ITE Talks Transportation

After 8 years of service, ITE Executive Director and CEO Jeff Paniati is retiring at the end of October. He joins the podcast to reflect on his storied career in transportation, including his many years at the Federal Highway Administration and his tenure at ITE. He also shares his hopes and vision for the future of the organization, and a bit about what he plans to do upon retirement.

Gabe Klein, Executive Director of the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about transportation electrification in the United States. He discusses how his newly created office is working to help deploy its share of the U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build out infrastructure across the country to support various aspects of electrification, and how local and state entities can take advantage of the funding. He also talks about the technological advances taking place in the space and how data sharing will help expand the advantages of adopting electrification.

Bas Govers, Senior Urban Mobility Consultant, Goudappel, The Netherlands, joins the podcast to share insights on creating sustainably safe and comfortable people-oriented spaces that promote mobility. He talks about the evolution of his country over the past 50 years to become more biking and pedestrian friendly, and how they’ve addressed the challenges and lessons learned that come along with accommodating these users. Govers was a part of the Tuesday Plenary Panel Session in Portland, OR, USA at the ITE Annual Meeting in August titled “Creating People-Oriented Communities.”

ITE younger member Anamaria Torres, P.E., PTOE joins the podcast to talk about the wealth of opportunities within ITE for both student and younger members ITE provides for this population. A Senior Transportation Engineer at Stantec, Anamaria talks about the value of not just building her transportation knowledge within the organization, but also her networking and leadership skills. As Co-Chair of ITE's premier leadership program LeadershipITE, Anamaria conveys how ITE helps younger members find their path as leaders within the industry, giving them the tools to succeed. She also shares advice for any student or younger member looking to get more involved within ITE or anyone wanting to join.

Richard Montanez, Deputy Commissioner of Transportation for the City of Philadelphia, PA, USA, joins the podcast to talk about the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program (SS4A) and how the city plans to use the $30 million grant award it recently received from the U.S. Department of Transportation funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. He describes the unique safety challenges faced by the city, and discusses the planned multimodal safety improvements for several of the city's streets and traffic infrastructure, as well as the updates for Philadelphia's Vision Zero Capital Plan.

Peter Koonce, Engineering Manager with the Portland Bureau of Transportation in Oregon, USA, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to talk about the opportunities and challenges facing traffic engineers in the profession today. He gives an overview of some of the efforts taking place on the ground in Portland to improve outcomes for all users including equity, safety and Vision Zero initiatives, and more. Peter also shares with listeners a bit of what they can expect when visiting Portland this August for the 2023 Joint ITE International and Western District Annual Meeting and Exhibition.

Stephen Buckley, P.E., AICP, Vice President of Planning and Advisory Services at Kimley-Horn, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discus the collaboration between transportation planning professionals and engineers. Having began his career as an engineer, and now working as a planner, Steve shares some of the key milestones along the path of his career, discusses real-life examples of successful collaboration between the two groups of professionals, and offers up guidance for how planners and engineers can support each other in their projects while bringing their own valid insights and valuable perspectives. Steve recently took part in the keynote conversation at ITE’s Virtual Spring Conference in March.

Greg Johnson, administrator for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program, joins the ITE Talks Transportation podcast to discuss the ins and outs of this $6 billion project spanning the Columbia River and connecting the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. The project is replacing a 106 year-old bridge on I-5, the only west coast interstate in the United States that goes from Canada to Mexico. Johnson talks about the complexities of managing a large infrastructure project, what it’s like working with two state DOTs, and the importance of engaging community members and having buy-in for this multimodal project. He also highlights the equity considerations involved in the project and how data is being utilized to ensure equitable and inclusive outcomes for the communities touched by the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program.