interchange - september 2012

September 2012, Vol. 40, Issue 9Interchange

a WYDOT publication

Rolling stones for safety Project improves US 16

2 Interchange n September 2012

InterchangeInterchange is published for

employees of the Wyoming Depart-ment of Transportation by its Public Affairs Office and a number of field correspondents.

Interchange invites submissions from all employees. Please send them to either your district correspondents or to: Carlie Van Winkle, Interchange editor, 5300 Bishop Blvd., Chey-enne, WY, 82009-3340. The Public Affairs Office may also be contacted by phoning (307) 777-4165, faxing (307) 777-4289, or sending e-mail to [email protected]

StaffWYDOT Director:

John F. Cox

Public Affairs Manager:Doug McGee

Editor/Art Director:Carlie Van Winkle

Contributors: Bruce Burrows Public AffairsDave Kingham Public AffairsCarlie Van Winkle Public AffairsRoss Doman District 1Jeff Goetz District 2Stephanie Harsha District 3Ronda Holwell District 4Cody Beers District 5Sgt. Stephen Townsend Patrol

Photography: Rick Carpenter Public Affairs

LettersWay to go WYDOT!

As a Texas resident who recently trav-eled by motorcycle through Wyoming on a return from the Sturgis Rally, I want to THANK Wyoming and WYDOT for the frequent road advisories to watch out for motorcycles. I was IMPRESSED! They surely help drivers understand that mo-torcycles are legitimate users of the roads and should be respected along with fellow car drivers, etc. I appreciate your efforts.

Thank you. Job well done, Wyoming!

Michael Crowley

Heartfelt thanks for donated sick leave

I want to start by saying a huge THANK YOU to all my fellow WYDOT employees who were willing to part with some of their sick leave to help me out when I was in dire need!

In June, I was rushed to the emergency room with acute pancreatitis and ended up spending seven days in the hospital and another week at home on bed-rest, to be followed by gall bladder surgery three weeks later.

I have only been with WYDOT since last November, so I didn’t have enough sick leave to cover all the time I was off, but thanks to all my wonderful WYDOT friends, I was able to rest comfortably, knowing that they stepped up to help me.

I hope that in the future, if someone needs help, they know they can depend on me to be there for them!

Thanks again, you are all the best!

Kim Ashley District Clerk, District 4, Sheridan

Kudos for Motor Vehicle Services employee

Rayette (Laird-Reece),Just a word to let you know I received

my copy of my letter of authority, and to extend my sincerest gratitude for all of the help and patience exhibited by you in getting this job concluded. I feel that you exceeded what you had to do to fulfill the requirements of your job description

- just to be helpful, and believe me, it is greatly appreciated. Again, thank you.

Wes Paschall

Improvements to US 26 great benefit to county

I am a resident of Shoshoni, and I make quite a few trips to Riverton and around the county. I would really like to compliment the joint venture of two Fre-mont County contractors, High Country Construction of Lander and Rice Kilroy of Dubois.

US Highway 26 has been transformed into a beautiful and very much-needed addition to Fremont County.

Burma Road also has been trans-formed into a beautiful and much-needed highway. Traffic always seems to flow smoothly, with very little stopping. My compliments to the local contractors.

Gene Wintermote Shoshoni

Total number of employees:

as of Jul 31, 2012 2,056

One month ago 2,058

One year ago 2,069

September 2012 n Interchange 3

Also in this issue

Letters ....................................2

WYDOT by the Numbers .....2

District briefs ........................4

District news ......................12

Extra Mile Awards .............13

In the Community ............14

Noteworthy .........................16

WTDEA .................................17

Passings ...............................18

Training at a Glance..........18

Be sure to check out the online version of Interchange at http://issuu.com/wydot.pao, or click on the link found on the employee’s internal Web site home page.

Contents

7 IT Consolidation Update

8 Rockin’ and Rollin’ for Safety Project improves US 16 in Ten Sleep Canyon 10 Spending Time at Pole Creek Getting to know a remote location

16 WYDOT honored for wildlife crossing efforts

On the cover:Boulders are pushed over the edge to make travel safer

along the US 16 corridor through Ten Sleep Canyon.

Photo: Cody Beers/WYDOT

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District briefsIT to skip Microsoft Office 2010 upgrade

Cheyenne – WYDOT IT has finalized a decision to skip the Microsoft Office 2010 upgrade for all department PCs. Based on the overall cost and few new features offered, the upgrade was not cost effective to roll out statewide. IT had calculated that 1,600 copies of stan-dard Microsoft Office would be needed and close to 400 copies of Microsoft Office Pro. Those copies alone would cost the Department up to $5,200 for the 2010 upgrade.

New added features of Microsoft Of-fice 2010 consisted of navigation panes, text effects, photo effects and other minor improvements.

Since Microsoft typically times releases to every three to five years, IT expects to upgrade all WYDOT PCs to a newer ver-sion of Office between 2013-2015.

Many programs at WYDOT are still using legacy applications, namely the Corel suite which houses the much loved WordPerfect, which are much more outdated than Office 2007. IT is trying to phase out as many of these legacy applica-tions as possible due to the security risk they pose.

If a department PC still has Office 2003, an upgrade to Office 2007 is highly recommended.

Logging trucks to remove beetle-kill pines

Laramie – Motorists and cyclists west of the Snowy Range Summit on WYO 130 are advised to be alert for flag-gers, machinery and slow-moving log trucks entering and exiting the roadway. A logging contrac-tor began felling and

removing the dead and dying trees in the right-of-way areas.

The work zone encompasses mileposts 46 to 58. This stretch is approximately from Headquarters Park Road (also known as Forest Road 103) to the Forest Service’s Brush Creek Visitor Center.

The mountain pine beetle epidemic in southeastern Wyoming has resulted in the death of mature pine trees along por-tions of WYO 70, 130, 230, 210, and I-80. While lodgepole pine is the primary tree species affected in the WYO 130 corridor, spruce beetles have also killed mature spruce trees along the higher elevations. Beetle-killed trees at risk of falling due to rotting roots have become a safety hazard to forest and highway users alike.

