Current and Proposed Organizational Activities

Department Organization Change – In 2003, ConnDOT created the Engineering Applications
Section in the Office of Engineering to be responsible for developing and establishing electronic
design standards and supporting computer-aided engineering applications. The Section’s
responsibilities also include organizing design projects to move seamlessly from the initiation
stage, to final design and through advertising, awarding, construction and maintenance.
Additionally, Engineering Applications is responsible for a complete project which can be
interactively used in a geospatial system and archived and retrieved in a management
information system. The Section also monitors the latest in design technology to continually
improve performance and customer service.

In November of 2005, ConnDOT’s Office of Information Systems formed a new group called
Engineering Support to be assigned specifically to support the information technology (IT)
infrastructure for the Office of Engineering and to provide technical IT support for Engineering
Application’s initiatives.

In July of 2006, the Office of Engineering created the Civil Applications Group to be focused on
exclusive InRoads support and development. The group assists users with InRoads for roadway
design, airport runway design, and site design and implements appropriate training courses. Civil
Applications also configures and maintains the InRoads preferences and develops necessary
InRoads work flows.

New Systems (Just Completed, In Progress, or Preparing to Start)

A. Development of ConnDOT’s Digital Design Environment (In Progress)
- When Engineering Applications was formed, the section focused on converting users from MicroStation
J to MicroStation V8 CAD software and the development of uniform CAD resources and
configurations. In-House Design projects have been successful utilizing project configurations
set-up for MicroStation V8 and users have been working in a standard “Project Container
Environment”. The Consultant Engineering community has been provided an exclusive website
for downloading and configuring their design environment to ConnDOTs. In the near future,
Engineering Application’s hopes to further streamline the process by providing automated
installations that will configure external users to ConnDOT’s Digital Design Environment

B. Bentley InRoads Development (In Progress)

The Civil Applications Group is in the process
finalizing the InRoads Version 8.5 preferences and work flows. The group is also updating and
finalizing the civil MicroStation V8 levels and Cell Libraries.ഊC. ConnDOT Visualization (In Progress) – Strongly Believing in the CSS (context sensitive solutions) process, and using visualization as the translating language between engineer and stakeholder we have recently participated in training for the following software: Adobe Productive Suite (Photoshop, Premiere, Aftereffects); Rendering with MicroStation; Animating with MicroStation, increasing our knowledge of software that will help us to produce a much more visually effective product at a more economical price

In the near future ConnDOT hopes to have a Visualization website. The website would be used to
display and explain the different types of visualization products we are currently able to produce.

D. ProjectWise Implementation (Preparing to Start)– ConnDOT is currently in development of
ProjectWise 2004 and Geospatial. In August 2006, ConnDOT will enter development of
ProjectWise XM and follow shortly with XM Geospatial. ProjectWise will be ConnDOT’s core data
management system for all project related electronic documentation including CAD files and PDF
project plans and specifications. ProjectWise will be the foundation that will enable ConnDOT to
provide future electronic documents in a secure online bidding environment.

E. Authenticated Electronic Delivery of Project Design Data (Preparing to Start) –
Approximately 70% of ConnDOT’s projects are designed by external Consultant Engineers. The
present process for project design submittals is paper intensive and requires significant delivery
requirements that cause unneeded delays in the review process. ConnDOT’s ProjectWise
System is being designed to accommodate delivery of PDF design submittals outside the firewall
via a secure virtual private network. In order to enable authenticated electronic design submittals,
ConnDOT is pursing a public key infrastructure (PKI) for digital signatures. The digital signatures
will enable ConnDOT to transition away from having engineering plan mylars serve as the “plan
of record” and allow a digitally signed PDF document to serve as the “plan of record”. ConnDOT
also intends to integrate Adobe Acrobat’s Commenting and Mark-Up tools within the ProjectWise
environment to further streamline the design review process and improve productivity.

F. AASHTO Trns*Port Implementation (Preparing to Start) – ConnDOT is preparing
to have InfoTech perform a preliminary analysis study for the implementation of AASHTO
PES/LAS, Estimator, Expedite, and BAMS/DSS. The study will include major tasks to be
executed as part of the implementation, cost estimates and a proposed timeline.
Since the Department currently utilizes older versions of Estimator and BAMS/DSS, both
products will have to be upgraded to the current version of the software and data will have to be
migrated

G. ConnDOT’s Legacy Archives in ProjectWise XM Geospatial (Preparing to Start) –
Presently, ConnDOT’s construction plan archives are located in a separate facility. Engineers,
surveyors and planners typically have to drive to the facility and spend a significant amount of
time searching through mylar plan archives. In order streamline this process, ConnDOT is
proposing a project to convert approximately 600,000 of those construction plan archives to PDF
format and index the plans geospatially using ProjectWise XM Geospatial.

H. Bentley InRoads Development (Preparing to start) – The Civil Applications Group will
implement the conversion from InRoads Version 8.5 to 8.8. This will consist of reconfiguring
preferences and creating roadway components to be used in the InRoads Roadway Designer.
The Civil Applications Group will all so be developing standards and preferences for two InRoads
applications, Quantity Manager and Storm & Sanitary. The group will establish user-training
needs and arrange for the appropriate courses to be taught for all three applications.ഊRecord of Exchange
We wish to thank all the states and other organizations that we have corresponded with to share
ideas, thoughts, and information over the past three years. Florida DOT, New York DOT,
Michigan DOT and Kentucky DOT have been extremely helpful in guiding our initiatives.

Information Wanted

A. Other than Florida DOT, are there any other states considering using digital signatures on
construction plans? If so, have there been any public key infrastructures established?

B. Are there any states working on using ProjectWise to facilitate the electronic submission of
PDF documents from external Consultant Engineers?

C. Are there any states considering using Adobe Acrobat’s Comment and Mark-Up Tools with
PDF construction plans and documents?

D. Other than Florida DOT, are there any states using automated processes/applications to
configure remote clients to DOT CAD standards and work environments? If so, what are they?

E. Are there any states using InRoads Quantity Manager?
F. Are there any states using InRoads Storm and Sanitary?