Director's Corner

Annual ceremonies put a spotlight on safety

Hello, Caltrans family. The recent tragedy in Baltimore’s harbor, where a ship-caused collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge claimed the lives of six roadway workers, was an unwelcome reminder that the transportation industry has its perils.

We are reviewing what happened in the early hours of March 26 in Maryland and will address any findings that might help increase bridge safety in California.

Caltrans works hard to guarantee that our state’s many bridges meet rigorous seismic and safety standards. Fender systems are installed on all major bridges, which means that bridge piers are protected from the unlikely and rare event of being struck by marine traffic. All state-owned bridges are regularly inspected to ensure strict structural safety and have been seismically retrofitted to the highest national standards.

Safety – one of the four foundational principles of our department, along with equity, climate action and economic prosperity in all communities – must remain our top priority and can never be taken for granted.

Each spring we put a ceremonial, emotional emphasis on safety by paying tribute to those California highway workers who died on the job. Since 1921, there have been 193 such fatalities.

This year’s statewide Fallen Workers Memorial will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 25, on the west side of the State Capitol building in downtown Sacramento. The sober, moving event allows us to formally remember those who lost their lives building, maintaining and operating California’s world-class transportation system. The observance also honors our fallen contractors and highlights transportation safety awareness for all, including the traveling public.

The memorial is held in conjunction with Caltrans Safety Awareness Week and highlights the importance of motorist and employee work zone safety. Attendance at this remembrance, or your local Workers Memorial, can satisfy the two-hour requirement for Safety Awareness Week participation.

We hope that you take the time to attend one of the memorials being held throughout the state, either virtually or in person, as we honor those who lost their lives on the job. Here is the schedule:

District 1: Wednesday, May 8 in Eureka

District 2: Tuesday, May 7 in Red Bluff

District 3: Thursday, April 25 at the State Capitol

District 4: Tuesday, May 28 in Benecia

District 5: Tuesday, April 30 in San Luis Obispo

District 6: Wednesday, May 8 in Visalia

District 7: Thursday, May 9 in Commerce (tentative)

District 8: Wednesday, May 8 in San Bernardino

District 9: Thursday, May 2 in Mojave

District 10: Thursday, April 25 at the State Capitol

District 11: Tuesday, April 16 in San Diego

District 12: Wednesday, April 17 in Orange

Thank you for all you do to advance the goal – the necessity – of making travel in our state safe for everyone.