TECHNOLOGY IN 2020: THE FIVE KEY TRENDS - IN PUBLIC WORKS p. 6 INSIDE: ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY AND ASSET MANAGEMENT - American Public Works ...
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AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION | January 2020 | www.apwa.net TECHNOLOGY IN 2020: THE FIVE KEY TRENDS IN PUBLIC WORKS p. 6 INSIDE: ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY AND ASSET MANAGEMENT
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The APWA Reporter, the official magazine of
the American Public Works Association, covers
all facets of public works for APWA members
including industry news, legislative actions,
January 2020 / Vol. 87, No. 1
management issues and emerging technologies.
ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY AND
ASSET MANAGEMENT ISSUE
INSIDE APWA
2 President’s Message
6 Technology in 2020: The five key trends in public works
17 Technical Committee News
20 Innovation keeps customer service front-and-center in Atoka, Tennessee
10
22 Employee Asset Management
25 In & Around APWA
26 Index to 2019 articles
COLUMNS
32 Washington Insight
36 GAC Insight
38 Media Insight
40 YP Insight
42 Open Your Winter Toolbox
44 People, the Engine of Public Works
38
46 International Idea Exchange
FEATURES
50 Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems in engineering
54 We have data, now what?
56 Engineering & Technology Toolbox introduction
58 The Mighty Brazos River: What we know now, and where do we go from here?
61 Municipal capital investment planning: an integrated framework
63 Time to move from paper to digital work orders: Selecting a GIS-centric CMMS
66 Geopolymer: What is it and how is it best used for infrastructure rehabilitation?
68 Layering Risk
58
72 The modernization of state and local government policy through
an ideal asset management system
76 City of Anacortes Public Works: First in North America to install fiber
into active water pipes
MARKETPLACE
82 Products in the News
86 Professional Directory
CALENDARS
80 Education Calendar
84
88 World of Public Works Calendar
88 Index of Advertisers
www.apwa.net / January 2020 / APWA Reporter 1
Engineering & technology a
are at the root of today’s pu
William E. (Bill) Spearman, III, P.E.
APWA President
ational use of water when it is in its
storage form. How can a community
successfully manage this asset until the
Official Magazine of the
value that is desired to be maximized American Public Works Association
from this asset is understood? This is a PUBLISHER
key question I encourage each agency American Public Works Association
A
One Kansas City Place
that oversees infrastructure assets to 1200 Main Street, Suite 1400
member recently relayed a
determine if you have not defined this Kansas City, MO 64105
story to me about a discussion (800) 848-APWA (Member Services Hotline)
value. Because value can be subjective, (816) 472-6100 (Kansas City metro area)
they had with their child who
and different for the same asset across FAX (816) 472-1610
was excited about getting their e-mail: kclark@apwa.net
different communities, an agency’s Website: www.apwa.net
driver’s license and dreaming
approach to asset management is not EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
about their first car. This brings back Scott D. Grayson, CAE
likely to be directly transferable and
fond memories for most of us I am EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER
should be focused on the goals of the
sure. Their son has visions of a classic R. Kevin Clark Julie Smith
community.
muscle car. After asking some ques- ADVERTISING SALES: FOX ASSOCIATES
Chicago (312) 644-3888
tions such as, “What do you need this APWA recognized that many of our New York (212) 725-2106
car to do for you?” “How much are you international partners had more for- Los Angeles (805) 522-0501
Detroit (248) 626-0511
willing to pay to purchase this car?” malized approaches to asset manage-
APWA WASHINGTON OFFICE
“How much are you willing to pay for ment than was commonplace in the 1275 K Street NW, Suite 750
gas?” and “How about your expecta- United States. Therefore, the APWA Washington, D.C. 20005-4083
(202) 408-9541 FAX (202) 408-9542
tion for paying for insurance?” a used leadership decided that an improved
Disclaimer: The American Public Works Association
classic Honda Civic seemed a bit closer focus in the area of asset management assumes no responsibility for statements and/or
to reality. was desired to assist our membership opinions advanced by either editorial or advertising
contributors to this issue. APWA reserves the right to
in making continued strides in this refuse to publish and to edit manuscripts to conform to
I share this story because it illustrates the APWA Reporter standards.
important area. This resulted in the
the concept of value that a vehicle Publisher’s Notice: The APWA Reporter, January
establishment of the Asset Manage-
owner gets from the vehicle they 2020, Vol. 87, No. 1 (ISSN 0092-4873; Publications
ment Task Force, which ultimately led Agreement No. 41450540). The APWA Reporter is
choose. This is exactly what the published monthly by the American Public Works
to the creation of the Asset Manage- Association, One Kansas City Place, 1200 Main Street,
management of infrastructure assets
ment Committee. The work of APWA Suite 1400, Kansas City, MO 64105. Subscription
is all about. If you look at a general rate is $208 for nonmembers and $25 for chapter-
members on both groups has assisted sponsored students. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas
definition of “asset” you are likely to
with the development of a strong City, MO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER:
see something like “anything that Send address changes to the APWA Reporter, One
foundation, and APWA’s focus on this Kansas City Place, 1200 Main Street, Suite 1400,
provides value or potential value.” In
area is a long-term journey. Kansas City, MO 64105. Canada returns to: P.O. Box
the case of infrastructure assets, value 2600, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A8.
is relative to the stakeholders of each One of the first areas of focus has Reprints and Permissions: Information is available at
www.apwa.net/Publications/Reporter/guidelines.asp.
community. Let’s take for example the been on the definition of an agency’s
© 2020 by American Public Works Association
asset that is water. Everyone would Asset Management System. A com-
Address Change?
agree that safe drinking water is a mon misperception is that this is an To alert us of a change to your membership record,
commonly shared value received from agency’s work order software and/or contact an APWA Membership Specialist at (800) 848-
APWA or membership@apwa.net.
this asset. Beyond that, you are likely GIS software tool. This is one compo-
The APWA Reporter is printed by Royle Printing, Sun
to see a wide variety of the values that nent of asset management but is not Prairie, Wisconsin.
people also associate with the recre- the full picture. If asset management is
2 APWA Reporter / January 2020 / www.apwa.net
and asset management
tional boundaries, and great work has
occurred. APWA is choosing to shine a
light on this important area and work
ublic works endeavors
toward developing resources to assist
our members with building on their
existing Asset Management Systems.
