The Minnesota Transportation Conference & Expo is always a great way to gain industry insight and connect with peers. This year, Alliant was proud to contribute through four presentations—providing expertise on everything from guiding MnDOT initiatives to engaging employees. If you missed them, we have put together a quick recap along with ways to connect with our presenters for more details.
Presentation Recaps
Derek Nieveen: Cars, Bicycles, and Pedestrians, Oh My!
Missed the presentation or have questions? Reach out to Derek Nieveen.
Accurate vehicle detection is essential for traffic signal performance measurement, but each detection type has pros and cons. MnDOT’s video detection can be configured to accurately capture vehicles and speeds for performance measurements, but can be affected by shadows and camera movement. A pilot project at two Minnesota intersections is evaluating Lidar’s accuracy and functionality compared to traditional systems. With Velodyne as the vendor, preliminary results indicate that Lidar aligns with traffic patterns, performs well in adverse weather, and improves pedestrian and bicyclist detection through refined count zones. With the potential to become the primary detection method by late October, Derek shared key insights into this exciting advancement.
Deanna Keefe and Sean O’Brien: Developing a Recruitment and Retention Strategy
Missed the presentation or have questions? Reach out to Deanna Keefe.
Recruiting and retaining great employees in today’s competitive environment is no easy task. That’s why Alliant recently set out to enhance our recruitment and retention strategies—asking, “What do our people need to succeed?” Through thoughtful conversations and feedback, we focused on amplifying the voices of our employee-owners—because they are what make Alliant thrive. In this session, Deanna and Sean shared how we transformed those insights into winning strategies for our firm, along with tips on how others can elevate their own workplace culture.
Tim Burkhardt and Zach Chappell: It’s Not Just Rhetoric—This Plan Can Work!
Missed the presentation or have questions? Reach out to Tim Burkhardt.
Achieving zero traffic fatalities may sound ambitious, but Minnesota’s 2025-2029 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) proves it’s possible with the right mix of data, collaboration, and action. Led by MnDOT in partnership with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health, the SHSP team analyzed crash data, considered equity impacts, and engaged extensively with safety stakeholders and the public. The result? A plan packed with clear strategies and actionable tactics to prioritize statewide safety investments. Attendees explored how the plan’s recommendations can be implemented—and how they can contribute to zero traffic fatalities in Minnesota.
Tim Burkhardt and Hannah Johnson: MnDOT’s New Corridor Planning Guidebook
Missed the presentation or have questions? Reach out to Hannah Johnson.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is investing in expanded resources to grow its corridor planning work. Corridor plans are a powerful tool to translate state priorities—such as safe and thriving communities, healthy people, equity and inclusion, and the environment—into actionable solutions. As the program grows, a need has emerged to develop a standardized approach to preparing corridor plans that can be adapted to a variety of distinct corridor types throughout the state. MnDOT’s corridor planning initiative offers a unique opportunity to influence how we envision and implement corridor planning on Minnesota’s highways. This engaging session also gave attendees a chance to share input for the guidebook.
Hockey Happy Hour
Thank you to all who attended our Hockey Happy Hour event at Smorgie’s. It was a fantastic evening filled with great conversations, giveaway prizes, and hockey hair! Special thanks to our co-hosts: Acquisition Allies, Karvakko Engineering, Inc., Martinez Geospatial, Inc., Toole Design Group, and Utility Mapping Services. And congratulations to Edward Taylor, the lucky winner of our Wild ticket giveaway—we hope you enjoyed the game!
