June 12, 2025

June Member Appreciation and Awards Event

The annual Maryland Section Awards at the B&O Railroad Museum, featuring live music, cocktails, and dinner!

Will Pines presented "What's New at the Maryland State Highway Administration".

Maryland SHA Administrator Will Pines discussed State Highway Administration’s new strategic plan Northbound 2.0, and how it is impacting SHA’s projects, processes, and people. SHA describes the strategic plan as follows: "Starting in early 2024, the Maryland State Highway Administration kicked off an employee-driven and grassroots focused strategic planning effort to reimagine how we can most effectively meet the needs of our internal and external customers. Northbound 2.0 represents the best of SHA and our team’s commitment to our employees, communities, and customers that depend on us to deliver safe, reliable, and accessible transportation facilities. This plan was developed to reflect the dynamic opportunities, goals, and objectives we will pursue every day to position our team to navigate the modern-day challenges we will face in all areas of the organization."

William Pines, P.E., serves as​ the Maryland State Highway Administrator. He is responsible for leading a team of nearly 3,000 transportation professionals at facilities across Maryland. These include the headquarters complex in Baltimore City, the Hanover complex in Anne Arundel County, seven districts, 26 offices and 28 maintenance shops. Working together, this team owns, operates and maintains roughly 18,000 lane miles of non-toll roads and more than 2,500 bridges across the state.

Will is focused on advancing safety statewide, leveraging every available federal dollar, promoting organizational efficiency and collaborating with partners across public, private and government sectors.

Will has served Maryland for nearly 20 years, from serving as an SHA intern during his college years to his current post as Administrator. In 2023, he returned to SHA after serving in various leadership roles at the Maryland Transportation Authority, including as Chief Engineer, Chief Operating Officer and, ultimately, as the agency’s Executive Director.

Will holds numerous professional credentials, including as a licensed professional engineer, a project management professional, a certified construction manager and a certified customer experience professional. He is a graduate of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) National Transportation Leadership Institute. He was selected by the Design Build Institute of America for its 2020 Distinguished Leadership Award and also received the 2023 President’s Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Maryland (ACEC/MD)​.​

​ ​Will obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park and a Master of S​cience degree in Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus.​

Tara Hoke presented "Case Studies in Engineering Ethics".

Tara Hoke is General Counsel at the American Society of Civil Engineers and a member of the Virginia Bar. She is a 2005 graduate of Georgetown Law and served as Assistant General Counsel for nine years prior to her promotion in January 2015. In addition to serving as ASCE's legal counsel, Tara oversees ASCE's professional conduct committee and writes a bimonthly column A Question of Ethics, which is published in Civil Engineering magazine.

This session reviewed the ASCE Code of Ethics as applied to real life cases drawn from ASCE’s case file or other engineering sources. The presentation explored common themes that lead to ethical failure and discussed how individuals can contribute to an ethical culture in their professional workplace.

David Sawitzki VP, East Water Federal Defense Practice Lead presented "Mosul Dam: Challenges in Foundation Stabilization & Dam Rehabilitation".

Mr. Sawitzki has been a consulting engineer for his entire career specializing in Civil-Geotechnical engineering.  He is a vice President and Principal Geotechnical Dam Safety Engineer at AECOM with over 30 years of engineering consulting experience.  In his current role as US East Federal Defense Business Line Leader, he leads Architectural-Engineering pursuits with the major DOD agencies including the major Civil Works programs which result.

With a BS degree in Geological Engineering from Princeton University in 1988 and a MaSC degree in civil/geotechnical engineering from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada in 1989, he has been professionally licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE) since 1993.  Mr. Sawitzki has performed the role of Program Manager or Deputy Program Manager on multiple USACE IDIQ style contracts with an aggregate value of engineering services exceeding $300M and understands both the client and the process of managing work under this type of contract – managing individual projects up to $100M. With a technical background in the conceptual design, layout, engineering analysis, permitting, detailed design, construction quality control testing, risk assessment, probable failure mode analysis and dam removal aspects of more than 50 dams and more than 20 major levee systems.  Major Civil Works programs also include the Norfolk CSRM program – Resilient Norfolk.  Mr. Sawitzki has supported FEMA’s National Dam Safety Program in the development of the EMI Course 0291, entitled “Community Dam Safety, Preparedness and Mitigation” as well as led the development and updating of the Training Aids for Dam Safety (TADS) manuals.

