All in one

Director’s Corner

Town Hall set Jan. 5; Caltrans tackles climate change

Greetings, Caltrans Family, and welcome to the latest edition of CT News, our department’s e-newsletter.

I hope to see all of you at my first Director’s Town Hall, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5, when Chief Deputy Director Michael Keever and I will answer questions you submitted. Our District 4 colleagues are hosting the Town Hall in Oakland and I look forward to meeting everyone there in person. You can also watch the Town Hall live online. 

Two months ago in this space, I addressed some of the important progress that Caltrans is making in terms of safety and equity, two issues that are at the heart of our mission. Today I want to update you on our response to climate change, which remains a generational challenge for all Californians.

We play a key role in the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI), which was adopted by the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) a year and a half ago as part of a redoubled commitment to invest billions of discretionary transportation dollars annually to aggressively confront climate change while also supporting public health, safety and equity.

CAPTI represents a major commitment by the department that will guide our work for many years to come, but we have some early successes to share. So far, the state has:

Committed $150 million in the recently enacted state budget for Caltrans to establish a new Reconnecting Communities: Highways to Boulevards pilot program.

Invested an additional $1.05 billion in the Active Transportation Program to expand safe walking and biking options.

Included nine new multimodal projects in the Interregional Transportation Improvement Program, including four programmed and four reserve rail projects and one active transportation project.

Caltrans is committed to building a world-class transportation network and that means we must continually assess how we can act in ways that display leadership in adapting to climate change while also building a transportation network that is ever more safe, equitable, accessible and sustainable.

Happy new year to you and your loved ones. Let’s make 2023 as productive and forward-thinking as we can. Keep focused, be healthy, and stay safe.

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News

Chester workers help save woman, dogs after crash

By Haleigh Pike
District 2 public information officer

A Ukiah woman is feeling extra thankful that several District 2 maintenance employees were in the right place at the right time after a terrible car crash left her and her dogs stranded at the bottom of an embankment for more than seven hours.

According to Susanville CHP, Tina Milberger was traveling on State Route 32 at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2 with her four dogs, when her vehicle left the roadway and went down a steep embankment. The vehicle overturned and then slid down the embankment, eventually coming to a stop about 130 feet down. Milberger was unable to get out of her vehicle, leaving her stranded and hanging upside down in her vehicle.

It wasn’t until around 4 a.m. that two District 2 Chester maintenance employees, who were plowing snow in the area, discovered car tracks leaving the roadway. Vic Baccala and Chuck Braswell shined a bright light down the embankment and Milberger began honking her horn. That’s when the two employees called 911.

Once emergency personnel arrived on scene, they used a rope system to pull Milberger and three of her four dogs back up to safety. Milberger was air lifted to Enloe Hospital for suspected major injuries.

The next day Shannon Kenyon, a Chester maintenance employee, learned of the crash and how one of the dogs from the crash was still missing. Kenyon, being a dog lover, decided he was going to do what he could to try and find the dog. During his shifts, Kenyon stopped at the crash site when he could and called for the dog. Two days of these efforts with no success was beginning to leave Kenyon with little hope that he was going to be able to find the dog. But on Saturday, his luck would change.

As his shift was coming to an end Saturday, Kenyon decided to revisit the crash site one last time. He knew this would likely be the last time he would try and call for the dog as another storm was making its way to the area. Kenyon said he arrived at the scene and said, “please Lord let me find that poor dog because if he’s not found tonight, he’s probably not going to make it.”

“I walked over to the edge and I yelled ‘Macho,’ ” said Kenyon. “I walked to where I could see down the hill and I saw something red move”. After learning earlier in the day that the dog was wearing a red collar at the time of the crash, Kenyon knew that movement had to be the dog.

“I took a leap of faith, grabbed my gloves, and headed down the mountain.”

Once Kenyon arrived at the bottom of the embankment, he found Macho near the water’s edge. It appeared as though Macho’s back legs weren’t working, and he was growling and scared. Kenyon spent the next few minutes sitting with Macho to become friends with the dog before having to pick him up and carry him back up the embankment.

