Interchange - January 2014

Interchange January 2014, Vol. 42, Issue 1

WYDOT’s Geology Program

In Search of Solid Ground

Letters

Small blessings make a big difference My husband, Daniel Taylor, and I both work for WYDOT. We want to thank everyone who so graciously donated sick leave to Daniel to help us out. Small blessings can be so big sometimes!

We truly have a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season this year.

Thanks again, Karleen and Daniel Taylor

Kudos for rest stops Thank you for providing numerous clean and well-maintained rest stops along I-25 and I-90 from Colorado to Montana.

We appreciate that we can count on them being open year-round with the same dependable maintenance.

Don and Connie

Up-to-date information well-received

Interchange Road maintenance kudos Director Cox, The town of Medicine Bow wants to thank you all for helping us maintain our roads. The local department does an excellent job clearing the roads and keeping them open. We commend the local team of Lance Adams, Dale Wolfe, Les French, Tom Biamon and all the rest for their excellent work.

Sincerely, Kevin Colman, Mayor

Wyoming has beautiful veteran’s plates

Interchange is published for employees of the Wyoming Department 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., Cheyenne, 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 carlie.vanwinkle@wyo.gov

Steve (Lund), I’m a retired Army veteran from Wyoming and my disability rating is just about finished. I checked your site and was just amazed at the beautiful plates you now provide for us.

I just wanted to send a note of thanks to your department for these. They are simply beautiful and I will request them as soon as I get my paperwork in hand.

Good work WYO!

Staff WYDOT Director: John F. Cox

Thank you, Jason Hatch

I would like to thank the entire staff of WYDOT for providing my son, who is an OTR truck driver, and me with excellent up-to-date information on road conditions on I-80 between Cheyenne and Evanston for the last three days. You are a very professional organization.

Beverly Culver

Submission deadline for the February Interchange is:

Public Affairs Manager: Doug McGee Editor/Art Director: Carlie Van Winkle Contributors: Bruce Burrows Public Affairs Dave Kingham Public Affairs Carlie Van Winkle Public Affairs Ross Doman District 1 Jeff Goetz District 2 Stephanie Harsha District 3 Ronda Holwell District 4 Cody Beers District 5 Sgt. Stephen Townsend Patrol Photography: Rick Carpenter Public Affairs

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DOT publication

Also in this issue: Letters.....................................2

Contents 6

District briefs.........................4 HR Happenings....................7

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Training at a Glance......... 10 Extra Mile Awards..............11 From Public Affairs............13 District news.......................14 WYDOT by the Numbers.. 15 In the Community.............16

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Noteworthy..........................17 Passings................................17

6 Changes to WYDOT fleet

WTDEA..................................18 WYDOT Outdoors............. 20 Break Time.......................... 23

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New light-duty trucks take on new appearance

8 WYDOT Geology:

In search of solid ground

11 WYDOT Wellness Program

Earn comp time by exercising

13 Hello, Trello

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 website home page.

New tool to improve project management

On the cover: WYDOT Geology crew drilling in a snow-covered forest.

Photo: WYDOT

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District Briefs Contracts awarded for fuel tax projects

Cheyenne – Contracts totaling $18.7 million for six highway projects, including four pavement preservation projects made possible by increased state fuel tax revenue, were awarded by the Wyoming Transportation Commission during its December meeting in Casper.

Since the fuel tax increase went into effect in July, a total of 10 pavement preservation projects, covering more than 82 miles of highway at a cost of about $29 million, have been awarded by the commission. Nine more projects accounting for another 39 miles of similar work are slated to go to contract between now and next summer.

High Country Construction, Inc., of Lander was the low bidder for the largest of the four fuel tax projects. The $6.9 million job includes pavement overlay and minor widening work on 5.1 miles of WYO 116 in Crook County. The project area is located between mileposts 16 and 21 on WYO 116 south of Sundance, and the widening work will boost the road shoulders from two to four feet. The project also includes replacing a nearly six-decade old bridge over Inyan Kara Creek. High Country Construction’s contract carries a completion date of June 30, 2015.

