Nicholas Manz, EIT, Staff Civil Designer, Howard Stein Hudson, and Transportation & Development Institute Boston Chapter Chair
As the leaves begin to change color, the Boston Chapter of the Transportation and Development Institute (T&DI Boston Chapter) has hit the ground running and members were excited to host their first event of the year, the Bertram Berger Seminar. With more events planned, we hope to not only put on great transportation and development related programming, but also to collaborate with other technical groups with the goal of providing even more networking opportunities and encouraging new membership to both BSCES and our committee.
Group Overview
As the technical group that unites the disciplines of planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance, sustainable transportation research, infrastructure, and land development – T&DI considers a range of issues and topics beyond just cars and traffic signals. Consequently, our programming aims to be as diverse as our members’ interests.
The chapter holds bi-monthly meetings via Microsoft Teams. This year, our meetings will be held on the 2nd Thursday of every other month from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. We are always looking to increase our active membership, so if you are interested in joining in on T&DI’s planning efforts, please reach out to us at [email protected]! We are seeking members who are interested in planning or championing these events as a fun way to get involved. The next group meeting is planned for October 9, 2025.
2024-2025 Recap
By the end of the last fiscal year, BSCES T&DI successfully organized a joint in-person tour with the Construction Institute Boston Chapter and a social event.
On April 30, 2025, the T&DI group had a Spring Meet Up in-person event at the Trillium Garden on the Greenway. It was a resounding success, drawing over 19 new & existing members to the event to hear about what T&DI puts on for events and how to get involved. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day for an outdoor meet and greet type of event.
On June 26, 2025, the T&DI and CI committees teamed up for a presentation & site tour of the Maffa Way/Mystic Ave. Bridge Replacement Project. In addition to replacing the two bridges, the project includes new corridor improvements along Lombardi Way including dedicated bicycle lanes, bus only travel way, and upgraded pedestrian accommodations. This event was capped at 25 attendees, but between T&DI members, CI members, and the project team on site, we had 23 attend and the weather was absolutely perfect for the site tour. After the presentation and site tour, there was a social held at Tavern at the End of the World.
The 2025 Bertram Berger Seminar
The Bertram Berger Seminar is the marquee event of the Transportation and Development Institute Boston Chapter’s yearly calendar. The seminar style event has traditionally featured panel discussions, networking, a keynote address and presentation of awards and scholarships. The Berger Planning Committee worked diligently to try to host the seminar this past Spring, but we faced some scheduling challenges and made the decision to postpone until Fall 2025.
The 2025 Bertram Berger Seminar occurred on Thursday, October 18 at the Mercantile in Worcester, MA! This year’s theme was “Smart Assets for a Changing Climate” and our presentations aimed to explore recent project successes, lessons learned, and future plans that integrate resilience and asset management into infrastructure. Alongside some other great speakers, Monica G. Tibbits-Nutt (CEO, Secretary of Transportation for MassDOT) delivered our keynote address!
Panel 1, Future-Proofing Infrastructure: The Role of Asset Management in Climate Adaptation, explored how infrastructure owners are updating asset management to address aging systems and rising climate risks. Panelists from NJDOT, the City of Worcester, and MassDOT presented how each organization uses data, technology, and collaboration to prioritize investments, identify vulnerabilities, and build resilient, future-ready infrastructure.
Panel 2, The Climate-Ready Community: Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s Risks, focused on how communities and agencies are integrating climate resilience into infrastructure planning and operations. MassDOT, DCR, and Massport speakers discussed strategies for managing risks like flooding and extreme heat, ensuring service continuity, and creating more adaptive and equitable urban systems. Please see attached photos from the event. Thank you to everyone who attended!
If you’d like to get involved with planning this event for 2026, please reach out to [email protected].
The Road Ahead
The group held our first meeting of the new fiscal year on September 4, 2025. During this meeting, the executive committee welcomed some new faces/voices, discussed the year’s planned T&DI Boston Chapter events, set meeting schedules, and re-evaluated goals. The T&DI group is planning the Legislative Update event at the State House, and more information will be distributed as planning occurs. The event is targeting a November timeframe.
Summary
In order to become successful in achieving our goals, we are looking to engage innovators, leaders, and motivated individuals in the transportation and development profession. It is through new ideas and an extensive knowledge base in engineering practices, social interactions, and event management that the T&DI Boston Chapter will contribute to enhancing the engineering community at large. This is your opportunity to stand out and show what you can do outside the day-to-day practices within your private company or public agency and to advocate for and help communities throughout the Commonwealth. If you are a transportation or land development professional looking for a group where you can discuss current happenings, exchange ideas, and strive to make a difference – you are invited to join the Boston Chapter of T&DI!
To learn more, you can contact [email protected] or visit our LinkedIn and Twitter pages.