“I just remember saying to him, ‘You’re going to have to trust me. You have to trust me. You have to get out of here, you can’t stay here.’ So I reached out, put my arms around him and he let me pick him up, he just leaned into me and up the hill I went with this 40 plus pound dog.”

And with that, Kenyon and Macho began making their way back up the 130-foot-plus embankment back to Shannon’s vehicle.

After reaching the top, Kenyon placed Macho in his vehicle and drove to a spot with phone service to call Macho’s owners. Kenyon learned that the owners had just returned to Willits and would be unable to come back that evening. Kenyon took Macho home for the evening, providing him with a safe and warm place to sleep as well as food and water.

The next day, Kenyon and his wife drove to Red Bluff to meet Macho’s owners and reunite Macho with his fur siblings. It was a very emotional reunion that both Kenyon and Milberger are incredibly thankful for.

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Four colleagues win prestigious award for heroism

Note: The story below was emailed to all Caltrans employees on Nov. 14 by the Caltrans Employee Recognition Program.

The Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor Award is the highest honor the State of California can bestow upon its employees and is awarded to individuals who have performed an extraordinary act of heroism above and beyond the call of duty to save the life of another person or State property.

It is with great pride to announce four of our very own Caltrans employees have been selected to receive this prestigious award!

Join us in congratulating this year’s Governor's State Employee Medal of Valor recipients:

Travis Sutton
(Caltrans Equipment Operator II, District 2)

On March 10, 2021, Travis Sutton was conducting snow removal operations on State Route 70, when he noticed snow tracks leading from the roadway towards the Feather River. Mr. Sutton inspected the area and spotted a vehicle in the river and an individual asking for help.

Mr. Sutton took immediate action by making his way down to the young woman and helping her by pulling her up onto the large rocks that were too big and slippery for her to climb. Upon reaching the roadway, Mr. Sutton provided her a sweatshirt and rain jacket in efforts to warm her up. He noticed she was bleeding from her head and her lips were turning purple.

He acted quickly by having her to sit in the plow truck to warm up, while he deployed road flares. The California Highway Patrol and area EMS arrived at the scene and transported the young lady to the hospital. His courageous and lifesaving actions are deserving of this award!

Matthew Pina
(Caltrans Highway Maintenance Leadworker, District 4)

On January 12, 2021, Matthew Pina was dispatched to the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge to assess a vehicle parked and abandoned, adjacent to heavy evening commute traffic, in dark and foggy conditions. Mr. Pina looked around for the driver and then intercepted a radio call regarding a pedestrian walking on the bridge nearby. 

He looked and found the pedestrian standing on the outer railing of the bridge. Mr. Pina used his tow truck as a shield and protective barrier to traffic and made contact with the distressed young man who appeared to be contemplating suicide. The individual informed him that nobody loved him, and he did not want to live.

Mr. Pina took immediate action and spoke compassionately and calmly while encouraging him to live. He was able to safely guide the young man to climb back over the railing to safety. Mr. Pina continued to show compassion and engage with the young man until the California Highway Patrol arrived on scene.

It is because of Mr. Pina’s quick thinking and compassionate actions that this young man is still alive, he is deserving of this award.

Ryan Aguirre
(Caltrans Highway Maintenance Worker, District 8)

On November 8, 2020, Ryan Aguirre, along with his coworker Steven Garcia responded to a hard closure on State Route 38 for downed powerlines. Mr. Aguirre and Mr. Garcia established the hard closure with signs and traffic cones and parked roughly fifty feet behind the closure to repair snow tire chains on the vehicle they were driving.

As Mr. Garcia was under the vehicle adjusting the tire chains, Mr. Aguirre stood above his coworker as a look out for out-of-control vehicles.  Several minutes went by as the two employees attempted to repair the tire chains, when an errant vehicle speeding out-of-control in the snow crashed through the signs, barricade, traffic cones and past a California Highway Patrol vehicle parked across the roadway with its emergency lights activated.