LeGrand Johnson Construction Co. of Logan, Utah, submitted the winning bid of $2.8 million for another fuel tax project, which will consist primarily of pavement milling and resurfacing work on 10.5 miles (mileposts 24-34) of US 189 immediately south of Kemmerer. The asphalt milled from the existing pavement will be reused along the shoulders. The project is slated from completion by next Oct. 31.

The third fuel tax project, involving WYO 28 in southwest Wyoming, was awarded to McGarvin-Moberly Construction Co. of Worland. The $1.9 million effort mostly involves pavement overlay on a 10-mile section (mileposts 14-24)

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of WYO 28 in Sweetwater and Sublette counties between Farson and South Pass.

The completion date is also Oct. 31.

Also being funded by the fuel tax increase is a $369,000 project awarded to 71 Construction of Casper. The work consists of pavement rehabilitation, mostly milling and resurfacing work, for 0.3 mile (between mileposts 116 and 117) on US 20 through the three tunnels at the south end of Wind River Canyon between Shoshoni and Thermopolis. The work should be complete by next July 31.

Knife River Corp. of Casper was the low bidder, at $5.5 million, to mill and resurface 6.3 miles of I-80 in the Vedauwoo area between Laramie and Cheyenne. The work involves both east and west bound travel lanes between mileposts 324 and 330, and also includes bridge rehabilitation at the Vedauwoo Interchange (exit 329) and the Blair Road separation (milepost 326.6). Knife River’s contract has a completion date of Oct. 31.

Advanced Electrical Contracting of Sheridan won a $1.3 million project to install electronic “dynamic message” signs over I-25 near Casper. The overhead signs, which will be used to post travel advisories and other information visible to north and southbound travelers, will be located near milepost 180, east of Hat Six Road Interchange (exit 192), and near milepost 196, south of Ormsby Road Interchange (exit 197). The work, which also includes installation of a telecommunications relay tower along I-25 in Casper, has an Oct. 31 completion date.

Thanksgiving holiday enforcement efforts see success Cheyenne – The holiday enforcement efforts by troopers and cooperation from the motoring public experienced notable success with no highway fatalities reported across the state from Thanksgiving day through Sunday evening, Dec. 1.

Troopers were determined to make the holiday weekend safe by maintaining high visibility enforcement on the roads.

The enforcement and criminal interdiction efforts resulted in the following

activities: 1. A trooper located one fugitive wanted on a nationwide felony warrant; 2. Troopers located two individuals wanted on in-state Wyoming warrants; 3. Three individuals were arrested in two separate incidents for drug possession, one seizure with more than 70 pounds of marijuana packaged for distribution; 4. Troopers located and arrested two drivers for driving while under the influence; 5. Troopers handled 123 motorist assists; and 6. Troopers investigated 77 vehicle crashes.

In addition to the above efforts, Patrol dispatchers handled 3,108 emergency and non emergency calls for service and dispatches.

The WHP dispatch center also provides call-taking and dispatch services to a number of other law enforcement agencies.

Battle Pass route closed for season Laramie – Blowing snow and poor visibility forced the closure of WYO 70 over Battle Pass between Encampment and Baggs the first week of December.

WYO 70 joins a closed a portion of WYO 130 over the Snowy Range between Laramie and Saratoga.

Westbound travelers on WYO 130 will encounter the gate at the Green Rock Picnic Area near milepost 36, about eight miles above Centennial. For eastbound travel, the closure begins near milepost 48 above Ryan Park.

Both alpine roadways are closed annually when relatively low traffic, combined with increasing snow accumulations, make plowing operations impractical.

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Wheatland – Two individuals, one wanted on a nationwide “be on the lookout” for homicide, were taken into custody in Wyoming.

A trooper patrolling northbound I-25 south of Wheatland pulled in behind a stranded motorist in a green Ford pickup with Florida tags to check on them.