This issue of the Reporter has several
about maximizing value from infra- also understanding each person’s role great articles, and the continued work
structure and using available resources, in maximizing this value. of the Asset Management Committee
then your Asset Management System is focused on developing additional
is every activity that has an impact on
From work management resources. And when I consider my
your defined understanding of value. I systems to GIS, question to you about the difficulty in
would challenge you to identify an area identifying any part of your organiza-
3-D printing, CAD tion that does not have an impact on
that is not connected to this. This is
likely harder to do than it is to identify design and electronic the value received from infrastructure
assets, I recognize that most everything
all the areas that do have an impact on permitting, we are that APWA is working on is connected
this value.
using technology in to asset management in one way or
You are probably realizing that almost another. If you don’t lose sight of this,
everything you do is connected to
unimaginable ways. you are sure to find opportunities to
asset management and you would be assist with growing your organization’s
I do not mean to overwhelm you if
right. Asset management is an agency’s approach to asset management.
you are beginning to think of just how
comprehensive approach to maximiz-
broad and deep this subject area can Similarly, engineering and technology
ing infrastructure value. As such, it
be. You can take comfort in knowing are at the root of today’s public works
takes a solid examination of not only
that this is an area that has no jurisdic- endeavors. We now live in a world
understanding what this value is, but
AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION
Mission Statement: The American Public Works Association supports those who operate, improve and maintain
public works and infrastructure through advocacy, education & member engagement.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADVISORY COUNCIL
PRESIDENT DIRECTOR, REGION V DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, (Past APWA Presidents) David L. Lawry June Rosentreter Spence
William E. (Bill) Spearman, III, P.E. Sean O'Dell, P.E. ENVIRONMENTAL Robert Albee Diane Linderman Noel C. Thompson
Principal Vice President MANAGEMENT Ronald J. Calkins Martin J. Manning Elizabeth Treadway
WE3 Consultants LLC Baxter & Woodman, Inc. Lisa Ann Rapp, PWLF Nick W. Diakiw Robert Miller Tom Trice
Saluda, SC
DIRECTOR, REGION VI Director of Public Works Jerry M. Fay Bo Mills Brian R. Usher
PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Johnson, P.E. City of Lakewood, CA Bob Freudenthal Judith M. Mueller William A. Verkest
Mary Joyce Ivers, CPFP, PWLF Business Development Manager Larry W. Frevert Ronald L. Norris Win Westfall
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, FLEET &
Deputy Public Works Director Burns & McDonnell
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Edward A. Gottko Richard L. Ridings Carl D. Wills
City of Ventura, CA Lee's Summit, MO
Vic Bianes, P.E. Ken Haag John J. Roark
PAST PRESIDENT DIRECTOR, REGION VII Client Manager Dwayne Kalynchuk Larry Stevens Executive Director
David L. Lawry, P.E. David Fabiano, P.E., PWLF Kleinfelder Engineering
Larry T. Koehle Harold E. Smith Scott D. Grayson, CAE
Director of Municipal Services Town Engineer Bonita, CA
Chastain & Associates LLC Town of Gilbert, AZ
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE,
Schaumburg, IL
DIRECTOR, REGION VIII LEADERSHIP AND
DIRECTOR, REGION I Shahnawaz Ahmad, P.E., PWLF
MANAGEMENT
Gary Losier, P.Eng. President
SA Associates Stan Brown, P.E., PWLF FPO
Director of Engineering and Works
Arcadia, CA City Manager
Town of Quispamsis, NB
City of Oakwood, GA
DIRECTOR, REGION IX
DIRECTOR, REGION II FPO FPO
Dan Hartman, PWLF DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE,
Dominick A. Longobardi
Director of Public Works TRANSPORTATION
Deputy Comptroller Facebook “f ” Logo CMYK / .ai Facebook “f ” Logo CMYK / .ai
City of Golden, CO Kathleen B. Davis
Town of Hempstead, NY
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, Director of Local Programs
DIRECTOR, REGION III
ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY Washington State Department of
Keith Pugh, P.E., PWLF
Jim Neal, P.E., PWLF Transportation
Engineering Services Director
Public Works Director (retired) Olympia, WA
City of High Point, NC
Charleston County, SC
DIRECTOR, REGION IV EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Douglas E. Layton, P.E., PWLF Scott D. Grayson, CAE
Retired
www.apwa.net / January 2020 / APWA Reporter 3
where we can barely exist without tech- In this issue, you will find several articles on engineering
nology to perform even everyday tasks.
There is technology involved in every and technology topics that will hopefully shed some
aspect of our lives, and public works is light on some of the latest items of interest, like drones
no exception. From work management
systems to GIS, 3-D printing, CAD
and innovative pipeline rehabilitation methods.
design and electronic permitting, we ways. This is one of many reasons that 5 Trending Technologies in Public
are using technology in unimaginable APWA has developed our annual Top Works. This edition of the Reporter
includes an article introducing the
2020 technologies, and I think you
will be pleased. The Engineering
& Technology Committee and the
Top Tech Collaboration Workgroup
worked tirelessly to whittle down the
choices from hundreds of submis-
sions to 16, which were then voted
on by the membership. We hope that
your agencies can find value in the
information that will be presented
throughout the year focusing on
these very important topics. This year,
we will establish the Top 5 Trending
Technologies Subcommittee that will
help develop the topics each year
and provide valuable information on
each topic via webinars, Click, Listen
& Learns, articles, PWX seminars,
and even videos and podcasts. We are
excited to be able to provide a more
in-depth look at these topics that may
be very foreign to a lot of agencies but
that are critical as we move forward in
the Age of Technology.
