Highways

Maui’s Environmental Educational Program Goes Virtual

By: Daniel Garcia

Dr. Daniel Garcia, Civil Engineer III for Maui’s Environmental Management section, was invited to deliver a lecture at the University of Hawaii Manoa Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s Graduate Seminar Sept. 22. do to protect the environment and that “Only Rain Goes Down the Drain”!

The lecture was delivered over Zoom, a program that allows multiple people to meet over the internet, and is an indication of the unique times that we live in.

The topics covered in the lecture included Maui’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) and the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s (HDOT) role in preparing Hawaii for the inclusion of Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) into roads throughout the state. This is only one of many educational events that Maui’s Environmental section has participated in. The group has visited Lihikai, Wailuku, Waihe’e, Pomaika’i, Kahului, and Paia Elementary educating 845 students and 60 teachers over the MS4, stormwater program, what they can

Daniel Garcia, Ph.D. delivered a lecture over the MS4 program and HDOT’s role concerning CAVs to engineering students pursuing their Masters and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Hawaii Manoa Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. The COVID-19 virus has affected nearly every aspect of how we interact with one another socially. Social distancing requirements and recommendations have made it challenging to gather into a central location making educational events like those previously held impossible to do in person. The Environmental group is in the process of learning to adapt to these unique challenges to continue educating the public.

Highways

US Dept. of Transportation Turns 54!

By: Rachel Roper

Make sure to wish the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) a happy 54th birthday!

It was established on October 15, 1966 under President Lyndon B. Johnson and had its first official day of operation on April 1, 1967.

Here are a few facts about the USDOT from the USDOT’s and its operating administration’s websites:

• Over the past fifty-four years, there have been seventeen Secretaries of Transportation. The office is currently held by the Honorable Elaine Chao. Secretary Chao was the first

Asian American woman to be appointed to a President’s

Cabinet when she served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor. • Just under 55,000 people

are employed by the USDOT.

• Its operating administrations include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), Federal

Transit Administration (FTA), and Maritime Administration (MARAD). The United States Coast Guard was part of the

USDOT, but was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security in

2003.

• Public Roads, a quarterly magazine produced by the FHWA, was first published in 1918.

• As of 2019, there were over 16 million flights handled by the FAA and over 300 ports in the US.

• As of 2017, there were 3.9 million miles of public roads and over 5,000 public use U.S. airports.