The male driver informed the trooper that they had ran out of fuel and were waiting for someone to bring them some. As the trooper conversed with the couple, a male and female, he began to suspect they might be two individuals wanted in Florida from photos sent out to all WHP. A WHP dispatcher confirmed the trooper’s suspicion and advised the pickup was reported stolen in Florida.

Steven D. Tompkins, who was considered to be armed and dangerous, and his passenger, 19 year-old Joycelin Luck, were taken into custody with assistance from Platte County sheriff ’s deputies without incident.

Tompkins is accused of killing his mother and his brother at a home in Lehigh Acres, Fla. Tompkins has been charged in Wyoming with possession of stolen property and is being held for Lee County, Fla. law enforcement authorities pending extradition on two counts of 2nd degree murder.

Luck, who was also reported as a missing person from Orangeburg, S.C., has been charged in Wyoming with being an accessory to possession of stolen property. It is currently unknown what if any charges she faces in Florida.

When temperatures remain below freezing in the state, troopers often stop to check on stranded motorists to make sure they have help and offer assistance throughout their daily patrols.

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Marijuana “wax” commingled with more than 13 pounds of marijuana

Troopers locate stranded and lost motorist

Evanston – The newest and latest way to illegally use marijuana is for a kitchen chemist to make marijuana “wax.” Marijuana wax is more than 80 percent pure THC which is the active ingredient in marijuana, compared to 20-30 percent in marijuana leaves.

A 56-year old resident from Virginia has been arrested and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and felony possession of a controlled substance in plant form following a traffic stop 40 miles east of Evanston on eastbound I-80.

Larry Betterton was stopped for a speeding violation on Dec. 13 and was found to be transporting more than 13 pounds of marijuana worth as much as $80,040. Troopers also discovered four large patties of marijuana wax with an approximate value of $11,104.

Since a final destination of the marijuana and the marijuana wax was in Virginia, the WHP has requested assistance from special agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

Wyoming law enforcement authorities are working with their counterparts in Virginia on follow up investigations into this illegal trafficking case.

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More than 13 pounds of marijuana, marijuana wax and other paraphernalia was confiscated in a December bust.

Sheridan – A 19 year-old female was located by troopers on a U.S. Forest Service road in the Big Horn Mountains after she was reported overdue by worried family.

Although she had a cell phone, there was no contact with her either by text or by phone. She was traveling from South Dakota and was due to arrive in Powell on Nov. 15, but never arrived.

On Nov. 16 troopers attempted to locate her red 2003 Chevrolet. On a hunch, a trooper from Sheridan and a trooper from Lovell began searching U.S. 14A and U.S. 14 over the Big Horn Mountains which sits at an elevation close to 9,400 feet. The troopers met near Burgess Junction and neither had seen any sign of the vehicle on their travels up the mountain.

As the troopers headed back down the mountain they received word that someone had received a text message from the missing teen. With assistance from her cell phone carrier they were able to narrow the search area to Forest Service Road 180.

A trooper located the missing vehicle stuck in the snow approximately 12 miles from the highway, however the missing teen was not with the vehicle. The trooper was unable to drive any further in his patrol vehicle. He saw footprints leading away from the vehicle and he began to follow on foot.

The trooper located the missing teen, cold and afraid, walking down the road a short distance away. The trooper gave her his gloves and hat along with a candy bar. An off-duty WYDOT worker picked them up in his pickup and gave them a ride back to the vehicles.

Troopers transported the missing teen to the hospital in Sheridan where she was treated and released with no reported injuries. The teen told troopers she became stuck on the road around 8:30 p.m. the evening before. She stayed in the vehicle to stay warm and began walking to find help the next morning.

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Photo courtesy WHP

Suspect in double homicide taken into custody

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Briefs continued from page 5

Lovell Streets project is subject of public meetings Lovell – A pair of public-information sharing sessions were held Dec. 9 regarding the 2014 Lovell Streets Highway Improvement Project.