Due to Mr. Aguirre keeping a watchful eye out for vehicles, without hesitation, he instinctively pulled Mr. Garcia out from under the truck and away from imminent danger. The vehicle crashed into the rear of the Caltrans pickup that the two employees were working on. This action on Mr. Aguirre’s behalf prevented Mr. Garcia from being struck while lying on the ground under the Caltrans pickup. 

Mr. Aguirre placed himself in the direct path of the oncoming vehicle and without his attentiveness and action to pull his coworker to safety, Mr. Garcia could have been seriously injured. Therefore, his spontaneous lifesaving actions are deserving of this award.

James Burkhouse
(Newly retired, Caltrans Equipment Operator II, District 8)

On April 2, 2020, while on his way to work, James Burkhouse came upon a major two-vehicle head-on traffic collision between a small passenger vehicle and a fully loaded tractor trailer on State Route 18 in the rural town of Lucerne, California. As the first to arrive and leveraging his previous experience as a paid on-call firefighter, Mr. Burkhouse acted without hesitation looking past the chaos and wrecked vehicles and went to work immediately triaging and assessing the involved victims. 

The first vehicle that Mr. Burkhouse came upon was a small passenger vehicle with massive front and side end damage. The vehicle also had major intrusions into the driver’s side of the vehicle, pushing the firewall of the vehicle and the steering wheel into the driver. Upon completing a trauma assessment, Mr. Burkhouse determined that the driver was struggling to breathe, had massive hemorrhaging, a compound long bone fracture, and many other life-threatening injuries.

An off-duty Mercy Air helicopter paramedic arrived with medical equipment and Mr. Burkhouse intuitively assisted the off-duty paramedic with applying several tourniquets on the driver, holding the driver’s neck in a neutral position, and using a bag valve mask to breathe for the driver. It took San Bernardino County Firefighters roughly an hour and a half to remove the driver from the wreckage once they arrived on scene.

The driver was air-lifted to a local area trauma center where he was in a coma for several months following many emergency surgeries. The victim has since made a miraculous recovery.

The driver happened to be James Burkhouse’s’ fellow state employee and Leadworker. He survived this life changing accident because of the quick and decisive actions that Mr. Burkhouse chose to employ that morning at the accident scene. Therefore, his instinctive lifesaving actions are deserving of this award.

Please enjoy this congratulatory video from Caltrans Director Tony Tavares,

To view the Medal of Valor Ceremony, which recognizes all recipients statewide, watch this video.

For more information on the Medal of Valor program, visit the Employee Recognition Program page.

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District 7’s Kosinski saluted for his service

Note: The following news was shared with many colleagues ion mid-November by Acting District 7 Director Gloria Roberts.

Ronald Kosinski of District 7 has received special recognition from the Women's Transportation Seminar-Los Angeles Chapter for his lifetime of work contributing to the people of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

WTS-LA named him the 2022 WTS-LA Lois Cooper Going the Distance Award winner.

“Thank you for your dedication, experience, leadership, wit and charm,” said Acting District 7 Director Gloria Roberts. “We are proud of you, Ron!”

The information that follows is from the WTS-LA announcement.

Lois Cooper faced extraordinary obstacles on her way to becoming the first black female engineer ever hired by Caltrans. Raised in the segregated South in the 1940s, she pursued her passion for math and become an engineer, despite outrageous societal hurdles. In short, she went the distance. WTS-LA honors her dedication, fortitude, and strength each year by recognizing a Southern California transportation luminary who shares those virtues.

Kosinski joined the California Division of Highways (now Caltrans) as a drafting aid in 1966. He soon gravitated toward environmental planning.

With the passage of CEQA/NEPA in the early 1970s, Kosinski helped develop Caltrans’ approach to the stringent new environmental regulation. He soon mastered it. As a result, if Southern Californians travel on it today, the odds are extremely good that Kosinski helped ensure the project is environmentally compliant and sound.

