PLENARY SESSION 4: Agency and Owner Panel - Navigating Future Industry Changes-PPT Presentation

PPT Presentation

Pdf Summary

The presentations examined how transportation and water agencies are adapting programs, policies, and partnerships to changing technical, environmental, and delivery needs.<br /><br />Washington State DOT highlighted its Fish Passage Program, established in 1991 and accelerated by a 2013 federal court injunction requiring 90% of blocked habitat to be corrected by 2030. By June 2023, 114 barriers had been addressed, restoring access to 502 miles of salmon and steelhead habitat. Funding is set to grow substantially, with $3.86 billion allocated across the 2023–29 biennia. WSDOT is also updating its Geotechnical Design Manual, reconsidering risk-sharing in design-build contracts, and exploring progressive design-build.<br /><br />Seattle’s construction and inspections department described geotechnical and seismic challenges, including ground improvement in liquefaction-prone soils, settlement impacts on building foundations, basement-wall earth pressures, and seismic retrofits for unreinforced masonry. Its evolving policies include guidance on basin amplification, multi-period response spectra, retrofit standards, and peer review.<br /><br />California’s Department of Water Resources is implementing new legislative authority for fixed-price design-build, construction manager/general contractor, and progressive design-build. This requires new selection methods, contracts, staff training, and a shift from traditional delivery. Early progress includes a CM/GC project and delivery-method assessments for future work.<br /><br />Federal Lands Highway emphasized adapting design criteria to changing conditions and collaborating with partners and industry. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stressed pre- and post-award collaboration—through industry engagement, value engineering, and open communication—to identify risks, improve solutions, and achieve cost-effective, reliable outcomes. Across the presentations, trust, transparency, and shared expertise were identified as essential to successful change.

Keywords

transportation

water agencies

fish passage

geotechnical engineering

seismic retrofits

design-build

progressive design-build

construction management

habitat restoration

federal collaboration