Minnesota Department of Transportation

511 Travel Info

Context Sensitive Solutions

people planting a tree

Flexible Design for 21st Century Challenges: Balancing Competing Objectives and Optimizing Return on Investments Forum

Feb. 23-24, 2009

Sponsored by MnDOT, the forum was held to “jump start” and tailor a concerted Minnesota initiative to apply greater and more consistent flexibility in transportation planning, design development, and operations statewide. The forum focused on improving the understanding of opportunities to apply greater design flexibility, how to use design flexibility to increase the return on transportation investments, and institutional challenges that need to be addressed to be more successful. An action plan for implementation will be developed based on discussions from the forum.

Welcome and forum objectives

Robert Johns, Director, Center for Transportation Studies; Tom Sorel, Commissioner, MnDOT; Mike Barnes, Engineering Services Division Director, MnDOT

Minnesota's current status with project delivery

Dwight Horne, Director of Program Administration, FHWA

FHWA approach to design flexibility

Mark Taylor, Safety/Geometric Design Engineer, FHWA

State DOT perspectives

Sally Anderson, Roadside and Site Development Manager, Washington Department of Transportation

Tom DiPaolo, Assistant Chief Engineering, Massachusetts Highway Department

Dennis German, Chief, Community Design Division, Maryland State Highway Administration

Brian Hare, Design Services Division Chief, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Kathryn Harvey, State Design Engineer, Missouri Department of Transportation

Nick Stamatiadis, Professor of Civil Engineering/Transportation, University of Kentucky Transportation Center

Institutional challenges and performance objectives

  • Panel Discussion with State DOT Representatives
  • Small Group Reports

Design flexibility

  • Panel Discussion with State DOT Representatives
  • Small Group Reports