Digital Commons Network^™

Management Of Roadway Network Restrictions, Philip Labrash, James Reitz, Ethan Black

Purdue Road School

Fort Wayne Public Works managed more than 2,100 requests to restrict its roadway network in 2024 and was projected to do so again in 2025. This presentation will provide an overview of the permitting system and describe common restriction requests such as construction, utility installations, building maintenance, festivals, and special events. The City has developed a multifaceted communications strategy to convey restrictions to the public which includes development of an interactive website, geographically customizable daily email bulletins, and interlocal coordination.

Us 31 Limited Access: Coordination And Land Challenges, Andrea Langille, Jennifer Beck, Michael Kuehl, Adam Burns

Purdue Road School

This session will explore the US 31 Limited Access Conversion project, offering key insights into planning, stakeholder coordination, and right-of-way acquisition. We will explore the project’s complexities, including business access impacts, excess land management and disposal, and unintended consequences that emerged throughout the process.

Developing The Central Indiana Vulnerable Road User Assessment, Dan Malsom, Andrea Miller

Purdue Road School

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO) is developing Central Indiana’s first ever regional Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Assessment. This presentation will present the scope, methodology, assessment results, and lessons learned from the process. We will focus on how the IMPO VRU Assessment differs from the region’s overall Safe Streets and Roads for All planning and the Statewide VRU Assessment INDOT completed in 2023, as well as why communities might want to consider conducting their own assessments.

I-64 Atl: Stage 3 Design-Bid-Build (Dbb) To Design-Build-Low-Bid (Dblb), Dan Thatcher, Kyanna Wheeler, Bob Tally

Purdue Road School

This presentation will share how I-64 ATL, an added travel lanes project, went from a traditional design-bid-build project at Stage 3 to an alternative procurement design-build-low-bid. We will explain the reasons behind the shift and how it was executed.

Professionalism And Ethics In The Practice Of Engineering, Tim Jensen

Purdue Road School

This presentation will provide an overview of ethics, including how they are formed and how professional engineers use them to make decisions in every situation.

Asphalt "Mix" Busters, Elizabeth Pastuszka, Jason Wielinski

Purdue Road School

Get ready to challenge assumptions and uncover the science beneath the surface. In the asphalt world, long-held beliefs often go unquestioned. Drawing from Mixbusters in Asphalt Magazine, this session will examine topics such as design thickness, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), and construction best practices and their impact on pavement durability and performance. It is time to challenge the norm, build with confidence, and engineer for the future.

Innovative Intersections And Interchanges:​ How, Where, And Why, Nathaniel Shellhamer, David Reamer

Purdue Road School

This presentation will cover the basics of innovative intersections, including how to identify good candidate sites, deciding between intersection alternatives, reviewing preliminary design and impact considerations, and more. We will also review updated case studies for several innovative intersections that INDOT has recently completed.

A Review Of Airport Fencing And Wildlife Hazards, Robert Sliwinski

Purdue Road School

This presentation will review the strengths and weaknesses of airport fences in restricting wildlife access to Airport Operations Areas at Indiana airports. Additional topics will include FAA-approved wildlife exclusion fencing designs and general guidelines on fence gap evaluation and maintenance. Airport fence evaluations can be key to obtaining airport improvement project funding in the cases of inadequate fencing.

Public Speaking: Tips, Tricks, And Overcoming The Fear, Richard Gilyeat, Alex Schwinghamer, Mindy Peterson

Purdue Road School

Does the thought of public speaking make you break out into a cold sweat? You’re not alone! This interactive session will help you find your confidence. The focus is on practical tips, tricks, and guidelines to help you conquer your public speaking fears or grow the experience you already have. Strong communication matters and can help you in daily tasks, in growing your career, and in successful project delivery.

Early In Career Panel: The Value Of Industry Involvement, Stephanie Ferzli, Calvin Rizzo, David Musoke

Purdue Road School

A panel of early-career professionals shares the importance and benefits of participating in industry organizations. Learn how involvement can shape careers and foster professional growth.

Should I Approve This? Utility Work Plan Mistakes, Deborah Porter, Katherine Kreienkamp

Purdue Road School

This presentation will highlight common issues with utility work plans and relocation drawings. Mistakes and missed information can result in project delivery delays, design re-work, constructability issues, hit utility lines, and construction delays. Attendees will hear perspectives from INDOT, Indianapolis DPW, and utilities.

Indiana Statutes And Rules For Professional Engineering Licensure, Tim Jensen

Purdue Road School

This session will explain the differences between the Indiana Code and the Indiana Administrative Code, selected statutes and rules applied to the practice of engineering, registration by comity, registrant’s seal, computer-based testing for FE and PE exams, rules for continuing education, audits, board structure, and threats to professional licensure.

