Articles

Technical Sessions- CI and T&DI September 2021

MORNING SESSION @ 11:00 AM

Topic: Considerations for Construction Involving Railroads

Speaker: Audra Rodgers, PE – West Region Transit/Rail Structures Lead at AECOM

 Audra Rodgers is the West Region Transit/Rail Structures Lead for AECOM.  She leads a group of around twenty structural engineers throughout the United States who work primarily on transit rail or freight rail projects.  She is responsible for people and project management, technical oversight, as well as business development for the structures group.  Audra has 17 years of experience in the structural bridge industry, 9 of those being with AECOM.  She has worked on projects for most of the major freight railroads and is currently serving as a member of AREMA Committee 8.  She has a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska.

AFTERNOON SESSION @ 1:00 PM

Topic: Application of Connected Vehicle Data to Improve Highway Safety in the Permian Basin. A Civil Engineer’s Experience in Afghanistan - Ten Years Later

Speaker: Jim Cline, P.E. -Senior  Research Engineer, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Mr. Cline is a Senior Research Engineer at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.  His experience is in the areas of emergency operations, traffic operations, public works engineering, safety analysis, and transit agency leadership. 

Mr. Cline received both a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University.  He is a Professional Engineer in the State of Texas and a Certified Floodplain Manager.  His previous experience includes three years with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc., twenty years of municipal transportation/public works experience with the Cities of Beaumont and Irving, and over eight years as the President/CEO of the Denton County Transportation Authority.  

Mr. Cline was appointed by the Speaker of the House in 2016 to TxDOT’s Public Transportation Advisory Committee representing the general public and is currently the Vice Chair.  This committee advises the TxDOT staff with the implementation TxDOT-funded Transit Programs.  He also served on the FRA Rail Safety Advisory Committee from 2012 -2018 (APTA representative) advising the FRA on policy issues surrounding safety on the rail system in the US.

Mr. Cline retired from the Texas Army National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel with twenty-eight years of military service.  He completed a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010/2011 (Design Engineer/G7), and his other military assignments ranged from platoon leader through command of the 386th Engineer Battalion.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he served as the Dallas Area Liaison Officer for the TXARNG.  His military awards include the Bronze Star, Humanitarian Service and Legion of Merit Medals.