As our transportation infrastructure woes get more woeful, figuring out how to get work done for today and tomorrow and way into the future isn’t getting any easier.
The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) will present its second annual TransOvation Conference for transportation design and construction pros in Virginia in July. I went to the last one, I’ll go to this one. I think it’s tremendously valuable because it presents a pragmatic way to think innovatively. And that’s a decision-making or planning tool that can be beneficially employed in your everyday work, its not just impractical daydreaming or wish-listing. It can change, in real life and real time, the way we do things for the better, something many of us struggle to do sometimes when doable or predictable options run low.
Kirk Landers’ column in the May issue of Better Roads pounds away at this idea of the real value of innovation, It’s one of his favorite topics; and one of mine.We’ve already got some very interesting case-study emails from that column; some future stories or social media input will follow from those contacts I’m sure
I’m pushing it because I really think any agency responsible for our transportation infrastructure can benefit by sending someone. There’s structure and method to the lessons that come from this conference. It’s not just brainstorming quirky ideas, and it will probably send you home better able to contribute real (and maybe surprising on occasion) possibilities at problem-solving sessions.