Today, he manages a multidisciplinary and ethnically diverse staff of more than 100 professionals, as well as the timely delivery of over 150 environmentally sound projects each year. Projects include the Interstate 110 Transitway, Interstate 5 HOV projects, Interstate 405 Sepulveda Pass, Alameda Corridor-East grade separations, and U.S. Highway 101 HOV and bike lane projects, to name a few.

For Kosinski, though, it’s not just about regulation. Blending broad understanding of the complex mix of organizations, individuals, and local and federal agencies, along with intricate knowledge of the region, Kosinski navigates the complex regulatory process like a maestro conducting a symphony.

His writ covers every discipline as well, from Transportation Systems Management plans to high-speed rail studies to construction of one of the last new freeways (Interstate 105) in California.

But there’s another reason that drives Kosinski’s storied success.

Kosinski combines boundless patience, listening and understanding for all expressed thoughts, opinions, and concerns while maintaining a focus on project objectives. He seamlessly integrates those concerns into the resolution process, ensuring that voices that often go unheard gain respect and inclusion.

Promoting a more inclusive work environment, Kosinski also ensures that the public interest and environmental justice are served, particularly for underserved communities that often host transportation projects. And what he does for the environmental process, he also does for his staff.

A longtime advocate for young professionals — particularly women and minorities — Kosinski maintains an open-door policy, personally mentoring all who seek help. Because of his extraordinary disposition and tenure, generations of young planners, scientists and engineers owe their successful careers — at least in part — to Kosinski’s wisdom and willingness to impart it.

But in addition to dispensing wisdom and celebrating staff victories, Kosinski also challenges his charges. When approached by young professionals with exceptional promise, he assigns “reach” projects to raise their game, particularly for women and minorities. Developing their strengths and experience further, this, too, has empowered generations at Caltrans.

His department also reflects his credo, as it’s currently led by two women chiefs who have risen through the ranks. But many women owe the opportunity for that rise to Kosinski for believing that gender should never be an obstacle for achievement and advancement.

Ronald Kosinski has crafted a nearly six-decade career of doing exceptionally well by doing very 'real good.' Not only has he protected the environment and improved the quality of life for Southern Californians by stewarding the environmental process on transportation projects, he’s also driven diversity, equity and inclusion long before that was a catchphrase for nearly 60 years.

He has gone the distance and continues to, much like Lois Cooper.

Presenting the award were WTS-LA President Jenelle Saunders and Vice President Heather Anderson. Members of the Environmental Planning Division team were also present to congratulate him.

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In District 7, Malibu road gets de-rocked

By Marc Bischoff
District 7 public information officer

The morning of Tuesday, October 11, a rockslide / landslide occurred from a steep slope at approximately Post Mile 1.5 on State Route 23 (Decker Road) in Malibu in Los Angeles County in Caltrans District 7.

The roadway was then closed for repairs from State Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Lechusa Road/Encinal Canyon Road from Friday, October 14, through Friday, November 4.

During that time, rock scalers and workers using a manlift, a front loader and large dump trucks removed loose rocks, boulders and dirt from the slope. Next the contractor completed drilling and installing anchors into the top of the slope to attach large segments of wire mesh to the slope to prevent future slides. The anchors were then tested for weight bearing capacity.

Workers secured metal cables to the wire mesh and a large crane lifted and placed the mesh against the face of the slope. Rock scalers then attached the segments of mesh together along the face of the slope and secured the mesh to the anchors.

This project was supervised by the Caltrans District 7 Office of Geotechnical Design.

All residents with identification who live within the closed area had continual access to their homes throughout the closure. Encinal Canyon Road just to the east provided an excellent alternate route.

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Digital inclusion and broadband access in District 7

By Alice Tyree
District 7 Equity Program Manager

On Oct. 12, District 7 launched its first learning table discussion around digital equity. I spearhead the Digital Equity Initiative and it is supported by Acting District Director Gloria Roberts and the leadership team. Bridging the digital gap is urgent, but the means to address this issue is within reach through the Broadband Middle Mile Network.

