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Governor Snyder’s Executive Directive seeks multi–agency cooperation on infrastructure projects

Have you ever seen a brand new road torn up to replace a pipe? Did you think to yourself, “Couldn’t they plan that better?”

The answer: Probably! Through his Executive Directive, Governor Snyder thinks infrastructure planning among road agencies, municipalities, and utilities can improve, too.

On May 13, he issued an executive directive to MDOT calling for more collaboration with local governments and utility companies on future projects. The reason echoes lessons learned from the Flint water crisis—more transparency and collaboration are crucial to reducing infrastructure costs and disasters. He explains, “Modernizing Michigan’s aging infrastructure requires significant investment, and we can minimize costs and disruption by enhancing collaboration on planning and projects. This directive aims to identify those opportunities where we can upgrade water and sewer infrastructure at the same time roads and bridges are being done.”

How are we going to do this?

Collectively we haven’t been thinking enough about water and sewer pipes falling apart, or how we will pay to replace them.

Fortunately, technology now plays a huge role in improving infrastructure planning.

In Michigan’s future, we will:

Store condition data about every pipe in a community’s system in layered, ‘smart’ maps
Know locations of underground pipes before digging
Have utility crews that can update the maps via computer tablets whenever anything changes
Have data to objectively identify potential pipe replacement and to help us coordinate multi–agency activities, minimizing the long–term ownership cost of our infrastructure

Today, we are improving on yesterday’s planning and we have tools that let us coordinate more. Fiscal sustainability means efficient use of money, such as treating pipes and roads as one system. At Prein&Newhof we are hopeful that Governor Snyder’s executive directive helps Michigan avoid digging up the same road twice in five years!

By Barbara E. Marczak, P.E., Prein&Newhof

Last September, I became Chair of the Michigan Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA). With over 50,000 members, including 1,600 in Michigan, AWWA is the nation’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to managing and treating water.

Little did I realize then that one of the biggest public drinking water crises would unfold in Michigan and reach the size it has today. As I watch the media cover Flint’s water crisis, I’ve been moved by the public’s disbelief, concern, anger, a desire to help, and the emerging efforts to prevent something similar from happening again.

Drinking Water’s History

Looking back over 100 years ago, Americans often died after drinking untreated water. Health professionals hailed modern water treatment technology and distribution systems as the most significant public health advancement of the last century. While safe drinking water has contributed significantly to economic development and prosperity in the United States, there have still been incidences when a water system failure sickened or even killed those using it. In 1993, over 400,000 people in Milwaukee became ill with Cryptosporidiosis. In 2000, over half the 5,000 people in Walkerton, Ontario became sick by drinking water from wells contaminated with E. coli, and in 2002, a change in water treatment in Washington, D.C., led to the release of lead from water service lines.

Water professionals, myself included, learned from these incidents. We found better ways to treat drinking water, adopted more vigilant testing and monitoring protocols, and found better ways to work with public health professionals in tracking potential issues. I’m sure we’ll learn from Flint, too.

Responding

In my role as Chair of the Michigan Section AWWA, I am committed to working with our members to offer education and information that will help prevent future incidents. Since September, I have worked hard with other leaders in the Michigan Section to execute the AWWA’s mission to train water professionals while providing networking and learning opportunities. As an example, the Michigan Section AWWA and the Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA) earlier in February hosted the largest yearly gathering of water professionals and vendors of water treatment and maintenance equipment in Michigan. Besides operator training sessions, water professionals saw the latest technology and equipment in the drinking water and wastewater treatment industry. Through these activities, AWWA and MWEA helps educate engineers and operators responsible for designing, operating and delivering safe drinking water. Many of these same professionals are responsible for keeping our lakes, rivers, and streams clean and free of environmental contaminants. Although the Flint crisis dominated our discussions with each other, the event reminded us of the many positive reasons we work in the water industry.

Nineteen of Prein&Newhof’s professional engineers and scientists belong to these organizations so they enhance their ability to design the public infrastructure we rely upon and take for granted. We volunteer our time in these and many other industry organizations as a way to learn, teach, support, and give back to our profession and our communities.

Please contact me, Prein&Newhof, or the AWWA if you have drinking water questions. If you want to know what’s in your water, we test that, too. Our environmental laboratory is MDEQ-certified to test drinking water for many impurities, including lead and copper.

