IRF Executive Seminars Attract More Than 20 Countries
International Experts Meet to discuss the latest Innovations in Pavement Preservation and Performance-Based Contracts
70 of the top international experts from the public sector, academia, and the private sector met in Toronto to discuss how performance-based maintenance contracts can be applied to lower operating costs for road & transport agencies. The workshop focused on the experiences of North America and how they compared with the various International experiences with the goal of sharing proficiencies and lessons-learned. The workshop was a resounding success and the participants agreed to meet next year in Chicago USA August 14-16, 2011 to continue the discussions and to continue the exchange of ideas & innovations. Some of this year’s key speakers and presenters included:
- Ben Gericke, Program Team Leader, Europe and Central Asia Sustainable Development ,The World Bank
- Les Hawker, Asset Manager, Transport for London
- Moh Lali, Executive Director, Alberta Transportation
- Adrian Sheppard, Director, PPP and Asset Management, Colas Infrastructure
- Kirk Steudle, State Transportation Director, Michigan Department of Transportation
- Michael John Washington, Vice President, Infrastructure Business, Delcan
- Doug Wipperman, Contract Innovations Specialist, Ministry of Transportation, Ontario
“IRF has again brought together key transportation officials and system providers to share innovations and best practices on performance based maintenance contracts. I am excited about the possibilities and look forward to the next Executive Workshop.” Butch Wlaschin, Director, Office of Asset Management, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)”
3rd Preserving Our Highway Infrastructure Assets Seminar
Delegates attend reception at Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada
The seminar focused on new technologies and innovative funding strategies to sustain pavement preservation programs. It featured top level experts from organizations such The World Bank, US Federal Highway Administration, Florida Department of Transportation, Valley Slurry Seal among others.
Lead Instructor and Seminar Coordinator, Dr. Carlos Chang-Albitres, University of Texas El Paso, emphasized the need to continue meeting and sharing best practices in order to take advantage of the latest advances and environmentally friendly solutions that can lead to significant saving for the various road & transportation agencies. Patrick Sankey, President & CEO of IRF - Washington reiterated those thoughts and highlighted that holding these types of seminars is part of IRF’s core missions to be “The leading provider of knowledge, best practices and business opportunities for IRF members and the global road community”