Tens of millions of American households cannot access the digital economy due to physical gaps in local broadband networks, unaffordable subscription plans and personal devices, and a lack of digital literacy. The inequity of high-speed broadband access makes telemedicine, education, telework and e-commerce impossible to attain. Disadvantaged communities often pay more than their neighbors in high income areas. Digital equity aims to address these structural barriers and ensure that digital economy reaches all local households.

Working collaboratively with other agencies and regional stakeholders to establish clear goals, co-design solutions, measure progress, and create interventions to directly benefit those who have struggled the most to digitally compete is my goal as equity officer. Broadband has become essential infrastructure for the 21st century. Just as entire industries and personal activities developed around electricity in the 20th century, the same level of economic and social transformation is underway using digital services today. Schools, offices, retail stores, and governments all rely on online platforms, offering people significant time savings and new ways to prosper.

Broadband is still far from a universal service in California. Most households did not have a broadband internet subscription in 2018. The gaps are especially pronounced for Black and Latino or Hispanic households. Substantial gaps are also based on income and educational attainment. Broadband inequities have been cast into sharper relief, The challenge facing state and local governments is how to address these digital inequities. To that effect, it is important to amplify it takes a collective effort to address the root cause of digital inequities.

If you missed the Digital Equity Learning Table, click here.

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California, Mexico sign historic border pact

Note: The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and Caltrans distributed the following news release in late October.

SANDAG and Caltrans District 11 joined U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar, Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis, U.S. and Mexican dignitaries, and business leaders on Oct. 24 to celebrate a “California Day” reception in Mexico City where SANDAG, along with the state of California, signed a binational Toll Revenue Sharing Agreement with Mexico.

The agreement is a legally binding document that will establish the revenue split between the U.S. and Mexico for the toll affiliated with the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry.

“This new agreement, which I signed as a witness today, will bring economic prosperity to our cross-border region,” said Lt. Governor Kounalakis. “The Otay Mesa East Port of Entry is a vital link in our nation’s supply chain and in creating thousands of jobs. This historic revenue sharing agreement solidifies the joint commitment of California and the Government of Mexico to boosting trade and creating jobs.”

Today’s signing strengthens the state’s bilateral partnership with Mexico, helps advance key border projects and initiatives, and brings the San Diego-Baja California region one step closer to an innovative new border crossing. The future facility will reduce wait times, curb emissions, power economic growth, and bolster binational trade along the busiest border region in the Western Hemisphere.  

“The signing of the revenue-sharing agreement for the operation of the new Otay Mesa East Port of Entry is another major step toward realizing a vision for border security and efficiency that’s been 20 years in the making,” said SANDAG Vice Chair and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “The reduction in border wait times will have a substantial positive economic impact and will improve quality of life for the people in our binational mega-region.”

By signing the Toll Revenue Sharing Agreement, the U.S. and Mexico agreed to various revenue sharing strategies, including a single toll collection point on the U.S.’s side of State Route 11, a set toll rate by SANDAG Board of Directors, and finalizing North American Development Bank as custodian and distributor of the toll funds.

The signing of the Toll Revenue Sharing Agreement comes off the heels of the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry receiving a $150 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which will go towards financing the construction of the new border crossing facility and related transportation infrastructure.

“The economic, social, and cultural power of our binational region depends greatly on the strong relationships and collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico,” said SANDAG Transportation Committee Chair and San Diego County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Nora Vargas. “As Chair of the Transportation Committee for SANDAG I am proud to have signed this historic revenue-sharing agreement to help advance the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry. This project will increase cross-border mobility, create jobs, strengthen our supply chain, and help us reach our climate goals.”

The California Day reception encapsulated the long-standing relationship that California and Mexico have as well as their joint commitment to invest in border initiatives that foster bilateral trade growth, enhance mobility, and reduce emissions for the Baja California-California mega region, an economic engine for the State of California, United States, and Mexico.