In this issue, you will find several
articles on engineering and technol-
ogy topics that will hopefully shed
some light on some of the latest items
of interest, like drones and innovative
pipeline rehabilitation methods. The
committee intends to continue to
bring forth information on new tech-
nologies to help agencies deal with
the issues in public works in a more
efficient and meaningful way.
As always, thanks for what you
do every day to make the lives
of our citizens better. Remember
that “the public works because of
Public Works.”
4 APWA Reporter / January 2020 / www.apwa.net
REGISTRATION
SNOW
NORTH AMERICAN
2020
OPENS IN JANUARY!
CONFERENCE
CLEVELAND, OHIO
APRIL 19-22, 2020
2O2O
TOP 5
TECH
6 APWA Reporter / January 2020 / www.apwa.net
TECHNOLOGY IN 2020:
THE FIVE KEY TRENDS IN
PUBLIC WORKS
Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure (pictured)
included in this year’s most influential technologies
Thea Voutiritsas, Production Editor, American Public Works
Association, Kansas City, Missouri
I
n an age where technology advances at an exponential pace, public works
departments are constantly finding new ways to bring safety, economic sta-
bility, sustainability, and service to their communities. To help our members
stay in-the-know on which industry-changing endeavors are on the horizon
(or in some cases, already here), APWA has conducted the third annual Top Five
Trending Technologies survey and report.
www.apwa.net / January 2020 / APWA Reporter 7
Each year, APWA meets with our Tech-
nical Committees, Standing Commit-
tees, and Council of Chapters to gather
suggestions and select 16 trending
technologies that will impact public
works in the coming year. Those 16
trending technologies then go toe-to-
toe in an NCAA-style bracket chal-
lenge, where we open the voting up
to you. This year, round one received
2,328 votes. The eight remaining topics
hit the web for round two, receiving
1,544 votes—resulting in the final four.
Finally, a wild card was selected from
the bunch, resulting in the Top Five
Trending Technologies for 2020.
According to your responses, these are
the top five most influential technolo-
gies in public works (in alpha order):
• 3-D Technologies conflicts between disciplines. It allows the technology was in its infancy and
• Automated/Connected Vehicles for greater transparency to anyone benefits were limited. “Today, we’re
that’s involved in the project—be it moving toward providing highly accu-
• Cybersecurity for Critical public officials, stakeholders, residents, rate deliverables that the contractors
Infrastructure and the owner and design team,” says can directly use to construct horizontal
• Technology for Field Crews Daniel Prokop, Senior Transportation projects, including data for Automated
Engineer at HDR, Inc. Machine Guidance grading and pav-
• Waste-to-Resource Technology
ing,” says William Sharp, Senior Vice
Thanks to your votes, we’ll be able to Individual team members usually
President at HDR.
use these trends to develop Click, Lis- specialize in their own aspect of the
ten & Learn programs, APWA Reporter design, so in the same way that people “Before, it was very much about ‘How
articles, PWX educational sessions, and outside of the engineering process do I make a model?’ Now, it’s about
so much more. Each trend has been might have difficulty understanding ‘How do I attribute a model,’ and ‘How
selected due to its projected impact on certain parts of the engineering plans, do I use those attributes to do some-
the public sector—across all depart- engineers within a team may not have thing more powerful?’ And that’s a
ments and at all levels. To get a better full cross-disciplinary understand- very different kind of workflow,” says
idea of what’s in store for 2020, we ing of each other’s plans and designs, Connor Christian, Transportation BIM
consulted a handful of experienced, explains Prokop. Lighting or drainage Program Manager at HDR, Inc. “It's very
knowledgeable public works profes- folks may not always be specialized in exciting to see that type of evolution,
sionals to share their thoughts and understanding structural design plans, going from people creating models to
predictions on these trending topics. for example. watching computers make models for
you based on a set of criteria.”
“Having this federated model lowers
3-D Technologies the barrier to understanding detailed As 3-D technology becomes common
3-D Technologies (such as build- engineering designs so that everyone practice in more states, we will see the
ing information modeling, or BIM) within the team, as well as external impact at every level of stakeholder.
makes the 2020 list, as it is funda- stakeholders, can get a much better “State transportation agencies have
mentally changing the way projects real-world perspective on the size and been migrating to a software with
are designed. Signed and sealed 3-D location of everything that’s going on,” 3-D modeling capabilities for quite
deliverables allow project stakeholders
says Prokop. “It also creates the ability some time, and they have been using
to have a greater level of understanding
to move into 3-D construction models it to complete at least some parts of
of a design, reducing the possibility of
and then, ultimately, a 3-D asset man- transportation design—specifically
conflict in the final plans, construc-
agement tool.” roadway elements. But the trend has
tion, and the expectations of the
been moving towards a full compre-
greater community. Certain types of 3-D technology have
hensive 3-D design that includes other
been around for 30-40 years, often used
“In a nutshell, working with 3-D makes elements, as well as in some cases
to automate roadway design. However,
designing more efficient in reducing going all the way where the 3-D mod-
8 APWA Reporter / January 2020 / www.apwa.netBrad Rutherford, Global Channel Sales
Director for Local Motors, explains
how their development has changed
in just the last four years through the
blending of research and development
with manufacturing. “Previously, we
had 15-25 percent [of a typical vehicle]
made with additive manufacturing.
