Marty Morlan PE

Draft for regional Transportation Improvement Program opens for public comment. The 2025-28 TIP outlines federally funded projects for #CentralPA roadways over the next 4 years https://lnkd.in/e5B_zuQg @cumberlink #CentralPA #CumberlandCounty

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https://lnkd.in/gJkpmKg7 The Parties vs The People is one reason we don't have High-Speed Rail in the US. Another is misplaced spending priorities. A final is the Koch Brothers exposed. Let's take the first one. The Political Parties are more interested in "playing King of the Mountain" than doing what their constituents want. That would explain the single digit approval ratings. The Democrats have championed the framework of High-Speed Rail projects under the Obama Administration. This became the number one target of the Republicans as it was deemed the ultimate example of government waste. #highspeedrail #civilengineering #transportationplanning #trafficengineering

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https://lnkd.in/gsyamVrZ This is a "Shout Out" for the LeadershipITE program. In a nutshell, it is a multi-moth leadership course for Transportation Professionals on Leadership "through the lens" of Transportation. I still need to sign up. While the total program cost is $3,000.00 (what I made in Calendar Year 2012), scholarships and sponsorships are available. Don't let the $3,000.00 get in the way. Apply for scholarships, or ask public and private sector organizations to sponsor you in exchange for doing a presentation on what was learned at LeadershipITE.

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The outline of my book is complete. The book is "Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation Systems: Expediting Intercity Travel". I have several historical sections including the history of railroading in the United States, and the history of the streamliner in the United States. Why so much history? I want to sell my book at the California State Railroad Museum (CSRM), and they want books with a lot of history. My book will be hard covered with color graphics throughout. I expect to have an in-print version by the end of the year. #highspeedrail

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The US High-Speed Rail Association tells me that the California High-Speed Rail Authority is one of the most challenging roles in the nation. What are traits of successful High-Speed Rail Authority CEO. I say, three things under the appreciation of "cup". C stands for Communicating Effectively. U stands for Understanding Poverty. P stands for pursuing opportunity. For C, join Toastmasters. For U understand that one of the goals is providing a "Windfall for All" including the impoverished. The project is all about opportunity to all across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds including the impoverished by connecting them to opportunity like never before. For P, passionately pursing opportunity, note that Brightline West just broke ground. They are focused on building Los Angeles to Las Vegas in four years. Take the opportunity to learn from them what it takes to expedite a High-Speed Rail System. Apply it to Merced to Bakersfield, so that this segment can be completely up and running by the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. www.ushsr.com #highspeedrail

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What are mapping limits? Why are they important to determining the cost of a survey? When should they be defined? I answer these 3 questions in this latest video from Redefined Horizons! Have you seen a problem in an infrastructure project because of confusion about the mapping limits for the design survey? Please tell me about it in the comments below! #RH #redefinedhorizons #mappinglimits #getitsurveyed #builditright

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Such a powerful example of what can be accomplished when #gis and #surveying come together. #nsps #urisa #asprs

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So I'm working on a book called "Ultra High-Speed Ground Transportation Systems - Brining Cities Together to Foster Face-to-Face Collaboration". I'm contemplating Best Practices. There is a broad spectrum of performances. Pastor Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life sold so many copies that he reverse-tithed - gave 90% and living off of the remaining 10%. On the other hand, I've seen authors in the hole for upwards of $10,000.00 and garages full of books. Here are some principles I was able to come up with regarding successes: 1. Speak to a significant need of the audience; 2. Include color graphics throughout the book to increase the appeal (This will result in a more expensive product); 3. Get universities, associations, and museums on board during the actual drafting process, because once it's in print, it's too late; 4. Know that the book in and of itself will not sell itself based on its cover - Marketing is absolutely essential; and 5. Once published, give a complimentary copy to each of your points of influence including professors, museums, associations, and high-level government officials who will have an interest in the content of your book. Anything else to add? #civilengineering #transportationplanning #trafficengineering #highspeedrail

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The partial collapse of the abandoned railroad bridge on the Pelican Island Causeway has damaged the highway structure, requiring further assessment. On Fox 26 this morning, I discussed what inspectors might be looking for to decide if the highway bridge replacement should be accelerated or if temporary repairs can suffice until funding is secured. The series of recent bridge collapses highlight the urgent need for proactive risk assessments of aging infrastructure, especially with increased waterway capacity over the past two decades. #BridgeSafety #Infrastructure #CivilEngineering #RiskAssessment #UniversityofHouston #UAS #AI #MachineLearning

