July 20, 2023 1:00 pm

Graham Bettis, P.E., State Bridge Engineer and Director of Bridge Division, Texas Department of Transportation; and Bernie Carrasco, P.E., Bridge Management Section Director, Bridge Division, TxDOT

Webinar Documents:
Prioritization Efforts for ABC in Texas - pdf of presentation
- Link: TxDOT's Bridge Standards
- Link: TxDOT's Departmental Materials Specifications 7300, Precast Concrete Fabrication Plants
Q&A Session - pdf
News - July 20, 2023 - pdf of presentation

Description: The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has utilized various accelerated bridge construction (ABC) techniques to deliver projects quickly and minimize disruptions to traffic. Each year, TxDOT replaces between 120 and 150 bridges through the bridge replacement program and adds an additional 300-400 bridges to the inventory. These projects provide ample opportunity for the use of a variety of ABC techniques. This presentation covers TxDOT resources available to encourage the use of accelerated bridge construction, including standard drawings, as well as the proposed changes to project planning to promote the use of ABC more often.

Presenters:

Graham Bettis, P.E.
State Bridge Engineer
Director, Bridge Division,
Texas Department of Transportation
Email: Graham.Bettis@txdot.gov

Graham is the Texas State Bridge Engineer, and he has been in this position since the summer of 2018. In this role Graham helps to oversee the design, construction, inspection, and maintenance of the statewide inventory of 55,000 bridges. His background is primarily in structural evaluation and preservation. Graham graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999 and worked as consultant in the forensic engineering field before moving to TxDOT’s Materials and Tests Division in 2006 and then to Bridge Division in 2011.

Bernie Carrasco, P.E.
Bridge Management Section Director,
Bridge Division,
Texas Department of Transportation
Email: Bernie.Carrasco@txdot.gov

Bernie has worked in the TxDOT Bridge Division since 2002 after graduating from Texas A&M. He became the Bridge Management Section Director in 2018. Bernie’s career at TxDOT has included bridge and tunnel inspections, bridge design, and now overseeing the programming of rehabilitation and replacement bridge projects through TxDOT’s Category 6 Funds as well as maintenance of the bridge inspection data.