The contract for the WYO 130 project expires on March 31, 2013, although it’s possible that the work may finish sooner depending on weather and other factors. Impacts to snowmobiling are expected to be minimal. The contract restricts logging operations to areas below the Chains End parking area once snowmobile season starts in December.

This project is undertaken in partner-ship between the Medicine Bow National Forest and WYDOT. The cost is $208,000 and it is paid for by state funds.

Possible I-25 interchange near Bar Nunn

Bar Nunn – A feasibility study is un-derway to identify if there is a need for a possible I-25 interchange at Bar Nunn. A public open house was held Aug. 28 and provided information about a possible future interchange.

Previous plan-ning studies identi-fied the potential justification for a new interchange be-tween the Wardwell Road and Ormsby Road interchanges. Studies conclude that as growth in the area continues, increased traffic demands on Salt Creek Highway and local roads would increase and the region’s transpor-tation system may deteriorate.

The intent of the feasibility study is to closely examine the best locations for a possible interchange.

WYDOT, in partnership with the Town of Bar Nunn, Casper Metropolitan Planning Organization, Natrona County and the Federal Highway Administration, intends to evaluate specific interchange location alternatives, their geographic and topographic constraints, and future impacts to the region’s transportation system.

Helicopters assist WYDOT in Jackson

Jackson – WYDOT began working on installing new snow structures on the hillside south of Jackson this summer. The project was contracted to AIS Construction Co. for approximately $2.3 million.

WYDOT and AIS crews have set up concrete barriers and other precau-tions to prevent any falling rock from reaching the road while they work on the project.

During the project, residents will see helicopters in the area helping move equipment up the hill. However, impacts to traffic will be minimal and the road will remain open.

“This won’t affect most of the traffic in the area, but we like to let the public know what we are doing, especially when they

A helicopter attaching a cable line on supplies to be airlifted to the construction site.

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see helicopters flying overhead,” WYDOT resident engineer Bob Hammond said.

The project intends to mitigate the avalanche threats in the area by installing the snow structures. The structures will anchor the snow on the steep hillside and prevent it from sliding.

Hammond explained that snow sails were being used previously in Teton County and were not as effective as expected.

In addition to their lack of efficiency, Hammond said the sails were also dif-ficult and costly to maintain.

“These snow supporting structures will do the job better,” he said.

WYDOT begins work on US 26-89-191 to park boundary

Jackson – WYDOT began working on US 26-89-191, Jackson North to the Grand Teton National Park boundary, in late August. The project includes a mill and overlay from approximately milepost 155 to 158. Evans Construction was awarded the contract totaling $1.9 million.

Crews initiated some preparatory shoulder work, which slowed traffic. Delays are to increase after Sept. 4, when crews begin milling old pavement and reduce traffic to a single lane with the assistance of a pilot car throughout the work area. Milling will total 3.6 miles before paving starts.

The road section will be restriped daily so both lanes will be open after work hours and on the weekends.

The current schedule for completion is slated for late September. It is possible that construction could carry into next year’s construction season.

WYDOT receives Highway for Life grant

Buffalo – WYDOT received a $500,000 Highway For Life grant to advance longer-lasting highway infra-structure using innovations to accomplish the fast construction of efficient and safe highways and bridges.

McGarvin Moberly of Worland began

a five-mile surface pavement rehabilita-tion project on WYO 196 south of Buffalo from milepost 294.5 to 299.5 on Aug. 9. Other than main-tenance patching, the last rehabilita-tion of this section of roadway was accomplished in the late 1950’s.

The rehabilita-tion of pavement includes two 12-foot travel lanes without shoulders through the project length and a third lane along the northern 1.2 miles. The work will include 1.5 inches of plant mix surface course over a 1-inch level-ing course. WYDOT will use warm mix asphalt (WMA) for two-thirds of the sur-face course. Hot mix asphalt will be used for leveling and the remaining one-third of the surface course.

WYDOT hopes this project will be-come a model for future WMA projects throughout Wyoming, showing that WMA can enhance the constructabil-ity and quality of thin overlays, allow-ing narrow roadways to be rehabilitated while improving drivers safety. WYDOT anticipated that the properties of WMA will allow for easier and better compac-tion, lower permeability, and reduced segregation, resulting in better long-term pavement performance.

Erosion repair project under way west of Cody

Cody – A US 14-16-20 erosion repair project to repair damage from 2011 flooding began in early August west of Cody.

According to Todd Frost, WYDOT resident engineer in Cody, WYDOT hauled equipment to mile-post 9.55 and placed concrete barrier along the (North Fork of the Shoshone) river for protection.

Milepost 9.55 on US 14-16-20 is 9.55 miles east of the east entrance to Yellow-stone National Park.

Work at milepost 9.55 includes plac-ing rock rip-rap to repair erosion along the North Fork of the Shoshone River. Traffic delays will be minimal, according to Frost.

At milepost 15.73 (15.73 miles east of Yellowstone’s east gate), tree debris from under the existing Mummy Cave bridge on the North Fork was removed. Flaggers directed traffic, and delays were minimal.”

Work at milepost 25.28 included placement of new rock rip-rap repairing an area eroded from last year’s flooding along the North Fork. “We should be complete with all work on these three areas by early September,” Frost said.

The fourth work area, located at milepost 44.40, involved placement of rock gabion baskets west of the Buffalo Bill Dam parking area along the bank of Buffalo Bill Reservoir. “This work will repair eroded areas, and work is expected to start during the first week of Septem-ber,” Frost said. “The west right turn lane into the dam parking lot will be closed to allow undisturbed access to the work site. Traffic delays will be minimal, and traf-fic will be controlled with flaggers. The project is expected to be completed by the end of October.”

Prime contractor for the $610,000 project is Pab Good Trucking of Greybull.

