2026 ACECNJ Fall Conference

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are transforming traffic safety analysis by enabling faster, more scalable, and data-driven insights that extend beyond traditional crash-based approaches. In this case study, a New Jersey urban community explored how AI-powered analysis of near-miss events, instances where collisions were narrowly avoided, could supplement conventional safety evaluations in support of the City’s Vision Zero initiative and Complete Streets goals. Unlike crash data, which typically informs reactive improvements after incidents occur, machine learning-driven near-miss analytics provide a proactive lens by detecting patterns in frequent, high-risk interactions and identifying emerging hazards before crashes take place. Support was provided for the collection and evaluation of near-miss data from multiple vendors, leveraging AI and ML techniques to compare detection methodologies, data outputs, and analytical approaches. This evaluation identified strengths, limitations, and opportunities for application across platforms. The effort was conducted in parallel with multimodal safety planning initiatives, where AI-enhanced insights informed concept development focused on improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and motorists. The case study assessed how AI- and ML-enabled near-miss analytics could enhance routine traffic engineering practices, including warrant analyses, safety studies, and crash investigations, by providing a broader, more dynamic, and near real-time understanding of roadway risk. Findings highlighted the value of near-miss analytics in identifying conflict patterns at scale, while also identifying challenges related to data consistency, model transparency, interpretation, and integration into established workflows.

This project consists of the design and implementation of geothermal heating and cooling systems at NYCHA’s Eastchester Gardens and Jackson Houses developments. The systems replace aging fossil-fuel infrastructure with high-efficiency, all-electric ground-source heat pump systems, improving energy reliability, reducing emissions, and enhancing resident comfort. The project supports NYCHA’s long-term sustainability and decarbonization goals.

Learning Objectives:
Participants will gain an understanding of how geothermal systems can be implemented in dense urban environments,
the challenges of decarbonizing existing residential buildings, and strategies for integrating clean energy solutions into occupied developments. They will be equipped with practical approaches for managing stakeholder coordination, minimizing construction impacts, and advancing scalable electrification initiatives.

Highlights:
 Decarbonization challenges in existing buildings,
 Integration of geothermal systems within dense, occupied urban environments
 Transitioning from fossil-fuel heating systems to electrified solutions
 Managing construction impacts in occupied residential developments
 Coordinating multidisciplinary stakeholders
 Navigating regulatory and infrastructure constraints

This session presents a case study on the use of two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic modeling to evaluate urban flooding conditions and assess off site impacts which may extend beyond traditional regulatory frameworks. It highlights how system-wide analysis can improve culvert and stormwater design decisions and promote more resilient infrastructure in highly developed watersheds.

Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to understand how two-dimensional hydraulic modeling can be applied to better represent urban floodplain behavior, including overland flow paths, flood extents, and downstream impacts that are not fully captured in one-dimensional analyses. Participants will also be able to recognize the importance of assessing system-wide and off site impacts which surpass traditional regulatory guidance when designing hydraulic structures.

Audience:
This session is intended for civil and environmental engineers, stormwater and floodplain professionals, transportation planners, and regulatory agency staff involved in the design, review, and management of urban drainage and hydraulic systems. It addresses challenges in aging and undersized stormwater infrastructure in highly developed watersheds, where constrained conveyance systems and changing rainfall patterns increase flooding and downstream impacts. The focus is on engineering design and regulatory decision-making, particularly the use of two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic modeling to evaluate retrofit alternatives, system-wide performance, and floodplain compliance.Key subject areas include urban stormwater management, flood risk and floodplain analysis, culvert and conveyance design, infrastructure retrofit, and downstream impact assessment. Keywords: 2D hydraulic modeling, urban flooding, stormwater infrastructure, flood risk, FHACA compliance, overland flow, and climate resilience.

