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Transportation & Development Institute (T&DI) Technical Session Presentations

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Mark Bouma started with the NTTA in 1998 leading the design and construction of the President George Bush Turnpike and Addison Airport Toll Tunnel.  In 1999, he became Director of Engineering, leading the NTTA’s rapid growth in planning, design and construction of toll road and capital improvement projects.  In late 2007, he became the NTTA's Technical Oversight Leader, providing technical direction and quality assurance over design and construction in the NTTA's newly formed Project Delivery Department.

Previously, Mark was employed for 12 years by HNTB Corporation.  His work included construction management of the Dallas North Tollway extensions from IH 635 to SH 121, TxDOT bridge inspections, rehabilitation design of the historic Waco Suspension Bridge, and design of bridges and interchanges.

Mark earned his B.S. and M.E. degrees in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1983 and 1986, respectively.

Mark is the past Chairman of the Engineering and Design Committee for the International Bridge Tunnel & Turnpike Association.  He is also very active in the Boy Scouts in Frisco as Assistant Scoutmaster, Venture Crew Associate Advisor, Unit Commissioner and Chapter Advisor to the Boy Scout Order of the Arrow honor society.

DCTA has just finished the first five years of revenue service on the 21.3 mile A-train commuter line.  This service connects the DART Green line (at the Trinity Mills Station) to Downtown Denton, and serves both commuters travelling into the Dallas area as well as the students, faculty, and staff at the University of North Texas and Texas Women’s University.  A-train stations and park/ride lots serve Denton, Highland Village, and Lewisville.  DCTA has overcome a number of policy and engineering challenges in the implementation and operation of this service.  This presentation will review some of the  lessons learned in the successful initial history of the A-train.

Jim received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1984 and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 1986, both from Texas A&M University. He is a registered Professional Engineer.  His previous experience includes three years with Kimley Horn and Associates, and over twenty years of municipal Public Works/Transportation experience at the Cities of Beaumont, TX and Irving, TX. In March, 2010, he assumed the duties as President of the Denton County Transportation Authority. 

Jim 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 as the Brigade G7, and his military assignments ranged from Engineer Platoon Leader through command of the 386^th Engineer Battalion. His military awards include the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit medals.

Jim and his wife Nancy (currently Denton County Area Engineer for TxDOT and member of the CFBISD School Board) have been married for over twenty-nine years, and they have three children (Bob, USAF Officer – 24, Greg, student – 21, and Allison, student – 19; all Aggies). 

The ideal city should be a place that fosters health, wealth, and happiness. How can we design infrastructure for intended outcomes such as healthy people and sustainable, prosperous places rather than by theory or standards? This presentation will discuss real world local, national, and international case studies demonstrating how infrastructure corridor and network design shapes land use, density, and real estate markets as well as travel mode choice and human behavior in order to solve congestion and rebalance tax base to tax burden ratio for long-term financial solvency of places.

Patrick Kennedy is a planner and urban designer with more than 15 years of experience tackling complex urban challenges at local, national, and international scale. His focus is on the interrelationship between movement infrastructure network design and real estate market dynamics in order to deliver successful, lovable, sustainable places. As co-founder and partner of design firm Space Between Design Studio, he is currently working with Uptown Dallas, Inc., and Downtown Dallas to improve multi-modal mobility and neighborhood livability. He is also the former President of the North Texas Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism, co-founder of A New Dallas, a non-profit promoting transportation alternatives and neighborhood revitalization, as well as the Coalition for A New Dallas, a Political Action Committee dedicated to electing, educating, and empowering local leaders in support of revitalizing Dallas neighborhoods. He has awards from NCTCOG, Greater Dallas Planning Council, APA, AIA, AIGA, and ASLA.