The prime contractor is responsible for erosion repair, including placement of rock rip-rap, grading, draining, placing crushed gravel base, asphalt pavement surfacing, guardrail and other work at US 14-16-20 mileposts 9.55, 15.73, 25.28, and 44.40 between Yellowstone National Park and Cody.

Contract highway patch-ing progressing in north-west counties

Riverton – A contract highway patch-ing project in Fremont County began in mid-August.

Highway patching began Aug. 16 on WYO 135 between Riverton and Sweet-water Station (mileposts 17.75 to 19). Work moved to US 26-287 between Du-bois and Togwotee Pass (mileposts 43.28 to 44.28) on Aug. 21, and US 20-WYO 789 between Shoshoni and Wind River

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Twenty-seven of WYDOT’s 52 computer technology workers are expected to become part of the state’s new Department of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) early next year, but they will continue to work at WYDOT and do their current jobs.

Director John Cox and Flint Waters, the state’s chief information officer and head of ETS, met with the affected WYDOT workers on Aug. 1 to explain the expected changes. Most of those affected are members of Information Technology’s application development, networking and sup-port teams.

The application development team provides custom-developed software and databases specifically for WYDOT’s needs. The network-ing team manages the servers and networks that connect the depart-ment’s computers with each other, the Internet and electronic signs along the highways. The support team manages the department’s computer inven-tory and provides computer hardware and software assistance to employees through the Help Desk and district IT personnel.

“If you are members of one of those groups, the bottom line is you will become an ETS employee,” Cox said. “What will change is where you will get your paycheck from and where you will have your PMI (Performance Management Initia-tive) written. What will not change is where you work. If you work in one of those sections today at WYDOT, you

will continue to work at WYDOT in that same section.”

Waters said the change won’t take effect until after the 2013 Legislature. The Legislature created ETS this year, and the lawmakers must give final ap-proval to the consolidation plan.

The proposed reorganization for WYDOT’s computer technology employees is expected to go before the state’s Information Technology Policy Council next month, and if approved there, it would be included in the plan submitted to the Legislature.

Waters told the employees he thinks his recommendations for the reorganization will be approved, but he can’t guarantee it.

The ETS staff recognized WYDOT’s IT needs are unique among state agencies and agreed the best way to approach the consolida-tion was to leave the teams intact, Cox said. The supervisors of the teams being consolidated will report to ETS staff, and ETS will provide additional support for those teams when needed.

“I think the way this has proceeded to date, even though there have been a lot of unknowns and a lot of unan-swered questions along the way, has been about as good as it could be, in a fairly compact amount of time,” Cox said. “We made sure the governor knew that our biggest issue is we have people here at WYDOT who came to work here because you want to work at WYDOT, and stayed here because this is where you want to work.”

He thanked his executive staff and

IT supervisors for their time, analysis and advice in developing the consoli-dation recommendations.

“We kind of agonized over this,” he said. “We like what we’ve got. The IT team at WYDOT has grown more and more successful as the years have gone by.”

WYDOT’s other priority in the reorganization is to maintain the level of IT service the department cur-rently enjoys, Cox said, and one of the goals of the consolidation is to make additional IT support available when needed.

“We’ll see how this works,” he said. “We want to see this be a success, and each one of you who are in IT are going to be part of it. The success of this statewide initiative is going to depend a whole lot on you. We will do everything that we can to help you all walk through that.”

The new legislation also requires ETS approval for all purchases of computer hardware, software and contractual services costing $500 or more. Assistant Chief Engineer for Operations Ken Shultz said WYDOT is complying with the requirement, but the procedures are still evolving.

“There are still a lot of questions with this,” Shultz said. “They’re hav-ing the same discussions (at ETS) that we’re having. This is a work in progress, and I see that as a positive, because they are adapting and are willing to adapt to try to make this a better fit.”

– Dave Kingham


Project improves US 16 in Ten Sleep CanyonProject improves US 16 in Ten Sleep Canyon

US 16 in the Big Horn Mountains of northern Wyoming is rated by many as one of Wyoming’s most scenic highways. En route from Buffalo to Worland, the route traverses a number of thickly forested drainages before approaching tree line at 9,666-foot Powder River Pass. Next, the road winds down into the Big Horn Basin via Ten Sleep Canyon, affording a plethora of eye pleasing vistas for tourists and resident travelers alike.

Amid the beauty, however, the alpine terrain along one quarter-mile stretch in the upper reaches of the canyon had for years presented a very real and present hazard to the motoring public. The problem traced back to a steep cut slope, just north of milepost 42. Just above the cut slope was a substantial rocky area punctuated by numerous large boulders perched precariously on the hillside.

The upslope was the source of a persistent rock fall problem that had plagued WYDOT maintenance crews for decades. The boulders, some measuring as much as 20 feet

in diameter, were prone to dislodging, particularly during wet weather, then tumbling down onto or adjacent to the highway. The result was frequent damage to the road surface and adjoin-ing concrete barrier, not to mention an ever present danger to passersby.

But now, thanks to a reconstruction project undertaken in the canyon by Casper-based Oftedal Construction over the past several months, the US 16 maintenance and safety problem is largely a thing of the past.

“This road section has been an ongoing maintenance head-ache and safety problem. We’ve used jersey barrier at this site for years to try to restrain the rock fall from reaching the roadway,” said Dan McAfee, WYDOT’s resident engineer in Worland. “We’ve remedied that by taking the big boulders out, moving about 350,000 cubic yards of material in order to lay this slope back and making it safer so we won’t have the rock fall hazard we’ve experienced in the past.”

The 2.3-mile project area is located immediately south of the Big Horn-Washakie county line, just below Mead-owlark Lake. For most of the project corridor (mileposts 41.7-44), US 16 runs through the confines of the canyon, pinned between the banks of

A boulder of giant-sized proportion tumbled down the slope to crush the jersey barrier on US 16 prior to this year’s reconstruction, widening and rock-fall hazard removal project.

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Bulldozers work in tandem at dis-lodging boulders from the slope. Once at the bottom, the boulders are moved by dump trucks to an

area south of the project.


fast-flowing Ten Sleep Creek on one side and the often steep hill side on the other.

