District 9 photo
By Byron Wolter
District 9 public information officer
Bryan Winzenread is District 9’s new deputy district director of Maintenance and Operations. He transferred into this position after working in District 9 as its deputy district director of Project Management, then Engineering, for the last 18 years.
Before joining Caltrans District 9 in 1998, Bryan worked in the private sector at a structural engineering firm. During his time there, he designed single-family homes, apartment complexes, and commercial developments.
Bryan’s decision to transition to the public sector was driven by his desire to apply his skills to meaningful infrastructure projects that positively impacted communities in California.
As he put it, “The opportunity to engage in diverse and challenging work while returning to raise my family in Bishop were pivotal factors in my choice to join Caltrans.”
Bryan believes his greatest accomplishments involve successfully finding creative solutions to both funding and design challenges in District 9 projects. These projects, aimed at improving our roadways, are instrumental in saving lives.
In his new role, his focus is on understanding the dynamics within maintenance and operations from those directly involved.
District 9 Maintenance faces several unique challenges that other districts may not encounter as frequently. It is challenging to manage the district's vast and varied terrain, which spans remote desert areas, high-altitude mountain passes, rural highways, and key transportation corridors connecting the Central Valley to eastern destinations.
The extreme weather conditions, such as scorching summer heat reaching up to 130 degrees in the desert and heavy snowfall averaging 400 inches in the winter at elevations over 8,000 feet, demand specialized maintenance strategies and equipment to keep roads safe and accessible year-round.
A key challenge District 9 is facing is ensuring the district has the necessary resources and equipment to meet customer expectations. In his management role, Bryan is focusing on the need to expedite succession planning by implementing targeted training, mentoring, and hands-on experience to enhance skills and deepen understanding of departmental operations in order to prepare employees for essential roles.