News

Daniel Spann Presents Roundabout Case Study at ITE Vision Zero Webinar

29 / November / 2021

Daniel Spann, PE, PTOE, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Barge Design Solutions, Inc. (Barge), presented at the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ webinar in early November alongside Alison Frazier, PE, CFM, Engineering Services Director, and City Engineer for the City of Auburn, Alabama. This virtual, international event focused on Expanding Vision Zero to Small and Medium-Sized Communities.

Vision Zero is a worldwide effort to end all traffic-related deaths and severe injuries while promoting equitable, safe access to transportation for all. The Vision Zero Network, a nonprofit, collaborative campaign promoting this strategy, states, “Vision Zero is a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together diverse and necessary stakeholders to address this complex problem.” Stakeholders include policymakers, community advocacy groups, engineers, traffic planners, and more.

Spann and Frazier showcased how Barge and the City of Auburn designed Auburn’s first-ever roundabout. Roundabouts are proven to reduce the likelihood of serious traffic incidents by virtually eliminating the possibility of high-speed, T-bone-type accidents. This roundabout was designed at Auburn’s Cox Road and Wire Road, an intersection at which multiple incidents of varying severity and at least one fatality had recently occurred. Unique to this design was the requirement to accommodate the transportation of mobile homes and to incorporate a multi-use trail within the project limits. Citing the successful implementation of its first roundabout, the City is already adding a second one. Spann and Frazier’s case study for expanding Vision Zero to small and rural communities to improve safety was one of three presentations in the webinar.

Frazier has been with the City of Auburn since 1997 and has been a key contributor in advancing the City’s public infrastructure. Spann is currently a member of ITE’s Transportation Research Board for Roundabout and Alternative Intersection Committee and is a former chair of ITE’s International Roundabout Committee.