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  • 1.  What project has given you a sense of pride?

    Posted 09-24-2019 05:35 PM
    One reason I chose to become a structural engineer is the pride that comes with bringing a project to fruition. Watching a structure or project grow from a concept on paper to being in service for travelers is extremely gratifying. Through various projects, I am learning how the path from an idea to the actual ribbon cutting takes a team effort, an efficient use of time, and a lot of brainpower!

    I am currently working on the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) Purple Line Light Rail Transit Project.  The project team has been commemorating the journey at various milestones, prior to completion. It is a 16-mile light-rail line in Maryland with 21 stations that will extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George's County.

    One of the milestones included a Topping Out Ceremony for the Glenridge Operations & Maintenance Facility:
    https://twitter.com/PurpleLineMD/status/1158791427960258561

    A ceremony also took place for the placement of the first rail:
    https://www.facebook.com/marylandpurpleline/videos/2332525126845582/

    I can't wait to ride the Purple Line when it is all finished! In the meantime, commemorating the journey along the way has given me much pride and I'm excited to be a part of it.

    What project has given you a sense of pride?

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    Jameelah Ingram, P.E., M.ASCE
    Washington, D.C.
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  • 2.  RE: What project has given you a sense of pride?

    Posted 09-26-2019 11:08 AM
    Hi Jameelah,

    The Purple Line Light Rail sounds like an incredible project! 

    As I only graduated from college 2 years ago, I don't have many completed projects under my belt. However, one of the few I have worked on that has been completed is the Retrofit of the Burlington Bristol Bridge project. I also agree that seeing a project come to fruition is one of the best parts of our profession and I especially enjoyed that through the completion of this project! 

    The Burlington-Bristol Bridge is a moveable (vertical-lift) truss bridge that crosses the Delaware River from Burlington County, New Jersey, to Bristol Township, Pennsylvania. Owned and operated by the Burlington County Bridge Commission, it was first opened to traffic in 1931. The bridge is one of only 26 vehicular bridge crossings over the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Due to an upcoming repainting project, select members of the bridge required increased capacity to accommodate significant increases in the potential applied wind load for the tarping and rigging configuration needed to repaint the bridge. Our project was to design permanent retrofit plates to accommodate the load increase. This past June, I was a co-author for a technical paper on this project for IBC 2019: https://eswp.com/wp-content/uploads/IBC-OnSite-Program-2019-WEB.pdf 

    The photo below is from a site visit to the bridge earlier this year. 



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    Danielle Schroeder EIT, A.M.ASCE
    Associate Engineer
    Pennoni Associates
    Philadelphia PA
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: What project has given you a sense of pride?

    Posted 09-26-2019 03:35 PM
    Here is a photo of me signing the topping off beam for the new University of Rhode Island College of Engineering, my Alma mater.  My role in this project was minimal, but the steel was fabricated and erected by my company.  I was very proud to represent the Class of 2006 as part of the construction team.  Class has now begun in the new building! 


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    Chad Morrison P.E., M.ASCE
    Professional Engineer
    Greenville RI
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: What project has given you a sense of pride?

    Posted 09-27-2019 11:14 AM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 09-27-2019 11:13 AM
      |   view attached
    In the largely unrecognized fields of Heavy Lift and Transport Engineering, we Rigging Engineers can claim many successes that we can be proud of, but some require a lot more planning. engineering, and sweat than others. One was early in my career where we won the contract to lift from barges the liquid oxygen and hydrogen fuel tanks (120 and180 tons) for testing the Space Shuttle engines. They were to be placed on the existing Saturn test stands at the NASA facility in Hancock County, Mississippi.

    We did not have the massive cranes at that time, so we chose to lift with a hybrid Guy Derrick on a tower- using a re-worked Gin Pole and the boom and other components from a guy derrick (try doing that today). Calculating the lengths, angles, and loading of the guys was most difficult as several guys (at 7.5 pounds per lineal foot) had to go over water. I wound up using stadia and a transit for the layout. The lifts on both test stands were successful- even with the recorded 50 MPH winds during a critical point on one of the lifts. Clearances were very tight.

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    James Worrell
    Mostly Retired
    PE, RLS (retired)
    Raleigh NC
    jimworrell@...
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: What project has given you a sense of pride?

    Posted 09-27-2019 12:51 PM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 09-27-2019 12:51 PM
    I'm loving all the photos of people in their projects! 

    I'm proud of so many of my projects it's hard to pick just one. In the early years I worked on multiple projects at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, City Walk, and Magic Kingdom. Those were amazing experiences that set the bar high in so many ways. Fast-forward to today and my role in projects are very different. I still have varying technical duties but more often its involved in project conceptualization, finance, risk management, and legal issues.

    One particularly challenging project involved multiple investment firms, multiple non-profits, lawyers, designers, theme artists, architects, engineers of all disciplines, tight finance models, poor weather, and many many community stakeholders to create an environment people want to be in. This project had a full athletic center managed by a YMCA, a performing arts center, a church, a coffee house, a sculpture garden, a daycare, an aquatic center (including an Olympic pool and a splash pad), multiple indoor gyms, a community greenway, and outdoor sports fields.

    But what I'm always most proud of is when I see hundreds and sometimes thousands of people enjoying their time in the spaces I've contributed to. I didn't want to post photos of the masses of people from my project openings without their permission but I try to get photos of the end product showing people enjoying the space.

    Because That is when I am most proud! - people enjoying the built environment, interacting with one another, and lives made better!
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    Jesse Kamm PhD, PMP, A.M.ASCE
    Senior Vice President of Construction Management
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    Original Message


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