Autonomous technologies are transforming how infrastructure is inspected, managed, and maintained. This session examines the use of drones, robotics, AI, and reality capture technologies to improve safety, inspection quality, and asset management. Through real-world applications and emerging trends, attendees will learn how infrastructure owners and engineers are leveraging technology-enabled inspections to support more efficient, data-driven decision-making and long-term asset performance.

Learning Objectives:
Explain how technology driven inspection methodologies are transforming infrastructure assessment and management.
Identify the benefits and challenges of deploying robotics, drones, AI, and reality capture in infrastructure programs.
Evaluate how advanced inspection data can support asset management, maintenance planning, and capital decision-making.
Develop strategies for incorporating routine and repeatible inspection technologies into existing organizational workflows and asset management practices.

Audience:
Infrastucture owners, engineers, asset managers, and public agencies.

The durability assessment of three NJTA’s culverts near Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey was a collaborative effort between durability specialists and structural designers. Designed initially for 75 years, the three culverts are required to last another 75 years, therefore doubling the service life. A condition assessment and residual service-life evaluation of the concrete guided the structural rehabilitation design, resulting in a strategy to extend the service life for the next 75 years. The project demonstrates how the service-life of satisfactory to good condition structures showing cracks, spalls, rust staining, and efflorescence while dealing with a structural apacity reduction can be extended.

Learning Objective:
Following the presentation, participants will understand alternative solutions to extend the service life of concrete box culverts. They will also understand the value of providing valuable scientific data to support the rehabilitation work selection with regards to sustainability and service life considerations.

Audience:
This session is designed for owners, infrastructure managers and engineers involved in the planning of rehabilitation of concrete structures. It addresses the growing need to balance durability, sustainability, and long-term performance in aging infrastructure. The session supports a lifecycle-oriented model, helping organizations move beyond prescriptive practices toward performance-based approaches that optimize service life, maintenance costs, and operational disruptions.

Description
This session shifts from a single-project narrative to a set of transferable practices for applying a Design-Build approach in complex, high-volume urban corridors. Drawing on scope of the project being the rehabilitation of seven bridges along the Grand Central Parkway between Union Turnpike and Commonwealth Boulevard in Queens, New York, the session uses this project as a living laboratory – an ongoing, real-world setting in which broader delivery strategies can be observed, tested, and discussed – rather than as the primary subject itself. rather than the primary focus. The emphasis is on innovative concepts such as organizing work into design units aligned with construction staging, overlapping design and construction to compress schedule, and using structured Alternative Technical Concepts (ATCs) to refine traffic staging, structural details, and construction sequencing. Attendees will be exposed to strategies for executing complex staging (e.g., reducing stages and eliminating high-risk work-zone configurations), using advanced details like UHPC link slabs to extend service life, and building integrated quality, safety, and risk-management frameworks that reduce schedule risk. Rather than walking through a single project’s chronology, the presentation will focus on lessons learned and efficiency techniques employed, decision frameworks, and proven auditable workflows that practitioners can adapt to their own Design-Build and alternative-delivery programs.

Sophistication Level of Presentation: Advanced
The session assumes familiarity with highway/bridge rehabilitation, construction staging, and alternative delivery (Design-Build, CMGC, etc.). It is targeted to practitioners involved in planning, designing, managing, or administering complex transportation projects under innovative delivery models.

Learning Objectives:
After this session, participants will be able to:
1. Explain and apply a reusable framework for structuring Design-Build contracts for corridor-wide bridge rehabilitation, including performance-based requirements, design units aligned with staging, and overlapping design-construction phases.
2. Implement systems-based thinking on multi-bridge programs in constrained right-of-way, coordinating deck replacements, targeted repairs, drainage, lighting, signing, and guide rail upgrades to minimize mobilizations and traffic impacts.
3. Design and evaluate Alternative Technical Concepts (ATCs) and other innovation mechanisms that optimize staging, traffic control, and structural details while maintaining safety, durability, and regulatory compliance.
4. Deploy integrated quality, safety, and risk-management systems tailored to Design-Build, including unified quality plans, independent verification strategies, critical-path risk tracking, and project-specific safety programs.
5. Adapt these innovation practices to their own agencies or organizations, including how to embed requirements for equity, environmental stewardship, and participation goals without stifling creativity.

