TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES MANAGER MARY ELLEN BRUCE LARGE The DFI Annual Conference on Deep Foundations in Atlanta was a great success for the DFI Technical Committees and Working Groups. Three outgoing technical commi t tee chairs were acknowledged for their contributions to DFI and the industry: Nicolas Willig- Friedrich, Case Foundations, of the Slurry Wall Committee; Tom Gurtowski, Shannon & Wilson, Inc., of the Codes & Standards Committee; and Jon Bennett, Brayman Construction, of the Joint ADSC- DFI Micropile Committee. These active chairs were successful in fostering enthusiasm and participation in their committee activities. Technical Activities Update Codes and Standards Lori Simpson, P.E., G.E., principal engineer, Langan Treadwel l Rollo, is the new chair of the Codes and Standards Committee. Simpson has over 25 years of experience in geotechnical engineering. She obtained a B.S. in civil engineering from Stanford University and an M.S. in geotechnical engineering from UC Berkeley. Simpson has provided geotechnical services during design and construction for a variety of projects that include deep foundat ions, deep excavations and ground improvement, predominantly on sites that have poor ground conditions, including potentially liquefiable soil and highly compressible clays. She has been active on the Codes and Standards Committee for many years, and has written and defended code proposals that have advanced the practice of foundation engineering in the U.S. Slurry Wall Giovanni Bonita, Ph.D., P.E., vice president, GEI Consultants, will take over the reins of the Slurry Wall Com- mittee. Bonita has over 21 years of experience with complex FHWA Highway Geohazards Study Program Overview Geohazards are defined as geological or earth-material state and environmental conditions that may lead to widespread damage or risk. The impact of geohazards on transportation infrastructure is evident from the recent major events that affected a number of areas with varying degrees of severity. The occurrence of these events and severity of impact can generally be attributed to combinations of geological, hydrological and environmental triggers. Examples of these geohazards events include incidents of slope instability, landslides and rock fall along a number of critical transportation corridors, for example, the landslides along I-40 in North Carolina and at I-75 in Tennessee. The tragic landslide in Oso, Washington is another example. Other geohazards associated with hurricanes Irene and Sandy as well as flooding in Colorado affected critical transportation infrastructure including failures and impacts on bridges, roadway embankments, slopes, culverts, pavements, retaining walls and tunnels. The investigation and study of the frequency and severity of these events and their connection to climate change is needed. Therefore, the FHWA will be conducting a geohazards study program that includes identification of geohazards along transportation corridors, listing of features that are susceptible to geohazard impact, methods of management for risk mitigation and better allocation of funds, and the impact of climate change on geohazard and associated risk. Identifica- tion of geohazard types that impact trans- portation corridors will include landslides, slope instability, mudslides, rockfall, debris flow, abandoned underground mines, sinkholes, expansive/collapsible soils and earthquakes among others. The outcome of the investigation will help transportation agencies with planning and managing geohazards along transpor- tation corridors and in the initial develop- ment of performance indicators, monitor- ing and adaptation methods. This effort will also assist state highway agencies with meeting Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) goals for safety, infrastructure con- dition, congestion reduction, system reliabil- ity, freight movement and economic vitality. Finally, the study program will evaluate new technologies, innovations and methods for monitoring, detection, prevention, mitigation and adaptation or correction of geohazards. The research will lead to adap- tion strategies for risk management and com- munication along transportation corridors. This 1.5 year study will begin around the end of January 2015 and be completed in three phases. Written by Khalid Mohamed, P.E., PMP, FHWA DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JAN/FEB 2015 • 85
