Transcript
Transcript edited for clarity and readability.

My name is Nancy Collins, and I am the Right-of-Way Manager with GFT, which is the Program Manager for the West Authority. I started in November 2017, so it’s slightly less than eight years.

The first thing I was assigned to do was work with the outside condemnation lawyers, coordinating hearings and that kind of thing. My first project was Segment C.

It really starts with working with engineering. Once the surveying of the easements is done, we’re looking at the map to determine what properties might be affected. If we have a vacant property on one side of the street and ten houses on the other, we’re going to go on the side where it’s vacant.

Once that route is set, we engage the title companies to run ownership information on the properties. We also work with the surveyor to begin laying out the easement map so we can move forward—getting appraisers started on setting values and working with the law firm to draft the documents.

At the same time, the agents are looking at what they’ll need to acquire and contacting property owners to give them a heads up that we’re headed their way.

It can take quite some time, which is why it’s important that we have such close collaboration with the engineering team. We need to be several months ahead of the construction schedule, because construction can’t begin on a property until the easement has been acquired.

There’s a lot of ongoing collaboration on schedules, and I really think that collaboration is what has made this project work as well as it has. It’s literally daily.