"This project will impact the Lovell business district. We invited business owners and citizens to attend one of these sessions to share their thoughts on the 2014 project," according to Lovell Town Council Member Brian Dickson. "We want business owners and citizens to understand the impacts of this project, and we'd like to take input from business owners and citizens.

We're looking for good ideas."

Meeting attendees had the opportunity

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to review a description of the project and the proposed traffic management plan.

Possible street closures are being considered to accommodate the construction project.

Riverview Road project in Riverton continues Riverton – A reduced project speed limit of 20 mph was in effect Dec. 11 and 12 on the Riverview Road highway improvement project in Riverton.

“We placed a new water main across Riverview Road just west of the bridge over the Riverton Valley irrigation canal,” according to Robert Scheidemantel, WYDOT resident engineer in Riverton. “There will be a short two-lane detour that will accommodate two-way traffic during placement of this water line. The two-lane detour across the new box culvert will be permanent during the project with a 20 mph speed limit. This detour will accommodate

two-way traffic.”

Scheidemantel said the detour will be permanent across the new box culvert canal structure, because prime contractor Jerry Bornhoft Construction, Inc., of Riverton is scheduled to begin removing the old canal bridge.

Scheidemantel said citizens are invited to attend a 1 p.m. work progress meeting every Thursday at the City of Riverton’s Public Works Building.

The contractor’s scope of work includes grading, draining, milling existing asphalt, placing crushed gravel base, asphalt paving, chip sealing, removal of the existing Riverton Valley Irrigation District canal bridge, curb and gutter, water main replacement, sanitary sewer and electrical improvements, fencing and other work on .94 miles of Riverview Road beginning at milepost 2.16 in the City of Riverton between Rein Road and Augusta Drive.

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In the coming year, noticeable changes will be seen along the roads when it comes to WYDOT vehicles.

The department is no longer going to be purchasing yellow light-duty trucks for maintenance and construction and from now on, all vehicles purchased will be white.

The auto retailers selling trucks and other vehicles to WYDOT were charging as much as $600 more per unit for yellow. Yellow vehicles were also harder to get as they were only available near the end of a model run.

Since white is a standard color for all auto makers, WYDOT can purchase those vehicles at no additional paint cost and get them year-round. White vehicles are readily available and also have a higher resale value than cars of other colors.

“Many large companies and other government agencies such as CalTrans and the Idaho Transportation Department are switching to white fleet vehicles,” said Bernie Kushnir, state equipment manager. “White will be easier to buy and cheaper for the department.”

Since visibility is a vital component to the safety of our employees, Kushnir spoke at length with Mike Calaway, sign shop manager, and Steve Lund of Motor Vehicle Services to solve the issue. The equipment staff and sign shop staff at headquarters researched adding visibility to the new white fleet with an easily applied, and easily removed upon fleet change, yellow high-visibility stripe to the design. The decal material is a 3M product that will produce a very visible reflective yellow line on the sides and rear of the new WYDOT fleet vehicles.

The striping, bucking horse and WYDOT logo will cost approximately $75 per unit. Each unit will take nearly 35-feet of yellow striping.

“The 4-inch yellow reflective tape will allow for conspicuity

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Photo: WYDOT

Changes to WYDOT light-duty fleet vehicles under way

All new large fleet vehicles will be similar to the above Ford pickup.

and create an added element of safety for our employees,” said Bernie Kushnir, state equipment manager. “We are also adding a brown bucking horse emblem to the back quarter-panels to symbolize Wyoming along with the standard WYDOT triangle on the doors.”

Only trucks and other maintenance and construction vehicles will get the striping. Headquarters and district offices will see white sedans with no yellow striping or bucking horse emblem.

Currently, 55 vehicles are on order with an expected arrival in March. Distribution of the fleet replacements will be for all districts and headquarters. District 1 will receive seven vehicles; District 2, six vehicles; District 3, four vehicles; District 4, 13 vehicles; and District 5, seven vehicles. Headquarters will be getting 18 vehicles for fleet replacements.