The rest was, what I’ll call, stick and
metal building.” Today, their well-
known autonomous Olli bus, which is
likely set to become a popular shuttle
and/or transit option in municipali-
Screenshot of the model that represents the
ties in the near future, is made almost
design of HDR’s Iowa I-80/I-380 interchange
project. The models were delivered to the entirely through additive manufactur-
contractor in lieu of 2-D drawings and represent ing (AKA 3-D printing). This saved
the signed and sealed contractual deliverable. Local Motors a significant amount of
(Image courtesy of HDR) time, parts, and ultimately cost. (The
3-D printing of Olli is both AV/CV as
well as 3-D Technology.)
els are the contractual documents in Prokop urges public works profes-
place of 2-D plans. Municipalities are sionals to stay in-the-know and keep Rutherford gives the following case: a
often stakeholders in large state DOT moving forward so they can keep up rolling chassis (with simply wheels and
projects, and there is also a consultant with the transitioning deliverables a frame) built the standard way takes
community that’s generally working format from state DOTs and agencies. over 350 hours, 3,000 parts, and over
for both municipalities as well as state “Public works organizations must be $49,000 to build. Using additive manu-
DOTs. So, it’s a natural flow that 3-D able to review designs for anything that facturing, Local Motors cut those num-
design is starting to move towards impacts infrastructure, for which they bers down to 16 hours of assembly, 20
public works,” says Prokop. are a stakeholder or owner. As the DOTs hours of printing, 127 parts, and a cost
change their deliverable format, public of $19,000. “In scope, we beat scale
Several state DOTs and major transpor- quite a bit,” says Rutherford. “It would
works agencies should be considering
tation agencies are shifting away from take a lot of scale to match our cost.”
changing the way that they review and
traditional 2-D plan sheets and moving Now, they have a 10-by-40-foot printer
receive those designs,” says Prokop.
towards contractual signed and sealed that can put down nearly 500 pounds
deliverables. Advances in the technol- “It’s not a question of whether this of material an hour, further reducing
ogy and its growing popularity have change is coming. It’s already here,” production time and costs.
forced DOTs and many major agencies says Christian. “The question is, when
to reevaluate processes. “AASHTO has are clients and owners going to start Along with major changes in develop-
been very active in this area through getting value from it? It depends on ment of the technology, safety regula-
the Joint Technical Committee on Elec- the marketplace, but I fully anticipate tion and legislation are becoming a
tronic Engineering Standards, includ- signed and sealed 3-D deliverables larger—and increasingly necessary—
ing level of development standards becoming a common reality in trans- part of the discussion. 2018 and 2019
for 3-D models,” says Sharp. October portation within the next five years.” saw multiple fatal accidents involv-
2019 at the AASHTO Fall Meeting in ing autonomous vehicles, which has
St. Louis, the state DOTs adopted the Automated/Connected raised questions about safety, liability,
open Industry Foundation Class (IFC) and responsibility. As of November
standard data schema as the national
Vehicles 19, 2019, the National Transportation
standard. “This is a critical step forward Making appearances on both the 2018 Safety Board (NTSB) called upon federal
for BIM for Infrastructure, providing and 2019 Top Five Trending Technolo- regulators to create a review process
a standard open 3-D data schema for gies lists, the topic of AV/CV remains before allowing automated test vehicles
transportation, which will allow BIM a hot topic when it comes to new on public roads. “Safety starts at the
data to be shared seamlessly between technology and infrastructure. As of top,” says NTSB Chairman Robert L.
design, fabrication, construction, and late, developers and manufacturers are Sumwalt in a press release. It is now
asset management regardless of the talking more and more about making more urgent than ever that companies,
proprietary software packages uti- AV/CV both cheaper and safer as the organizations, and individuals par-
lized,” says Sharp. technology evolves. ticipate in an adequate safety culture
surrounding autonomous vehicles.
www.apwa.net / January 2020 / APWA Reporter 9Local Motors has improved the
development of their automated vehicles
in just the last four years through the
blending of research and development
with manufacturing. (Photo courtesy of
Local Motors)
Rutherford says there are many regula- prepare infrastructure for the future. from point A to point B. And I think it’s
tory factors that need to align, from Slade Engstrom, Master Professional a cultural shift that you’re already kind
self-regulation to federal regulation at TranSystems, suggests investing in of seeing, but it’s also going to blend
to redundant combinations of safety options that will benefit existing driv- in somewhat with what autonomous
technologies. “Manufacturers have to ers just as much as future ones. Fiber vehicles will be able to provide.”
take those results into account and do is one of his first recommendations. “I
a good job of applying those technolo- consider it investing in information,” Engstrom says similar concerns are
gies to make them better,” he says. says Engstrom. “[Fiber] is something soon to rise with truck platooning.
that you can gain benefits with the “Having an autonomous vehicle run
In addition to a stronger culture of down the freeways is one thing on a
existing technologies that are out there
safety, the topic of AV/CV is requiring platoon, but then having it drive down,
right now, without a connected vehicle
more collaboration between vehicle say, Main Street in your town, is a whole
(through signal timings and adaptive
manufacturers and state DOTs. “At other idea,” he says. Parking, backing up
technologies), so it makes sense to me
some point, the DOTs of the country to loading docks, and similar situations
that that’s something that you spend
are going to become the FAAs (Federal still pose a challenge to automation.
money on and it should help you for
Aviation Administration) of the road- “Long story short, I think there are
information flows in the future, no
way,” says Rutherford. “They’ll need some curbside management practices
matter what really comes out of a lot of
to communicate with the vehicles, that are going to happen in conjunction
the other areas.”
monitor them; and the vehicles need with the changes we’re seeing.”
infrastructure to predict routes, provide Curbside management is another place
better services, and give us oversight.” where Engstrom recommends special In addition to fiber and curbside man-
attention. “As we go on, curbside man- agement, Engstrom has noticed some
“I think we’re finding new systems of changes in pavement markings on the
agement is going to be very important
transportation over the years to come… rise. And again, it’s not just for autono-
in downtown areas and similar areas
The fun part is we get to figure out mous vehicle use. Contrasting pavement
because you may not need the parking
what needs to be changed to make it markings (also known as Oreo markings)
you have right now,” he says. Down the
better and how additive manufacturing are becoming more popular. “When
road, Engstrom predicts some massive
can allow us to do that faster and for a you get a sunny day out there and
changes in land development practices.
lesser cost,” says Rutherford. you’re driving along, a lot of times you
“Instead of those coveted front door
parking spots, you may have a pick-up/ can’t see—on a really polished concrete
While the future of AV/CV remains
drop-off area. So, you’ve got this micro- surface—that white line. So, contrasting
difficult to predict, there are still steps
transit type of attitude where people markings do have a huge safety benefit
that public works officials can take to
can figure out different ways to get for existing drivers as well,” he says.
