ACEC Houston

Thank you to Glenn Allbritton, Varuna Singh, Grady Mapes, Daniel Dvorak, and Danny Perez of the Texas Department of Transportation Houston District for sharing their time and experiences with the members of our ACEC Houston Emerging Leaders Program this morning. It was an excellent discussion covering a broad range of topics, such as TxDOT’s role in various emergency response situations and Houston area planning and partnerships that impact transportation decisions.  We are grateful for TxDOT's support of ACEC Houston and its mission to educate the future leaders of our member firms. Big thanks to Membership and Program Development Chair, Tej Kour, and Vice Chair, Trevor Moore, P.E., for oversight of this program. Jarod Branstetter, P.E.; Daniel Lamas; Eric Methvin; Carolyn (Swann) Brown, PE; Afshin Gazerzadeh; Guru Dommaraju; Hea Garza; Edgar Britt, P.E.; Ryan Eurek, P.E.; Khandi Gordon, PE  

Thanks to Varuna Singh, Deputy District Engineer at the Texas Department of Transportation Houston District, for his presentation and time responding to our members' questions during our Transportation Committee meeting. Thanks to committee chair Floyd Scurry, PE, and vice chair Rob Maxwell for their dedication and leadership.

In November, voters approved Prop A. It's a measure to increase taxes to fund flood maintenance. On Thursday, we learned the flood control district plans to tackle 30 major maintenance projects this year because of the money, which usually only five to eight are done annually. https://lnkd.in/gyBEETm7

Mayor John Whitmire told the Houston Chronicle that the governor called him to discuss the state purchasing “excess” water from the city — an idea Whitmire said he is open to if it means Houston can get much-needed infrastructure funding. https://lnkd.in/gw4cusnX

Great to see our Board of Directors at the first meeting of the new year. We appreciate all of their hard work and that of the chairs and vice-chairs of our committees to ensure ACEC Houston is a valuable resource for all our members. We had a bonus celebration for Stephanie Anderson's birthday. Happy New Year! Rodney Heisch, PE; Emily Anderson, PE, PMP; Andy Palermo, P.E., CFM;Stephanie Anderson;Kim Sachtleben, P.E.;Monica Silver, P.E.;Stephen Gilbreath;Eric Hall; Michel Maksoud; Sanjay Ramabhadran;Ravi Yanamandala

Thanks to our Small Firm Committee sponsors Civitas Engineering Group, Inc., Geotest Engineering, Inc., The Rios Group, Inc., and VERSA Infrastructure LLC for helping us kick off the new year with a happy hour to discuss the year ahead. Big thanks to our Chair, Priya Sharma, ENV SP and Vice Chair, Sharat Kalaga, for their continued efforts to provide quality programming each month for our small firm family. Naresh Kolli, PE;Jerry Outlaw;Rich Patrick;David Hagy;Asim Tufail, PE, MBA, ENV SP;Cosme Reyes;Eric Methvin;Kim Sachtleben, P.E.;T. Wayne Holcombe;Allison Kainer;Sanjay Ramabhadran;Hector Vazquez;Jeff Masek, PE, CCM;Doug Coenen;Susana Blauser Gonzalez, PE, PMP;Amit Sengupta, MBA, Ph.D.,P.E.;Madhu Narayanasamy;Corbin Doss, PE, PTOE;Atri Sen, P.E., MBA;Michel Maksoud;Emily Anderson, PE, PMP;Trevor Moore, P.E.;Tej Kour; Bryan Jackson P.E., MBA

Last month, the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) released a 71-page strategic plan with artificial intelligence targets that the department hopes will aid transportation investments across the state. TxDOT said it hopes its “embracing of AI” will “enhance its processes, policies, and responsible management of Texas' transportation investments.” https://lnkd.in/gEVUbeZT

Houston and Harris County will receive a combined $382 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Hurricane Beryl recovery efforts and disaster resiliency. The allocations are part of a $12 billion community development block grant program for communities across the U.S. that have been recently impacted by disasters. https://lnkd.in/gY-8Xc-c

Congratulations to our friend and member David Eastwood for being elected as the TCEL Houston Chapter's 2024 Geoprofessional of the Year! Mr. Eastwood is the President of Geotech Engineering and Testing (GET). He has practiced consulting engineering for about 47 years in key technical project management and administrative roles. His specialties are in geotechnical, environmental, materials and geoforensic engineering.

From driverless robotaxis to a gondola-like rail system, several unique transportation services were proposed or rolled out this year in greater Houston. Here are seven transportation efforts covered by the Houston Chronicle in 2024.  https://lnkd.in/gB6UDg7M