Married to a professional engineer with two children both graduating with undergraduate engineering degrees (computer engineering and electrical engineering). Imagine dinner conversations!

Completed in 1985, Mosul Dam was built in a less than desirable geologic setting – underlain by hundreds of meters of formations that include soluble materials such as gypsum, anhydrite and limestone. Due to its challenging foundation conditions, has been called “the most dangerous dam in the world” and requires regular and continual grouting to maintain a grout curtain cutoff beneath the dam. Military activities in 2014 resulted in the capture, and recovery of the dam from Isis militants which interrupted grouting and damaged equipment - further increasing the risk of potential failure.  The dam provides flood control on the Tigris River, as well as hydro power and water supply to a significant portion of Iraq. It is the biggest dam in Iraq with a capacity of 12 billion cubic meters (10 million acre-feet); however, its storage also represents a significant risk.  Studies have concluded that catastrophic failure of the dam would impact millions of people downstream including the cities of Mosul and Baghdad.

Mr. Sawitzki, M.A.Sc, PE, AECOM spoke to us about his team’s support to the USACE who were tasked with supporting the Iraqi Government (Ministry of Water Resources) in their efforts to stabilize the Mosul Dam foundation and rehabilitate the dam.  With a team of up to 40 AECOM staff at the project site for more than two years, this project has succeeded in the face of many unique challenges.  Primary goals included foundation grouting to stabilize the soluble underlying geology, repair of key outlet works, improvements in dam safety and general rehabilitation of Mosul Dam.  This presentation focused on the challenges and activities accomplished.

Dr. Thomas Gernay presented "Structural Fire Engineering: When Engineers Design Structures for Fire Resilience".

Thomas Gernay is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, where he founded and leads the Multi-Hazard Resilient Structures group. His areas of research are in structural fire engineering, computational mechanics, risk and resilience, and performance-based design. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed journal articles and is the co-author of SAFIR®, the finite element software to model the behavior of structures subjected to fire. His contributions have notably been recognized by an NSF CAREER award, the AISC Terry Peshia Early Career Faculty Award, the NFPA Foundation Medal, and the IAFSS Magnusson Early Career Award. He serves as an Associate Editor for both the ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering and for Springer’s Fire Technology, and is Co-Chair of the ASCE SEI Fire Protection Committee. He holds a Ph.D. in structural engineering from University of Liege and was a Fulbright postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University.

The response of structures to accidental fire events is a crucial component of the safety and resilience of the built environment. While structural engineers explicitly consider gravity, wind, and earthquake-induced forces in their design, they often rely on prescriptive rules for mitigating fire hazard. However, developing an understanding of the anticipated behavior of structures in fire provides benefits as it allows engineers to assess risk, safely innovate, and quantify performance of candidate designs to meet resilience and sustainability goals. Engineers must have access to the appropriate models and analyses tools to enable these assessments. This presentation will discuss available methods for characterizing fire exposures, material response, and structural behavior in the fire situation, and discuss their application as part of a performance-based structural fire design approach. The presentation will also highlight through practical examples how assessing explicitly the performance of structures in fire can deliver benefits in terms of cost, safety, architectural heritage, sustainability, and resilience.

Silas Nichols of the Federal Highway Administrations Office of Infrastructure presented "Foundation Repair and Reuse for Transportation Structures - A Geotechnical Perspective". 

Silas Nichols is the Principal Geotechnical Engineer for the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Infrastructure. Silas is responsible for providing leadership and direction for the FHWA National Geotechnical Team through policy support, technical developments, and coordination with industry and professional groups.  Silas’ experience is in both public and private sector engineering work.

Professional experience includes design and construction services for numerous routine, and complex or unusual projects throughout the United States; development and delivery of instructor led and web based training for continued education of transportation engineers; development and delivery of university courses; invited and keynote presentations; authoring technical articles and editorial columns; and various levels of participation on technical and steering committees.

Silas is internationally recognized for accomplishments related to design and construction, risk in project delivery, and quality assurance in foundation construction. He has led, and overseen a variety of research efforts and the development of several geotechnical engineering circulars (GECs) that have established or updated the state of the practice for highway geotechnics, provided expert forensic assistance in several high-profile projects throughout the United States, and provided technical training and expert assistance to numerous foreign agencies on a diverse selection of topics. Silas is a Certified Instructor and a Master Trainer for the National Highway Institute (NHI), and teaches classes part-time at the University of Delaware. Silas has a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Syracuse University, and a Master’s Degree in Geotechnical Engineering from Tuft’s University.

