Every spring at Workers Memorial events throughout the state, Caltrans honors employees who have been killed in the line of duty since 1921. This year, I will speak at the 29th annual statewide Fallen Workers Memorial at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 25, on the west steps of the State Capitol.
Caltrans will hold its annual statewide Fallen Workers Memorial at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 25, on the west steps of the State Capitol. The Workers Memorial is a time to remember those who lost their lives building, maintaining and operating California's world-class transportation system.
Every Caltrans regional district has its own traffic management center. None of those TMCs, however, is quite like District 3's. Its Rancho Cordova building is bedecked with high-tech. "We want everyone to have what we have, because then everything will get better, Manager Brian Alconcel said near the end of a two-hour tour of the facility last month.
An audience that eventually attained standing-room-only status attended the 2019 Black History Celebration at Caltrans headquarters in downtown Sacramento on Feb. 26. It was titled “Bridging Black Culture Across Generations.” The event, hosted by the Caltrans African American Leadership Council, included food, displays, music, speakers and even a game of “Black History Jeopardy.”
For years, Caltrans has been urging Californians to ease up on the gas pedal and to incorporate more walking, biking and public transportation into their lives. In March, many Caltrans' headquarters employees showed how the concept of "active transportation" works in Sacramento as they participated in the inaugural Try Transit Month.
The selfless and tireless Caltrans District 10 workers at the Peddler Hill maintenance facility on State Route 88 in Amador County do much more than plow snow. For parts of three days in mid-February, that meant combining forces with the U.S. Forest Service (El Dorado), California Highway Patrol, and sheriff's offices of Amador and El Dorado counties to save three lives.
When Innovation Station was re-launched in January, a few people took notice. A few thousand people, that is. By early March, nearly 4,000 Caltrans workers had logged onto the idea-sharing and challenge-solving internal website. They participated in the initial two “active challenges” – “Reduce Roadway Trash” and “Better, Faster, Cheaper” – and visited the more free-range “Idea Factory.”
What was our first state highway? Like so many California stories, this one begins Jan. 24, 1848, in the hills east of Sacramento.
The Gold Rush that followed James W. Marshall's discovery of sparkly flecks in Coloma, along the American River, posed transportation challenges for Easterners, Europeans and others who wanted in on the action. Sailing around Cape Horn took up to eight months, and primitive overland routes had their issues, too.
The California Transportation Foundation (CTF) is again proud to co-sponsor the annual Caltrans Workers Memorial Ceremony to be held on Thursday, April 25, at 11 a.m. on the west steps of the State Capitol.
"This snowplow was heaven-sent to get me through a lot of the worst of it. Thanks to all the Caltrans workers for being out there and doing such a great job!""
"I know as an engineer, you're more into the physics of rocks and mud and such, but I just wanted to thank somebody at Caltrans for how up-to-date and useful the Caltrans QuickMap is!""
When we experience positive emotions such as joy, satisfaction and happiness, we tend to be more confident and open to possibilities in our lives. But staying positive during tough times can be difficult.
Mike Beauchamp assumed his new role as Caltrans District 8 Director on Feb. 20. He has worked at Caltrans for more than 35 years, most recently serving as the Deputy District Director of Construction in District 8, based in San Bernardino, for five years.
In management for more than 20 years, Suzanne Chan worked as a supervisor with the State at the Staff Services Manager I, II, III and Exempt levels, for a Special District as Vice President of Administration, and for a community-based organization as an executive director.
Chris Schmidt will be working to coordinate planning and multimodal transportation activities for Districts 7 (Los Angeles), 8 (San Bernardino), 11 (San Diego) and 12 (Orange County). He will lead several statewide initiatives related to implementation of Senate Bill 743,
Larry Staley spent most of his 35-year career as a real estate executive with Caltrans. He retired at age 58 and was able to enjoy the next 15 years traveling throughout the world, visiting many cities in Europe, Africa, South America, the Caribbean, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Dan Weingarten loved the law, and practicing it, especially as an environmental attorney at the California Department of Transportation, taking anyone who would listen out to his case sites along the Mad River and the Sacramento Delta.
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