Slides On Slides: Multidisciplinary Approach To Landslide Solutions, Joey Franzino, Malek Smadi, Rick Perry, Ryan Whelchel

Purdue Road School

Landslides pose unique technical and logistical challenges for asset managers, engineers, and project managers. Along SR 156 in Switzerland County, landslide corrections were implemented by a team of project managers, geotechnical experts, and structural engineers. This presentation will walk attendees through a multidisciplinary approach to the development of landslide corrections in this real-world example, including the design of a drilled pier retaining wall with tiebacks, working around existing landslide corrections, and risk management.

Test Drive Innovative Intersections—No Car Needed: Public Involvement That Works, Brad Vannoy, Nicole Minton, Trevor Wieseke, Michael Macneill

Purdue Road School

Step into innovative intersection design through immersive, hands-on experiences and real-world public involvement lessons. Get a first-person point-of-view as we show you what it’s like to walk through our 30x50 ft tarps demonstrating a Displaced Left Turn and a Diverging Diamond. Come explore tabletop models of a Reduced Conflict Intersection (RCI), as well as a roundabout, and learn how these experiential tools help drivers and professionals understand how to navigate complex designs. The session will share wins and lessons learned from a proposed rural RCI, highlighting how hyper-local involvement, early grassroots communication, and creative outreach reduced anxiety, built public confidence, …

Telling Your Infrastructure Story Through Lifecycle Planning, Keith Pugh, Craig Roach

Purdue Road School

Local governments face increasing pressure to maintain service levels amid aging infrastructure and limited funding. Lifecycle Planning and Modeling provide a data-driven framework to quantify asset condi tion, criticality, and performance while optimizing long-term reinvestment strategies. This presentation will demonstrate how integrating engineering and financial data enables prioritization of maintenance and capital projects, improves cost-efficiency, and supports transparent communication of service level tradeoffs to decision-makers through visual storytelling and scenario modeling.

Draining Fountain Square With Alternate Delivery, Jason Koch, Mark St. John, Natalie Stephen

Purdue Road School

Indianapolis DPW has started construction on major drainage improvements in one of its oldest neighborhoods, Fountain Square. Building on lessons learned from similar projects in built-up, commercial areas, DPW decided to use an alternate delivery method to procure construction services. This session will provide a high level review of Indiana’s Public-Private Agreement statue (I.C. 5-23), how DPW applied it to the Fountain Square project, lessons learned, and how DPW plans to use this innovative delivery method for future projects.

Let’S Walk And Talk: Building Trust (And Better Projects) Using Community Walk Audits, Ashlyn Devine, Taylor Firestine

Purdue Road School

This session introduces participants to the benefits gained from engaging in community-centered walking audits as practical tools for advancing quality active transportation projects and building trust with the public. Drawing from Health by Design’s Indiana Road to Zero Academy, participants will join a facilitated walking audit near the Purdue campus to discuss common concerns and questions that these exercises address while demonstrating how collaborative notetaking can translate into better planning, engineering, and policy decisions that reflect the unique needs of the community.

Aircraft Misfuelling Awareness After Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Saf) Integration, Jiahao Yu, Sooyon Jin, Mary Johnson

Purdue Road School

Misfuelling or delivering the wrong type of fuel to an aircraft can cause serious economic losses and catastrophic safety risks if not detected before fueling or aircraft departure. Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) alongside existing fuel infrastructure (Jet Fuel, Avgas, among others) can create potential issues and operational hazards. This presentation will cover different types of aviation fuel, risks linked to incorrect fuel or additives, preventive measures, and Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF).

Construction Specifications And Special Provisions, Scott Trammell

Purdue Road School

This presentation will assist project managers and designers in preparing the necessary information required for Department contracts involving Standard Specifications and Special Provisions. Attendees will be exposed to examples of both the right way and the wrong way to present a Unique Special Provision, helpful tips on how to navigate the new Sharepoint review process, and questions to ask to help the author to adhere to legal, moral, and ethical construction standards.

Railroad Coordination 101, Deborah Porter, Kip Bunch, David Farmer, Gregory Fitzsimons

Purdue Road School

This presentation will detail the railroad coordination process to include agreements, review process, schedule, RRA , Railroad Certification, special provisions, and close out. Attendees will hear perspectives from both INDOT and railroad owners.

Tirami-Sue: A Recipe For Using Subsurface Utility Engineering (Sue) Data Successfully, Natalie Parks, Ken Slaninka, Rhett Sloan

Purdue Road School

Leveraging Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) data as a design tool for conflict management helps to mitigate risk to a project during design. However, SUE data should be utilized from design through construction. Leveraging SUE data during construction can serve as a valuable damage prevention tool. This session will discuss how to share SUE data from design team to contractor, and how SUE data are leveraged by the utility coordinator, designer, contractor, inspector, and project owner.

