CT News 2022, Issue 5

Click here for a one-webpage version of all the stories in this column, in their complete form. (Service Awards and Retirements are not included.)

Director's Corner

We're making inroads on equity and safety

Earlier this month in rural San Diego County, Caltrans began constructing the first leg of the 10,000-mile broadband network aimed at bringing high-speed internet services to all Californians so they can access emergency information, telehealth services, education and employment. And recently, I announced that we are implementing the Safe System Approach to guide how we respond to our goal to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on all California roadways by 2050.

News

High-altitude toads get top-class crossings

Along State Route 108 in Mono County lies the remote Upper Sardine Meadow. Rushes and sedges dominate this 2-acre wetland complex at 9,100 feet in elevation, while sagebrush and lodgepole pine frame its edges. Hidden among the knee-high flora of this meadow is a community of Yosemite toads, toadlets and tadpoles. The meadow is home to one of the largest populations of breeding Yosemite toads within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Caltrans wins national communications award

Caltrans won a top national award in early September from AASHTO’s Subcommittee on Transportation Communications, known as TransComm. Caltrans earned an Excel Award for “best campaign without a consultant” for the department’s communications and promotions effort surrounding the Clean California Statewide Dump Day event held earlier this year on April 23.  

High-tech help is one the way for first responders

A new communication tool could be making its way to Caltrans soon and one of our very own from District 2 is on the team that’s working to make it happen. Jeremiah Pearce, chief of the Office of ITS Engineering and Support in District 2, has been working on this project, along with the Caltrans Division of Research, Innovation and System Information (DRISI) and the UC Davis Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction Technology (AHMCT) Research Center, for the past seven years.

That signpost up ahead? It's the bee zone

An un-bee-lievable 10,000 honeybees were rescued from a signpost in Lompoc on Sept. 16. The massive swarm was discovered inside a wooden pole with signage warning of a stop sign ahead along eastbound State Route 246, west of V Street. Super Bee Rescue of Santa Barbara removed the winged insects, wax and honey. The company’s owner, Beevangelist Nick Wigle, said the 12-foot hive had some honey but not much, a possible indication that bees are getting stung by California’s severe drought.

Charge! Visalia yard has gone green

Visalia Maintenance has made some changes in the way we do business, specifically regarding combustion engines. We are going green! The San Juaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Commercial Voucher Program granted $7,000 for battery-powered chainsaws and pole saws. We also purchased new light towers for emergency response and planned night work.

Fast and efficient: New bridge in District 2

Commuters have been crossing over the Champlin Slough Bridge, one of Tehama County’s oldest commuter structures for over a century. This bridge has provided a connection among the communities of Red Bluff, Los Molinos and Chico along State Route 99E for generations. It has carried cars, trucks, horses, buggies, tractors and just about anything you can think of over the Champlin Slough.

Everyone plays a role in boosting safety

The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) released a new “Go Safely” public service announcement emphasizing the role all road users play, and the responsibility they share, in keeping themselves and others safe. Titled "We Are All Human," the 15, 30- and 45-second PSAs recognize that as people, we will inevitably make mistakes, but they do not need to result in serious or tragic consequences on the road.

San Luis Obispo seeks safer streets for all

Caltrans is continuing its goal to enhance and connect the multimodal transportation network with an increased focus on all users which includes bicyclists and pedestrians. A group of District 5 employees further explored transportation safety for all modes in the San Luis Obispo region during San Luis Obispo Council of Government’s (SLOCOG’s) two-night 2022 Regional Safe Streets Forum.

Time to follow through on Our Promise

The Caltrans Our Promise campaign is officially underway. “I’d like to thank all you for your continuous support and generosity for our communities through this campaign,” writes Aaron Ochoco, deputy director of the Caltrans Administrative Program. “I also would like to thank all the Key Connector volunteers who have stepped up throughout each District and HQ Division to help make this year’s campaign a successful one.”

Hats Off

District 9 recently posted an update on road conditions in monsoon-struck and -damaged Death Valley National Parks. The tweeted map was much appreciated.

