PacTrans News
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June 17, 2025
PacTrans Attends TRB Workforce Development Conference
PacTrans WDI staff attended the TRB National Summit on the Future of the Transportation Workforce in the first week of June in Westminster, Colorado. Melissa Amrhein, Assistant Director of the PacTrans Workforce Development Institute, presented an update on the annual Washington Transportation Camp, sponsored by WSDOT and PacTrans, and hosted by the University of Washington and Washington State University each summer. The camp aims to inspire students to consider career paths in STEM fields related to transportation. Students engage in problem-solving activities that enhance their critical thinking, teamwork, and communication abilities. After participating in the camp, high school students indicated a heightened interest in pursuing degrees in engineering, environmental science, and urban planning.
The other informative sessions at the TRB Workforce conference covered topics such as transportation workforce retention strategies, evaluation of workforce programs, and using AI in the transportation workforce. The conference offered a variety of guest speakers, poster sessions, and breakout sessions where participants shared workforce opportunities and challenges with each other. Our staff walked away with many new insights and workshop ideas. One new workforce development tool shared at the conference is the Agency Capability Building Web Portal. The ABC Portal is a one-stop shop that provides transportation workforce practitioners with easy access to the tools and work products developed through NCHRP Project 20-24(95): Ensuring Essential Capability for the Future Transportation Agency. We look forward to integrating these new resources and insights into our future initiatives to further improve the transportation workforce.
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June 4, 2025
Join “Maintaining Data Security & Integrity for Transportation Systems” Webinar on June 16!
Join our upcoming webinar “Maintaining Data Security & Integrity for Transportation Systems” to learn about how our daily advanced technologies impact the safety and data security of transportation systems.
Watch online via zoom!
🕤 Monday, June 16, from 9:30 – 11:00 AM PT
đź”— www.bit.ly/4kPZSQA
Meeting passcode found in the attached flyer.
This webinar is the first in a series of webinars planned as a co-operation between PacTrans, TRAC, University of Washington, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.
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May 24, 2025
PacTrans WDI Hosts Workshop to Address Transportation Workforce Challenges in Washington State
With support from Washington State proviso funding and in partnership with the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and the Washington State Association of County Engineers, the PacTrans WDI and TRAC have completed a comprehensive engineering pathway study. This study identifies critical workforce challenges facing the state’s transportation sector and proposes both short-term and long-term solutions to address them.
To share the findings and gather feedback from leaders across the transportation sector—including government agencies, private industry, and academic institutions—PacTrans hosted a Transportation Workforce Development Workshop on May 30, 2025, at the University of Washington’s Waterfront Activities Center.
The workshop brought together approximately 40 participants who contributed their perspectives on the state of the transportation workforce pipeline and collaborated on strategies for building a resilient and future-ready workforce. The event featured a keynote address by Professor Chris Hendrickson of Carnegie Mellon University, a nationally recognized expert in transportation infrastructure and workforce development.
The event also feature two panels:
Current Challenges and Short-Term Solutions
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Roger Millar, Former Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)
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Janice Zahn, Washington State House of Representatives and Port of Seattle Chief Engineer
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Axel Swanson, Washington State Association of County Engineers Managing Director
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HollyAnna DeCoteau LittleBull, WSP Senior Transportation Planner & Tribal Liaison
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Michael Houston, PE, AICP, Toole Design Seattle Transportation Engineering Group Manager
How to Move Forward and Long-Term Solutions
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Cina Fisher, Alaska DOT Training & LTAP Director
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Matthew Neeley, P.E., WSDOT State Traffic Systems Development Engineer
- Matthew Enders, Washington State LTAP Center
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Ahmed Abdel-Rahim, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Idaho and PacTrans Associate Director
Panelists shared their diverse experiences and emphasized the importance of partnerships, innovation in education and training, and equity in recruitment and career development.
The workshop was inspiring, with participants offering thoughtful insights and feedback that will inform next steps in workforce planning and policy implementation. PacTrans extend their sincere thanks to all speakers, panelists, and attendees for making this event a success, and to the dedicated staff who worked behind the scenes to ensure a seamless and engaging experience.
As PacTrans WDI and TRAC continue to drive workforce initiatives forward, this collaboration sets a strong foundation for addressing the workforce challenges in the PNW’s transportation sector.
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May 22, 2025
Walking & Riding in WDI’s “Field Course in Active Transportation Design!”
On May 21, 2025, twenty-five participants gathered on beautiful spring day in Seattle, Washington, for a hands-on learning experience as part of the PacTrans WDI’s “Field Course in Active Transportation Design”. Attendees explored real-world applications of active transportation principles in two of Seattle’s most dynamic neighborhoods: University District and Capitol Hill.
The course attracted a diverse group of participants, ranging from newcomers to active transportation to experienced practitioners. The day began with a classroom session led by Chris Breiland, P.E., of Fehr & Peers, who provided an overview of active transportation planning and design concepts. Following the presentation, participants broke into small groups for concurrent walking and biking tours, guided by Breiland and fellow Fehr & Peers engineer Chris Grgich, P.E.
During the tours, participants examined implemented infrastructure projects firsthand, prompting discussions and comments about design choices. Dialogue focused on how various user groups—including truck drivers, emergency responders, visually impaired pedestrians, and individuals using personal mobility devices—interact with and are impacted by active transportation designs. The course provided an opportunity to evaluate these projects through multiple lenses and encouraged participants to consider the broader implications of design decisions.
The event concluded with an impromptu networking social at a local establishment, where attendees continued their conversations and built professional connections in a relaxed setting.
View all our upcoming courses at pactranswdi.org.
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May 16, 2025
Strong Turnout for Intro & Intermediate Data Courses — Get Ready for the Advanced Session in Fall 2025!
In May, Dr. Ryan Avery, Deputy Director of the Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC) at the University of Washington, taught both Introduction and Intermediate Transportation Data Analysis Courses for the PacTrans Workforce Development Institute (WDI).
For the Introduction to Transportation Data and Analysis Tools course, ten students actively participated in discussions on data, geographic information systems, and data visualization techniques. Practical topics covered issues surrounding gathering and organizing data, skills required for the management and analysis of increasingly large data sets, transportation dataset trends and limitations, capacity limits of desktop tools to process data for projects, and creating data reports for others to demonstrate system performance or justify project investments. Students also participated in a hands-on Excel exercise. Dr. Avery provided an introduction to GIS, an ArcGIS demonstration, presented map projections, and gave GIS examples. The course wrapped up with a discussion about continuing education opportunities in these areas.
For the Intermediate Transportation Data and Analysis Tool course, students learned about database design and organization in relation to the importance of maintaining the integrity of the data and in facilitating a data query. Dr. Avery provided an overview of Structured Query Language along with nuances of running queries through demonstrations and hands-on practice opportunities for participants. Dr. Avery also reviewed potential issues to consider when applying machine learning to transportation datasets and presented an overview on programming languages. The course wrapped up with resources for continuing professional development in data science. Many participants were affiliated with Trimet and WSDOT.
Save the date for our Advanced Transportation Data and Analysis Tool course coming in the Fall of 2025 on September 9-10, 2025!
View all our courses at pactranswdi.org.