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MDTA INVITES PROPOSALS FOR THE REBUILDING OF THE FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE -- The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) today released its Request for Proposals (RFP) inviting design-build teams to submit proposals for rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge and reconnecting the I-695 Baltimore Beltway. The MDTA is seeking proposals from qualified teams that advance the project’s goals of collaboration, schedule, safety, quality, cost and aesthetics. Interested bidders can access the RFP at eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA). “Today marks a significant milestone in our efforts to rebuild the Key Bridge and make the Baltimore area whole again,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld. “MDOT will continue to work closely with our local, state and federal partners as well as local communities to replace the Key Bridge as quickly and safely as possible.”  “The rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is a massive effort. We need as many partners as possible pulling in one direction to help us accomplish our goals of reconnecting communities, getting Marylanders where they need to go and supporting commerce and the movement of goods throughout our region,” said MDTA Executive Director Bruce Gartner. For this critical project, the MDTA is using a Progressive Design-Build process that brings on board a project designer and builder to work side-by-side, resulting in greater efficiencies. The MDTA is looking to foster collaboration among the project team, local communities and stakeholders, ensuring open communication and inclusive partnership opportunities, particularly for small and disadvantaged businesses. The project scope of work and accelerated timeline will require a substantial amount of skilled labor to complete the construction expeditiously, safely and reliably.  ​Key Bridge Rebuild Milestone Dates:  ·         Proposals Due: Monday, June 24, 2024 ·         Project Team Selection: Mid-to-late Summer 2024  ·         Project Completion: Fall 2028  The two-phase Progressive Design-Build (PDB) process emphasizes collaboration and flexibility to adapt to emerging needs and changes. The process involves a single contract that unites MDTA with the selected PDB team, which includes contractor and designer roles. This procurement will select a qualified team for initial services to develop the project scope and requirements in collaboration with MDTA and project stakeholders. Upon successful completion of Phase 1, the PDB entity will have exclusive negotiating rights for Phase 2, which includes project final design/engineering and construction. In the event a guaranteed maximum price is not agreed upon, the MDTA will deliver the work under a separate contracting mechanism.  Full release here https://lnkd.in/eYtGPieb

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Here is another argument for High-Speed Rail (HSR) in California (CA). According to this article, California leads the nation in the number of fatalities associated with trains. What does High-Speed Rail have to do with all of this? These fatalities were at at-grade crossings. California High-Speed Rail through the Central Valley would operate at 220 mph, and all at-grade crossings would be eliminated. High-Speed Rail Systems in Japan and France have been operating for decades without a passenger fatality. Let's get CA HSR up and. running, so that we can demonstrate the safety possibilities. #highspeedrail https://lnkd.in/g5DGjX4G

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Attention High-Speed Rail Stakeholders: Today, the CEO Selection Committee of the California High-Speed Rail Authority met to deliberate over CEO Candidates. I was the only one who participated in public comment. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. The good thing would be if I was the only applicant. The bad thing would be if I needed to go through a staffing agency to be considered. I gave the Authority HR department my $50 submittal package. In a nutshell I summarized the testimonies from the April 2012 Board Meeting in San Francisco. 2012 was a tough year for many of us. I only made $3,000.00 that year where many of my colleagues made 100 times that, and knew nothing about the project whatsoever. I was debating, were all of these trips to San Francisco worth it? Then I heard, "This is our turn. This is our System. Previous generations gave you the transportation systems that you enjoyed. It's your turn to give to our generation. We'll pay for it. Just get it up and running. This defines how we will access our employment and vacation destinations." To answer my question, Absolutely! These are Millennials. I'm a Gen X'er. I felt the previous generation the "Me" generation simply "kicked the can down the road", and failed to deal with the realities of our crumbling infrastructure. I also underscored the importance of getting Merced to Bakersfield up and running by the 2028 Summer Olympics and having the basketball venue at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The current plan is to have Merced to Bakersfield up and running by 2023. #highspeedrail

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https://lnkd.in/gWRMTuTm Attention LinkedIn Network: Check out this article on "Spike in Pedestrian Deaths Hits Nearly All Metros". This is bad news. What's causing this spike? Are the traffic control devices adequate. It is even related to traffic control devices? How wise are the pedestrians? Are they following all of the rules of the road? #civilengineering #transportationplanning #trafficengineering

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Building high-speed rail is “not for the faint-hearted” A new document from the US High Speed Rail Association outlines the steps advocates should follow in the early stages of planning a high-speed rail line. https://lnkd.in/gm-5tkme

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USDOT's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program helps small DBEs compete fairly for federally funded transportation projects. Teams can benefit from open-ended performance plans and other tools for successful implementation in Design-Build contracting. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eyEYGmv5

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PAVC and other stakeholders have submitted a letter in support of maintaining the Affordability Connectivity Program (ACP) that was included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act). Read the full letter: https://lnkd.in/eVmJWp4y #telehealth #healthcarepolicy

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A couple of years ago I wrote an article about the land surveyor's role as a private land planner. I hoped the article would be the first in a series to facilitate understanding between land surveyors and land developers (one one side of the counter) and public land planners (or land use regulators) on the other side of the counter. I never wrote a second article for the series. I'd like to do that this summer. I need your help! If you are on the private side of the land use planning counter (or building permit counter), what would you like the folks on the private side to understand about your job? If you are on the public side of the land use planning counter (or building permit counter), what would you like folks on the public side to understand about your job? If you would like to co-author or edit the article, let me know. You can add your answer in the comments below, or send it to me privately via e-mail: landon.blake@redefinedhorizons.com Thanks in advance for the help!

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