
Show Notes
This is the third episode of a four-part series that will focus on how transportation professionals may work toward building an equitable transportation system.
ReConnect Rondo, a leading organization in community reconnection, recently held the Reconnecting Communities Summit, attracting 150 communities nationwide. This episode showcases interviews with summit attendees who have either secured grants, applied for them or are engaged in initiatives aiming to create a brighter future for their residents through community reconnection efforts. Listen to today's episode to hear from Heather McLauglin-Kolb with the Salt Lake City Division of Transportation, and Cayce James with the City of Seattle. Additional speakers include JT Flowers representing the Albina Vision Trust, Gretchen Chavez with the California Department of Transportation, and Lauren Hood, co-chair of Detroit’s Reparations Task Force.
More from The Stream by AASHTO
In this episode, Caleb Knerr and Tayler MacDonald discuss the steps Missouri Department of Transportation to address wildlife-vehicle collisions on state roadways.
In this episode, Alissa Fadden – wildlife connectivity project manager for The Nature Conservancy in New York – and Chris Slesar, environmental resources coordinator at the Vermont Agency of Transportation, join the Stream by AASHTO podcast to discuss “Highways and Habitats,” a video training series that helps bridge the gap between road ecology and habitat connectivity. The pair discussed the importance of bringing transportation ecology to the forefront of state department of transportation projects and how this new training program helps teach state DOT professionals the ins-and-outs of connecting both people and wildlife safely across the northeast.
In this episode, Alan Hejl talks about how his work at General Motors addressing the vehicle needs of the disabled, along with the travel difficulties experienced by his wheelchair-bound wife, inspired him to form his company, Spark Access. Hejl dives into how those personal experiences pushed him to advocate for the mobility needs of the disabled – especially in terms of how greater mobility for the disabled fosters more inclusion for them in society. Hejl also explains how his advocacy efforts include creating more autonomous vehicle accessibility for the disabled.
The latest episode of the “The Stream by AASHTO” podcast features Russell McMurry – commissioner of Georgia Department of Transportation – discussing his emphasis areas as 2025-2026 president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; emphasis areas focused on safety, National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA compliance, ways to improve project delivery, and federal surface transportation funding reauthorization.
In this episode, Darlene Goehl – research engineer and research group lead at Texas A&M University’s Transportation Institute – explains how new infrastructure being developed in Texas can help prevent thousands of monarch butterfly deaths as they migrate across busy roads in North America.