Having worked on projects in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and North Carolina during my 20+ years at Qk4, I have been afforded the opportunity to see how four state transportation departments approach highway design projects. I have applied some of the best practices of each state to all my design projects. For example, Tennessee requires that environmental boundaries for wetlands and streams be shown on the plans; that has enhanced my awareness for determining environmental footprints and probable in-lieu costs for Kentucky projects. Projects on which I gained the most experience are:

• Kentucky: I-64 in Jefferson and Shelby counties
• Tennessee: SR 111 in Sequatchie and Van Buren counties
• West Virginia: WV 9 between Charlestown and Martinsburg
• North Carolina: NC 55 in Mooresville

I-64 widening produced a challenge between a proposed overpass bridge design and a major overhead utility tower. Louisville Gas & Eelectric estimated a two-year delay to the project for tower design and relocation. My staff and I redesigned our profile grade to save the existing bridge and still meet horizontal and vertical clearance criteria for the widened interstate.

I started my engineering career by specializing in drainage design with the highlight being developing the drainage documentation for the entire Toyota Access Roads project in the mid 1980s. I transitioned into complete plan development and project management during tenures in North Carolina (2 years) and West Virginia (3 years) with my previous employer. During my 20 years at Qk4, I have been fortunate to work on many Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Louisville Metro projects. Our design for Johnsontown Road in southern Jefferson County provided an improved link between Dixie Highway and the Tradeport Industrial Park along the Greenbelt Highway. The project earned an APWA Award.

Education

BSCE, 1984, Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky

Registration

PE / KY, AR, AZ, NC, NV, OH, TN, WV

Affiliations

American Society of Civil Engineers