The reconstruction includes widening the road from 26 feet across (two travel lanes with minimal shoulders) to 36 feet, enough to add six-foot shoulders on each side. Because of the tight terrain, three retaining walls, together totaling about a half-mile in length, have been built to ac-commodate the wider road and minimize impacts to the creek.

The reconstruction work began this spring and continued at an accelerated pace this summer in order to make the most of the relatively short construction season in the project area, which tops out above 8,000 feet in elevation.

Highly skilled equipment operators were required for the rock excavation. They had to be adept at first excavating the boulders and then moving them to a point where they could be shoved off the embankment in a controlled manner to avoid endangering other machinery or passing traffic, according to WYDOT project engineer Bryan Strasser, also with the Worland crew.

“From the top of the cut, at one point, they were dropping them down verti-cally about 100 feet,” Strasser added. “The big rocks came down with a thunderous crash, but Oftedal’s crew did a really good job of keeping it safe, and when a boulder rolled out onto the roadbed, they were ready to promptly remove it so traffic could resume.”

Most of the work has been undertaken during daylight hours, with traveler delays limited to 15 minutes or less. Of-tedal’s contract carries a partial comple-tion date of Oct. 31, for all work except the chip seal and reclamation. Those final tasks are scheduled to be completed by next June.

The project also includes replacing a large culvert which carries East Ten Sleep Creek under the highway about midway through the project area. Silt dredged from Meadowlark Lake last fall will be used as a source for topsoil needed to reseed side slopes along the new highway. In addition, a one-acre wetland is being developed along the shore of the lake to serve as mitigation for any wetlands disturbed during construction.

- Bruce Burrows

Previous: One of the dislodged boulders bounds down the slope picking up speed until it meets the roadway with a thunderous crash.Photo: Carlie Van Winkle/WYDOT

Earth-moving machines charged with moving nearly 350,000 cubic yards of rock and dirt are creating a safer US 16 through Ten Sleep Canyon.Photo: Cody Beers/WYDOT

WYDOT project engineer Bryan Strasser stands next to a recent addition to the rockpile south of the work area. The boulder measures more than 20 feet in diameter, dwarfing Strasser.Photo: Bruce Burrows/WYDOT


Working in a remote area of the state may not suit all types, but for the ones who like to be away from it all, it fills the bill.

The families who live at the Pole Creek Maintenance Station have certainly gotten away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Even though they live only 20 miles west of Buffalo on US Highway 16, the station is considered a remote location. It is just 13 miles from Powder River Pass, where the highway reaches it’s summit of 9,666 feet.

Some staff from WYDOT’s Public Affairs Office stopped by Pole Creek Maintenance Station this summer while touring the five districts taking photos and writing stories and scripts for future Interchange articles and WYDOT Reports.

US Highway 16 leading up to the remote station is an idyllic drive through the Bighorn National Forest. The WYDOT maintenance station itself is situated on 6.99 acres of leased forest service lands.

Leaving Buffalo, we wound our way through the pine forests and open mountain meadows to our destination. The location of this station and the cool fresh air made it seem like the best day of the summer. The breeze whistling through the pine needles and the birds nesting in those pines completed the soundtrack for our visit. How could one not want to work here surrounded by such beautiful scenery?

The WYDOT maintenance shop is closest to US Highway 16 just inside the fencing after turning off the highway. Off to the left is the water evaporation pond for snowmelt and water out of the camp’s sump pumps. A new 40-foot by 100-foot sand and salt storage building is currently under construction and should be completed this fall. Passing the main-tenance barn, three houses come into view, each with it’s own yard and driveway. Those three homes are where the employees and their families live. The maintenance shop and homes all share a well, propane and a septic leach field.

After arriving at the maintenance station at Pole Creek, the Public Af-

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Spending time at Pole Creek

Above: Snowfall piled up against old Pole Creek cabins, April 1972.Below: New construction transforming the maintenance camp, September, 1972. Old cabins to be replaced seen in the distance.Bottom: Maintenance shed, September 1972.

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fairs crew caught up with Don Twing, a former maintenance foreman and resident of the “man camp.” He now works as maintenance foreman in Buf-falo. He introduced us to two of the current employee-residents of the Pole Creek Maintenance Station, Gary Hulet, maintenance foreman, and Dustin Hockett, heavy equipment operator.

Hulet started out at Burgess Junction in 1974, and moved to Pole Creek where he has been maintenance foreman since 1984. When asked about the biggest changes he has seen in the past 34 years, Hulet replied that, aside from better equipment and tools to get the job done, there are definitely more people moving up and down US 16 now than there were 30 years ago.

When repairs on the WYDOT vehicles are needed, mechanics either come up from Buffalo, or they get the machinery down the mountain to Buf-falo. Many of the smaller jobs are taken care of by Pole Creek staff.

Curiosity got the better of those of us from the city who were admiring the beautifully mild day so we had to ask, “What are the winters like?”

Twing said winters near 9,000 feet in elevation can wear on a person. “I remember having pretty long winters. I was hired Aug. 1, 1971 and, the following 12 months, we plowed snow every month of the year,” Twing said. The snows were not just dustings, he recalled. There was actually enough snow for the Pole Creek crew to bust drifts on Powder River Pass in July and August of 1972.

Hulet said when he started at Pole Creek, he also saw snowfall every month of the year. “A little over 10 feet of snow fell in May of 1974,” said Hulet. Most winters typically last from mid- to late September until the end of May or the first week of June.

Winter can make traversing US Highway 16 difficult. Snow can get three to four feet deep during a normal winter and typically starts piling up in October. There is some melting between storms, which helps crews with snow buildup. During a heavy storm, the Buffalo crews will come up as far as Pole Creek to help out with plowing and sanding. “If we can help each other out, we do that,” says Hulet. The Pole Creek crew will travel as far west as Washakie County to help out the Ten Sleep crew. They try not to get hung up on boundaries, and drive to where they are needed.

