AASHTO's Resilient and Sustainable Transportation Systems technical services program is offering five webinars this December that focus on several key "resiliency" topics, from how to make highways and bridges more earthquake resistant to improve the cybersecurity defenses of state DOT information technology systems.
The topic of "resiliency" is much on the minds of many state DOT executives, said Michael Lewis, executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, in an interview with the AASHTO Journal back in August.
"What we're trying to do is recognize that a major disruptive event – be it a snowstorm or a protest – is going to happen at some point," he said. "So it's about learning how can we better plan, design, build, maintain and operate our infrastructure in ways that minimize the impact of those disruptions."
Cybersecurity is a critical "resiliency" topic as well, Lewis said, because cyberattacks can be very disruptive all on their own as the Colorado DOT discovered earlier this year. "We need to plan for it and develop tools to minimize and mitigate such events," he said.
Here are the five resiliency webinars scheduled for December, with registration links included:
Seismic Resilient Highways: Monday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. EST. This webinar highlights the Oregon DOT's development of seismic resilient highway corridors and digs into the design details of US-97, the first seismic resilient corridor. Matt Garrett, Oregon DOT's director, will describe the strategies his agency has put into place to build more "seismic resiliency" into the state's roadways, including the development of higher bridge standards and a prioritization plan for bridges and corridors. Click here to register.
Building Organizational Resilience: Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. EST. How do you create a resilient organization in the face of recurring extreme events? Shawn Wilson, Secretary of the Louisiana DOTD, will discuss how his agency addresses the issue of "hurricane fatigue" and how it continues to build up and refine its organizational resilience strategies. Click here to register.
Learning from Hurricane Florence: Monday, Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. EST. Leland Colvin, the South Carolina DOT's deputy secretary for engineering, shares the lessons his agency learned from Hurricane Florence, a Category 4 storm that ripped through the Carolinas and caused severe flooding that was compounded by pre-existing ground saturation due to earlier summer floods. Click here to register.
Cyber Resilience: Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. EST. The transportation sector is the third most vulnerable sector to cyberattacks and Mike Lewis, executive director of the Colorado DOT will lead a discussion about what state DOTs should know regarding cybersecurity and how they can be better prepared to repel cyberattacks of various types. Click here to register.
The 2018 Transportation RISE Recap: Monday, Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. EST. Paula Hammond, WSP USA and the former secretary of the Washington State DOT, will guide a "closing summary" of AASHTO's RSTS Resilience Webinar Series, as well as findings and lessons learned from state DOT CEOs who attended at the first annual Transportation Resilience Innovations Summit and Exchange. Click here to register.
