Forensic Engineering, Traffic Impact Analysis, Planning for Communities, Mapping, Traffic Counts, Training for Workzone Safety, Professional Development
News & Updates
JMTE helps officials
prepare for eclipse watchers

At J.M. Teague Engineering and Planning, one of the things we love about being traffic engineers and planners is that we sometimes get to be part of exciting events, like the upcoming Great American Total Solar Eclipse.
Eclipse path through WNC

Since the western half of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is in the path of totality for viewing the eclipse, JMTE has been proud to assist NCDOT by providing traffic counts and other information for various areas in western North Carolina to help them plan for traffic flow.



As awesome as the Monday, August 21st alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon could turn out to be, transportation officials across the nation are preparing for possibly the worst traffic jams in modern history. Eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler, curator of the recently-launched Great American Eclipse website, described it this way:

"Imagine 20 Woodstock festivals occurring simultaneously across the nation," Zeiler said. He estimates that between 1.85 million and 7.4 million people may commute into areas along the path of totality.

State and local departments of transportation have been planning for the eclipse for more than a year. The Office of Operations of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has  issued a fact sheet on the potential effects the eclipse may have on roadways nationwide, especially in the 14 states that the moon's dark shadow will touch. 

The Federal Highway Administration is advising travelers to be at their observation location at least a couple of hours before totality and to realize that local DOTs and law enforcement may take several actions to coordinate traffic flow, including instituting roadblocks or other measures to keep people from making illegal turns as they drive around looking for a spot as eclipse totality nears. The FHA also urges travelers to anticipate that traffic departure after the eclipse may be more compressed than at other events because there will be nothing else to see afterwards.

Of course, that's certainly not the case if you're heading to the Park, or one of the beautiful mountain communities that surround it. Why not spend the whole day exploring? To stay up to date on eclipse activities around Great Smoky Mountain National Park, visit their 2017 Solar Eclipse website.

JMTE hopes you have a safe and wonderful eclipse adventure on August 21st!
Interesting Facts about
the Great American Solar Eclipse

You know we love fun facts of all kinds at JMTE, particularly if they relate to transportation. Here's a few of our favorites about the eclipse:
  • About 12 million people already live within the totality path, but as many as 200 million people live within one day's drive of it. That's nearly two-thirds of the total U.S. population.
  • Totality crosses only through the U.S., no other country. That's why it's been called the Great American Eclipse.
  • The U.S. witnessed the last total eclipse on February 26, 1979, and much of the country got to see it, just like this year. But for most of the greater St. Louis area, a total eclipse hasn't occurred since 1442.
  • More than 500 million people in the US, Canada and Mexico will have opportunity to see at least a partial eclipse.
  • Nature will take notice of the eclipse, which may lead to some strange experiences. You may notice a resemblance to the onset of night, though not exactly. Shadows may look different and it will likely become very quiet.  Birds will stop chirping, breezes will dissipate, and a 10°-15° F drop in temperature is not unusual.
  • Your pets probably won't notice. Long-time eclipse watchers say dogs sometimes bark at the sudden darkness, but not in the same way some dogs react to storms and such. Some may react to the excitement of the people around them. Eclipse watchers say cats will be cats.
Can you tell we're excited at JMTE? We look forward to hearing about your Great American Solar Eclipse adventures!
JMTE opens satellite office in Knoxville

Wes Stokes

We're moving up in the world!

In April, we noted that JMTE had expanded our offices in Waynesville, NC, but we also opened our first satellite office in Knoxville, TN. Staffing the Knoxville office is Wesley "Wes" Stokes, who joined JMTE in 2011. Wes is a licensed civil engineer with expertise in traffic signal design, intersection safety and traffic impact analysis, capacity analysis, MUTCD compliance, crash history analysis, data collection and agency coordination, among other services.

Wes has already coordinated several traffic signal design projects in Tennessee. For example, he prepared a geometric plan for an intersection signal design in Chattanooga that included loop detector placement, video detection, signal head alignment and signal timing, phasing and clearance interval. In Morristown, Wes prepared a traffic signal warrant analysis and signal design to accommodate a westbound traffic approach for a proposed development. In addition, in 2015, Wes worked with Cemex USA's Knoxville plant to prepare a traffic safety study.

Wes received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 2011 from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. In 2013, he obtained additional certifications from UT's Center for Transportation Research and Traffic Signal Academy.

JMTE isn't the only thing expanding in Knoxville. In July, Wes and his wife Allyson welcomed their first child, a son named Oliver, into the world. Wes said the Stokes family is excited to be a part of Knoxville community. And w e're really excited about providing our distinctive blend of transportation engineering and planning, forensic engineering, collaboration management and education/training to our neighbors in the Volunteer state.
 
Supporting Wes is a staff of engineers, planners, technicians and administrative support, that allows us to provide an extensive range of transportation engineering and planning services including intersection safety, wayfinding, traffic impact analysis review and preparation, traffic data collection, traffic signal warrant, design and operation, pavement marking design and operation, sign design and operation, corridor studies, risk management, MUTCD training and compliance, bicycle and pedestrian safety, pavement condition surveys, sight distance evaluations, and expert testimony.
 
We also partner with many professional firms and individuals throughout the region, which allows JMTE and our partners to provide multi-disciplined engineering, surveying, planning, and project management for a wide array of engineering challenges. For more information about the services we're offering to Knoxville and other Tennessee communities, contact Wes by phone at 865-661-2810; or by email to [email protected].
Work Zone Supervisor Training
set for Sept. 7-8 in Asheville

JMTE Academy will offer a NCDOT Approved Work Zone Supervisor Training for qualified applicants from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7 and Friday, Sept. 8 at the MB Haynes Corp. in Asheville.

The 16-hour course is open to anyone with at least two years of experience performing work-related tasks within the highway right of way who wants to be certified as a Work Zone Supervisor. The course will teach traffic control and how to do it correctly while keeping yourself, your co-workers and the public safe in the work zone.

The cost of the course is $350. Applicants must attend the entire course and pass a test with a score of 70% or better to receive certification, and your work history will be verified with your employer(s). If you have attended a Work Zone Installer course and passed the test with a score of 80% or better in the last twelve months, you are eligible to receive one year's work experience credit for this accomplishment.

JMTE's Jim Kellenberger will teach the course. Registration and application forms are available online in the work zone safety training section of our website. MB Haynes Corp. is located at 187 Deaverview Rd., Asheville, NC 28806.

For questions or more information, please contact J.M.Teague Engineering and Planning at 828.456.8383; or send an email to [email protected]. 

J.M. Teague Engineering and Planning 828-456-8383
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