Infrastructure Insider: Transportation Chronicles

Autodesk’s Ismaeel Babur, a civil engineer and transportation strategist, explores what it will take to make high-speed rail a reality in the United States. Drawing on his experience with Hyperloop, computational design, and transportation research, the conversation examines funding, infrastructure complexity, multimodal connectivity, and the role of BIM, AI, and connected data in shaping the future of transportation delivery.

Kai Nani shares how QR-SE is advancing digital delivery for DOTs, enabling standardized workflows, improved data quality, and seamless collaboration across the project lifecycle.

Liliana Martinez, Senior Manager of Design Technology at the Port of Seattle, shares how a 2024 ransomware attack froze the Port's systems—and why it accelerated, rather than slowed, their move to the cloud. Liliana is leading data sharing by standardizing BIM data, centralizing it in a CDE, ensuring the Port owns and governs it, enforcing it through contracts, and connecting it across the full asset lifecycle from design to operation

In this episode, host Keith Warren sits down with Rad Lazic, Senior Technical Specialist at Autodesk, to explore how Autodesk is advancing a connected, AI-powered platform across the transportation and infrastructure project lifecycle. A civil engineer by trade with deep experience in design, project management, and BIM leadership, Rad shares an inside look at how the industry is shifting from disconnected files and siloed disciplines toward integrated, model-based delivery.

The conversation dives into Autodesk Forma, improved interoperability, and the role of Autodesk Assistant in streamlining workflows, enhancing collaboration, and driving smarter, faster project delivery. Rad also weighs in on the predictability large DOTs and agencies gain from a trusted platform partner, how AI and automation are helping close the civil engineering skills gap, and why open data standards like IFC are critical to the future of interoperability.

Whether you're leading digital delivery at a DOT, running an engineering practice, or simply curious about where infrastructure technology is headed, this episode offers a candid perspective on how connected data, AI, and platform thinking are shaping the next era of transportation.

In this episode, our transportation subject matter expert, Keith Warren, sits down with industry leaders from WSB, a trusted engineering service provider delivering impactful transportation solutions across the country. Together, they explore the evolving landscape of transportation infrastructure, diving into the challenges, innovations, and collaborative approaches shaping today’s projects.

The conversation highlights WSB’s experience across a range of transportation initiatives, from planning and design to implementation, and examines how partnerships, technology, and forward-thinking strategies are helping agencies and communities meet growing mobility demands. Listeners will gain insight into real-world project delivery, the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and what’s next for the future of transportation.

Whether you’re an industry professional or simply interested in how infrastructure shapes our daily lives, this episode offers valuable perspectives from experts working at the forefront of transportation.