Massachusetts Rivers & Roads Training

The Massachusetts Rivers & Roads Training is now being offered by MassDOT Highway Division. The training is broken into three tiers. Tier 1 is an online overview of the fundamentals of fluvial geomorphology. Tier 2 is a classroom and field training that will advance the understanding of fluvial geomorphology and explore limiting river and road conflicts. Tier 3 is subject material details to support design review and implementation. The goal of the training is to ultimately improve the resiliency of the transportation network. This training was adapted from the State of Vermont.

The Tier 1 Massachusetts River & Roads training is presented below. This online course that provides an overview of rivers and the fundamentals of fluvial geomorphology. The course is open to anyone interested in learning more about river shapes and processes. Participants will also learn the vocabulary used in the fluvial geomorphology field. This information is important to minimizing impacts and long-term stability issues when working around rivers. This training will help those working on project development, bridge or highway design, construction, operations and maintenance, or administration.

The Tier 2 Massachusetts River & Roads training includes both a classroom and field component. Tier 2A is a one-day classroom session that includes trainings on a model river flume. The goal of this training is to build on the Tier 1 information to reinforce the principals of fluvial geomorphology and to understand the identification and reduction of river and road conflicts. A central part of the Tier 2A training is to understand the drivers of river stability, the trajectory of river channels, and the reduction of future flood risks. The river flume exercises allow participants to see river processes take place and to begin thinking about proper flood recovery. Tier 2A trainings will be offered through Bay State Roads in the Fall of 2019 (course offerings TBD).

The Tier 2B field component of the trainings allows participants to identify river features in the field and advance their understanding of fluvial geomorphology. This one-day session investigates channel cross section, profile, stability, and habitat at two to three projects sites. The next Tier 2B trainings will be offered through Bay State Roads in the Fall of 2019 (course offerings TBD).