10 APWA Reporter / January 2020 / www.apwa.netEngstrom says the two biggest pieces of ity for the equipment to be hacked run a water source system such as a
the puzzle are getting infrastructure to increases in magnitude—requiring a dam. If they, as overseers, lack knowl-
talk and making a safer roadway (or at more stringent approach to defend,” edge on how to defend their systems,
least being able to visualize elements says Marty Williams, APWA Govern- they become a target for a cyber-crim-
out there a little bit better). “If we can ment Affairs Manager. inal to potentially inflict damage on
do those two things for existing driv- that system,” says Williams. “Even the
“In order to survive and thrive,
ers, so much the better is the way I look theft of public works data could result
it is imperative that public works
at it,” he says. “If they benefit autono- in the public’s trust being under-
professionals have a firm grasp or
mous vehicles at the same time, again, mined, and the denied access to data
understanding of the tools they are
so much the better because that’s just from events like ransomware could
using—this certainly includes the
going to help us keep pushing this drive accreditation, accountability,
area of cybersecurity,” says Williams.
down the road.” and even operational disruptions,”
Those who have a sound and complete
explains Willke.
To stay ahead of the game, Engstrom understanding of their organization’s
recommends that cities either partici- cybersecurity measures are in the best As technology progresses, we will see
pate in a pilot, or at least follow them possible position to not only defend more and more of the physical and
closely. “Participating in a pilot teaches against any intrusions but to proactive- cyber landscapes converging. “As we
you a lot about how things are actually ly use technology to their advantage. broaden our public works’ features and
working, and that’s probably one of the Being well-informed means being able capabilities—cyber-fying the physical
only ways that you’ll truly understand to make decisions that will best serve environment—we potentially broaden
the intricacies of these vehicles. If you your organization—in the short and the attack surface,” says Willke. “Public
can’t participate in those pilots, find long term. works is moving us to the reality of a
out a way to really learn about them connected, interactive environment…
“Cybersecurity is as inescapable a
and understand them.” The FHWA, and the policy implications are such
problem for public works as potholes
ITE, and NOCOE (National Operations that we’ll get to the point where we can
are to roads, and both result in public
Center of Excellence) offer a number of no longer separate the operations tech-
consequences,” says Bradford Willke,
useful materials for staying abreast of nology from the physical technology.”
Assistant Director (Acting), Stakeholder
the technologies. “Just try to find a way
Engagement at U.S. Cybersecurity and Cyber-attacks pose countless (and
to get involved; try to follow the dia-
Infrastructure Agency (CISA). With a in some cases, difficult to imagine)
logues that are going on, understand
growing dependency on IT, cyberse- real-world implications, reinforcing
what those issues are,” says Engstrom.
curity becomes a key enabler to public just how critical it is that agencies,
“The neat thing about this type of
works operations and initiatives. organizations, and individual users
technology is that it’s not something
that we’ve had to do since we went share the responsibility of protecting
“CISA leads the federal government’s
from horse and buggy to vehicles if you public interest. “As a practical matter,
unified effort to work with the ICS
start thinking about it. This is that type public works operations and planning
community to reduce risk to our
of change where it’s fundamentally departments should be actively talking
critical infrastructure by strengthen-
turning things on its ear, so to speak.” to, leveraging, and collaborating with
ing control systems’ security and
their internal IT departments to ensure
resilience. We view the prevention and
privacy and security considerations are
Cybersecurity for mitigation of incidents with a poten-
explicit in new and existing projects.
tially significant impact on national
Critical Infrastructure security, public health and safety, and
Leadership awareness of the cyber-phys-
ical risk drives investment to increase
From transportation systems, drink- economic security as an achievable
cyber capability, resulting in operational
ing water, and telecommunication goal. But as with IT security, ICS secu-
resilience. Moreover, incorporating
networks to electric power generators rity is still going through a cycle where
cyber at the policy level in governance
and natural gas pipelines, much of increased awareness of cyber issues is
structures and processes yields greater
critical infrastructure shares a common needed,” says Willke.
cyber maturity,” says Willke.
characteristic: a growing dependence
on industrial control systems (ICS). ICS “Failing to take measures to safeguard
Willke says one of the main ways to
control, monitor, and manage their your infrastructure can lead to some
develop a mature and holistic culture
essential functions—which means they disastrous consequences,” says Wil-
of cyber-readiness is to treat it as an
need to be protected. “Considering liams. “We have APWA members that
operational imperative. CISA’s Cyber
that much of the equipment public either directly or indirectly oversee
Essentials (which can be found at cisa.
works professionals depend on was or their Supervisory Control and Data
gov/cyber-essentials) are a great start-
will be connected to the internet, or Acquisition (SCADA) systems, or other
ing point. “We need to understand that
rely on a computer, the susceptibil- high-tech control systems, which may
the basics—driving investment and
www.apwa.net / January 2020 / APWA Reporter 11Drones are becoming an essential tool in the creation
of 3-D site models, especially in cases where some of
the terrain is difficult to access.
