More construction is expected in the area next year with plans to upgrade the next section of Pleasant View Road from Prairie Hill to Cross County Roads .
The projects on Madison ’ s west side , much like the upgrades to East Washington Avenue from 2004 to 2009 , are a joint venture between the City of Madison and WisDOT .
Ballweg said she enjoys working on these urban construction projects .
“ The adjustment of utilities , underground construction , and reconstruction of the roadway in a tight space provide dimensions to engineering ,” she said . “ It ’ s always interesting to drive down a completed roadway and remember the challenges found during construction . The City of Madison and WisDOT have been very good to work with over the years .”
Petykowski said he values the work of construction engineers for their ability to manage and keep track of the schedule and deal with all of the issues that come up day by day .
“ I think Kim and her team have always done a great job of keeping me involved ,” he said . “ She ’ s been wonderful to work with and a great asset to the project . They definitely do a good job at representing both the City and WisDOT ’ s interests .”
Transportation planning plays key role in construction projects
Construction zones often require a detailed plan of the temporary traffic control measures and devices , laying out how that particular project will keep traffic flowing through it while keeping workers and pedestrians safe .
In Florida , this plan is called a maintenance of traffic ( MOT ) plan . The Florida Department of Transportation offers a certification for those who design MOT plans , and Ayres Associates has six employees with advanced MOT certification and another with intermediate certification .
One part of the training involves instructing those being certified in proper and effective documentation in the event of a dispute or possible litigation .
“ That ’ s where engineering firms can get into trouble ,” said David Hayward , a transportation engineer in Ayres ’ Tampa office who is certified in advanced MOT . He said the best traffic plan can be ruined by one person driving recklessly through a work site , not paying attention to warning signs . “ And sometimes contractors do field adjustments and change the MOT plan . Those can cause problems too ,” he said .
Those designing MOT plans have to consider a variety of factors – lane changes , traffic speed , pedestrian movement , access to businesses and residences – often spread out over multiple phases of a construction project .
Hayward said MOT gives engineers a lot to think about , but a good plan begins with solid roadway design . It ’ s all part of keeping movements of motorists , workers , and pedestrians safe during the construction season . In Wisconsin , traffic engineers in Ayres ’ Waukesha office incorporate a similar traffic control plan into a much broader document called a transportation management plan ( TMP ). A TMP is a document that presents a set of coordinated transportation management strategies and describes how they will be used to manage work zone impacts of a road project . Transportation management strategies for a work zone include MOT plans or temporary traffic control measures and devices , public information and outreach , and operational strategies such as transportation operations and incident management strategies .
“ The TMP will take that ( traffic control ) component and expand its scope of influence ,” said John Davis , who manages Ayres ’ traffic engineering group . Davis said TMPs can range from simple ( Type 1 ) to complex ( Type 4 ) and can incorporate advanced traffic engineering tools such as computer modeling of traffic patterns affected by the construction .
“ Is traffic going to be diverted by this construction project ? What impact will it have to adjacent routes ? Who will be affected ?” Davis said . “ These are some of the things we look at in a TMP .”
Through their plans , Hayward , Davis , and others at Ayres are able to anticipate traffic movements throughout the construction process to protect the public .
– Tom Paquin
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