The crew at Pole Creek may spend every day of the week together, but when five o’clock rolls around, they walk back to their respective homes and families and relax. Outdoor pastimes are what the crew indulges in on the weekends. Fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling are a good respite for them, and since they are so close to wilderness, why not?

– Carlie Van Winkle

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Above: The newly constructed residences at the mainte-nance station, September 1972.Below: Pole Creek housing nearly 40 years later, July, 2012.Bottom: Hulet and Hockett speaking with Bruce Burrows of the Public Affairs Office about the placement of the new sand/salt storage building.

Left: Gary Hulet, maintenance foreman, and Dustin Hockett, heavy equip-ment operator, residents of the Pole Creek Maintenance Station, give a tour of the facility.Above: The entrance to the Pole Creek camp from US Highway 16.

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WelcomeReginald Boyd, Bridge Engineer-

ing Design; Todd Hepworth, Highway Development-Photogrammetry/Survey; Hilary Michelena, Support Services-Pa-trol; Stephanie Olson, Cheyenne Driver Services; Tracy Romero, Cheyenne I-25 Port of Entry; and Autumn Sanchez, Management Services.

RetirementsDavid Hamilton, Maintenance Staff

Administration; Guido Gezzi, Office Services-Files; Michael Patritch, Plan-ning-Programming; and Ronald Archul-eta, Right-of-Way Administration.

Service AwardsKerry Daniels, Highway Develop-

ment-Project Development – 35 years.Edward Kunkel, Geology – 30 years.Kevin Messman, Planning-Truck

Weight – 25 years.

Martha Ojeda, Facility Maintenance Custodial – 20 years.

Curtis Olson, Maintenance Staff – 20 years.

Prasong Traipoom, Information Technology Support – 20 years.

John Valerius, Planning-Statistics/In-ventory – 20 years.

Alisha Reese, Materials-Surfacing – 10 years.

Tegan Carter, Management Services – 5 years.

Michael Flaim, Highway Develop-ment-Photogrammetry/Survey – 5 years.

Louis Maillet, Materials-Bituminous – 5 years.

John Radomicki, Materials-Bitumi-nous – 5 years.

Sharon Thibodeau Dana, Planning-Programming – 5 years.

Cradle CallJanelle Leonard, Engineering Services,

and husband, Bryan, welcomed Brayden Cody Leonard into the world May 20. Brayden weighed in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces and measured 21 inches. He joins proud big sister Justine in the Leonard household. Grandparents, Fred Williams, retired from Construction, and Judy Wil-liams, Right of Way, welcomed their 13th grandchild.

CongratulationsWyoming Senior Olympics were held

August 8-11 in Cheyenne and Director John Cox brought home the gold in each of his cycling events. Way to go!

40K Road Race – Gold (1:05:17)20K Road Race – Gold (31:27)10K Time Trial – Gold (14:17)5K Time Trial – Gold (8:58)

WelcomeCarl Malone, Laramie Mechanics.

Service AwardsJames Chesnut, Laramie Maintenance

– 10 years.Christopher Carroll, Laramie Patrol

Field – 5 years.Ted Gallegos, Laramie Construction

– 5 years.Travis Hauser, Rawlins Patrol Field –

5 years.Timothy Romig, Elk Mountain Patrol

Field – 5 years.

CongratulationsCongratulations to Wayne Shenefelt,

Cheyenne Construction Crew 1006 on successfully passing his professional engi-neering exam.

District newsHeadquarters

District 1

District 2

WelcomeRichard Jaeger, Muddy Gap Mainte-

nance; Kristina Lavin, District 2 Ad-ministration; Linda Martinez, Casper Driver Services; and Paul Penny, Casper Maintenance.

Service AwardsJames Williamson, Casper Mechanics

– 25 years.Adam Bruning, Casper Patrol Field

–5 years.Brandon Cornelio, Douglas Patrol

Field – 5 years.

Gregg Fredrick with John Valerius receiving his 20 year service award.

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Brayden Leonard is all smiles for the camera.

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Kevin Messman receiving his 25 year service award from Gregg Fredrick.

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Gone fishing, camping, ATVing or hiking? Share your photos!

Find the next installment of

WYDOT Outdoors in the October issue.

Deadline for submissions:

September 14, 2012.


District 3

District 4

District 5

WelcomeBenjamin Burdette, Rock Springs

Maintenance; Greg Dana, Afton Main-tenance; and Travis Ruiz, Rock Springs Maintenance.

Service AwardsMark Gray, Granger Maintenance –

10 years.Chris Hunsaker, Afton Mechanics

–10 years.Karen Bartek, Rock Springs Driver

Services – 5 years.Brandon Deckert, Pinedale Patrol

Field – 5 years.Robert Fladland, Evanston Port of

Entry – 5 years.Wade Seals, Jackson Construction – 5

years.

WelcomeKari Goodman, Gillette Construction.

Service AwardsScott Templeton, Gillette Patrol Field

– 5 years.

CongratulationsBrian DeTavernier and Robert Leop-

old on your recent swearing in ceremony as Sheridan/Dietz Port of Entry officers.

WelcomeJacob Small, Lander Traffic Striping.

Service AwardsAlesha Dern, District 5 Maintenance

Staff – 5 years.

July and August Service Award Recipients

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Service award luncheons are held by the Transportation Commission for employees celebrating milestones of 25 years of service or greater.

Our July and August service award recipients: (l to r) James Williamson, Ed Sabourin and Matthew Sanders.

Two of Sheridan/Dietz Port of Entry’s newest Officers being sworn in by Montana Captain Doug Park on July 31. Congratulations to Brian DeTavernier (left) and Robert Leopold.

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Extra MileAWARDSCongratulations to the July recipients!

WYDOT salutes the following Director’s Extra Mile Award recipients. The award is presented to individuals who have traveled the “extra mile” in service to WYDOT.

