Civil Engineering Capstone Design at UMKC: a partnership with government to design small structures

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Civil Engineering Capstone Design at UMKC a
partnership with government to design small
structures

• Deborah J. OBannon, Ph.D., P.E.
• Thomas J. Kimes, P.E.

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Civil Engineering Capstone

• Difficult to find real project of appropriate
  scope in civil engineering capstone design
• Inappropriate scope leaves students with a sense
  of incompletion

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Partnership with Kansas City

• City has backlog of deferred maintenance projects
• City inventory of 400 bridges
• City has closed four bridges due to structural
  concerns in last year
• One rural bridge collapse in 2004

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Partnership with Kansas City

• Kansas City has an extensive A/E community
• City has a vested interest in developing new
  engineers
• City seeks employees and consultants that
  understand unique needs of Municipal Government
  projects
• City has 1 sales tax for Capital Improvement
  Projects - 0.25 dedicated to bridge replacement

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The Project

• Two-lane, unimproved residential street
• Load posted at 20 tons
• Subject to flooding (infrequent)
• Guardrails (undesirable)
• Reconstruction by City construction staff

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Pittman Road at Bridge
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Student Demographics

• Urban campus, older student group
• Prerequisites
• Concrete or Steel Design
• Hydraulics
• Many students working as interns in consulting or
  government
• Class size 10 one design team

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Expectations of Students

• Evaluate hydrology
• Evaluate culvert hydraulics
• Specify land and geotechnical surveys
• Present preferred design to senior City staff

• Prepare USCOE 404 permit
• Prepare easement/ ROW request
• Generate budget
• Generate construction schedule
• Generate construction drawings

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Student Presentation to City Staff
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Comparison of Options
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Construction Documents
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Plan/profile
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Plan/profile
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Plan/profile
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Culvert Design Detail
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Culvert Design Detail
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Roadway Sections
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Benefits

• Students contribute to their community- both
  benefit
• Student expectations are high they produce a
  tangible product
• Real chance of success/failure
• City receives constructable design at minimal
  cost
• Students may consider Municipal Service as a
  career

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Concluding Remarks

• Students designed a constructable culvert
  replacement within budget
• ROW acquisition based upon students
  recommendations
• Construction to begin immediately after ROW
  acquisition

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Questions