Over the last several years, the combination of complex bridge replacement projects (primarily in urban areas), and rapid repair of failed bridge foundations have presented new challenges to structure foundation designers. It has become relatively common for geotechnical engineers to need to find resilient and sustainable solutions for these difficult situations while meeting accelerated time schedules and tight budgets. The best-case scenario outlined here would be to evaluate foundations for reuse without any additional work. However, this is often not a feasible option. Especially in the case of a failed foundation where the load path is no longer reliable. This results in approaches that identify foundation types that that can be used in replacement applications in limited right-of-way and for replacement of failed foundations, and methods for considering structural enhancement or supplement to existing foundations that may be reused for continued structural support.

December Maryland Section Holiday Party

Come celebrate with ASCE Maryland to celebrate our newest life members and soak up all the holiday cheer! We will enjoy a buffet dinner at this event. No technical presentation will be given. Instead, we will celebrate a presentation of our life members. Music performance to be announced! Delicious desserts are being graciously donated by DFI Engineering.

Additionally, two tours of the Engineers Club - also known as the historic Garrett-Jacobs Mansion - will be given. The first tour will begin at 6:00 PM, and the second tour will begin at 6:45 PM. Tours are free and no additional registration is required! 

Please consider bringing a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Toys For Tots at this event as well.

Music performance by Boate & Aljuni beginning at 6PM.

Special thanks to DFI Engineering for providing cheesecake desserts! 

Dr. Bill Hunt from North Carolina State University presented "Roman Engineering". 

Dr. Hunt is a William Neal Reynolds Professor and Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University. His principal subject matter for research, teaching, and outreach is stormwater engineering, where his team has monitored and designed more than 300 SCMs across NC and beyond. He is author or co-author of more than 130 journal articles, 30 extension publications, and one book on Green Infrastructure Design (with Drs. Allen Davis of UMD and Rob Traver of Villanova). His second academic love is historic engineering, with a particular emphasis on Roman infrastructure. He has led multiple study tours to Southern Europe for professionals, in addition to teaching a study abroad class each May in either Italy or Spain. He is a registered PE in NC. Dr. Hunt is the proud, amused and often worn-out, father of 5.

Much of America's engineering has its foundation in that of the Roman Empire. Romans are widely regarded as antiquity's greatest engineers and their works are still visible in such buildings as the Pantheon in Rome, the Pont du Gard aqueduct in France, the famous Colosseum, and the world's oldest road (the Appian Way). Please join admitted Romano-phile, Dr. Bill Hunt, as we virtually explore the engineering wonders of the Roman Republic and Empire. This talk is both a history lesson and a celebration of Civil Engineering marvels that have withstood the test of time. There are 2,000-year-old lessons awaiting us modern engineers.

Dr. Brock Barry from United States Military Academy, West Point presented "Speak Up! I'm Having Difficulty Hearing Your Nonverbal Communication". 

A significant amount of all face-to-face communication occurs nonverbally.  Much of the nonverbal communication we project outwardly, as well as the nonverbal communication we interpret as projected by others, is done-so without conscious effort.  What if we missed out on a large portion of the nonverbal communication that is on-going around us?  Is it possible that we could become more effective and more efficient in our work-place communication by being more in-tune with nonverbal communication?  How does nonverbal projection change in a virtual environment?

Dr. Brock E. Barry holds the title of Professor of Engineering Education in the Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point where he has been part of the faculty for the past 15 years 

Dr. Barry has a Bachelor of Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, a Master of Science degree from University of Colorado at Boulder, and a PhD from Purdue University. Prior to pursuing a career in academics, Dr. Barry spent 10 years as a senior geotechnical engineer and project manager on projects throughout the United States. He is a licensed professional engineer.  

Dr. Barry's areas of research include assessment of professional ethics, teaching and learning in engineering education, nonverbal communication in the classroom, and learning through historical engineering accomplishments.  He has authored and co-authored a significant number of publications on these topics.  

Dr. Barry has served on multiple national committees for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) including service as the Editor for ASCE’s Body of Knowledge 4th Edition Task Committee and as the Chair of ASCE’s Task Committee on the Code of Ethics.  He also served a seven-year term in the leadership ranks of the American Society for Engineering (ASEE) Civil Engineering Division and continues to serve that organization as the Division Historian.