– Carlie Van Winkle

HR has received several questions about the new recruitment system the state recently implemented. In an effort to provide clarification of the application review process in NEOGOV, below are screen shots with details of what steps are followed before a supervisor or manager has the ability to review an application.

The following screen shot is an example of information readily available to the hiring manager when viewing the job posting information in NEOGOV:

NEOGOV

Hits – indicate the number of times the job posting has been viewed on the website.

Submitted – provides an overview of the number of applications received for the posted position.

Please note that with the new system, applications are not readily accessible to you until they have gone through a review process and have passed the minimum qualifications.

Your HR contact will have access to view the three-step process. Below is a screen print of what they can see:

Step 1: Candidate has submitted application and it is awaiting review by A&I.

Step 2: A&I screens applicants for those meeting minimum qualifications.

If applicant meets MQ’s, it will be forwarded to Step 3. If applicant does not, application will remain at this step.

Step 3: Qualified candidates have been forwarded to agency HR contacts. Agency HR will work daily to forward on to the hiring manager for review.

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WYDOT Geology:

In search of solid ground In terms of both engineering expertise and financial resources, WYDOT makes a considerable investment in building and maintaining highways. Yet the end result of a road or bridge project will be no better than the foundation on which that project is built, and that’s why WYDOT’s Geology Program exists.

The need for incorporating geological analysis into highway engineering has long been recognized. The beginning of interstate construction nearly six decades ago proved to be the catalyst for making more detailed subsurface investigations during project planning and design – taking a deeper look, so to speak. Consider the fact that at one time, a bridge foundation investigation might consist simply of driving a reinforced bar of steel – manually with a sledge hammer – into the soil to refusal.

During the 1950s, the old Wyoming Highway Department, predecessor to WYDOT, began bringing geologists into the fold, and by 1960 the Engineering Geology Section (forbearer of today’s Geology Program) had coalesced with a staff of five, including supervisor Bill Sherman, who would continue to lead Geology until his retirement in 1988. Subsequently, Geology was headed by Gary Riedl (19881993) and then Mike Hager (19932008). The current manager is Chief Engineering Geologist Jim Coffin.

Geology now counts some twoCoffin dozen employees, including Coffin, Assistant Chief Engineering Geologist Mark Falk, and a trio of supervisory project geologists. Each project geologist supervises a team of three field geologists, with each project geologist responsible for geotechnical analysis aspects of one-third of the routes on the state highway system. Other Geology staff roles are a drill crew, laboratory technicians, a CADD operator and administrative assistant.

Although the lion’s share of Geology’s work load is associated with road and bridge construction, program personnel provide geotechnical recommendations for other structures, including

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retaining walls, lighting towers, supports for large signs or ITS devices, and facilities such as rest areas and buildings for salt and sand storage. The program also performs gravel pit and quarry investigations to evaluate the quality and quantity of material for potential pavement mixes.

Geology gets involved early in just about any project for a road, bridge or other structure that will likely require some component of excavation. What is called a soils profile investigation can be conducted along or adjacent to a roadway to obtain samples for the Materials Laboratory at headquarters, where surfacing designs are produced. Drilling is used to evaluate subgrade conditions, determine the depth to groundwater, and estimate the stability of cut and fill slopes.

The drill crew is involved in the initial phases of most geological investigations. By necessity, crew members spend a great majority of their time at work away from home, operating in the full range of Wyoming weather conditions – hot and dry during summer, frigid and snowy during winter, and often throughout the seasons, buffeted by high winds. Working with the drill crew, the field geologists determine the depth and type of testing and sampling. The drill crew maintains three rigs capable of using either auger or rotary type drilling methods. The rigs are versatile and can be operated on a variety of terrain types, including steep

side slopes and wet, soft ground. In addition to drilling holes to obtain samples, drillers also perform “in situ” strength testing and install monitoring devices.

