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March General Membership Luncheon
We are pleased to invite you to the March Membership Meeting where we will hear from Richard Foley, MRED, RW/AC, BRT Right of Way Program Manager with STV on 'Best Practices for Right of Way Cost Estimation'. Right of way cost estimation is a critical component of transportation project planning and decision-making. Elected officials, agency leaders, and the public rely on early-stage estimates to determine funding priorities and project feasibility. However, because these estimates are often developed with limited information during the planning phase, right of way costs can fluctuate significantly throughout project delivery. Factors such as evolving project scopes, market changes in property values, unforeseen relocation costs, and legal challenges can impact budgets and schedules—sometimes to the extent that they might have influenced the initial decision to advance the project. This session will explore best practices for right of way cost estimation, common challenges that lead to cost variations, and strategies for improving accuracy in early-stage estimates. |
Paying via Zelle?
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Region 4 Spring Forum - Boston, MA.
If you have additional questions regarding the Spring Forum, please contact members of the Planning Committee listed on page 2 of the below document. Deadline for Hotel Room Block is Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
If you have additional questions regarding the Spring Forum, please contact members of the Planning Committee listed on page 2 of the below document. Deadline for Hotel Room Block is Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
Presidents Corner.
The deadline is approaching to receive the early registration rate for the 2025 Annual Education Conference in Virginia Beach, VA. Clicking on the image below will take you the International Right of Way Association registration site:
Tiara McCray, RWA-GN,
President - IRWA Chapter 14
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Virtual Chapter Announcements
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Right of Way Magazine & Infrastructure News.
COVER STORY: Vegetation Management
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Moving from an access mindset to a stewardship opportunity.
Featured
The marching orders of a gas distribution utility’s vegetation management department are to provide for the safe and reliable transportation of natural gas across its system. Historically, this has primarily meant clearing all tall-growing plants and woody vegetation along the pipeline right of way (ROW) to allow leakage inspectors access for safety inspections and to prevent roots from damaging the integrity of the pipeline. At Columbia Gas, a subsidiary of NiSource, we are transforming our vegetation management approach from business as usual to a forward-thinking, environmental stewardshipdriven practice.
Columbia Gas’s journey has followed the path of a maturing integrated vegetation management (IVM) program. IVM is a system of managing plant communities through increasingly selective methods that control undesirable vegetation and promote compatible, stable, low-growing vegetation in its place. The methods can include a combination of chemical, biological, cultural, mechanical and/or manual treatments. IVM principles have been in practice in the electric industry for decades yet have been slower to adopt in the gas industry.
Click on the magazine image or the link below for the FULL ARTICLE
Jan/Feb 2025 IRWA Right of Way Magazine
FULL ARTICLE HERE
.
Moving from an access mindset to a stewardship opportunity.
Featured
The marching orders of a gas distribution utility’s vegetation management department are to provide for the safe and reliable transportation of natural gas across its system. Historically, this has primarily meant clearing all tall-growing plants and woody vegetation along the pipeline right of way (ROW) to allow leakage inspectors access for safety inspections and to prevent roots from damaging the integrity of the pipeline. At Columbia Gas, a subsidiary of NiSource, we are transforming our vegetation management approach from business as usual to a forward-thinking, environmental stewardshipdriven practice.
Columbia Gas’s journey has followed the path of a maturing integrated vegetation management (IVM) program. IVM is a system of managing plant communities through increasingly selective methods that control undesirable vegetation and promote compatible, stable, low-growing vegetation in its place. The methods can include a combination of chemical, biological, cultural, mechanical and/or manual treatments. IVM principles have been in practice in the electric industry for decades yet have been slower to adopt in the gas industry.
Click on the magazine image or the link below for the FULL ARTICLE
Jan/Feb 2025 IRWA Right of Way Magazine
FULL ARTICLE HERE