SESSION 7B: 1.5 PDH CREDITS
PART 1: NIAGARA FALLS STATE PARK WELCOME CENTER
This presentation summarizes the planning and design of the various site-civil improvements associated with the new Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Welcome Center located at the historic Niagara Falls State Park. The new facility enhances the visitor experience, both on the site and within the structure, by weaving interpretation along every step of the visitor journey, improving wayfinding, ADA access and dispersing visitors to relieve congestion.
The presentation discusses the design process, the various site-civil elements of the project, the challenges encountered during construction, and lessons learned overall from the project. This presentation is relevant for Engineers that want to learn about the civil engineering design associated with the design and construction of a new state-of-the-art welcome facility within one of the nation’s busiest parks.
T.Y. Lin International (TYLin) served as prime consultant and lead the project from start to finish. Beyond program management, we provided site, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, and code compliance services. Additional services provided by our team included architecture, landscape architecture; survey and mapping; geological engineering; environmental engineering; cost estimating; exhibit design; lighting and acoustical design.
The new building occupies a portion of the footprint of the original Visitor Center's lower level and incorporating information, ticketing, interpretive exhibits, dining, a gift shop, restrooms. The project also included the adjoining Administration Building renovations to include multi-purpose rooms, administrative offices, comprehensive HVAC replacements, and back-of-house loading. The new facilities complement the Administration Building and create a campus that respects the recent site entrance upgrades to the park while incorporating new orientation improvements that provide scenic vistas.
PRESENTER
NATE BUCZEK, PE
Mr. Buczek is an Associate Vice President and Senior Civil Engineering with TYLin International (TYLin). A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, he is a Certified Professional Engineer (PE) with more than 23 years’ experience in Civil and Transportation Engineering. Nate has been involved in a wide range of civil and transportation engineering projects, from complete site development, utility infrastructure improvements, drainage/stormwater design, to complete streets roadway design, pedestrian/bicycle facilities, and traffic signal design. His clients include State Agencies, Counties, Municipalities, higher education, and Private Developers. He is active with American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
PART 2: PREPARING FOR A MASS TRAVEL EVENT:
LESSONS AND STRATEGIES
A discussion of how Transportation Agencies readied for an influx of visitors as Total Solar Eclipse chasers came seeking the best viewing areas. During the first part of the session, the presenter will share some of the actions transportation agencies, mostly from the greater Rochester region, took to prepare for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse including experiences from other communities in the 2017 Path of Totality, traffic forecasting and outreach. During the second part the presenter will share what transpired on Eclipse Day. The presenter will conclude by sharing some lasting takeaways to prepare for known mass travel events.
PRESENTER
JAMES STACK
James Stack has served as the Executive Director of the Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) in Rochester, New York, since January 2016. GTC functions as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Genesee Finger Lakes Region. For five years leading up to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse, he led the Transportation Sector of the Rochester Total Eclipse Task Force. In this role, he delivered numerous presentations to agencies and organizations on transportation-related emergency preparedness. Additionally, he attended out-of-state workshops hosted by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and was a member of a national Eclipse Planning Task Force.
PART 3: DT-ATEAM: A DIGITAL TWIN-BASED PLATFORM FOR ADVANCED TRAFFIC EVENT ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT
This presentation introduces DT-ATEAM, an integrated platform that leverages Digital Twin technologies, AI models, traffic simulations, and real-time sensing to enhance decision-making for transportation incident management (TIM) and broader urban mobility applications. The platform is designed to support real-time and predictive analysis of traffic events, combining computer vision (CV)-based detection, supervised and self-supervised learning (SL/SSL) models for impact prediction, and simulation tools such as SUMO and MATSim-NYC to evaluate traffic, safety, and equity outcomes. Attendees will gain insights into the design architecture of the DT-ATEAM system, the process of fusing multiple data sources (e.g., CCTV feeds, loop detectors), the AI-driven modeling techniques for network-wide event impact prediction, and deployment use cases that demonstrate its operational value. This presentation is highly relevant for transportation professionals, researchers, engineers, planners, and public agencies who aim to integrate AI and digital twin frameworks into existing traffic management systems. The discussion emphasizes how DT-ATEAM can turn existing infrastructure into cost-efficient smart sensors, enhance incident response, and enable data-informed policy decisions across urban transportation systems.
PRESENTER
ZILIAN BIAN, PH.D
Zilin is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Civil and Urban
Engineering at New York University and a Research Associate at the
C2SMARTER Center. He earned his Ph.D. in Transportation Planning and
Engineering from NYU and holds a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida. His research focuses on advancing intelligent transportation systems through innovative applications of digital twins, traffic sensing and operation, and big data analytics. Currently, his work explores human-centered urban management decision science, smart and connected infrastructure systems, and cooperative digital twin technologies, aiming to enhance mobility, safety, resilience, and sustainability in urban transportation. Zilin is an active member of the Transportation Research Board's Edge Computing Subcommittee, and he was one of the recipients of the 2023 Best Dissertation Award from the TRB Artificial Intelligence Committee.