The field geologists also travel a considerable amount; approximately 30 percent of their work time is spent on the road.

In addition to coordinating with the drill crew to collect and test samples, they also conduct geologic mapping and hand-held GPS surveys. Other responsibilities include consulting with maintenance personnel for roadway history and analyzing laboratory data. The end result is a report containing a design set of recommendations to be used by other WYDOT engineering personnel and sometimes by consultants or other personnel in other agencies. Prior to the field geologists and drill crews performing their investigations, the project geologists, must ensure that all utility locates, permits, mapping, plans and cross sections and the coordination with district crews for traffic control is obtained and completed. Producing the recommendations requires cooperation with the other WYDOT engineering programs; for example, obtaining mapping from Photos and Surveys, plans from Project Development, and layouts from Bridge.

Soil and bedrock samples gathered during the field investigations is submitted to both the Materials Laboratory and the Geology Foundation Laboratory, for testing to determine the classification, strength, and other properties of the samples. Tests are also performed on geosynthetics – geotextile and geogrid materials used to stabilize soft soils, construct walls or control erosion. The Geology lab maintains a detailed database of all soils, bedrock and geosynthetics that it tests.

Wyoming has a wide range of soils and geologic formations that can create issues for road building. On the opposite ends of the spectrum – and often problematic – are soils that have a tendency to swell and those that tend to collapse.

A type of clay called bentonite is often the culprit when an expansive soil presents a problem. To deal with it, Geology might recommend installing an impermeable membrane under the road base and pavement to seal out moisture and prevent or reduce the amount of future roadway heaving. Swelling soils are most prevalent in the I-25 corridor south of Kaycee, the Big Horn Basin, and the northeast Wyoming.

In contrast, other soil types actually tend to collapse when exposed to moisture. These low-density soils, found in many locations, are typically derived from erosion of adjacent sandstone and siltstone bedrock formations. They are relatively porous and will lose strength if water intrudes and/or roadway fill loads are applied. The implication is roadway damage due to settlement. Recommendations may include compacting the soils by dropping a 20 ton weight from a crane, excavating the soft spots and replacing with more stable fill, or placing layers of geogrid to bridge over these soils.

Geology personnel also analyzes the “rippability” of a bedrock, through use of a seismograph. In conjunction with mapping, they can determine the hardness of rock subject to excavation. The information derived is used to define excavation quantities listed in project design plans.

Another major component of the Geology Program’s mission is investigating and remediating landslides. Wyoming has many of the right ingredients for generating landslides – poor clay soils, steep slopes, and melt water from Wyoming’s annual snow pack.

Numerous highways are built on or adjacent to side slopes and may traverse bentonitic soils or shale bedrock formations. Not only does bentonite cause heaving of roadways, it’s low strength quality can provide a weak layer prone to instability. Not uncommonly, slide areas affect alpine roads that are subject to deep winter snowpack, which contributes to subsurface saturation, with groundwater levels peaking during late spring or early summer.

For Geology, addressing landslide issues falls into two general categories. The most common problem is repairing existing, ongoing roadway damage. The other problem is avoiding a known or potential slide area when planning a realignment.

In either case, an integral part of the investigation and analysis process is determining the depth at which the landslide is active, the amount and rate of movement, and elevation of groundwater.

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fences.

To increase uniformity and efficiency, Geology is now using This information is obtained by installing instrumentation in the electronic drill logging software for a wide range of investigaground with the drill rigs and then monitoring these installations, including soils profiles, structures, landslides, water wells, tions. The instruments are usually an inclinometer, which meagravel pits and quarries. The electronic logs feature a consistent sures subsurface ground movement, and/or a piezometer, which and standardized data entry format. detects the presence and level of groundwater.