culture, promoting security awareness organizational level—is integral to It goes without saying that you can
and vigilance, protecting assets and protecting our critical infrastructure. expect that almost every aspect of criti-
applications, backing up data, develop- Cybersecurity requires a cultural atti- cal infrastructure will be connected…
ing response plans—are not mutually tude adjustment and implementation, so keep this in mind, just one infected
exclusive, that collectively they form a as it’s the under-educated users, lack device can cause a great deal of prob-
layered defense,” says Willke. of management participation, under- lems, so do what you can to keep the
investment in training and proce- internet as safe as possible—practice
Human error is, and will perhaps con-
dures, avoiding peer and partnership smart cyber hygiene,” says Williams.
tinue to be, one of the greatest hurdles
cooperation, among other issues, that
in cybersecurity. Human error gener-
make us vulnerable.
ally falls into one of two broad areas: Technology for Field
error without malicious intent (or by
accident), and error through active
“We need to take a page from public
Crews
works to increase public awareness as a
human intrusion with an expressed A wider array of technology for field
key to advance a culture of cybersecu-
goal of causing a disruption, explains crews is now available—empowering
rity and align our desired outcomes,”
Williams. “For example, you have field-centric public works teams to be
says Willke. “To build a sustainable
one or more of your city hall building more efficient and connected. Real-
security culture, the greater citizenry
control systems hacked into, thereby time GIS connectivity, drones, opera-
needs to be not only literate on the
producing erroneous information or tions dashboards, along with light-
risks they pose but seen as participa-
interfering in a system being able to weight equipment are changing the
tory in outcomes.” Willke says that
complete an assigned task, such as way operators work in the field.
cybersecurity and privacy should be
controlling the building’s electronic part of the conversation from the start, The biggest game-changer in technolo-
door locks. Alternatively, let’s say a allowing new and existing solutions to gy for field crews has been the increase
human operator, without malicious be built into our processes, with involve- in network accessibility. “Broad
intent, introduces a corrupted USB
ment from all corners of public works network connectivity helps workers
which infects one computer; however,
personnel. “It’s not an IT, IT shop, IT become more efficient and no longer
through contact with other systems
hero problem. It’s a business and opera- need to bring separate devices into the
infects all computers that are connect-
tional requirement,” says Willke. field. At the same time, networks have
ed via a bad link. Unfortunately, the
repercussions are potentially endless.” expanded to provide greater cover-
“It is anticipated that by 2020 there
age where it wasn’t available before.
will be almost 20.5 billion (with a B)
Both Williams and Willke agree that This enables crews to have connected,
devices connected to the internet.
awareness—on an individual and real-time access even while in remote
12 APWA Reporter / January 2020 / www.apwa.netareas,” says Becky Tamashasky, Execu- Management Administrator for the as there could inherently be a backlog
tive Vice President of Vision and Prod- City of Newport News. for entry, meaning that if data was
uct Engineering at Cityworks. identified as missing during the review,
Going paperless adds a new level of
by the time this identification takes
efficiency and accuracy to processes as
place, crews have moved on and the
Field mobility solutions well. “Inevitably, the paper documents
information is lost.” Tasks that previ-
need to be reviewed and then entered
ously required several steps and a paper
have saved a significant into a system once delivered to the
record can now be streamlined into a
amount of time, money, main office,” says Tamashasky. “This
single process.
generally has several potential issues
and energy on the part of
both field crew and office
staff, as workers can
return to the office less
and communicate with 2O2O
office staff more easily.
Greater connectivity means that
software can be taken directly into the
field, creating a space for mobile native
apps designed with field mobility in
mind. “These apps are designed to
be easy for users to interact with the
functionality, with larger buttons and
simplified forms designed for easier TOP 5
touch input,” says Tamashasky. “Native
apps also have the ability to go offline TECH
in situations where network access is
poor or limited and then to sync data
when reconnected to the office or cel-
lular network.”
Field mobility solutions have saved a
significant amount of time, money,
and energy on the part of both field
crew and office staff, as workers can TALKING TOP TECH 2020
return to the office less and commu-
March 26 Talking Top Tech:
nicate with office staff more easily.
Starting an AV/CV Pilot Edition
Operations dashboards can now pro-
vide location-aware data visualization May 7 Talking Top Tech:
and analytics in real-time to an entire Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Edition
team, helping key players and decision-
makers stay on the same page and June 11 Talking Top Tech:
update each other all at once. Waste to Resource Technology Edition
“In addition to recording routine August 6 Talking Top Tech:
activities, frontline professionals can 3D Technologies Edition
electronically capture asset informa- September 24 Talking Top Tech:
tion, GIS updates, and other pertinent
Technology for Field Crews Edition
data. This allows agencies to track work
performed, augment their registries,
and keep their GIS current as part of
a paperless process on an enterprise
level,” says Kirstin Runberg Platt, Asset
To register go to www.apwa.net/events
www.apwa.net / January 2020 / APWA Reporter 13In addition to major breakthroughs in
field mobility and real-time updates,
field crews can expect a number of inno-
vative tools (and ways to use them) on
the horizon, including advancements
in GIS, drones, artificial intelligence (AI)
and machine learning, and virtual and
augmented reality (VR and AR).
“GIS remains a staple tool of empower-
ing public works operations, but the
scale of operations the technology
supports has grown considerably,” says
Chris Thomas, Director of Govern-
ment Markets at ESRI. “GIS now does
not stop at the front door. It now goes
through the door to support activities
such as indoor mapping, facilities man- A rendering of the Waste-to-Energy plant in
agement, space planning, navigation, Hillsborough County, Florida. The plant was the
second-largest mass-burn project built in the
disaster response, and much more.”
U.S. in 1985.
