Orange County Branch Newsletter

October 2015

News From The Archives

President's Message June 1986 on Transportation

In June 1986, Steve Marvin, PE, the president at the time wrote an article on the state of transportation in Southern California

By Steve Marvin, PE

Transportation in Southern California, and specifically Orange County, holds the key to our present and future quality of life. Community organizations, in an effort to halt or at least slow development, cry for 'roads first* while the construction industry pushes on with necessary development to meet an ever increasing need. At the same time that new facilities and methods of transportation are conceived and constructed, ever increasing loads"on existing facilities hasten their demise. Roadways and highways fail under heavier trucks and concentrations of buses inconceivable during the initial design process. Maintenance dollars diminish with decreased fuel consumption while construction costs continue to increase even in a time of nominal inflation.

Civil engineers seldom get public recognition for accomplishments, but are quick to be singled out when a perceived flaw in design may have contributed to the premature failure of a Public Works project. Witness criticism of freeway capacity, storm drains in Huntington Beach, toxic waste clean-up in Fullerton, airport expansion in Newport Beach, shoreline storm damage, landslides in Laguna Beach, or the age-old pothole on our many roadways and streets. As Civil Engineers we interface with other engineers, architects. Public Works Directors, City Managers, planners, etc. During these exchanges, practical compromises are formulated, incorporating sound engineering principles and professional judgement to meet the conceptualized need, while not losing sight of economic realities. This sharing of ideas has shaped and will continue to shape the face of Orange County.

There is also an article in the newsletter about an EMA Professional Liaison Committee, which brought many professional associations together to address development issues in Orange County.  For articles from the remainder of the newsletter and a PDF copy of the original newsletter CLICK HERE

If you have any past newsletters you would like to share with the OC Branch, please contact Gary Gilbert gary@diazyourman.com

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