February 2023 Lunch Meeting - ASCE SLO
Please join us on Thursday, February 16th. Our meeting will host Maria Lehman, P.E., NAC, ENV SP, F.ASCE, ASCE Worldwide President, recognize our new life members, and have a presentation on the Avila Beach Drive at US 101 Roundabout Interchange project. Sarah Huffman, P.E. and Aaron Yonker, P.E. will be delivering the presentation. Come hear about this project that is approaching construction.
About the Presentation:
The County of San Luis Obispo is administering an operational and safety improvement project at the Avila Beach Drive and US 101 interchange and hired Wallace Group as their consultant of choice to deliver the project from PA&ED to final design. The County and Wallace Group team is currently finalizing the design Plans, Specifications & Estimate (PS&E) phase, with the project scheduled to go to construction this summer. The project consists of designing a new roundabout at the southbound US 101 ramp terminal/frontage road intersection, and geometric and sight distance improvements at the northbound ramp terminal. Additionally, a Park-and-Ride facility will be constructed within the County right of way located southwest of the interchange. The Wallace Group design team spearheaded the utility coordination, geotechnical investigation and analysis, traffic operations analysis, water quality and hydraulics, and preliminary retaining wall and geometric design and plan development.
Vehicular congestion and unconventional intersections within the interchange exacerbate conflicts with non-motorized users and increase the potential conflicts for vulnerable users. Concerns for vehicular safety improvements at the southbound ramp terminal and for slowing of northbound to westbound vehicles are key drivers of this project. This interchange was identified in a SLOCOG Master Plan as a transportation priority and serves as an important gateway to the communities of Avila Beach and Shell Beach. Based on the Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) prepared by Caltrans during the PID phase of the project safety and operational issues were observed, various control alternatives were considered, and the Project Development Team (PDT) finalized the current project concept in the PA&ED phase.
Sarah Huffman, P.E. | Senior Transportation Engineer/Project Manager - Wallace Group
Sarah is passionate about connecting communities and people through safe and accessible transportation infrastructure. This has led her to focus on roundabout operations and design, ADA improvement projects, regional trails, and roadway improvement projects that incorporate non-motorized user facilities. Over the past ten years, she has gained experience in transportation engineering: roundabouts, sidewalks and curb ramps, shared-use paths, interchanges, bridges, pedestrian crossing treatments, protected intersections, roadway realignments, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Sarah works with Caltrans and various other public agencies in the Central Coast to deliver projects with a focus on improving multimodal access, mobility, safety, and traffic operations. She is also supporting the County of San Luis Obispo on the US 101/Avila Beach Drive interchange project with Caltrans oversight. On this project, Sarah has worked directly with the environmental consultant, Caltrans and County staff to finalize the CEQA IS/MND, author the Final Project Report, and obtain project approval for a roundabout at the ramp termini intersection with a park-and-ride lot.
Aaron Yonker, P.E. | Supervising Project Manager - SLO County, Public Works Department
Mr. Yonker is a Division Supervisor within the Project Delivery Division of SLO County Public Works Department. In that capacity he serves as a project manager to procure and manage consultant contracts between the County and private engineering firms for transportation capital projects. This includes technical oversight and project coordination of consultants and County staff performing engineering, environmental, and right-of-way related work. In that capacity he coordinates with stakeholders and funding agencies, including Caltrans/FHWA funding oversight, and SLOCOG. Mr. Yonker's prior civil engineering experience includes work within stormwater, water and wastewater system analysis and design, technical specification and bid packet development, hydrology and hydraulic analysis modeling and design, drainage analysis modeling and design, plan-check services, and municipal stormwater and wastewater regulatory compliance support. Mr. Yonker has been providing local professional engineering support services within San Luis Obispo County for the past 12 of his 17-year professional career. His experience extends equally to the private sector where he has provided drainage, hydrology, and hydraulic support design services to clients in the Land Development, Agriculture, and Renewable Power Industries. As DOT Resident Engineer for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation during the early part of his career, Mr. Yonker gained extensive construction inspection, administration, and management experience on large-scale on-system bridge replacement projects.
Thursday, February 16, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM PST
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SLO City/County Library (Community Room)
995 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401