The Driving Force
A transportation podcast produced by the Louisiana Transportation Research Center. Hosts Todd Blount and Garrett Wheat highlight what and who is driving change in Louisiana transportation.
Episodes
On this episode, Todd and Garrett kick off a brand new series with Stan Ard, who heads up Louisiana DOTD's Location & Survey section. Stan introduces us to the many functions of his team and discusses how advances in technology are enabling them to support DOTD and other agencies in exciting new ways.
Dr. Mary Leah Coco, LTRC's Associate Director of Technology Transfer and Training and the Chair of the Louisiana Transportation Conference Executive Committee, joins Todd and Garrett to preview this exciting upcoming event. You'll hear about what to expect over the three days of the conference, including the General Session, Technical Sessions, and Tradeshow, as well as how to register and where to find answers to common questions.
Todd and Garrett wrap up another exciting series by welcoming LTRC Pavement Research Manager Dr. Qiming Chen, Pavement Research Engineer Dr. Jun Liu, and Engineering Technician Consultant Terrell Gorham to the show. In this wide-ranging conversation, the trio provides an overview of LTRC's innovative and important pavement research happening across Louisiana on a daily basis.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett continue highlighting LTRC's innovative geotechnical research efforts by welcoming Senior Geotechnical Research Engineer Nick Ferguson and Engineering Technician Consultant Chris Mertz to the show. Nick and Chris highlight how the team's engineers and lab personnel partner to plan and perform groundbreaking research across Louisiana.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett launch a new series highlighting the groundbreaking work of LTRC's Pavement & Geotechnical Research group. Research Administrator Gavin Gautreau joins us for an introduction to the content, scope, process, and everyday impact of his team's pavement and geotechnical investigations.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett wrap up our series with Louisiana DOTD's Structures Maintenance and Inspection Group by welcoming Group Administrator Haylye Brown and Bridge Engineer Jason Michiels to the show to discuss one of the most unique aspects of Louisiana's transportation infrastructure: our 100 movable bridges.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett continue to explore the inner workings of Louisiana DOTD's Bridge Maintenance Group by welcoming Bridge Maintenance Administrator Haylye Brown and Load Rating Engineer Billy Metcalf. This conversation focuses on their team's creative problem-solving approach to ensuring Louisiana's bridges remain safe for all of the state's road users, including heavy industry.
On this unique episode, Todd and Garrett are joined by Bridge Maintenance Administrator Haylye Brown and Louisiana Roadside Development Manager Ryan Duhon. They discuss Ryan and his team's impressive and extensive work to manage vegetation, control litter, and beautify Louisiana's roadsides- and how all of this work supports DOTD's maintenance and safety efforts.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett continue our series with Louisiana's DOTD Bridge Maintenance Group with a focus on structural bridge repair and rehabilitation across the state. Bridge Maintenance Administrator Haylye Brown and Maintenance Repair Engineer Bradley Mistich share how their team works both proactively and responsively to keep Louisiana's extensive bridge inventory in top operating condition.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett kick off an exciting new series on bridge maintenance in Louisiana by welcoming Bridge Maintenance Administrator Haylye Brown and Bridge Inspection Engineer Stephanie Doolittle. In this lively conversation, Haylye and Stephanie provide an overview of their team's efforts to thoroughly and consistently inspect the state's nearly 13,000 bridges, along with a few fun stories from the field.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett wrap up our series with LTRC's Special Studies Research Group by welcoming Dr. Walid Alaywan, Senior Structures Research Engineer. Dr. Alaywan shares about a wide range of bridge and other structural projects across Louisiana, including the rebuilding of the I-10 Twin Span Bridge following Hurricane Katrina.
Todd and Garrett continue our Special Studies Research Highlights series by welcoming Dr. Ashifur Rahman, LTRC's Planning and Intermodal Research Manager. In this conversation, Dr. Rahman discusses how he and his partners are working together on a broad range of high-impact projects related to the safety and efficiency of Louisiana's transportation system.
Dr. Milhan Moomen joins Todd and Garrett for a fascinating conversation about his work in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and traffic research, highlighting several current projects exploring and evaluating the latest technologies in transportation engineering and how they can be used for the benefit of road users across Louisiana.
LTRC Safety Research Manager Dr. Elisabeta Mitran joins Todd and Garrett on this episode to share about the latest in her team's groundbreaking transportation safety research. She highlights several recently completed and in-progress projects exploring both infrastructure and behavioral factors that contribute to enhanced safety on Louisiana's roadways.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett kick off a new series highlighting the work of LTRC's Special Studies Research Group. They are joined by Research Administrator Dr. Julius Codjoe, who provides an overview of the unique and diverse research performed by his team, along with some fascinating insights on his personal journey from Ghana to the United States.
Todd and Garrett kick off Year Two of The Driving Force by sitting down with Dr. VJ Gopu, LTRC's Associate Director of External Programs. In this conversation, Dr. Gopu shares highlights from his decorated and far-reaching career in transportation and discusses the exciting research partnerships LTRC has across Louisiana, the United States, and beyond.
In Part Two of our series with Louisiana DOTD's Pavement and Geotechnical Unit, Todd is joined by section head Chris Nickel and geotechnical engineers Jesse Rauser and Miranda Perkins. This conversation highlights how this talented team of engineers designs and monitors deep foundations, retaining walls, embankments, and other critical portions of Louisiana's transportation infrastructure.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett are joined by three members of DOTD's Pavement Design group- Chris Nickel, Mark Ordogne, and Xingwei Chen. This trio gives a fascinating overview of their group's day-to-day operations across Louisiana, highlighting how their ongoing efforts serve the state's traveling public.
Professor Louay Mohammad, LTRC's longest tenured researcher, joins Todd and Garrett on this episode to reflect on his four decade career in teaching and materials research. He discusses what has changed in the transportation field since he began his work, as well as what keeps him excited and motivated at this stage of his accomplished career.
On this episode, Todd and Garrett welcome Drs. Zhen Liu and Ricardo Hungria, two members of LTRC's excellent and award-winning concrete research team. This conversation touches on several recently completed or in-progress projects and their potential impacts on the transportation system in Louisiana.
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