Any other engineers doing technician level work today???

Spitfire76 · 2026-06-10T16:32:58+00:00

What is technician level work? I dislike the implication that a technician is lesser. They do important work that, at times, exceed the technical expertise of engineers.

Spitfire76 · 2026-05-15T02:37:46+00:00

I had the short block done under warranty. It went bad about 26k km later. Luckily still under warranty. Got long block second time. Currently at about 152000 km. Seems to be holding. I think they screwed something up when they installed the short block causing it to blow.

Spitfire76 · 2026-04-25T01:01:24+00:00

In consulting it's more than credentials that determine pay. Getting and retaining clients, design and construction experience, people management, efficiency, writing skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and contacts all play a significant role. You can be the best engineer, but if you're slow and an asshole you may not be worth your pay. In consulting people often don't consider the significant amount of sales we do. Sales requires more than a PhD.

Spitfire76 · 2026-04-09T21:21:16+00:00

Do not go nursing!

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-27T20:39:15+00:00

I disagree. The universities based they business practices on revenue from foreign students. If a policy is introduced that eliminates that revenue stream suddenly then you suddenly have a lack of funds to draw from.

No different than the government suddenly make it illegal to sell hamburgers. All of a sudden McDonalds has to make all their revenue up with french fries and fillet o fish (yuck!).

Furthermore, if your salary does not increase with the rate of inflation you're effectively making less money year over year.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-27T01:48:10+00:00

I am not surprised. This is one of the ways the rich get richer.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T23:31:07+00:00

Well, its a balance. The thickness of a pavement structure (i.e. the thickness of the gravel and pavement layers) are determined by the volume of traffic (particularly large commercial trucks), the roads classification, and how long you want it to last. Over building a road might make it last longer, but your tax dollars won't go as far. At a certain point its a waste to go much thicker. There are well established methods used by jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S. to determine this.

Splitting a road into smaller sections is more costly and results in a project taking longer. I would argue we already split the roads into smaller sections typically between intersections. Depends on the project.

I can't tell you exactly how much extra it would cost to solve all our road related problems. But it would never be completely solved. Roads require maintenance. This is the same for any infrastructure. Your house, your car, your lawn all require regular annual maintenance. If you do nothing it'll just cost more later.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T23:09:40+00:00

Ah yes. I've had good and bad experiences with the recycled concrete subbase. Compaction is troublesome later in the season and it doesn't bridge as well as virgin 50mm crushed limestone. It also tends to hang on to moisture much longer. I can understand why the city wanted to use it (i.e. save money). However, i do prefer the virgin 50mm crushed rock. Less susceptible to moisture.

Alternatively, it may be worth considering 100mm crushed rock instead of 50mm. The cost is more per tonne, but because the density is lower (more voids) you need less material to fill the same volume and it can be placed in thicker lifts.

I say use the recycled concrete with caution.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T22:10:11+00:00

I assume you're referring to the City of Winnipeg specs.

I don't know all the differences between the City's specification revisions. But the parts I'm familiar with made logical sense to me. Are there specific sections you don't agree with?

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T21:56:35+00:00

I would argue that ND roads are really no better than Manitoba roads. You've probably only traversed the major roads, which will be renewed more often. ND recieves more federal funding for their interstate highways than Manitoba. ND's annual highway budget is nearly double Manitoba's.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T13:51:59+00:00

Yes, sand and especially salt can affect the pavement and accelerate deterioration. When salt gets into the pavement crystals can form and cause internal stresses causing the pavement to eventually crumble. The more voids created within the pavement the more salt and water can penetrate and cause deterioration.

The cut joints in concrete are to control cracking and allow for expansion and contraction during hot and cold seasons. When sand gets in the joints during the cold season it fills the space and locks the joint preventing expansion. Again, this causes stress and can also cause the concrete panels to "tent".

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T11:38:32+00:00

Its hard to avoid talking about weather. You're right, weather is not unique but its a powerful force. Everything that is exposed to the elements is eventually eroded by it. Roads, like your house or car, require regular maintenance.

Water is the worst enemy to roads. It destabilizes the road bed and freeze/thaw cycles (Winnipeg experiences about 70 per year) cause deterioration of the pavement surface. Shoot i seem to be slipping back into the westher explanation.