About the State Route 11 Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project

The SR 11 Otay Mesa East Port of Entry project is a joint venture between SANDAG and Caltrans in collaboration with state and federal partners in the U.S. and Mexico to create a 21st-century border crossing for the San Diego-Baja California mega-region that will enhance regional mobility and fuel economic growth and binational trade.

The proposed border improvements will provide fast, predictable, and secure border crossings by constructing a four-lane, tolled road connecting directly to a state-of-the-art Customs and Border Protection Land Port of Entry and a California Highway Patrol Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility.

 Additional improvements include:

• A new border wait-time detection system
• Advanced traveler information to improve route planning
• An optimized port of entry capacity to decrease congestion and wait times

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Caltrans crushes it in capital fundraiser

Note: The following was shared in a Nov. 28 email by Danielle Metzinger, acting chief of staff in the Caltrans Administration Program, and refers to an annual charity 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer running/walking event in East Sacramento.

Thank you to all who joined us at the Run to Feed the Hungry on Thanksgiving Day – and those who supported online too!

We exceeded our goal and raised $1,028 for Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, placing our team in the top 11 team fundraisers. What an amazing way to show the community how much we care.

We are excited to make this an annual tradition and look forward continuing to grow the team in the future!

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Health and Safety

Coping with seasonal changes

By the Employee Assistance Program

It’s not unusual for people to look forward to the change of seasons and the holidays but dread them at the same time. Shopping for gifts, decorating, and hosting and attending social events can be fun but stressful, especially when you already have too many things on your plate and feel pressed for time. Other stress triggers may be financial pressures, family conflicts, and travel.

Taking good care of yourself is the first order of business for getting through the holidays. Perhaps scaling back on shopping, decorating, baking, or holiday gatherings makes sense for you to try this year to lessen stress.

Remember that:

• Taking breaks and staying healthy will help you avoid feeling burned out. Make time for regular exercise, healthy eating, adequate sleep, and activities that are enjoyable and relaxing.
• You can let go of perfection and scale down expectations. Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves. You don’t have to have the best decorated house on the street, host the perfect party, or carry on holiday traditions that are too difficult to continue.
• There are things you can’t control. A family member may get sick, a car might break down, or other things might happen that throw a monkey wrench in your holiday plans. Try to take one day at a time, focus on the positives whenever you can, and remember that what you can control is how you choose to react to people and situations. Try to keep your sense of humor.
• Maintaining your boundaries is important for your mental and emotional health. Know your limits. Slow down, simplify, and resist doing too much or over-committing yourself.
• When the going gets tough, the tough ask for help. Don’t be shy about asking for and accepting help from others.

What really matters during the holidays is your peace of mind and spending time with people you care about. You may need to let go of old traditions, start some new ones, and enjoy the simple things that help you and your loved ones feel comfortable during the holiday season.

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DOT Shots

Shown working at the Konocti Corridor Project in Lake County are, from left, are Aaron Thomas of Ghiradelli and Associates, serving as an inspector; Gary Lambeth, also an inspector from Ghirardelli and Associates; and  Kassaye Seyoum, Caltrans construction engineer. Photo by Manny Machado, District 1 public information officer.

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The Sacramento Kings and Caltrans have teamed up in a very 21st century way to have the Clean California logo, lower left in the photo above, appear virtually during game broadcasts. The virtual logo debuted in the Kings' Dec. 9 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Who’s New

Donna Berry, deputy director for Project Delivery and chief engineer

Donna had been serving as the acting chief engineer and deputy director for Project Delivery since February. In this position, Donna is responsible for all guidance and policy for the delivery of Caltrans' statewide transportation projects. She manages six headquarters divisions and leads more than 11,000 Project Delivery employees statewide responsible for delivering the annual Capital Improvement Project program, valued at over $5 billion. 

Donna joined Caltrans after graduating from the University of California, Davis. Her 25 years of experience at Caltrans includes assignments in Design, Project Management, Programming and Structures Design. She served as office chief for the State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP), chief deputy for District 11, and most recently as the division chief of Project Management, where she was responsible for the overall management and delivery of the capital program.