Several years ago, I met Fred Meijer at a meeting. Mr. Meijer was well known for his philanthropy, especially in the development of bicycle paths across West Michigan. When he found out that I design these paths, he baitingly asked me, “Why do we need an engineer to design bike paths?” I gave him all of the standard engineer answers about drainage, road right-of-ways, easements, retaining walls, and good construction oversight. He smiled at my answer, having known it ahead of time. But the question stuck with me. Why should someone invest in good engineering design and oversight on a bike path? They’re simple, right?

I will answer the question with an example.

Sometime back a Township client asked this same question, and, despite my good “engineer” answer, decided that rather than accepting my proposal they would just have a local developer build the trail. It seemed like a good idea to them at the time. They saw the initial cost savings of removing the engineering independent design and construction observation from the project budget.

Fast forward five years. the same Township called me to design an extension to their developer-built trail. They also requested that I take a look at the existing trail section, admitting that it needed significant maintenance, and that they wanted my advice on how to fix it. The photos below show what went wrong with the original trail.

The old trail is peppered with cracks. Why? Here are my thoughts:

Design for each trail is site-specific. There is no “typical cross section” that can be constructed everywhere. Each section of trail has its own unique design and construction challenges that must be carefully reviewed to ensure that the trail lasts as long as possible.
Construction oversight is critical. Contractors and developers construct. Engineers design and work to make sure the design is implemented in the field. Some of the most common problems are smooth curve radii, improper slopes, poorly compacted gravel, incorrect asphalt thickness and temperature, and drainage.
Asphalt pavement relies heavily on a good base to perform properly. Good pavement design considers the asphalt mix, the gravel quality, gradation and thickness, and the level of compaction beneath it.
Drainage is critical–for both surface water crossing the trail and sub-base drainage under the asphalt. If these issues are not properly addressed, the surface will not last.
The pavement for this trail was constructed in one layer. This may have seemed like an easy way to cut cost from the project, but we learned long ago that it takes two asphalt layers to build a lasting, low-maintenance trail. Two layers of asphalt provide a significantly smoother and stronger trail with minimal increase in cost.
Weeds and roots are growing through the asphalt. Often in situations like this, it helps to place a Bio-Barrier type product below the trail surface to prevent vegetation growth.

Below is a photo of the new trail section for which Prein&Newhof provided design and construction observation services. It should last for many years before needing anything beyond normal maintenance.

Over the past few decades and several hundred miles, Prein&Newhof has learned much about good trail design. Good engineering makes a real, tangible and positive difference in the outcome of a trail. It is well worth investing a little more to make sure your community’s trail is done right. The next time someone asks about the value of an engineered design, I’ll have more to say!

While it is typical to have someone who objects to a proposed trail, in most cases we see an about-face once the trail opens for public use. One property owner actually called me a couple months after the trail opened and apologized for being difficult during construction. She discovered how much she loved the trail! She said that all of the neighbors now meet on the trail where their children are able to safely ride their bikes.

The best way to handle trail opposition is to have a conversation and find the why. Getting to the heart of the matter allows for clarification and, if needed, compromise.

It can be hard for some people to visualize how a trail will benefit them until they have one nearby, but most people eventually come around. And, in the process you meet some interesting people. Here are a few of my favorites:

A couple who owned a bed and breakfast along a proposed trail’s route voiced their vehement complaints about anything involving the trail during the design process. They would not allow the contractor to set foot on their property, not even to build a retaining wall at the edge of the right-of-way. After the trail opened, I checked their website, and not only was the trail listed as one of their key attractions, they stocked bicycles for their guests to use!
One woman became so upset when the contractor cleared sod from her lawn that she began weeping. As the bulldozer approached, she lay down in its path and wouldn’t get up. Finally, we convinced her that we would replace her precious petunias as soon as the contractor paved the trail.
Another time, an anti-government/militia-type person who was opposed to a trail began making vague threats to me. To him, this project represented the government abusing its power. Ironically, he then threatened to call the police and have me put in jail!
I once met with an angry man whose body shook as if he was freezing as we talked. Our trail project planned to take out several scrub trees within the right-of-way, which he considered his front yard. This triggered his paranoia, because he felt the trees were the last barrier between him and those out to ‘get’ him. Looking me in the eye he said “I better go inside now. I’m afraid I’ll do something I’ll regret if I don’t.”
We try to design our trails to serve as many people as we can. One trail connected a new development with a park, and passed in front of several houses on a busy road. One of those homeowners objected to the trail. His rationale—he was afraid with the trail traffic by his house that someone would steal the tires off his cars.
An elderly man was so upset about a trail that he was afraid he would have a heart attack during its construction. His parting words to me were “If I die during this project, you’re to blame, and that’s something you’ll have to live with for the rest of your life.”
While a trail was under construction an elderly man emerged from his house carrying his oxygen tank in one arm and waving a shotgun in the other while chasing the contractor away from his yard. This was his not-so-subtle way of voicing his displeasure with a new trail.
When a utility line is accidentally cut, I always hope that it is a “non-essential” service like electricity or telephone; homeowners are more understanding of these mishaps than when it’s their cable TV line that’s cut!!