William Tower

Earleen Weaver

Julia Ray

Melinda Harmon

K.C. Darrah

Marian Scott

Renae Livermore

Tammy Salazar

Debra Shuler

Darrel Seifert

Julie Francis

For more information about the Extra Mile Award or to nominate someone, contact Janet Farrar at [email protected] or

Mel Anderson at [email protected].


In the CommunityJohn Boltz Classic once again a huge success

Worland – Tony Rideout, Jennifer Debates, and Pat O’Brien of Worland, and Frank Palazzolo of Powell won the 8th annual John Boltz Classic July 28 at Green Hills Golf Course in Worland.

The tournament raises money for the John Boltz Memorial Scholarship given to Worland and Ten Sleep graduates each year.

Seventy-two golfers from as far away as Cheyenne, Saratoga, Guernsey, River-ton, Powell and Cody gathered for a fun day of sunshine, camaraderie, and golf.

Two-person teams signed up for the event, and teams were paired up by a blind draw to form four-person teams for a scramble event. The winning team shot a round of 61.

Coming in second was the team of Ernie Skretteberg, Andy Skretteberg, Dwight Mayland and Kent Smith of Wor-land with a score of 63.

In tie for third place were the teams of Ron and Tony Huff of Basin, Mark Hansen of Worland, and Joe Palazzolo of Riverton shooting a 64 to tie the team of John Herrin and Jere Apland of Ther-mopolis and Scott Sod-erstrom and Colton Willard of Worland.

The top four teams received cash prizes and nu-merous cash prizes were awarded for other “special events” on the course.

More than $3,000 was raised this year to go into the scholarship fund for class

of 2013 Ten Sleep and Worland graduates.Applications for the scholarship are

available through local high school guid-ance offices.

Winners of the 8th annual John Boltz Classic together as a group. (l to r) Ride-out, Debates, O’Brien and Palazzolo.

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Troopers hold child safe-ty seat check up in Afton

Afton – Teaching families how to safely transport their children is just one of the many jobs that Wyoming troopers perform on a daily basis. It is estimated that approximately 80 percent of car seats are misused, either because a child is in the wrong seat, the seat is installed wrong, or the child is not placed in the seat cor-rectly.

Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers who are nationally certified child pas-senger safety seat technicians partnered recently with the Tegeler and Associates Insurance Co. and sponsored a child safety seat inspection station temporarily set up at the Afton Fire Department.

During the four-hour event troopers inspected a 31 car seats. Of that number, 20 were found to be misused, three of the car seats had been recalled by the manu-facturer and four car seats were expired.

Fourteen new child seats were given to parents free of charge to replace seats that were missing labels, had been in a prior crash, had an unknown history, recalled

or to those who stopped by and did not have a seat.

Tegeler and Associates provided hot dogs and water to those in attendance. In addition, more than $150 in donations were collected during event. The dona-tions were given to the Afton Fire Depart-ment to further their education fund.

Wyoming statute requires all children who have not yet reached their ninth birthday to be properly secured in a child safety seat in the back seat. If the child is between the ages of 9 to 12 years of age they must be properly secured in a seat belt. These are primary child restraint violations in Wyoming and operators of mo-tor vehicles may be stopped for an observed violation and cited.

Before putting a child in a new car

seat, read the manufacturer’s instructions. Pay close attention to guidance on how to adjust the car seat’s harness for proper fit. The harness secures the child at the stron-gest parts of his or her body and keeps the child in the vehicle during a crash.

In attendance at the CPS event in Afton (l to r): Jennifer Davis (Tegeler and Assoc.), Tpr. Lucian Carter, Tpr. Chad Ludwig, Tpr. Karl Southam, Tpr. Dustin Ragon, Sgt. Duane Ellis & Marilyn Dawe (Tegeler and Assoc.).

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“Failure to Launch” posting anything but failure

Recently, the Public Affairs Office posted a photo on the WYDOT Facebook fan page of a dump truck turned on end, cab pointed skyward. The orphaned photo had been separated from the original story and was not properly labeled on the reverse. The lack of information about the photo gave the Public Affairs Office a grand idea to post it to Facebook as a gag photo with a silly caption – “Failure to Launch.”

Several responses were submitted to the post, one from Nancy Stowe Lichty. “Who would have thought that liking the WYDOT fan page would remind me of this article and my beloved grand-father,” Lichty wrote.

In fact, the actual event happened in March 1967 and was covered by the Wyoming State Journal, which is now the Lander Journal. According to the newspaper article submitted, the dump truck backed over an embankment near the department shop. The driver, Henry Stowe, had been backing the loaded truck when the soft sand under the truck gave way. The truck fell back-end first, Stowe was uninjured and the truck was later righted with only minor damage.

Lichty posted to the Facebook fan page, “The story I heard from a cousin recently, was that his boss insisted that the sand be dumped on top of a tall pile. He was resistant to the order, but did as he was told. He was not harmed.” Lichty also mailed in a copy of the original newspaper clip-ping.

Stowe worked for WYDOT’s predecessor agency, the Wyoming Highway Department, for more than 25 years before his retirement in the late 1960’s.

Steve Stowe, also com-mented on the posting, “If only Grandpa knew that 45-years later this pic would resurface in a medium that can be seen worldwide. He would probably just smile, with a twinkle in his eye, and laugh!”The Facebook posting, “Failure to Launch.” With the cutline that read:

After an obvious failure to launch, a Wyoming Highway Department dump truck (c. 1960) gets pulled out of an abyss. No doubt the truck made a triumphant return to service, but actual results have been lost to the sands of time.

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The newspaper article submitted to the Public Affairs Office by Nancy Stowe Lichty. Her grandfather, Henry Stowe, is second from the left in the image.

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As summer comes to an end,law enforcement will be

cracking down on drunk drivers. Please designate a sober driver.


NoteworthyWYDOT honored for wildlife crossing efforts

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has presented a National Parks Achievement Award to WYDOT for its work in creating safe and wildlife-friendly roads.

