CALTRANS NEWS
In This Issue...
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Obituaries
Remembrances
Contributed by Ray Zelinski
Retired engineers Nicholas Gust and Ralph Sommariva passed away in February.
Ralph Sommariva, Age 70 (6/1/37 to 2/25/08)
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This photo of Ralph Sommariva was taken in 1995. |
Ralph, originally from New England, received his engineering degree from the Newark College of Engineering.
Ralph joined the former Division of Highways Bridge Department in 1959 and spent most of his 41-year Caltrans career as a bridge representative on Southern California construction projects. In later years he worked on a few construction projects in Northern California, then transferred into office positions in Engineering Services in Sacramento for 7 years until retirement as a Principal Bridge Engineer in 2000.
A couple project highlights when Ralph was a Senior Resident Engineer included building the Pine Valley Creek Bridge east of San Diego, the first cast-in-place concrete segmental bridge in the United States, and redecking the Golden Gate Bridge. At his retirement, Ralph was Chief, Office of Structure Construction.
Our sympathies go to Ralph’s wife of 38 years, Alvalee, along with grieving friends and family.
Nicholas “Nick” Gust, Age 82 (7/15/25 to 2/29/08)
Nicholas (Nick) Gust, a retired Caltrans bridge engineer, worked in bridge construction for almost four decades with the Office of Structures Construction (formerly known as the Bridge Department Construction Division).
Graduating from Sacramento High School, Nick enlisted in the military in 1943 and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a navigator during World War II. After the war he enrolled in Sacramento City College and subsequently transferred to the University of Washington to earn a Civil Engineering degree in 1952.
Nick’s first job as an entry-level engineer was with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working on construction of Folsom Dam. He joined the Caltrans Bridge Department a couple years later and spent 22 years in bridge construction and an accumulative 12 years in bridge design, District 10 and Headquarters before retiring in 1988.
Nick will be missed by his wife of 56 years, Elsie; and children Candace, Andrew and Patty, as well as other friends and family.
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Ray Zelinski, who contributed these remembrances, worked in the Bridge Department Division of Structures from June 1962 to January 2003. He spent 15 years in construction including two years on the Pine Valley Creek Bridge project. The remaining 25 years were spent in Structure Design, the last 20 as a seismic specialist. He served as Chief of the Office of Earthquake Engineering during his final four years at Caltrans.
Ray continues to meet with fellow retired Caltrans bridge engineers twice a month.