Maintenance and Roadway Workshop Highlights Safety, Drone Technology

Pop quiz: Name a conference where you get to focus on highway safety first and last, with a slight detour to talk about the why, wherefore, and applications of state-of-the-art drone technology.

If you didn’t think of IBTTA’s 2016 Maintenance and Roadway Operations Workshop, May 15-17, 2016 in Newport, Rhode Island, it probably means you still haven’t registered for the most informative, hands-on highway maintenance event of the year.

You’re not too late. But you’ll want to check out the program and make your reservations now, before it’s too late.

Safety First and Last

The Workshop kicks off Monday morning, May 16 with a session on roadway safety innovations, tools, and policies. Panelists will point to personal communications technology as both a challenge and an opportunity for toll road operators.

“With the desire for drivers to have instant information at our fingertips” through cell phones, tablets, and onboard computers, “traffic management systems are pushing the limits of the current infrastructure to keep up with safety, incident management, and roadway information,” said Buddy Croft, President of IBTTA. “Advances in roadside infrastructure are on the verge of making the data available for the everyday user, while helping agencies cope with the demand for fast response and improved safety.”

On the final morning of the event, a “hot topic” panel will focus on the imperative of keeping highway bridges safe, secure, and well-maintained. Panelists will explore the latest trends in structural applications, inspection methods, including potential use of drones, and accelerated construction, as well as bridge aesthetics and lighting. The Workshop will also explore the latest in life cycle cost decisions, to ensure bridge repair and rehabilitation are undertaken to deliver maximum efficiency.

Throughout the two-day workshop, smaller breakout sessions look at the long and winding road of enterprise asset management (EAM), as well as the growing partnerships between data gatherers, first responders, toll operators, and regulatory entities that ensure roadway safety.

Is It a Bird? Is It a Plane?

And speaking of drones, you won’t want to miss a deep dive into the world of Unarmed Aerial Vehicles (that’s why we just call them drones), addressing the concerns and opportunities they pose for highway operators. Drones can be the best of times and the worst of times for tolling agencies—but either way, they’re an inescapable reality.

“On one hand, they can intrude into restricted locations and present both a distraction and possible danger to your staff and customers,” said Pat Jones, Executive Director and CEO, IBTTA. “On the other hand, they can be applied for construction management, remote inspections, security and emergency response uses, and myriad other uses still being devised.”

This is your chance to get a bird’s eye view (yes, I really said that) of the drive to regulate the use of private drones, while putting them to creative and practical use.

Giving Back to the Community

The annual Maintenance and Roadway Operations Workshop is also a time when IBTTA gives back to a host community with its popular community service project. This year, we’ll (literally) be building bridges at Fort Adams, a beautiful state park in Newport, a former U.S. Army post named for President John Adams.

Register today for IBTTA’s 2016 Maintenance and Roadway Operations Workshop, May 15-17, 2016 in Newport, Rhode Island.