I want to begin by thanking you for the part you played in helping us confront, address and recover from the deluge of storms that impacted the entire state around New Year’s. Our state’s transportation system sustained a few temporary setbacks but through your hard work and expertise, we quickly resumed our normal operations and our steady, determined pursuit of greater efficiencies, forward-looking projects and, of course, increased safety.
Hey Team Caltrans! Let’s help our golden state look its very best by participating in Clean California Community Days — Spring Into Action, a volunteer service event and celebration sponsored by the Governor's Office, Caltrans and our partners across California. This statewide 11-day event kicks off Friday, March 17, with a big splash of activities occurring on Saturday, March 25.
A Caltrans employee found himself talking with the president of the United States and governor of California. The employee in question was not Caltrans' director, which probably would have been your first guess. Who was he? For that story, we hand the proverbial microphone over to Derek Kantar of the Maintenance Division.
State Route 211 at Fernbridge in Humboldt County was reopened just 40 hours after sustaining damage in a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck in the early morning of Dec. 20, 2022. The quake impacted Rio Dell, Fortuna, Ferndale, Eureka and other surrounding North Coast communities. Two deaths and 12 injuries were reported.
Old Man Winter kicked off 2023 by rocking the northern San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra, pummeling the region with heavy rain and snow. The wild weather began before the New Year – with State Route 120 in Yosemite National Park closing on Friday, Dec. 30, due to a rockslide near Tuolumne Grove Road – and it kept coming. Caltrans District 10 maintenance was on the road all New Year’s weekend, handling flooding, rock and mud slides, vehicle collisions that required guardrail repairs and doing its best to keep mountain roads open in extreme conditions.
The Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Program, which was spearheaded by retired Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator Mark Robertson in 2002, aims to help employees who have been exposed to a significantly stressful event or critical incident. The goal of CISM is to ensure District 2 employees are provided a confidential outlet and the support they may need after being exposed to a traumatic event, which will ultimately ensure a long and healthy career at Caltrans.
Neil Pedersen served as executive director of the Transportation Research Board from 2015 until his retirement at the end of last year. Before he launched his journey into retirement, he made one last stop at Caltrans Headquarters. TRB is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and contains a startling 8,500 volunteers.
Caltrans hopes to complete all major construction on the Interstate 5 Valley View Avenue Interchange Project early this year. The Valley View Avenue project broke ground in mid-November of 2016. It added a High Occupancy Vehicle and mixed-flow lane in each direction along approximately one and a half miles of I-5 from the Artesia Boulevard undercrossing to North Fork Coyote Creek.
A new method for delivering projects is being utilized in District 2. Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) is a project delivery method that allows Caltrans to select a contractor early in the project development process. This allows the contractor to essentially act as a consultant during this time and help develop the project as it goes along.
Caltrans’ District 6 Recruitment Department recently held a career fair at Fresno State to give students an opportunity to learn about what goes on at Caltrans. From Nov. 1-15, 2022, Caltrans gave classroom presentations to students, and invited them to the upcoming Career Day. On Nov. 16, more than 200 students attended the Caltrans Career Day.
Caltrans conducts an annual employee survey to gauge the overall satisfaction of employees within the organization. Caltrans uses this valuable feedback to further grow as a people-first organization and to support the efforts of the Cultivate Excellence Goal outlined in the Strategic Plan. The 2022 employee survey yielded responses from 9,653 employees, 44 percent of Caltrans’ workforce.
“I would like to compliment your organization for the statewide efforts to improve the appearance and quality of our transportation system. It is clearly evident as we travel the state in the Central Valley, north to the Oregon border and east to Nevada. The increased frequency of litter removal has made a big difference in our roadways."/p>
Check out the latest photographs and videos taken by and of Caltrans workers. CT News would love for you to share pictures or videos you've taken out and about, or in the office. Please email them to us and we'll try to post them in the next issue.
Perhaps you feel locked into your current perceptions of other people in your orbit— family, friends, and work colleagues. However, do you realize that you have the capacity to improve your connections with others? Our relationships will prove less than fulfilling if we don’t make an effort to deepen, nurture, and strengthen them. Here are some ideas on how to create more positive relationships with those around you.