Director John Cox and Steve Ferrell, the governor’s wildlife and endangered species policy advisor, accepted the award on

Aug. 14 on behalf of Gov. Matt Mead and all who have collaborated on the wildlife cross-ing projects.

NPCA Senior Program Manager Sharon Mader said her group supports preserving wildlife migration corridors into national parks around the nation.

The $9.7 million Trappers Point project scheduled for completion this fall includes two overpasses and six underpasses along US 191 and US 189-191 in the Pinedale and Daniel Junction areas to serve wildlife including pronghorn migrating to and from Grand Teton National Park.

“This project is really a model for the country, and I was so proud to sit in the Wildlife Committee meeting at the Western Governor’s Association and have Wyoming be the state that was being recognized for its amazing work on wildlife migration cor-ridors,” Mader said. “It’s wonderful to see Wyoming at the forefront of that.”

Cox said District Engineer John Eddins was the driving force behind the Trappers Point project, and his crew did much of the work on it.

The project previously was honored with an Exemplary Eco-system Initiative Award from the Federal Highway Administra-tion for the cooperative effort among state and federal agencies that made it possible.

“This was very much a collaborative effort on the part of a bunch of agencies, but primarily, from our perspective, between

the Department of Transportation and the Wyoming Game and Fish,” Cox said.

Chief Engineer Del McOmie said animals are already using some of the Trappers Point underpasses, even though construction is not yet complete. Tens of thousands of animals are using the wildlife underpasses previously built in the Nugget Canyon and Baggs areas, he said, which improves safety for both the animals and motorists.

Ferrell, who served as director of the Game and Fish Department for three years before moving to the governor’s of-fice, also lauded the level of interagency cooperation in Wyoming.

“Hats off to John and Del and their staff for making this happen,” he said. “I think it shows Wyoming’s continued commitment to public safety and making highways a safe place for travelers.”

Director John Cox and Steve Ferrell, the governor’s wildlife and endangered species policy advi-sor, accept the National Parks Achievement Award on behalf of Gov. Matt Mead from Sharon Mader in August.

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A wildlife underpass constructed along US 189-191 as part of the Trapper’s Point project.

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Wilson named AASHTO Subcommittee on Design Region 4 representative

Bill Wilson, of WYDOT Engineering Services, has been appointed to a posi-tion on the AASHTO Subcommittee on Design (SCOD) Technical Committee. His expertise in the area of roadside hardware and major architecture proj-ects garnered him the nomination.

“Anytime you’re appointed to a national committee it’s an honor to serve on that committee because you’re helping to make decisions nationally on what our policies could potentially be,” said Wilson.

The technical committee that Wilson joined is charged with developing man-uals for AASHTO, including the Road-side Design Guide, which establishes criteria for roadside safety features. This design guide targets measures to reduce fatalities on the nation’s highways. Crite-ria in the guide aid highway designers in

creating roadside safety barriers. As he began his duties with the SCOD’s Technical Commit-

tee, he was asked to lead a focus group on semirigid barriers. Being lead in this group becomes the first task of many that Wilson expects to undertake.

Wilson, a 28-year WYDOT veteran, is no stranger to national committees having also worked on roadside safety issues for the Transportation Research Board (TRB). He continues his involve-ment with TRB on those issues.

Wilson’s tasks with SCOD dovetail with his current duties at WYDOT, where he currently advises designers on roadside safety issues as an architectural and highway standards engineer.

Bill Wilson

WTD

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If you would like your WTDEA event to be placed in Interchange, please contact Tina Thomas, [email protected] or

Tony Niswender, [email protected]

HatsHatsWTDEA State Board is selling hats. The hats are $18. Contact your WTDEA representative for more information.

GlovesGlovesPigskin leather work gloves. $5.25 for members, $6.25 for non-members. Call Tina Thomas at 777-4486.

CookbookCookbookThe Roadkill Cookbook is selling for $10. Call Barbara Thomasee at 777-4494.

Cash CalendarCash CalendarAn 18 Month Calendar (7/2012 - 12/2013) is selling for $15. Daily chances to win starting January 2013. Contact your representative for information.

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PassingsJohn “Bob” R. Mathson

John “Bob” R. Mathson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and cousin passed away on July 28, at Evanston Regional Hospital, after a lengthy illness at the age of 81.

Bob was born Sept. 23, 1930 in Den-ver. He moved at a young age to Evanston from Saratoga.

He graduated from Evanston High School and was in the National Guard where he was sergeant, company “A”, 141st tank battalion.

He was employed with WYDOT’s pre-decessor agency, the Wyoming Highway Department, and retired with 26.5 years in Oct. 1987.

Mathson was affiliated with the Evan-ston Boat Club, Elks Lodge, American Legion, Cowboy Days, the Jaycees and was a member of the Episcopal Church.

He loved his family and relatives very much and had many wonderful friends. He especially enjoyed supporting his grandkids in their various activities.

He enjoyed bowling, boating, fishing, camping, traveling and being with his family and friends.

Bob requested cremation for the closure of his life. A memorial service was conducted on Aug. 1, at the Crandall Funeral Home in Evanston. Interment followed with services at the Evanston Cemetery.

Elmer T. “Bud” LawesWYDOT retiree Elmer T. “Bud”

Lawes, 76, died July 11 in Phoenix.Lawes retired from WYDOT in May

1993 after compiling 40 years of service with the agency.

He was born in Rock Springs, but lived in Cheyenne most of his life before mov-ing to his retirement home in Mesa, Ariz., in 2000.

Early on during his career with the department, Lawes was a member of the Cheyenne engineering crew. Notable projects he helped supervise included the original section of Interstate 25 between

Cheyenne and northern Colorado, which opened to traffic in 1964.

Lawes subsequently transferred to the Materials and Testing Laboratory, where he served as a materials engineer.

Graveside funeral services and inter-ment were conducted July 14 in Chey-enne.

