Director's Corner

Mother Nature has a big say in what we do

Weather has been on everyone’s mind lately, which makes it a great time to talk about the many significant obligations the Department has. We’ll have that opportunity at our next Director’s Town Hall meeting April 6 that will be webcast live from the Kearny Mesa Maintenance Station in San Diego.

Through the years, California motorists have counted on Caltrans to repair roadways, respond to incidents, clean up after Mother Nature, and assist the motoring public in general. Five years of drought, which still persists in some parts of the state, has been followed by flooding, mudslides, and tremendous snow storms. All have had a huge impact to the state highway system.

In January, more than 9 feet of snow fell over Donner Summit in only seven days. In that same week, the storm brought as much as 10 inches of rain in some places, and several corridors were flooded along the coast and inland. February offered no respite, as the torrential winter continued and we had to deal with mudslides, rockslides, slip outs and washouts – not to mention snowdrifts and avalanche control.

Our dedicated maintenance crews have been up to the task, with many working 12-hour shifts, responding to dozens of closures and working tirelessly to clear and repair damaged roadways. At some points in February, we had about 3,500 maintenance employees, dozens of information officers and just under 400 engineers working around the clock to inform the public, and assess and repair roadways impacted by the winter storms. In addition, dozens of emergency contracts have been executed to augment Caltrans’ staff and quickly restore access to state roads.

All of these efforts, of course, cost money. Caltrans reserved $155 million for emergency projects in fiscal year 2016-17. As of March 20, the estimated damage exceeded $700 million. At one point we had 44 highways closed. Today, we have reopened all but 12. The money that pays for emergency projects now must come out of other designated pots. Tough choices have to be made.

I want to thank all of our staff for their ongoing efforts and I look forward to talking with you at the Town Hall in April about all of these issues, as well as any other questions you may have. Different from previous town halls, we will not be able to take real time questions emailed during the live webcast. Please be sure to send your questions in advance by March 24to AskTheDirector@dot.ca.gov.