Greg Chavez has been permanently appointed as a Deputy Division Chief in the new Planning and Modal Program Management Division effective immediately. Greg will oversee Resource Management, HR functions, and Business Services. He has been extremely active on the Change Management team to facilitate a positive process and transition to the new division.
Scott Eades has been selected as the Caltrans District 5 director. He has a history of building strong internal and external partnerships and brings nearly 30 years’ experience working in transportation planning, engineering, and project/program management to this role. Since August 2020, Scott has served as the deputy director for Transportation Planning, Local Assistance, and Sustainability in District 5.
Kathleen Hanley has joined the Director’s Office of Sustainability as the department’s new Carbon Reduction Program manager. In this role, Kathleen will be working closely with the Divisions of Traffic Operations, Transportation Planning, Local Assistance, and others to lead the development of the Carbon Reduction Strategy and to assist in the coordination of the state and local components of the Carbon Reduction Program.
David Man is Caltrans' new chief of the Division of Traffic Operations. David will lead the department to the forefront of providing next generation mobility solutions and services that stimulate the economy, strengthen local communities, support climate action, and help save lives in our commitment to zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2050..
Catalino A. Pining III has been selected as the Caltrans District 8 director. Catalino has more than 29 years of service with Caltrans and his leadership experience spans three districts (4, 7, and 8), and multiple divisions. Catalino’s most recent assignment was as the District 8 deputy district director in Traffic Operations..
Caridad Sanchez is District 11’s new deputy director for External Affairs. In this new role, Caridad will lead District 11’s new Division of External Affairs and reports directly to the District 11 director. Prior to this role, Caridad was the Caltrans District 11 Chief of Public Information and Legislative Affairs for six years.
Jeff Wiley has been selected as the Division Chief of Headquarters Project Management. In this role, Jeff is responsible for leading statewide planning and management of the Capital Outlay Support program budget, schedule and risks. Throughout his 31-year tenure with the department, Jeff has taken on a wide range of professional challenges.
Retired Caltrans engineer Milton M. Costello Jr. passed away peacefully at home with his beloved spouse, Elba Carolina, by his side. Milton worked over 40 years for California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as senior resident engineer and district construction engineer on various highway and bridge projects throughout San Diego, including the Lilac bridge.
Floyd Everett Squires III passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 18, 2022. He attended Eureka High School, Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods. He worked for Caltrans in his early years and was a self-employed realtor.
Nicknamed Joe (after the comics character Bazooka Joe) by his father, WWII veteran and longtime Caltrans engineer Eugene Bertram Thomas died late last year. He completed his degree in civil engineering at Stanford University on the G.I. bill and began his career as a highway engineer at the California Division of Highways. His engineering projects included spans of U.S. Highway 101 up and down Humboldt County.
All right, well now we know: Don't expect to be dazzled by scenery if you choose to venture up State Route 89 from South Lake Tahoe to Truckee after a (very welcome!) bunch of snow has fallen in the region. The conditions were mostly sunny and dry when CT News navigated its way up the roadway in mid-February, but the steering wheel was gripped tightly through the snow-bank-lined route that featured fewer great views of the lake than what one might expect to enjoy in the summertime.
California contains its share of high-profile roadways, including the interstates and highways that cobweb their way through cities and streak across rural areas, and the scenic gems such as State Route 1 that hugs the coast and State Route 49 that meanders through Gold Country. Then there are the lesser-knowns, the unassuming if not purely pragmatic roads that primarily serve the motoring needs of local residents. State Route 220, all of six miles long, is one such route.
Welcome to the latest installment of CT News' "video game," players of which are ideally amused and engaged, and winners of which have zero chance of being awarded with any meaningful prizes. The game play is simple. CT News presents links to three narration-free videos, all under 40 seconds. They were shot recently alongside (or over) California roadways that are maintained by Caltrans. Email your guesses of roadway and location to CT News by March 31.
Matt Rocco, Acting Assistant Deputy Director, Public Affairs
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