Dr. Barry is a Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers.  Dr. Barry was recognized with ASCE’s 2020 Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award and received ASCE’s William H. Wisely Award in 2021.  He is the recipient of the 2020 American Society for Engineering Education National Outstanding Teaching Award and the 2021 United States Military Academy Dean’s Career Excellence Award in Teaching.  Within the United States Army, Dr. Barry has been recognized with Armed Forces Civilian Service Medal, the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal (twice), and the Superior Civilian Service Medal.  Dr. Barry is an Eagle Scout with Triple Palms.

Dr. Barry and his wife, Allison, celebrated their 23th wedding anniversary last summer.  They have two sons, Colton who is a sophomore in mechanical engineering at Clemson University and Elijah who is a junior in high school. 

Dr. Peter J. Carrato from Bechtel Global presented "Design of the Second Mobile Launcher for Kennedy Space Center". 

Pete Carrato is a Fellow Emeritus of Bechtel Global. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from Bucknell University, and a Doctorate from Duke University where he majored in Civil Engineering and minored in Mathematics. Dr. Carrato is a registered Professional Engineer in the commonwealth of Virginia and a Chartered Engineering in the United Kingdom. Pete has almost 50 years of experience in the design and construction of heavy industrial steel structures around the world. He has been engaged in the design of the new mobile launch platform at Kennedy Space Center for the last five years. In addition to launch platforms, Dr. Carrato has been engaged for more than a decade in developing and judging NASA competition intended to provide innovative solutions needed to close key technology gaps. In this role he was the head judge for the 3D Printed Mars Habitat competition and is currently head judge for the lunar ice mining contest known as Break The Ice Lunar Challenge. Pete was awarded the NASA Silver Achievement Medal in 2020.

The Mobile Launcher 2 (ML2) is a new rocket support structure developed in conjunction with NASA’s Artemis Program. The 380-foot tall ML2 tower will be used to assemble, transport, and launch the largest Block 1B and Block 2 configurations of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. It is significantly larger and supports a vehicle nearly 1 million pounds heavier than its predecessor Mobile Launcher 1 (ML1). Both ML1 and ML2 employ the same Crawler Transporter (CT) and are weight constrained by its lifting capacity.

As a portable structure, ML2 must interface with existing NASA infrastructure at the Kennedy Space Center, including three different facilities and the CT which moves it between these facilities. The Block 2 configuration of SLS is one of the largest rockets currently in the world, weighing up to 6 million pounds fully fueled. It will blast ML2 with 9.5 million pounds of thrust from its two solid rocket boosters and four RS-25 engines. Critical components of the structure will be exposed to plume and vibro-acoustic loading, reaching pressures of 150psi and temperatures of 2,200 °F. Concurrently, half a million pounds of water is passing through the structures sound suppression system and 400,000 gallons of water is released onto the structure in 40 seconds. The extreme environment of the launch event controls much of the structural design. Even in the absence of a launch, the coastal Florida landscape provides significant design and material challenges from hurricanes and one of the world’s most corrosive environments. In all 6114 load combinations are evaluated in the ML2 Global Analysis.

The most impactful design considerations required producing a lightweight structure that complied with stringent stiffness requirements governing the dynamic interaction between the spacecraft and the tower. Advanced analysis leveraging virtual work techniques were utilized to identify and optimize critical members in the tower. High strength API steel pipe is used for tower columns and vertical bracing similar to off-shore rigging platforms. Complex piping connections are manufactured as steel castings to simplify design, reduce weight, and improve joint stiffness. The tower’s construction sequence is built into the analysis model to capture residual stresses from self-weight and accurately trace dead load distribution through the different support conditions.

The ML2 structural design is backed by a robust analysis validating the structure’s ability to support the great number of loads and conditions necessary to meet the goals of the Artemis Program. ML2 is the launch point to return humans to the lunar service, establish a lunar outpost, and lunar gateway to test and qualify technologies needed to travel to Mars.

Northwest Maglev presented  "Superconducting Maglev (SCMAGLEV)". 

Northeast Maglev is a private, 100% U.S.-owned company working to promote the world’s fastest ground transportation system – the Superconducting Maglev (SCMAGLEV) – in the Northeast Corridor of the United States. The SCMAGLEV train is a safe and transformative transportation solution that will revolutionize how people live and work in the most congested region of the U.S. The first leg will provide 15-minute service between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Ultimately one-hour service will be provided from Washington, D.C. to New York City. The project will bring 161,000 job-years to the local economy, will reduce regional greenhouse gases, and has a leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitment to bring opportunities for work, wages, and wealth to the affected communities. Learn more at northeastmaglev.com.