Date Class LocationSept 4 Successful Time Management CheyenneSept 5 Laughing Your Way Through Stress CheyenneSept 11-14 New Supervisors’ Orientation (NSO) CheyenneSept 18 Barriers to Interpersonal Communication CheyenneSept 19 How to Survive and Thrive in the Workplace Cheyenne

Coming Up in October:Oct 4 The People Side of Project Management WYDOT - only TLNOct 11,18,25 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People TLN

To register, or to find out more details, call the Training Program and talk to David Talley (777-4792),

Jim Boyd (777-4791) or Rhonda DeLeeuw (777-4790).

When you call, ask about the videos, books and audiotapes available from the Training Resource Library.

Glanceat aTraining

Here are upcoming training opportunities from WYDOT University and the

Transportation Learning Network (TLN)

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Bud Lawes (right), a member of the Wyoming highway engineering crew who supervised construction of I-25 in the early 1960’s. Charles Kilty (left) and Jack Johnston are also pictured.

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Once you start

you just can’t stop.

Don’t text and drive.


Briefs continued from page 5

Canyon (mileposts 101.88 to 102.83) on Aug. 28.

The northwest Wyoming contract patching project included various loca-tions in Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, Washakie, and Fremont counties.

“All work has been completed in the Big Horn Basin,” said Todd Frost, WYDOT resident engineer.

Mountain Construction Co., of Lovell was the prime contractor for the north-west Wyoming highway improvements. Western Wyoming Construction Co., of Lander was a subcontractor under Moun-tain Construction with responsibility for the Fremont County highway patching.

Contract completion date for the highway patching project is Sept. 30.

Badger Basin chip sealing scheduled this month near Clark

Clark – Chip sealing of a WYO 294 pavement improvement project began at the end of August between the communi-ties of Clark and Powell.

Motorists could expect traffic delays of up to 20 minutes during the chip seal work.

Prime contractor for the $1.99 million project is Mountain Construction Co., of Lovell.

WYDOT’s contract with Mountain Construction Co., includes a one-inch asphalt leveling overlay, a two-inch pave-ment overlay, a chip seal finish and minor widening along the edges of nine miles of the highway from the intersection of WYO 294 (Badger Basin Road) and WYO 120 (near Clark). Completion date is Oct. 31.

Rosie’s Ridge and Togwotee Pass update

Dubois – Construction continues on the Rosie’s Ridge section of US 26-287 between Dubois and Moran Junction, the Togwotee Trail to Yellowstone.

The beginning milepost for the construction zone on the Rosie’s Ridge section was moved to milepost 7.5. Trav-elers should expect delays during daylight hours, Monday through Saturday.

New fencing is showcased on the north side of the wildlife arch located at milepost 10.5.

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The Rosie’s Ridge construction zone, between mileposts 7.5 and 14.5, is located 7.5 miles east of Moran Junction, and 41.5 miles west of Dubois. Flagging stations are posted within the work zone, and pilot cars will lead traffic through the area.

Continuing work on slopes as well as building fills, and putting down subbase for the highway foundation. Topsoiling continues and seeding started on Rosie’s Ridge.

Fencing was completed on the north side of the wildlife arch, located at mile-post 10.5, two miles east of the Blackrock ranger station.

Each section has two horizontal wooden rails, with two endposts dug into the ground, and a post midway between them.

The purpose of the fence and its path on the slope, is to guide wildlife away from traffic and to the arch crossing, below the highway.

Chip sealing on the Togwotee Pass/Fourmile section was postponed until Aug. 13.

Flaggers and pilot cars will be utilized throughout the area.

The Togwotee Pass/Fourmile section is located approximately 25 miles west of Dubois, and 14.5 miles east of Moran Junction.

Chipsealing will begin on the eastern end at milepost 31, and continue west 16.4 miles, to milepost 14.5.

Citizens invited to River-ton South public meeting

Riverton – A proposed WYO 789 highway improvement project south of Riverton was the subject of an Aug. 21 public meeting at Riverton City Hall.

The Riverton South highway improve-ment project is tentatively scheduled for

2015.“The purpose of the project is to

widen the existing roadway (WYO 789) to a five-lane section immediately south of Riverton beginning at the Big Wind River bridge for 1.5 miles to the south past Wind River Hotel and Casino and Beaver Creek Housing,” according to Robert Scheidemantel, WYDOT resident engineer in Riverton. “Expected im-provements include grading, placement of crushed gravel, widening the of the highway and asphalt pavement surfacing, widening of the Little Wind River bridge, and other improvements.”

Scheidemantel said the improvements are designed to improve highway safety and allow for expected traffic capacity increases over the next 20 years.

“Average daily traffic in 2006 at WYO 789’s junction with WYO 137 (17-Mile Road) was 11,000 vehicles and 510 trucks. Anticipated average daily traffic of this intersection in 2032 is 19,377 vehicles and 760 trucks,” Scheidemantel said.

For the years 1997 to 2006, there were 150 crashes documented on this section of WYO 789. Of those, 59 (39.3 percent) involved wildlife or livestock, and 54 (36 percent) involved another vehicle.

Roadway reconstruction scheduled south of Lander on WYO 28

Lander – Repairs of the Double Nickel slide above Red Canyon on WYO 28 are ongoing, and roadway reconstruc-tion through the 1,200-foot work zone began Aug. 20.

The $5.8 million project includes slide repair work, including extensive drill-ing, and road reconstruction beginning at milepost 55.51 on WYO 28, about 26 miles south of Lander, according to Erik Smith, WYDOT resident engineer in Lander.

“The prime contractor is continuing its drilling and stabilizing of the slides,” Smith said.

The contractor is limited to 30 work-ing days to complete the highway work.

“Motorists should expect delays dur-ing the reconstruction of the roadway,” Smith said.

The prime contractor for the slide stabilization project is DBM Contrac-tors, Inc., of Federal Way, Wash. Project completion date is Sept. 30.

Pre-sortedStandard

U.S. Postage PaidCheyenne, WY 82009

Permit No. 24

InterchangeWyoming Department of Transportation5300 Bishop Blvd.Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009-3340

Address Service Requested

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interchange - september 2012

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