Sensors can now be used to provide
constant information through the
Internet of Things (IoT). “Sensors now With so many new technologies taking more than $100 per ton. According
take many forms, from air quality and hold, Platt believes that communica- to the U.S. EPA, the average daily, per
stream gauges to consumer data such tion between developers and those in capita recycling rate in the U.S. is 1.51
as WAZE to autonomous vehicles,” the field is more important than ever. pounds per year. Thus, recycling fees
says Thomas. Because these data feeds “Working closely with the frontline for a city with a population of 100,000
are location-based, GIS helps to make professionals within the various could cost almost $2.8 million. “A
sense of the information that flows in. disciplines to understand their needs lot of communities are concerned
is critical,” she says. “Communication with the cost of recycling because the
Drones are being combined with and collaboration are required and play markets have disappeared over the last
high-end mapping and imagery solu- a major part in the brainstorming pro- few years,” says Marc Rogoff, Senior
tions to make data collection and cess. As a result, apps can be developed, Consultant at Geosyntec.
inspections safer, easier, and more tested, and implemented with buy-in
affordable. “The data is being used Recently closed Asian recycling mar-
in place.”
for inspections such as water tanks, kets combined with climbing landfill
roads, and bridges with amazing costs have forced public works officials
return on investment,” says Thomas. Waste-to-Resource to look at new and efficient ways of
dealing with solid waste domesti-
Further down the line, public works Technology cally. While some technologies are
can expect to see VR and AR used to For most of the early 21st century, quite familiar, like material recovery
enhance field data. “As 3-D model- China was the main destination for facilities, composting sites, and mass
ing and indoor mapping continue U.S. recyclables. In 2018, the Chinese burn thermal energy plants, others
to evolve, so too will virtual reality,” government announced the National have been more recently developed,
says Thomas. “It’s anticipated that the Sword that banned many scrap materi- like anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis,
future of apps for public works will als and stopped accepting others unless gasification, plastic-to-fuel, and other
start to branch into virtual reality,” they met a contamination rate of 0.5 creative ideas.
says Tamashasky. “With apps that are percent. “To put it in perspective,
contamination rates of U.S. recyclables One creative idea comes from the U.K.-
displaying virtual reality scenes, public
before processing can reach 25 percent based company, MacRebur. Also known
works crews will have visualization
or higher,” explains Karen M. Luken, as The Plastic Road Company, MacRe-
of underground infrastructure before
CEO at Economic Environmental Solu- bur has developed a way to use waste
breaking ground. This will likewise
tions International (EESI). plastic in asphalt pavements. When
enable visualization with systems such
CEO Toby McCartney was working
as lift stations, pump stations, and
Many U.S. cities have gone from in southern India, he noticed people
transformers where there is a dense col-
receiving revenue from their recy- placing waste plastic into potholes and
lection of assets in a contained area.”
clables to paying recycling companies lighting it on fire to fill the hole. While
14 APWA Reporter / January 2020 / www.apwa.netor incinerator bound) that melt at a with. He started his career as deputy
temperature lower than 120 degrees director for Hillsborough County,
Celsius so that it homogenizes prop- Florida, where the county was running
erly without creating microplastics or out of landfill space, “We were original-
releasing toxins. ly trying to implement a new disposal
option for the county, and ultimately
Because the plastic additive turns
after three years, we were able to con-
one man’s trash into another man’s
struct a mass-burn waste energy facility
treasure, the mix is relatively afford-
in 1985,” says Rogoff.
able. “We’re taking a waste and using
it to replace an expensive oil,” says “Advanced waste-to-
McCartney. “And then there’s the obvi-
ous maintenance cost savings. From resource technologies
a financial perspective, the roads out- have the capacity to create
perform regular asphalt and therefore
don’t require as much maintenance… high quality commodities
it’s also environmentally saving. For
that can offset much of
every ton of bitumen that we replace,
we save a ton of carbon emissions. So, the development and
there’s this huge savings there with
carbon taxes and with carbon footprint
operating costs.”
that we’re all trying to reduce.” ~ Karen Luken, EESI.
not exactly the safest method, it pro- Since its inception in 2016, MacRebur
vided some inspiration. After several has helped to produce plastic roads
The WTE plant in Hillsborough
years of testing, McCartney and his not just in the UK, but internationally.
County was the second-largest mass-
two cofounders, Gordon Reid and Nick MacRebur has been helping cities close
Burnett, have found a way to safely use burn project built in the U.S. at the
the loop, so to speak, on their waste
waste plastics for roads. time. “Developing that site into kind
plastics. Their first U.S. project was on
of a small little energy park (or micro-
the University of California San Diego
Today, MacRebur recycles waste plastic grid) is kind of innovative when you
campus (after which cities in Texas, Ala-
from household and commercial look at some of the other facilities that
bama, Florida, and North Carolina soon
use—about 40 percent from house- were worked on in the United States,”
followed). Manufacturers in the U.S.
hold waste, 60 percent commercial. A says Rogoff. “It provides relatively
and across the world now have an MLA
granulator takes the plastic and turns low-cost power to a regional wastewater
(manufacturing license agreement),
it into particles smaller than 5mm. treatment plant which is adjacent, the
which allows them to process their local
Then, the plastic granules are mixed correctional facility, plus the animal
waste and use it in their own roads.
with an activator to help it bind to control office, Clerk’s Office and Elec-
MacRebur has completed 14 licenses
the road. The mix then goes to an tion Supervisor, and all the other facili-
this year and hopes for 20 next year.
asphalt producer, where it can be used ties that are nearby.” After the comple-
to supplement the bitumen used in “I think there’s really only one way for tion of the facility in Hillsborough
asphalt mixes—reducing the amount businesses to succeed in the future, and County, Rogoff went on to complete 12
of bitumen (and ultimately fossil that’s to combine purpose with profit,” similar projects across the U.S. over the
fuels) used. If the average road is made says McCartney. “I like the businesses next 10 years.
of, say, 90 percent aggregate and 10 that look at taking something from
percent bitumen, around 30 percent “There are a lot of communities, even
nothing—like a waste—and then use
of that bitumen can be replaced with though some have Waste-to-Energy
it or recycle it into something that
the plastic additive—depending on plants, looking at developing micro-
helps clean up the planet or helps do
the road and weather conditions. grids, where they’re actually providing
something for other people, but also
energy to other users in nearby plants,”
combine that with profit. I think it’s
The plastic roads look just like regu- says Rogoff. Micro-grids will allow WTE
the way forward really.”
