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LTC Virtual Conference Offers New Experience

Featured in Technology Today (Volume 35, Issue 2), a quarterly publication of the Louisiana Transportation Research Center.

With over 800 unique views, the 2022 Louisiana Transportation Conference was able to reach a number of transportation professionals through the comfort of their office or home. This year’s conference was held virtually, and attendees were able to view a variety of technical sessions, explore an online exhibit, attend virtual meetings, and live chat during presentations.

Popular Sessions

Gaining the most views was Secretary Shawn Wilson’s keynote session “2022 Louisiana Transportation Conference Secretary Address and Electric Vehicle Technical Session.” Dr. Wilson explained, “This year’s theme is ‘Reshaping Transportation in Louisiana.’ How fitting of a theme that is because it accurately reflects what this administration being led by Governor Edwards has done for the last six plus years.” He went on to highlight DOTD’s centennial, innovative funding methods, completed projects, and major upcoming projects across the state, including the I-10 widening in the capitol region.

“We are changing original infrastructure that was built over 50 years ago that has exceeded its useful life to build a better, more resilient and more community friendly interstate system in our busiest corridor in Louisiana,” Dr. Wilson said.

The second part of the secretary’s address included a live conversation about the industry of electronic systems, such as electric vehicles (EV). As part of an effort to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Dr. Wilson invited Paul Vosper, Juice Bar CEO, and Byron Lee from Airware, LLC to share their expertise and thoughts on EV technology and the vision for opportunities in Louisiana.

Another highly attended session included “Green Book 8 and Road Design Manual Updates” by Robert Iseman, P.E., and David Smith, P.E., where they gave an overview of proposed Green Book 8 as well as information on the latest roadway design guidance, proposed design policy updates, and significant changes to the Road Design Manual.

“Updates on Statewide Highway Safety Initiatives” also gained the attention of a number of attendees. This session was led by Autumn Goodfellow-Thompson, Karla Courtade, Jessica DeVille, and Ralph Mitchell, Jr. The presenters highlighted current initiatives underway in Louisiana to assist planners and engineers, such as the upcoming 2022 Strategic Highway Safety Plan update, Highway Safety Improvement Program activities including the Statewide Pedestrian Crash Assessment, and the new Louisiana Uniform Crash Report and eCrash system rolling out this year across the state.

Virtual Benefits

While many attendees missed the standard in-person conference, there were virtual benefits for some. The event feed allowed a number of participants to engage with speakers and fellow attendees by answering polls, adding comments, and responding to questions in real-time. Attendees also had the opportunity to re-watch anything that was missed as well as watch the conference from their place of choice, avoiding travel.

Overall, while the conference will be returning to in-person next year, attendees were able to experience a reimagined LTC and interact with their colleagues and gain information in a new way—all while looking forward to convening again at the Baton Rouge River Center in March 2023.

Thank You 2022 Sponsors

Support for LTC is not possible without the generosity of fellow industry partners. Thank you to our Gold Sponsors: Arcadis; Neel-Schaffer, Inc.; Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.; Gresham Smith; WSP USA, Inc.; Modjeski and Masters, Inc.; T. Baker Smith LLC; CSRS; Dewberry Engineers, Inc.; AECOM; and HDR Engineering, Inc. In addition, thank you to our Silver Sponsors: Intelligent Transportation Systems, Michael Baker International, HeadLight, Buchart Horn, and Crescent Engineering & Mapping, LLC. Attendees had an opportunity to virtually chat with sponsor representatives and explore their company pages as part of the conference this year.

Save the Date

LTRC is already gearing up for the next LTC, which will take place March 12-15, 2023, in the newly renovated Raising Cane’s River Center. In a recent survey, attendees gave input on what they would like to see in next year’s conference. Some of these topics included: CAV, geotechnical, current popular projects around the state, complete streets, and the I-10 widening project.

Have an idea for a conference presentation topic?

Visit the submission form here to send your ideas to the program committee.