Donna brings to this position vast knowledge and a broad range of experience in delivering collaborative solutions with stakeholders, including California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), California Transportation Commission (CTC), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), California Department of Finance, California Department of Technology (CDT) and American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).

Donna has been active in professional organizations since college, where she became a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and continues to work with NSBE to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). She is also a member of the Women in Transportation (WTS) Sacramento chapter, where she was recognized as “Woman of the Year 2020” for her advocacy and support for women in leadership roles and her support for diversity and inclusion in the transportation profession.

As a lifelong learner and strong advocate for mentors, Donna believes in setting high standards by showing up prepared and ready to exceed expectations.

Donna holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from UC Davis and she is a licensed professional civil engineer in California.

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Sheilah Fortenberry, District 12 public information officer

Sheilah Fortenberry is a new public information officer in District 12.

Sheilah joined Caltrans in 2001as a dispatcher-clerk in the District 12 TMC. During her 21 years of state service, she has assisted the District 7 TMC on weekends, worked temporarily as the District 12 training coordinator, and more recently worked as the District 4 Clean California public information officer.

Prior to coming to Caltrans, Sheilah received her bachelor of science degree in child and adolescent development studies from Cal State Fullerton and worked as an educator in the North Orange County Community College District as well as the Fullerton Elementary School District.

In her spare time, Sheilah likes to ride her skateboard around her neighborhood, read as many books as she can, create care packages for the homeless and spend quality time with her family.

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Matt Rocco, acting assistant deputy director of Public Affairs

Matt Rocco has been named Acting Assistant Deputy Director of Public Affairs.

Matt has spent the past 30 years working in the communications/public relations field, most recently as the division chief of Public Affairs.

During his more than 16 years at Caltrans, he has promoted the department’s vision to the public and discussed a wide variety of transportation subjects with the media, including the need for stable state and federal transportation funding, sustainability efforts by the department, and projects that place California at the forefront in innovative transportation solutions.

Currently, he and his staff are overseeing the management of three public education campaigns for safety, stormwater pollution awareness and Clean California.

Earlier in Matt’s career, he worked on public service campaigns that educated the public on HIV prevention during the height of the AIDS crisis.

Matt earned his master of public administration degree and bachelor of arts in communications/public relations. He lives in Sacramento with his husband, two dogs and three cats.

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Ron Tollison, North Region Project Development division chief

Ron Tollison is District 3’s new division chief for North Region Project Development.

Ron brings more than 20 years of engineering and project delivery experience to the North Region. Seven of those years were spent with private consulting and local government, and 15 years with Caltrans to date.

Ron started his Caltrans career in North Region Construction and served as a resident engineer in the Yuba City field construction office for over five years on challenging projects such as the Tudor Bypass and Feather River Bridge (FRB) on Sutter 99. Ron moved to North Region Project Development (NRPD) in 2014 near the end of the FRB project and has held roles as design project engineer, design senior with the first Construction Manager General Contractor (CMGC) project in North Region followed by design office chief – the position he has held until this appointment.

As design office chief, Ron continued to advocate for and support the CMGC delivery method. In addition, he collaborated with partners in North Region and Headquarters to get the North Region Design QMP approved. He has been co-lead on several process improvements such as the PDT Change Memo and the updated M224 improvement implementation.

Since early 2021 Ron has been involved with the innovative project delivery process known as BIM for Infrastructure (BIM4I) and co-led BIM4I implementation on over 20 pilot projects in North Region.

Ron is a licensed professional engineer and possesses a bachelor’s in civil engineering from California State University, Chico, and a master’s in transportation management from San Jose State University.

Ron and his wife, Kerri, live in Chico and have two sons, Ethan and Lucas. Ron loves spending time with his family and participating in Scouting with his sons. Ron enjoys movies, music, fitness and learning new things.

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Obituaries

Edward Hackett Fitzgerald, former right-of-way agent

Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost on Nov. 5.

Former right-of-way agent Edward Hackett Fitzgerald died Oct. 18. He was 72.