Scott Post is a board member at the West Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition. He has designed nearly 150 miles of non-motorized trails in Michigan.

When I started designing non-motorized trails in the Holland area about 16 years ago, trail development was still in its infancy. Since then, I have designed or managed construction of about 150 miles of trails. As your community’s trail system develops, maintenance becomes a real concern. Here are 13 of my favorite maintenance-minimizing trail design tips:

Paving

For a paved trail, use two courses of asphalt. The second course minimizes cracking and provides a much smoother surface for minimal extra up front cost. Contractors may ask if they can pave the same thickness in one course, because it saves them a little money. Do NOT allow it!
Extend your gravel sub-base at least one foot beyond the paved trail edge. Any less and the edges can crack and eventually fail.
Test the gravel gradation and compaction during construction. The wrong mix or sloppy compaction will cause early cracks in the pavement.

Vegetation

If it is necessary to clear vegetation to build your trail, be careful to remove all roots – especially willow trees and yucca plants. They will grow back right through the pavement!
Remove all dead and dying trees within 10 feet each side of the trail. Falling branches can be dangerous and the debris clutters trails.
Keep your trail away from trees if possible. Roots and debris are two of a trail’s most common maintenance headaches.
If you cannot dodge trees and you are worried about roots wrecking the trail surface, consider installing a product similar to bio-barrier. Products like this do not injure the trees, but when installed correctly, they prevent the roots from growing under the trail.
If your trail parallels a road, as often as possible, maintain a grass strip between the pavement edges. This protects both the trail and the road shoulder. It also minimizes road gravel washing all over your trail after it rains.

Layout and Structure

If fill to build your trail, make sure the downhill side-slope is no steeper than 1 ft. of rise over 3 ft. width. If it is too steep, the slope often settles and takes the pavement edge with it.
If your trail includes a bridge or boardwalks, include concrete approach ramps. This minimizes the inevitable settlement and “bump” at the transition point.
If your trail goes downhill for longer than 300 ft., find a way to drain water off the trail surface into a swale, ditch, gutter or catch basin. Otherwise, the edge of the path, shoulders or the grass along the trail could wash out.
If you are building a trail above native clay soil, consider placing a filter fabric between the clay and the sand/aggregate sub-grade. It will help produce a uniform stress on the clay and prevent uneven settlement and pavement cracks.
In wet areas, make sure drainage goes under the trail, not over it. Build the trail higher if necessary. Use a culvert to convey flow or equalize ponding on both sides of the trail. Otherwise the trail becomes frequently wet and potentially dangerously slippery.

Scott Post is a board member at the West Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition. He has designed nearly 150 miles of non-motorized trails in Michigan.

Not everyone is aware of downtown development authorities (DDA), or why they are important. Many cities have one, and Michigan has 35 of them. Prein&Newhof often works with DDAs on projects related to streetscapes and downtown infrastructure.

Downtown is considered the heart of the city. It is an expanse of a few streets that are pedestrian-oriented and often show the historical aspect of the community. It is an important driver for commerce, a stage for public events, and a representation of the city’s identity.

Many cities’ development has focused on suburbs and subdivisions in the last 60 years. This pattern stems from the invention of cars and streetcars. Streetcar suburbs are now often the main thoroughfares of major cities, since we build where transportation is available. Although downtown living has been abandoned in the past century, the resurgence in the last ten years has been significant. We still value our downtowns and direct special funds and efforts to keep them vibrant.

DDAs use incremental property taxes from downtown property owners to make public improvements, which encourage private investment. DDAs are formed by the municipal government after public hearing and approval, and are given boundaries as a district.

Place-based economic development has become a popular issue in response to the economic recession of the last few years. Michigan cities have seen that local identity can drive local commerce, which stabilizes local economies.

Prein&Newhof was happy to be involved with the design of Greenville’s streetscape for M-91, which built the character and identity of Greenville’s downtown and was partially funded by Greenville’s DDA.

Do you think downtowns are worth our investment?

News

Important Information

How are we going to do this?

Drinking Water’s History

Responding