Two Caltrans workers from the Woodfords crew, Fritz Dexter and Daniel Livingston, went to Makleeville in Alpine County to clean up the town after a heavy snowfall. In short order, they cleared the roadway for the safety of motorists and restored access to the downtown.
By Rick Estrada
District 10 information officer
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.
As part of District 10’s commitment to outreach, the Public Information Office created social media postings throughout the storm, blending descriptions with vivid visuals to spotlight crews overcoming weather-related struggles.
With rain and snow pelting them from above, stiff winds buffeting them from the side and slippery surfaces below, District 10’s maintenance personnel overcame the weather to keep the highway system operating throughout the wicked storm.
Mountain Superintendents Charlie Hutchings’ and Chris Baker’s crews were busy clearing snow from the highways, checking streams and rivers for flooding, conducting avalanche control, and helping motorists stranded or distressed by the weather.
Down on the valley floor, District 10’s Superintendents Joe Norman (San Joaquin County), Esther Herschbach (Stanislaus) and Dave Taylor (Merced) were sending their maintenance crews north (including flooding on Interstate 5 at Acampo Road), west (high winds on Interstate 580 near Tracy), east (flooding on State Route 4 in Farmington) and south (flooding on State Route 59 at Sandy Mush Road in Merced).
Flooding caused transportation-structure damage throughout the state, with District 10 maintenance workers heavily involved in making timely repairs.
District 10 photoWith torrents of snow and rain falling on the region, creating havoc with electrical systems, and disabling power lines, Electrical Superintendent Patrick Bayona’s staff was constantly on the move. They were repairing traffic signals, changeable message signs, weather stations and other equipment damaged by the storms.
The electricians played a key role in keeping traffic flowing on low-lying highways in the valley. When heavy rain and flooding disabled power at pumping stations, allowing water to pool, and forcing lane closures, Bayona and his staff responded in force to implement repairs to get these valuable pumps working once again.
Bayona’s Structural Steel and Paint crew was also involved, working with the electricians to focus on the well-being of District 10’s structures and highways.
Those incidents were just the tip of the proverbial iceberg – a fitting phrase, given this frigid weather – as the District 10 Traffic Management Center communicated with maintenance managers and personnel throughout the wild four-day weekend.
There were more than two dozen significant highway-related incidents over the New Year’s Weekend, but there was no rest for maintenance. Three days into 2023, another storm system rolled into the region – time to get back to work!
District 10 always appreciates motorists keeping an eye out for our folks as they work along the highway: That could be someone’s mom or dad clearing a culvert or replacing a sign, and we want everyone to make it safe home every night.
An onslaught of wintry weather around New Year's Day washed out a portion of Highway 4 at Waverly Road in San Joaquin County.
District 10 photoHow wild was New Year’s weather? This is just a small sample of the incidents:
Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022
- 5:27 p.m.: Southbound State Route 99 in Stockton (San Joaquin) closes at Golden Gate Boulevard due to flooding
- 5:34 p.m.: Eastbound/Westbound State Route 88 at Carson Spur (Amador) closes due to heavy snow.
- 5:41 p.m.: Northbound/Southbound State Route 99 in Modesto (Stanislaus) closes at the Kansas Avenue Interchange due to flooding.
- 7:29 p.m.: Eastbound/Westbound State Route 4 closes from Farmington (San Joaquin) to Buckman Road due to flooding & highway damage.
- 8:03 p.m.: Eastbound/Westbound State Route 88 near Carson Pass Sno-Park (Alpine) closes due to avalanche control
- 9:18 p.m.: Eastbound/Westbound I-580 near Tracy (San Joaquin) impacted by high winds and Changeable Message Signs activate to alert motorists to the rough wind.
Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023
- 3:07 a.m.: Northbound/Southbound State Route 99 in Modesto (Stanislaus) at the Kansas Avenue Interchange opens following closure due to flooding.
- 4:30 a.m.: Eastbound/Westbound State Route 88 at Iron Mountain (Amador) opens following closure due to avalanche control.
- 6:25 a.m.: Southbound State Route 99 in Stockton (San Joaquin) at Golden Gate Boulevard, lanes #1 and #2 open following closure due to flooding.
- 7:52 a.m.: Northbound State Route 99 in Acampo (San Joaquin) closes at Acampo Road due to flooding.
- 8:39 a.m.: Northbound/Southbound State Route 59 near El Nido (Merced) closes at Sandy Mush Road due to flooding from Mariposa Creek.
- 9:19 a.m.: Northbound State Route 99 in Acampo (San Joaquin) at Acampo Road opens following closure due to flooding.
- 3:44 p.m.: Eastbound/Westbound State Route 88 at Iron Mountain (Amador) opens following closure due to heavy snow conditions and multiple spinouts by vehicles.
Monday, Jan. 2, 2023
- 2:21 a.m.: Eastbound/Westbound State Route 88 near Silver Lake (Amador) closes due to avalanche control.
- 3:45 a.m.: Eastbound/Westbound State Route 88 near Silver Lake (Amador) opens following close due to avalanche control.
- 2:26 a.m.: Southbound State Route 99 in Stockton (San Joaquin) at Golden Gate Boulevard opens following closure due to flooding.