Thomas Viaduct Celebration

Installation of the official ASCE plaque commemorating the Thomas Viaduct as a National Historic Civil Engineering landmark.

2024 Richard J. Carroll Memorial Lectureship, "Decarbonation in Buildings and Infrastructure: Accelerating the Energy Transition Ahead of Us", presented by Craig Schwitter.

The destabilizing effects of climate change continue to mount and pressure cities, states, and nations to come to grips with how to transition large-scale economies for a low-carbon future. Buildings and infrastructure occupy a significant portion of the carbon economy through their day-to-day operation, as well as the embodied carbon inherent in new construction. While great strides are being made in decarbonization, the challenge gets larger the more we delay, forcing us to accelerate energy transition. What strategies are working in the built environment? What does a decarbonized building and city infrastructure look like? What are the opportunities ahead to tackle these challenges? Drawing from a portfolio of global building and infrastructure projects, Craig will look at key innovations that are happening today and where these might lead us as we continue to search for the solutions to this generational problem.

Craig Schwitter is the Senior Partner, Chair of the Global Board, and founder of the first North American Buro Happold office in New York City more than 20 years ago. Focused on creating innovative structures for the built environment, he has led the successful delivery of many iconic projects that have transformed cities throughout the world, including New York City’s High Line.

Craig will address the destabilizing effects of climate change, which continue to mount and pressure cities, states and nations to come to grips with how to transition large scale economies for a low carbon future. Buildings and infrastructure occupy a significant portion of the carbon economy through their day-to-day operation, as well as the embodied carbon inherent in new construction. While great strides are being made in decarbonization, the challenge gets larger the more we delay, forcing us to accelerate in many cases the energy transition. What strategies are working in the built environment? What does a decarbonized building and city infrastructure look like? What are the opportunities ahead to tackle these challenges? Drawing from a portfolio of global building and infrastructure projects, Craig will look at key innovations that are happening today and where these might lead us as we continue to search for the solutions to this generational problem.

Craig was educated at Johns Hopkins University, receiving his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in 1989, and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned a master’s degree. Recognized as a pioneering thought leader, Craig currently serves on the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Board and frequently speaks at national industry conferences and events. He also lectures at colleges and universities throughout the country and has held previous teaching roles at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Cornell University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Rosanna La Plante from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission presented, "Achieving More through Diverse Teams".

No matter your background or experience, anyone can be a leader and help motivate others.  As the workforce becomes more diverse, it creates opportunities and brings challenges.  This presentation outlines some of the differences that result from a diverse team and how to navigate those variances. 

Rosanna is an active member of ASCE, and serves on multiple committees at a national level for ASCE and EWRI including serving as the vice-chair for the Committee of Developing Leaders.  She also previously served as President for ASCE-Maryland and the Engineering Society of Baltimore and Chair for the Chesapeake Bay Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) chapter.  During her day job, she serves as the Acting Chief Engineer for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission in Laurel, MD managing a team of almost 500 employees and an over $800 Million capital budget. 

Dr. Timothy Stark from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign presented "Underwater Port Facility Failure". 

Timothy D. Stark is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an expertise in Geotechnical Engineering. Dr. Stark has been conducting interdisciplinary research and teaching on the static and seismic stability of natural and manmade slopes, such as dams, levees, floodwalls, and waste containment facilities, railroad geotechnics, geosynthetics and geomembranes, soil liquefaction during earthquakes, and stabilization and behavior of dredged material containment areas. He is currently researching three-dimensional slope stability, inverse analyses of landslides, heating events in waste containment facilities, and jet grouting. Dr. Stark has received a number of awards for his research, teaching, and service activities and was selected as the 2022-2023 Cross-USA Lecturer by the Geo-Institute (G-I) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Cross-USA Lecturers are selected based on a range of criteria, including prestige in the geoprofessional community, professional achievements, and lecture abilities.  

This presentation will discuss the investigation and analysis for an underwater retrogressive slope stability failure caused by concurrent construction of a wharf access causeway and dredging near the end of the causeway for the wharf structure. A cross-section was developed along the causeway and analyzed to simulate the retrogressive slope failure using limit equilibrium. The compound failure surface for the inverse stability analysis of each of the five retrogressive slide masses is in agreement with observations before, during, and after the failure. Soil stratigraphy is discussed and the mobilized undrained strength of the seabed clay underlying the causeway fill was estimated using an inverse analysis of the five slide masses.