Audience:
• Transportation and bridge project managers
• Owner-agency representatives (DOTs, public works, transportation authorities)
• Design-Build and alternative-delivery practitioners (designers, builders, CM/CEI)
• Structural and highway engineers involved in corridor or multi-bridge programs
• Construction managers and traffic operations engineers responsible for work-zone staging
• Quality, safety, and risk managers on large infrastructure projects
• Policy and program managers overseeing Design-Build and innovative delivery initiatives

This presentation details the evolution of the Irving Street Bridge replacement project in downtown Rahway, New Jersey. The bridge, a three-barrel stone and brick arch structure built circa 1875, is one of only two remaining stone-arch bridges in Union County and is considered a historically eligible structure. The project began in 2016 as a replacement for the structurally deficient bridge. However, the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office preferred a rehabilitation approach to preserve its historical character, leading to a new goal of building a "bridge within a
bridge". This plan was ultimately disrupted in 2021 when Hurricane Ida caused significant damage, including the collapse of the downstream parapet. The damage revealed that the spandrel walls were filled with large stone and debris, making rehabilitation no longer a viable option. Consequently, the project reverted to a full replacement, with a design that honors the bridge's original aesthetic while meeting modern standards. The new structure is a two-span bridge featuring precast concrete arches, cast-in-place foundations and an ashlar stone façade to maintain
its historic appearance. The parapet was designed to match the original shape while complying with current MASH safety standards. The presentation outlines the construction phase, which involves navigating tight site conditions and numerous utilities. The project, with a bid cost of $3,364,870.00, is scheduled for completion in October 2026.

Learning Objectives:
Following the presentation, participants will be able to describe the evolution of a historically significant bridge replacement project, including how unforeseen events like Hurricane Ida necessitated a complete change in design from rehabilitation to reconstruction. They will also gain insight into the specific engineering solutions, historical coordination, and construction management strategies used to execute this complex project in a dense urban environment.

Audience:
The session is intended for professionals in civil engineering, public works, construction management, and project management, particularly those who work on public infrastructure projects involving historical structures. It addresses the complex, multi-faceted challenge of replacing aging, historically significant infrastructure in a dense urban environment. It specifically details how to manage a project that is radically altered by a catastrophic recent event (a hurricane), forcing a shift from a planned rehabilitation to a full replacement. The presentation is a case study from the perspective of RVE, the firm that designed and managed the replacement. It showcases their process, challenges, and
solutions. The session covers the entire project lifecycle, including initial design, regulatory and historical approvals, crisis response and redesign after Hurricane Ida, and construction management and coordination. The presentation is heavily influenced by the damage caused by Hurricane Ida in 2021, which was the pivotal event that made the original plan to rehabilitate the bridge impossible and required a complete redesign.

The program will examine the Appellate Division's recent decision upholding a negotiated limitation of liability provision in an engineering services agreement. The presenters will discuss the court's analysis, the broader implications for design professionals and their insurers, practical contract-drafting considerations, and the role that ACECNJ played by filing an amicus curiae brief in support of the member engineering firm.

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand how New Jersey courts analyze and enforce limitation  of liability provisions in engineering and other professional services agreement.
2. Identify the key contractual provisions and drafting considerations that can significantly affect the enforceability and scope of limitation of liability clauses.
3. Assess the relationship between limitation of liability provisions and professional liability insurance, including engineers' professional liability coverage, project-specific insurance options, Owner's Protective

Audience:
This session is designed for engineering firm principals, owners, executives, in-house counsel, risk managers, project managers, and other professionals responsible for negotiating, reviewing, or approving professional services agreements. The program will be particularly valuable for individuals involved in contract negotiations, professional liability risk management, and insurance procurement.