It is not unusual for Transportation professionals across the nation to work collaboratively to solve problems. This happens in many ways, including national organizations working together to conduct and share research, as well as discussing challenges and solutions. However, sometimes the collaboration occurs on a smaller scale.
District 12 recently had the opportunity and privilege to talk to our counterparts in the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). This opportunity allowed our industry leaders to travel back in time, share information, and collaborate across many miles.
Bryce Reeves, an employee of CDOT, is currently working on a new project along US 287 in Boulder County, Colorado. Their office became aware of a similar project along Route 22 in District 12 which prompted this outreach. This was a unique request not only because Route 22 improvements were completed in 2013, but also because they became aware of our project during a conversation with a work colleague who coincidentally lived near Route 22 twenty years ago! The work on the 25-mile-long Route 22 corridor was broken up into several sections with design and construction spanning a period of 30 years.
Although several of the key players on the Route 22 Corridor Project are no longer with us, our current District 12 staff was happy to assist. A virtual Teams meeting was set up between our offices to discuss traffic concerns and share details and technology used to improve safety and efficiency, as well as best practices for public involvement and project delivery. This meeting ended with an open-door invitation for future meetings and collaborations with their office.
Great partnerships are built on shared visions cemented with mutual respect and trust. District 12 would like to thank William L. Beaumariage, P.E, ADE-Construction; Liberty A Hill, P.E., Plans Engineer; and Bryan Walker, P.E., District Traffic Engineer, for their willingness to share information. We'd also like to thank Bryce Reeves, P.E. II, Region 4 Traffic and Local Agency Resident Engineer, at CDOT for his outreach that allowed for a great collaborating opportunity. When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.
Any business leader will tell you that relationship building is paramount to the success of their organization. We welcome this new relationship with CDOT. The next time we have a unique challenge or want to discuss an innovation we are considering we may take an opportunity to reach out and see if CDOT can be of help. We look forward to future collaborations and more partnering opportunities such as these!
In the meantime, it gave us an opportunity to bring back memories on a series of roadway projects that we considered a major success and improvement to the transportation system in Westmoreland County—one that we are very proud of.