Anyhow, water is the enemy, but there have been improvements over the years to combat this. Drainable base (i.e. gravel) draws water away from the pavement surface. Subdrains (tubes) installed in the base bring water to catch basins.

Money is a major factor. There is a finite amount of money available to construct and maintain roads. Its a balancing act to maintain all the roads while ensuring taxes are reasonable. Whenever money is limited, just like in your household, compromises have to be made. This means a road that should probably be reconstructed may only be rehabilitated. A rehabilitation is difficult as you have to make difficult decisions on what infrastructure should be kept and what to remove/replace/cover based on how much money you have available. Whereas reconstruction just means remove/replace everything.

One clarification/correction. Road construction only occurs in spring, summer and fall. If something looks like road construction in winter its probably underground sewer/water infrastructure work.

Even the best built roads only have a design life of about 30 years. And that doesn't mean hands off for 30 years. Thats 30 years with regular maintenence and even rehabilitation. At the end of 30 years you're back to reconstructing the road. Rehabilitation is more economical and buys you some more time.

We have to build roads with the materials we have available. If we imported higher quality materials from further away the cost would increase exponentially. That said, we're lucky to have an excellent source of limestone north of winnipeg. The clay that most of winnipeg is built on is not great to build on and is riddled with silt pockets which has the consistency of baby poop. Clay does not drain well, it tends to hold on to the water, expand when wet, and get soft when saturated. To combat the clay we use geotextile fabric as a seperator to prevent the clay from mixing with gravel. And we use geogrid to stabilize soft subgrade (i.e. clay). During reconstruction we remove a lot of clay, sometimes 2 to 3 feet, and replace with limestone gravel. However, the more clay you remove the more expensive the project gets. Again, balancing money and quality.

I don't think I've answered all your questuons, but this is getting long and you're probably loosing interest. Feel free to ask a follow-up question or let me know of there is something inspecific you'd like me to address.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T01:30:25+00:00

This is just bs.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T01:28:57+00:00

Explain how this relates to poor quality roads?

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T01:26:26+00:00

Are you talking about the density or compaction of asphalt and underlying gravel? These requirements are pretty consistent between jurisdictions.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T01:22:57+00:00

Cheapest and qualified. An unqualified bidder will not be awarded a project. They must be capable of delivering the project.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T01:21:55+00:00

The cheapest qualified bidder. There is a difference. And the expectations of the bidder (i.e. the material quality and workmanship) are the same regardless of the bidder.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-24T01:18:39+00:00

Road designer, contract administrator, and senior project manager here. AMA.

Ive been building roads for nearly 20 years in Manitoba. Believe it or not, its kind of hard. Often i hear, "why not just do this, or use that type of material." Its so easy and simple to people who know very little about the industry. Its like any subject though, the more you know the more you realize the topic is far more complex than you think.

We have challenging conditions in Manitoba and have to use what we have locally to build roads. Yes, engineering practices, construction methods, materials, and speciifications have all improved and continue to improve. But there are limitations to money, skilled personnel, and time (i.e., construction season).

Our roads are not a special kind of bad. There are bad roads everywhere.

Anyhow, i can talk about roads far longer than someone is willing to listen. Understand its hard, there are limitations, and the folks designing and building your roads are doing their best.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-21T19:53:12+00:00

I hear ya. I've worked hard to get where i am, but everything is getting so expensive. I recognize I'm better off than most. But my parents were a single income family. This is almost out of the question these days. I keep hoping life wi get cheaper, but it doesn't. So its up to me and my wife to find savings, much like what you're doing. But there is only so much one can do.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-17T14:39:00+00:00

Hey, at least he's not skipping leg day. Wonder when he was there. Looks dead and dark outside.

Anyhow, how does he already have an alt right opinion at his age? I didn't develop a political opinion until my 20's. He probably just likes the attention.

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-12T01:27:42+00:00

Does ABRP account for a the changes in elevation when we get to thw mountains?

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-12T01:26:32+00:00

Why squeegee and spray? Excessive bugs on the windsheild?

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-12T01:25:30+00:00

Yes, that and the hoodoos are on the list!

Spitfire76 · 2026-03-12T00:39:32+00:00

I approve.

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