Pel Stories, Tim Miller, Cameron Schuh, Sandra Flum, Blake Dollier

Purdue Road School

PEL Stories: Bridging Planning and Environmental Review: This presentation will highlight stories from planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) projects, demonstrating how early planning can streamline environmental review and improve project outcomes.

IndyPEL: Advancing Planning through Environmental Linkages: This session explores the IndyPEL project, highlighting how Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) studies are shaping transportation decisions in Indiana. Attendees will learn about stakeholder engagement, data-driven planning, and lessons learned.

Future 3: Regional Safety Collaboration To Vision Zero, Cheryl Franks, Kate Múspell

Purdue Road School

This presentation will explore how the City of Rushville spearheaded a multicounty collaboration to develop a corridor-wide safety plan for State Route 3. Attendees will learn how SS4A grant funding, Vision Zero principles, and bypass alternatives shaped a data-driven strategy—despite the absence of an MPO or shared regional planning framework. This session will highlight how local leadership, safety and operational analysis, and stakeholder coordination converged to address high-injury corridors and deliver actionable safety priorities across disconnected communities.

Young Professionals As Catalysts: Driving Innovation And Organizational Growth, Dolan Mcmillan, Kusai Contractor, Ryan Delves

Purdue Road School

Today’s young professionals (YPs) enter the workforce fluent in AI and digital tools, bringing fresh insight that reshapes how organizations make decisions and deliver projects. This session will explore how YPs apply classroom-taught technologies to real-world challenges—leading pilots, influencing business strategy, and fostering inclusive cultures. Through the lens of Organizational Citizenship Behavior, we’ll examine how YPs’ voluntary efforts—rooted in community, collaboration, and curiosity—are redefining innovation, leadership, and organizational growth across the transportation industry.

Cost-Effective Critical Path Management Of Utilities And Right-Of-Way, Kip Bunch, Kenny Franklin, Daniel Mcmurtry

Purdue Road School

ROW and Utilities are two essential elements that affect both cost and schedule. Because these disciplines involve third parties who may not always share the project’s goals, significant attention is warranted to minimize unnecessary complications that can result in cost and schedule overruns. This session will focus on the intersections of ROW and utilities, providing participants with tools and tips to reduce project risk and build reliability in delivery.

Enhancing Safe Streets And Roads For All (Ss4a) Safety Plans Through Stakeholder Input, Neal Styka, Aaron Bubb

Purdue Road School

Developing a successful Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) safety action plan requires meaningful collaboration across diverse groups. While technical advisory committees are valuable, participation and feedback are not always guaranteed making outreach to organizations and attendance at community events all the more important to ensure input can truly shape stronger, more responsive safety plans. This presentation will highlight how one-on-one outreach and direct engagement build trust, expand community input, and reveal safety concerns not reflected in crash data.

Diverging Diamond Interchanges Lessons Learned: Design Refinements And Performance, Nathaniel Shellhamer, Daniel Mccoy, Jack Gallagher

Purdue Road School

This presentation will share an overview of INDOT’s experience with the design of diverging diamond interchanges (DDIs). Specific discussion will focus on design refinements being made in the most recent DDIs in Indiana, as well as lessons learned from existing DDIs in the areas of geometrics, operations and performance, and human factors/driver behavior. We will also review case studies and before-and-after analyses of existing DDIs.

From Feedback To Innovation: Next-Gen Asphalt Preservation, Andrew Eicher, Tim Zahrn, Curt Higginbotham

Purdue Road School

Spray-applied rejuvenators are increasingly used as a proactive pavement preservation tool. This presentation will explore their benefits, recent research findings, and key product attributes valued by road owners. We will discuss limitations and challenges facing current rejuvenator technologies and explore how recent innovations improve user value. An agency representative will provide firsthand insights into the practical use and performance of rejuvenators in network-level pavement management, offering a real-world perspective on their role in extending pavement life and improving asset condition.

Marl Madness: Plainfield’S Slam Dunk Solution, Scott Singleton, Mark Butler, Kyle Zak

Purdue Road School

The final link in Plainfield’s Northwest Perimeter Parkway posed a challenge with poor soils. Designers faced a thick layer of organic material beneath an embankment road section and four-sided box culvert, introducing a risk of settlement under construction loads. This presentation will discuss the challenges and how the proposed solution exceeded expectations.

Liquid Steel-Repair Of Steel Bridges With Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Michael Culmo, Brian Winger

Purdue Road School

The use of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) for steel bridge repair has been pioneered through a collaboration of the Connecticut DOT, the University of Connecticut, and CHA Consulting, Inc. To date, three applications have been developed and completed. These applications include repairing of corroded steel beam/girder ends, improving flexural capacity of girder flanges, and strengthening of truss gusset plates. This presentation will cover the development and implementation of all three applications.