Health and Safety

Knowing the signs of crisis

A person can experience an emotional crisis for many reasons: loss of a job, the break-up of a relationship, financial problems, death of a loved one, or any other distressing event. A person in crisis may feel such psychological pain that they can’t think clearly, make decisions, and have trouble functioning. Read on to learn some other signs of an emotional crisis, especially for someone who is depressed.

Who's New

Crystal McIlroy, Director’s Office executive analyst

Crystal McIlroy is a new executive analyst in the Director’s Office. She started her career with Caltrans as a PI Dispatcher Clerk in February 2011 at the District 3 TMC, promoting to permanent full-time dispatcher clerk at the Headquarters Communications Center later that same year.

Jimmy O’Dea, assistant deputy director for transportation electrification

Jimmy O’Dea is the new assistant deputy director for transportation electrification and works out of the Director’s Office of Sustainability. As part of its commitment to climate action, Caltrans will continue its unrelenting efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

Daniel Rubinstein, Director’s Office executive manager

Daniel Rubinstein is the Director’s Office new executive manager. He previously worked in the Director's Office at the Department of Managed Health Care, where he was an acting manager and analyst in the administrative unit. Previously, Daniel was an analyst in the Office of the Secretary of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

Ryan Snyder, Director’s Office executive liaison

Ryan Snyder who is serving as the Director’s Office executive liaison through February 2023. Ryan comes from Caltrans District 7, where he was the senior transportation planner/manager of Sustainability. Ryan headed up a number of projects including the Zero Emission Infrastructure Plan, plans to get solar panels in our rights-of-way, mobility hub planning, and reconnecting communities.

Walter Yu, Clean California Program’s principal transportation engineer

Walter Yu is the Clean California Program’s new principal transportation engineer. As a graduate of UC Berkeley, Walter began his Caltrans career in 2006 with District 4 as a transportation engineer. He joined the Division of Environmental Analysis in 2016 as a senior transportation engineer. Next, he joined the Planning and Modal Programs as Caltrans Enterprise Data and Geospatial Governance Program manager.

Service Awards

A list of Caltrans employees who celebrated 25 or 40 years of service, or who received superior accomplishment awards, in August and September.

Retirements

A list of Caltrans employees who retired in August and September.

Obituaries

Yoon Jong Hahn, longtime civil engineer

Yoon Jong Hahn, 55, died unexpectedly on July 2 at his home in Rancho Cordova. He moved to the United States  when he was 18 and graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a bachelor’s in civil engineering. He was employed with Caltrans for 29 years and was recognized as a distinguished civil engineer.

John E. Hermann, retired right--of-way agent

Retired right-of-way agent John E. Hermann, a long-time resident of Coronado, passed away on Sept. 10. His introduction to Coronado occurred in 1952 when he reported for duty at the Amphibious Base here upon completing his Vanderbilt University degree with a NROTC scholarship. After serving on the USS Washburn during the Korean War, John was honorably discharged in San Diego and decided to make Coronado his home.

Clinton D. Hershey, retired heavy equipment operator

Retired heavy equipment operator Clinton D. Hershey was born in Bakersfield on June 17, 1941, to Ethel Lorain and Richard Marion Hershey and passed peacefully in his sleep at his home in Walker on May 5. Clint worked as a heavy equipment operator for Caltrans and retired with over three decades of service to the State of California.

Richard Schumacher, retired head of District 6 Hydraulics

Richard Schumacher started his career at District 6, working in the Soils Lab in 1957.  He worked in Traffic for the majority of the time following the Lab before going into private practice at Braun, Pacillas, and Wagner and then becoming the District Engineer at the Fresno Irrigation District. Richard returned to Caltrans and was a District 6 Hydraulics Engineer and became head of District 6 Hydraulics before retiring in 1996.

Duane Sharp, retired Caltrans worker

Caltrans retiree Duane Leroy Sharp, 91, passed away peacefully on May 5 in St. George, Utah. He was born on April 30, 1931, in San Bernardino to Herbert and Helen Sharp. He married Carol Thornton in Colton on May 6, 1955. He worked for Caltrans for 28 years before retiring in 1994 and moving to Santa Clara, Utah.