lar asphalt, but because they contain plants to distribute energy within a
plastic, they are more flexible and Another solution communities are now 200-acre parcel. “It’s usually—for any
better at coping with contraction and looking towards is Waste-to-Energy community—the community’s largest,
expansion due to changes in weather. (WTE) plants. WTE facilities are some- most expensive public works project
But not all plastics can be turned into thing Marc Rogoff, Senior Consultant outside of a transportation project or
road mix. MacRebur only uses waste at GeoSyntec, is more than familiar road project. So, with all the compet-
plastics (plastics that are either landfill ing needs, it’s sometimes difficult to get
www.apwa.net / January 2020 / APWA Reporter 15over that hump,” says Rogoff. However, controlling the amount of oxygen pres- that the value of the commodity they
the capital costs often pay off in the ent. Pyrolysis is the thermal degrada- produce exceeds processing costs and
long run, as landfills require operating tion of waste in the absence of air to therefore, there will be no cost to the
costs and long-term care even 30 years produce char, pyrolysis oil, and syngas. city,” says Luken. “Upon closer review,
after closure. “With WTE plants, you many of these technologies can only
don’t have that. The only difference Plasma arc or plasma gasification uses accept a commingled, multi-material
is you have a lot of capital to build the high electrical energy and high tem- waste stream if partnered with a pre-
plant,” says Rogoff. “But they’re rela- peratures created by an electrical arc processing facility—a cost that cannot
tively efficient and then you’re provid- gasifier to convert waste into syngas. typically be recovered through com-
ing long-term capacity (perhaps over Plasma arc systems typically use gasifi- modity sales. In addition, some of
50 years solution) to the community.” cation to break down waste, then pass the commodities produced by these
the syngas and ash through a plasma technologies need to compete with
Rogoff believes the future looks bright gasifier, which helps achieve maximum the petroleum industry, which is
for WTE and its possible applications. conversion efficiency of waste. The highly volatile.” She recommends that
“I personally think you’re going to see resulting syngas can be converted into municipalities determine if technology
facilities being developed that provide electricity, thermal energy for direct vendors have long-term, off-take agree-
multiple solutions to the community, use, or ethanol as fuel. ments that demonstrate guaranteed
not only in developing micro-grids
Plastics-to-fuel (PTF) processes plas- revenue regardless of the market for
that can provide energy for other land
tics #2-7 to produce crude oil using fossil fuels.
uses nearby such as water resources,
providing energy supplies for desali- variations of gasification or pyrolysis
“The Chinese National Sword has
nization applications,” says Rogoff. “I technologies. The plastic is heated in
provided an opportunity for U.S. waste
see the future becoming kind of like an an oxygen-free environment, melted,
to be domestically repurposed into new
energy park, where WTE can provide and vaporized into gas. The gas is then
products and renewable energy rather
the capacity for material that cannot pulled into a central condensing sys-
than contributing to our carbon foot-
find a home.” tem where it is cooled and condensed
print by shipping our recyclables half-
into synthetic crude oil. Feedstock
way around the world. This is exciting
While the model for WTE plants is impurities are separated out into a char
from both an economic and environ-
fairly well established, many waste-to- and the synthetic crude oil is trans-
mental perspective,” says Karen Luken.
resource technologies are still in their ferred to an exterior tank ready for
infancy. “Advanced waste-to-resource This policy decision may be a pivotal
transport to a refinery.
technologies have the capacity to moment in our journey to convert
create high quality commodities “Some of these technologies require waste into a resource. Many experts
that can offset much of the develop- large volumes to be economically in the field see it as an opportunity to
ment and operating costs,” says Karen viable,” says Luken. “For example, build better domestic infrastructure of
Luken from EESI. Luken says the four Brightmark Energy has begun con- technologies, and to give municipali-
advanced technologies showing the structing the nation’s first commercial- ties greater control over their waste-to-
greatest potential for converting scale plastics-to-fuel plant, which resource destiny.
municipal waste into a resource are will be located in Ashley, Indiana.”
anaerobic digestion, gasification/pyrol- The plant will accept all plastic waste What’s next?
ysis, plasma arc, and plastics to fuel. generated for the entire state. “While APWA’s Engineering and Technology
this concept will definitely present Committee has created a Trending
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a biochem- some legal challenges with respect to Technologies Subcommittee. As we
ical process that breaks down organic executing inter-local agreements, it
head into 2020, the subcommittee will
waste (like livestock manure, municipal also means that just one facility has the
work with APWA’s Technical Commit-
wastewater solids, food waste, etc.) potential to virtually eliminate plastic
tees, Standing Committees, the Coun-
to produce biogas and digestate. The waste in Indiana,” says Luken.
cil of Chapters, and industry experts
biogas can be used to generate energy,
Luken warns public works officials to to produce new educational programs
while the digestate (the undigested
carefully vet new technologies before addressing these trending technolo-
solids and liquids that remain) can be
selecting one to replace their tradi- gies, including March’s “Talking Top
land applied or composted to produce
tional recycling program, as the vast Tech: Starting an AV/CV Pilot Edition.”
a high-quality soil amendment.
majority of them require a homog- Be sure to keep an eye out for updates
Gasification and pyrolysis turn carbon- enous waste stream. “Many of the on this and future programs through
based waste (like paper, petroleum- marketing presentations being deliv- our website (at www.apwa.net/events),
based waste plastics, and organic ered to public works directors claim social media channels, and via email.
materials) into energy fuels through their technology can accept all waste
thermal processes. Gasification breaks and no separate collection is required. Thea Voutiritsas can be reached at (816)
down hydrocarbons into a syngas by In addition, some presentations claim 595-5258 or tvoutiritsas@apwa.net.
16 APWA Reporter / January 2020 / www.apwa.netYou can also read
