoted to roadway technology testing and collaborates with a number of state departments of transportation across the country. For example, in 2019, it formed a public-private-philanthropic partnership with the Georgia Department of...
Published 11/06/22
Nick Nigro, founder of Atlas Public Policy, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to share the latest trends and challenges in the electrification of transportation and give an update on where the industry currently stands. He addresses deployment readiness and workforce issues facing the market, and highlights the economic benefits that more widespread electrification will bring. Nick was the closing plenary speaker at the ITE Annual Meeting in New Orleans this summer.
Published 10/25/22
Bill Lambert, P.E., Administrator/Traffic Engineer with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about transportation safety and operations challenges in rural environments and how they’re being addressed in his state. He discusses the recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and how the funding could potentially be utilized by state DOTs with more tribal and rural areas, as well as how public agencies are grappling with the current...
Published 10/06/22
This episode of the Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast interviews Yassmin Gramian and Natasha Fackler, secretary and infrastructure implementation coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, respectively, about the state’s new anti-littering program. PennDOT helped launch the new program – formally entitled “PA Fights Dirty: Every Litter Bit Matters” – in August along with several other state agencies. The creation of this campaign is one of the many...
Published 10/05/22
In this episode of the Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast, Jessica Oh – strategic partnerships director in the sustainability and public health office within the Minnesota Department of Transportation – discusses the “next generation highway” her agency is studying. EPISODE NOTES The Ray and consulting firm NGI released the NextGen Highways Feasibility Study for Minnesota DOT in April; a study that examined strategies for “co-locating” electric and communications...
Published 09/29/22
Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development Secretary Dr. Shawn Wilson joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast for a dynamic conversation on the state of the industry and why he feels it's "the most exciting time" ever to work in transportation. He shares his perspectives on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and how the funding can help state DOTs address safety, especially for vulnerable users. He also addresses the myriad of challenges brought on by COVID-19 for DOTs, and...
Published 08/23/22
Dr. Shihab Kuran discusses the key role state departments of transportation play in helping establish a national electric vehicle or EV charging network. Kuran is the co-founder and CEO of Power Edison as well as co-founder and executive chairman of its sister company EV Edison – companies offering innovative renewable energy, EV charging, and mobile energy storage solutions for the grid. Kuran explains how a “vision” for a peaceful world with universal access to clean and sustainable...
Published 08/08/22
The United States is a country with no national language, and with over 150 Indigenous languages still spoken today. With 5.2 million Indigenous people residing in the US today, speaking these 150+ languages—why aren’t more of our road signs printed in these native languages? Teams from the Iowa and Minnesota Departments of Transportation, along with Indigenous partners set out to change that. Joining us today on the podcast to discuss this project are: Brennan Dolan, the Cultural Resources...
Published 07/07/22
Rob McInerney, CEO of the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about global roadway safety through the Safe System Approach, Vision Zero, and how those integrate into the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. He also highlights rural roadway safety, where a large portion of global fatalities are concentrated in run-off-the-road crashes, and discusses mobilizing positive change by designing roads for outcomes,...
Published 06/28/22