Greg Adolph of McCormick Taylor presented "Advancing Dam Safety". 

Stormwater management dams, particularly those erected in the 20th century, face a pressing challenge in adapting to contemporary hydrological demands. With increasing land development and escalating precipitation intensity linked to climate change, many dams fall short of meeting current design storm routing criteria. The Gerwig Lane Dam, situated in Howard County Maryland, serves as a poignant case study. Its rehabilitation in 2023 addresses the imperative for upgrades, given its reclassification as high hazard for the potential inundation of a major highway (MD 32). Meeting stringent Dam Safety criteria while seamlessly integrating into the surrounding community necessitates innovative solutions.

Gerwig Lane dam's high hazard classification demands capacity to route the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF), a complex undertaking given the constraints of available land and surrounding development. A geosynthetic revetment system emerged as the most effective solution. This approach allows the dam to safely overtop while efficiently conveying the PMF storm replacing the need for concrete or riprap erosion protection. The geosynthetic revetment system was successfully installed in Spring 2023 and is the first application of its kind in the State of Maryland.

 B. Gregory Adolph, P.E. (Greg) is a water resources expert specializing in complex and intricate projects predominantly in the mid-Atlantic region. His knowledge in the rehabilitation of earthfill dams stems from nearly two decades of experience as a consulting engineer and specialist in the construction materials supply industries. He currently serves as a project manager for McCormick Taylor, Inc focused on remedial drainage design, embankment rehabilitation, and transportation improvement projects statewide.

Mr. Adolph is a licensed professional engineer in Maryland and three other states where he has grown a rapport for practical solutions to difficult problems. He has participated in the rehabilitation of more than five significant or high hazard dams in Maryland. In that capacity he provided expert opinion for application of a geosynthetic membrane to protect an earthen embankment against the potential for erosion during a probable maximum flooding event.

A native of Harford County, Maryland, Mr. Adolph graduated from Hampden Sydney College with a BS in physics.

Stephanie Walder and Russel Anderson of PG County DPW&T and Wallace Montgomery, respectively presented "Ager Road Green Complete Streets Project". 

The Ager Road Green-Complete Streets Project is a powerful example of a design to create a more connected, inclusive community, and fulfills its purpose and need to improve safety, accessibility, functionality, and the aesthetics of Ager Road and adjacent streets in Hyattsville, MD. With a total project length of 1.57 miles, the scope includes substantial roadway work, including a road diet to reduce speeding; upgraded traffic signals and intelligent transportation system (ITS) devices; removal of parallel service roads to provide green space and continuous six-foot wide ADA compliant sidewalks; bridge repair; drainage; LED street lighting; stormwater management (SWM); bus shelters; bicycle lanes; landscaping; and new linkages to the Anacostia Regional Trails Network. This truly is the County’s hallmark green-complete streets project that addresses the needs and enhances the daily lives of its underserved residents through multi-modality and enhanced environmental protections. It brings the County assets to a state of good repair and promotes economic development for its residents.

This project has been selected as one out of eleven Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Honor Award recipients! Of these honor award recipients, one will be selected as this year’s overall winner. Stay tuned and wish the team luck! They will find out the results at the OPAL Gala on October 20th.

Stephanie Walder, Project Manager, Prince George’s County, Office of Engineering and Project Management (OEPM), Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T), Highway and Bridge Design Division (HBDD).

Stephanie has over 30 years of public and private sector transportation planning and engineering experience in the mid-Atlantic region. Stephanie has been at Prince George’s County DPW&T for 7 years and delivering projects from concept to concrete for the Capital Improvement Program. Stephanie’s background is multi-modal and she brings creativity and collaboration to her work and projects. She lives in Anne Arundel County with her husband. Her two daughters are currently in college, one at Drexel in Philadelphia, her alma mater, and the other at Hofstra in Long Island where Stephanie was born.

Russell Anderson, PE, Senior Engineer, Wallace Montgomery

Russ has over 25 years of experience in civil and transportation engineering.  His first two years were as a Project Engineer for Bell Constructors, building a consolidated laboratory facility on the NIH campus in Bethesda MD.  He then worked for 11 years as a transportation design engineer, transportation planner, and team leader at the Maryland Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA).  During his time at MDOT SHA, he began teaching the undergraduate senior capstone design class at the University of Maryland, a position he held until Spring 2022.  He has worked as a Senior Engineer for Wallace Montgomery since 2012, delivering context-sensitive, multi-modal solutions for state, county, and municipal clients.