Ed was born May 12, 1950, and grew up in Parkchester, a large housing development owned by Metropolitan Life in the East Bronx.  As soon as he was able to get his working papers, he got a job at the D’Agostino’s supermarket that just opened in Parkchester. Research indicates that the assistant manager there gave him the nickname Whip. He worked there for several years.

As soon as he had saved enough money, he bought a VW Beetle, which he loved. His friends recall him driving and when a favorite song of his, like “Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay” or “Sunny,” came on the radio, he would give a slight shake of his head and reach over to turn the volume up.

He and his friends took many trips in that VW, including one to Acadia National Park in Maine and an insane trip in a blizzard to an unheated house in the Catskills.

While he went to St. Francis College in Brooklyn, he drove a cab in the cty. He had varied experiences but left New York after being hit head-on by another cab on the Grand Concourse. At that point, Ed left New York with a friend on a cross-country adventure, meeting and making friends along the way. They eventually made it to Oakland, where they stayed for a while with former Parkchester/Bronx friends and acquaintances.

Ed continued his journey, ending up in Kansas, where he lived on a farm and worked as a hod-carrier and later a framer on construction sites. California was calling to him, and he headed back west. He lived briefly in Southern California on Balboa Island, working in a leather shop where he learned to make sandals and belts (very groovy).

Ed next found himself in Eureka. He attended Humboldt State University and attained his bachelor’s in forestry, with an emphasis in fire science. It was at this time that Ed met Lori, his wife of 42 years. Soon after graduating from HSU, Ed got a job with Natural Resources Management, a firm that contracted to survey/cruise what is now Redwood State and National Parks. He loved that work and made great and lasting friends there.

Ed wasn’t one to let grass grow under his feet for very long. He had a few careers before he retired. He made many friends during his careers in real estate, working as an appraiser at the Humboldt County Assessor’s office and finally at the California Department of Transportation as a right-of-way agent. Up to his last day, he was making friends as a volunteer working on trails in what is known as the McKay Tract.

Ed was a true and loyal friend to all he met and a loving husband. He lived life his way, and he passed the same way: at home.

Ed is survived by his wife of 42 years, Lori; his two sisters, Catherine Galligan and Ann Fitzgerald; his nephew, Eugene Galligan; his two cousins, Markie (Margaret) Hartling and Eileen Sweeney; and cousin Michael Hartling (Jill).

The family thanks Ayres Family Cremation for preparing Ed for his final journey. A Celebration of Life is planned for the spring of 2023.

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Rachel Prioleau Walker, former Caltrans employee

Note: The following obituary appeared in the Ridgecrest Daily Independent.

Former Caltrans employee Rachel Prioleau Walker died on Nov. 6 in Ridgecrest. She was born in Kingstree, South Carolina,to parents, Charles Scott and Eliza Scott on Jab. 27, 1938.

Rachel can be described as a powerhouse of strength and courage, self-sacrificing, loving, with a generous heart. There are many beautiful stories that can be shared about this wonderful mother, wife, sister, grandmother, auntie, and friend. She loved her physical family as well as her spiritual family, and was baptized as one of Jehovah Witnesses in 1958 in San Bernadino, and pioneered for many years.

She loved her ministry and was well-regarded in her community for all that she did. She worked for Caltrans and then opened her own business as a day-care owner. Rachel was committed to helping anyone in her community and her presence will be missed.

Rachel is preceded in death by her parents Charles and Eliza Scott, her siblings, brother-Thomas Witherspoon, James Witherspoon, John Henry (Sonny) Scott, and Brianna Baeza.

Rachel leaves to cherish her memories, beloved husband (Ralph Walker), son-Terence Prioleau (along with his wife-Donna Prioleau), daughter-Tina Baeza (along with Luis Baeza), son-Andre Prioleau, daughter-Sharon Prioleau, daughter-Shaunda Walker, sister-Marianna Scott Jones (husband-Leroy Jones), brother-Robert V. Scott, and brother-Joe James Scott (wife-Missouri Scott) along with grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a host of family and friends.