How We Celebrated Our First 100th Year

The National Capital Section of ASCE celebrated its 100th year in 2016. During our Centennial Year, all activities had a centennial focus. We held walking, driving, and boating tours of civil engineering landmarks located in the nation's capital region. We had a monthly article on Outstanding Civil Engineers in our Monthly Newsletter, and participated in two major Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math events, including the Science and Engineering Festival where we highlighted civil engineering to over 10,000 students, teachers, and parents. Our lasting tribute to our first hundred years was a coffee table book, Engineering the Nation's Capital, that features memorable civil engineering projects from our past. The highlight of our Centennial was a day-long Centennial Conference held on June 3, 2016 that featured Technical Sessions, Panel Discussions, and Exhibits.

Presented by ASCE-NCS

Register HERE by April 13th!

If you drive a car in the DC area, then you are almost sure to have driven either within or alongside the 495 | 95 Express Lanes. Besides knowing that you have to pay a toll to use the facility, what else do you know about the Express Lanes network in Virginia?

Did you know that in 2007, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) finalized a long-term partnership agreement with a consortium led by Transurban that would design, build, operate, finance and maintain the $2 billion 495 Express Lanes? By partnering with the private sector, VDOT was able to deliver improvements more quickly and with fewer tax dollars, provide new travel choices, and reduce impacts on the community and the environment. The partnership enabled Virginia to leverage private capital to translate every one dollar of state taxes into four dollars of transportation improvements. Again, in 2012, VDOT finalized a long-term contract with 95 Express Lanes, LLC, where Transurban and its partners made a substantial upfront equity commitment to fund construction of the new 95 Express Lanes. Through this partnership, Virginia was able to leverage private investment to deliver a nearly $1 billion project for only $82 million.

In an effort to extend the Express Lanes network, VDOT recently approved the $460 million 395 Express Lanes project which, once constructed, will extend the 95 Express Lanes for eight miles north to the Washington, DC line. The 395 Express Lanes will reduce congestion in the I-395 corridor, increase capacity by adding an additional HOV lane to create three reversible lanes on I-395, and extend the benefits and travel options of the 95 Express Lanes further north. Early construction activity is expected to begin in the summer of 2017 with completion currently scheduled for late-2019.

Transurban is an Australian-based company that manages and develops urban toll road networks in Australia and the United States. Transurban currently has 13 roads in their Australian portfolio and two roads in the state of Virginia.

Join us on April 18 to learn more about Transurban and the Express Lanes in Virginia, including projects that are currently under construction and future projects on the horizon!

WHEN: Tuesday, April 18th, 2017, 6pm - 8:45pm.
WHERE: Hilton Arlington - 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, Virginia
FEE: Early Registration: $45, Walk-In (pending availability)$55, Life Members $25, Students $10
One (1.0) Professional Development Hour (PDH) will be awarded for attendance.

Karl A. Rohrer is the Head of Delivery - North America for Transurban, responsible for leading Transurban's delivery of new toll and managed roadways in the North American market. He is active in establishing and executing the overall business strategy for North America, serves as a key liaison with contractors, government, industry and other stakeholders, and engages internal teams to safely deliver major new infrastructure and capital maintenance projects. Prior to joining Transurban, Karl served as the Deputy Project Director (Phase 2) of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), and has held previous roles as Senior Project Manager for Parsons Corporation and Project Development Manager of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT).