Advertise on podcast: Infrastructure Insights: Engineering Explained

Across the country, water utilities face aging infrastructure, limited budgets and growing pressure to maintain reliable service. When watermains fail, the consequences ripple far beyond repair costs, impacting roads, waterbodies and wetlands, railways, building structures, businesses and community services. On this episode, we’re talking with Kevin Campanella and Bryan O’Reilly about B&N’s watermain Break Impacts Model, also known as BRIM, and how it’s helping utilities move from reactive repairs to proactive, data-driven decisions. To learn more about BRIM contact Kevin and Bryan at [email protected], or visit B&N’s website at https://www.burgessniple.com/brim/.

Roundabouts are often praised for improving traffic flow, reducing severe crashes and enhancing roadway safety. But as communities invest more in active transportation, accessibility and multimodal transportation networks, questions remain about how roundabouts serve people walking, biking, rolling and navigating with disabilities. Are roundabouts truly safer for everyone, or does their success depend on how they are designed? In this episode, B&N roundabout expert Brian Walsh and active transportation expert Amy Rosepiler explore the balance between traffic operations, pedestrian and bicycle safety, accessibility, and user comfort. Together, they examine the perception that roundabouts are "good for cars but bad for bikes and pedestrians" and discuss how features like raised crosswalks, rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs), pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs), separated bike treatments and lower-speed design can help create safer, more inclusive transportation systems without sacrificing performance.

Alternative delivery methods like design-build, progressive design-build and CMGC are becoming more common across the country, but this shift isn’t happening by accident. Owners are under increasing pressure to deliver projects faster, manage risk earlier and provide greater cost certainty, all while projects grow more complex. In this episode, we're joined by B&N’s Kevin Jasinski, John Kilgore and Steven Bronzell to explore what’s driving the rise of alternative delivery methods, from funding challenges and accelerated timelines to evolving risk and the need for stronger collaboration. We also discuss what this shift means for different types of owners, from those just getting started to more experienced agencies, and what separates teams that succeed from those that struggle.

On this episode of Infrastructure Insights, we’re joined by Ethan Meszaros to explore how traffic simulation models serve as a practical, decision support tool for evaluating pedestrian crossing treatments in complex, multimodal environments. Ethan walks us through how simulation can be used to test real-world questions — such as how a crossing treatment may affect pedestrian delay, vehicle operations, safety tradeoffs or interactions between different modes — before changes are implemented in the field. We also talk about what makes traffic simulations useful: clear assumptions, careful calibration, and a model that reflects how people actually move through a corridor or intersection. And for cities and agencies with limited time or resources, Ethan shares how traffic modeling does not have to be an all-or-nothing effort. When used selectively, it can support phased implementation, compare practical alternatives, and help teams focus on their investment where it adds the most value.

Across the country, transit agencies are facing a growing challenge: keeping the aging transit infrastructure safe, reliable and running in the face of tight budgets, workforce constraints and rising expectations for service. This challenge—often referred to as state of good repair—has become one of the most pressing issues in transit today. In this episode of Infrastructure Insights, we’re joined by Ehren Bingaman, B&N’s National Transit Practice Leader, along with TriMet leaders Eileen Collins Turvey and Sean Hall from Portland, Oregon, to explore how public transit agencies are approaching state-of-good-repair challenges through innovation, culture and practical problem-solving. We also discuss how TriMet has created an environment where frontline staff are empowered to identify problems, test low-cost solutions and improve reliability without disrupting service.

Growth doesn’t look the same at every point in a career — and that’s a good thing. In the final episode of our three‑part culture series, we explore how growth and opportunity evolve over time at B&N, from early‑career learning and recognition to mid‑career leadership and long‑term engagement. Emily Poach, Ashley Williston and Mark Hutson share how growth has looked at different stages of their careers, what recognition means as responsibilities change and what helps people stay motivated and invested over the long term. We wrap up the series with practical advice for early‑career engineers and future leaders. Including what to look for in a firm’s culture, how to keep growing professionally and how each of us plays a role in shaping and sustaining a strong workplace culture.

What does it really take to turn a co‑op or internship into a long‑term engineering career, and why does it matter more than ever in today’s competitive talent industry? In part two of our culture series, we explore the early‑career experience at B&N — from first‑day impressions to taking on meaningful work and building confidence as a young professional. Emily Poach shares her journey as an early career engineer and a co‑op supervisor, while Ashley Williston and Mark Hutson offer perspectives on how supervisors and leaders help foster those experiences across teams and locations. This episode also takes a deeper look at mentorship at B&N, including how long‑standing informal mentorship has evolved into a more intentional program in the Great Lakes region. We explore why mentorship matters, how it supports early‑career growth and how it connects back to B&N’s broader people‑focused strategy.

On this episode of Infrastructure Insights, we explore how B&N’s culture supports engineers at every stage of their career, from co-ops and entry-level to mid-career professionals and senior leaders. We’ll talk about how that culture is intentionally tied to B&N’s strategic plan, how recognition reinforces our values and how B&N’s evolving mentorship helps grow the next generation of engineers.

When hurricanes strike coastal communities, the damage is immediate and visible: flooded roads, overwhelmed drainage systems and widespread ecological disruption. But what happens after the news headlines fade? How do we rebuild smarter, not just to recover, but to resist future storms? On this episode, we’re diving into one of the many places still healing from recent storms: the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida. This nationally protected ecosystem, home to vibrant mangrove forests, tidal marshes and diverse wildlife, faced major flooding and long-standing circulation issues made worse by Hurricane Ian. A collaborative effort is underway to strengthen the refuge’s stormwater systems, restore tidal flow and protect the ecological balance of the region for generations to come. Joining us are B&N’s Carl Spirio and John Kilgore and K2M Design’s Heather Carruthers and Scott Maloney to share lessons learned from past hurricanes, explain the actions being taken to restore resiliency and explore how partnerships are shaping the future of coastal protection.

When we talk about growing communities, we often think about roads, bridges and major infrastructure projects. But there’s a powerful, sometimes overlooked driver of economic growth: active transportation—things like trails, bikeways, sidewalks and complete streets. Investing in these systems not only moves people more safely and sustainably—it helps attract businesses, revitalize downtowns and build stronger, healthier communities. B&N’s Amy Rosepiler and Deserae Dinger join us on this episode as we dig into why Active Transportation (AT) is becoming a key pillar of economic growth and why communities that act now stand to benefit the most. To learn more about B&N’s Walk in My World event mentioned in this episode, click this link https://youtu.be/8RQBBhNGdZs?si=SsLrfuxiz2KNpD7o.

On this episode of Infrastructure Insights: Engineering Explained, we explore the value of building commissioning and retro-commissioning to improve facility performance, energy efficiency and mechanical system reliability. B&N mechanical engineer and commissioning leader Jack Sharp-Stevenson shares real-world insights from both fieldwork and design roles, offering strategies for new construction projects, facility retrofits and municipal building upgrades. Learn how a well-executed commissioning process helps owners reduce long-term maintenance costs, meet sustainability goals and ensure buildings operate as intended from day one.

Imagine you're driving home after a long day at work. As you approach an intersection, you notice a bright yellow signal border that immediately catches your attention, prompting you to slow down. Without even realizing it, you've just interacted with a “Proven Safety Countermeasure”—one of 28 strategies that the Federal Highway Administration has identified to reduce crashes and save lives. But why aren’t these simple solutions implemented everywhere? On this episode of Infrastructure Insights, we’ll dive into that answer with B&N’s Kendra Schenk and Megan Valentine to discuss what communities and engineers are doing to proactively improve safety for everyone.  As mentioned in the episode, you can read Kendra and Megan’s synthesis report here https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/28855/implementation-of-federal-highway-administration-proven-safety-countermeasures

Cyber, natural disasters and other security threats are a growing concern for public water systems. With the second round of Risk & Resilience Assessments (RRAs) due by end of 2026 it’s important for public water systems to plan to protect the communities and the systems. In this episode, we’ll discuss the most pressing cybersecurity threats, how they have evolved since the first round of RRAs in 2020/2021 and best practices for protecting water systems from cyberattacks. Contact Kevin at [email protected] to get started on the next round of RRAs, attend an incident action checklist workshop and learn more about the next round of assessments.

From aging pipes to growing populations, how can communities ensure that every drop of water is delivered efficiently and safely? And what role does technology play in solving this invisible but essential challenge? On this episode, we dive into the world of water distribution modeling and its role in ensuring efficient and reliable water delivery. We’re joined by Christie Ruffner to discuss how this process helps utilities manage demands, optimize network performance and prepare for future growth.

How can communities turn overwhelming amounts of data into clear, actionable insights? In this episode, B&N data scientist Bryan O'Reilly, joins us to explore how data services, GIS and predictive analytics are revolutionizing infrastructure planning. From breaking down data silos to building real-time dashboards and using machine learning to predict infrastructure needs, our guests discuss the biggest challenges communities face—and the solutions that are helping them make smarter, data-driven decisions.