4 th Annual Engineers Day Conference
November 30 th – December 2 nd , 2021 Presented by ASCE-NH & Shea Concrete Products
During the week after Thanksgiving , the 4 th Annual Engineers Day Conference took place virtually over a three-day period . Each day was comprised of breakfast and lunch presentations that provided a total of six ( 6 ) professional development hours for licensed professionals . Over 40 attendees at each presentation were treated to a diverse program that was led by excellent speakers , all handpicked by the ASCE-NH Board of Directors . Most importantly , the Conference was able to continue to give back to the next generation of engineers by raising just over $ 12,000 for the ASCE-NH Scholarship Fund !
Day one of the Conference began with a presentation from the commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation ( NHDOT ), Victoria Sheehan . Ms . Sheehan provided some excellent information on the state of the State and updated the attendants on the Ten Year Plan ( TYP ) process and how the current plan is progressing . There was discussion on the impacts of the COVID pandemic on toll revenues , bus ridership , as well as other significant financial implications facing the state . The presentation ended with a detailed discussion of the recently approved federal infrastructure funding and how those dollars would be used to advance the TYP and provide increased improvements to the state on an expedited timeframe . The day one lunchtime presentation was led by Nickie Hunter from the NHDOT , Tim McLaughlin from SPS New England and Adam Stockin from WSP and was a presentation on the recent replacement of the Bunker Creek Bridge in Durham NH along US Rt . 4 . The existing bridge had a concrete cast-in-place deck sitting on concrete and stone abutments with spread footings on timber piles . The project was unique in that the road needed to be widened and the profile raised all while adding no additional load on the existing soils due to the high levels of marine clay in the area . This was accomplished by using innovative products and techniques such as foamed glass aggregate ( density of 12-15 pounds per cubic foot , it floats !) as well as micropiles and ultra-high strength concrete . Combining these unique materials with pre-cast elements allowed for a full bridge replacement within an exceptionally short 4-day period . There was also a lot of very healthy and helpful discussions on the benefits of using a design-build concept for this type of project as well as the possible risks that type of management can exhibit .
Day two of the Conference was kicked off by Claude Goguen of the National Precast Concrete Association . Mr . Goguen gave an update on the new technologies emerging in the precast world as well as a great history of concrete in general which has been used by humans for over 3,000 years ! The most recent advances of note in the precast world focus on increases to concrete durability while reducing the carbon footprint of projects and the overall concrete production process . The discussion ranged from manufacturing improvements in areas of quality control , material consistency , and process control as well as improvements to environmental durability from ad-mixtures to rebar variants and innovative chemical components . Interesting topics such as nanotechnology and carbon capture were explored all while noting how the industry strives to continue offering versatility , value , and strong and durable products to meet the demands of engineers and designers . The second presentation on day two was given by Tammy Jordan , Founder & Chief Empowerment Officer of Leader Consulting Group ; LCG strives to empower organizations with effective programs that increase employee performance , inspire leaders , develop people , and change organizations . Ms . Jordan gave an enthusiastic and engaging presentation that focused on means and methods to curb meeting fatugue , which is one of the greatest challenges facing teams . Attendees learned about the most common culprits of ineffective meetings , whie looking at ways to improve all types ( virtual , huddles , one-on-one , etc .). Thought provoking meeting improvement tools were discussed including – trust , audits , goal setting , time limits , diversity & inclusion , and keeping it fun . Discussion at the end of the presentation regarding inter-office , shared schedules and blocking out some extra time between meetings provided a tip from Tammy that really resonated when she said , “ Guard your time as if your life depended on it .”
The last day of the Conference opened with a presentation that was completed by Jaime French , P . E ., Senior Project Manager at Fuss & O ’ Neill , Inc ., which was about the on-going preservation of the Queen City Bridge in Manchester , NH . The existing bridge , which was originally constructed in 1923 , is a 14-span structure over I-293 , the Merrimack River , and the Boston and Maine Railroad . Previous repairs included a deck replacement in 1974 and approach span