Geology, in coordination with Information Technology, Precipitation amounts can be directly proportional to landhas developed comprehensive databases in Oracle to facilitate slide activity. Take for example the recent spring and summer tracking of aggregate sources, landslide and rockfall locations, of 2011, when the melting of an extremely high snowpack – 300 pile driving records for bridges and structures, soil and bedrock percent of average in some locations – correlated to at least a properties, and instrumentadoubling of number of slides. tion sites. The data is used for Geology personnel scrambled “Our staff often find it necessary to use their knowledge planning and analysis purposes to keep up with the workload; and investigative observation skills to develop innovative and providing information and investigating, evaluating, and solutions to resolve the geological problems. Determining parameters to designers. in short order devising action the most cost effective and constructible solution requires Most of the Geology Proplans for nearly 30 sites, includlooking at all data gathered from the drilling investigation, gram’s work effort is geared ing several where the problem maintenance history, field instrument monitoring, and office during the planning and design was severe enough to force full analysis.” phase of projects, but the reor partial road closures.

– Jim Coffin sponsibilities do not always end Basically, landslides can be there. This is especially true in stabilized by three methods projects which have specialized – providing a resisting force recommendations. These types of jobs often involve specialized midslope or near the base of the slide, removing or unloading geotechnical contractors. In these cases, Geology personnel proweight near the top of the slide, or increasing the strength of soils vide technical assistance to the districts as construction unfolds. within the limits of the slide. Techniques include driving pilings Geology personnel may also take a hand in training WYDOT into the ground along the edge of the affected roadway; installconstruction crew members in what to look for when inspecting ing tieback anchors into fill or cut slopes; or removing heavy soil this specialty work. or rock from unstable fill slopes and replacing it with a lighter – Bruce Burrows substance such as “geofoam,” a durable, lightweight and structurally sound material akin to styrofoam.

Another approach is building “toe berms” at the bottom of the slide or inserting a “shear key” somewhere in the midst of the slide.

Both toe berms and shear keys, usually constructed with large quantity of heavy rock, Here are upcoming training opportunities from WYDOT Univerfunction as an anchor or doorstop. Yet ansity and the Transportation Learning Network (TLN) other approach is drilling horizontally into Date Class Location a slide mass and placing pipes as a means of Jan. 8 NEW! Building Work Ethic and Pride in the Workplace Cheyenne lowering ground water.

Jan. 8 Basic Concepts for Pavement Preservation TLN Whereas Geology is mostly associated with subsurface conditions, the program Jan. 9 Managing Organizational Communication TLN also addresses a somewhat contrasting pheJan. 13-16 New Employee Orientation #2 (NEO) Cheyenne nomenon, namely the presence of unstable Jan. 21 Developing Personal Leadership TLN boulders and rock on steep slopes above Jan. 22 Prose for Pros: Avoiding Grammar Gaffes, roads. Indeed, rockfall hazards are sig Limp Language & Other TLN nificant on several routes in Wyoming, the Jan. 22 Change for Good! How to Let Go of a Bad Habit Cheyenne most well known being US 26-89 through Jan. 23 The Flexible Leader WYDOT Only TLN Snake River Canyon, US 20 through Wind Jan. 28 Guardrail Maintenance TLN River Canyon and WYO 22 over Teton Jan. 29 ABCs of Employee Engagement Cheyenne Pass. A statewide inventory of rock slopes Jan. 30 Generations in the Workplace Cheyenne is maintained, with a risk factor rating asComing up in February: signed to the various locations. The rating, Feb. 4 Basic Full Depth and Partial Depth Concrete combined with input from maintenance

Pavement Repair Methods TLN crews, is also used to determine recomFeb. 4-6 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Cheyenne mended approaches for mitigating rockfall; Feb. 11 Building Credibility and Influence WYDOT Only TLN measures include scaling of loose rock (manually or with machinery), installing To register, or to find out more details, call the rockfall mesh or erecting robust rockfall Training Program and talk to Jim Boyd (777-4791) or Rhonda DeLeeuw (777-4790).

Continued from page 9

Training ata Glance

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WYDOT employees may be aware that Wyoming state government’s “Wyoming on Wellness” initiative has ceased to function, effective the end of 2013.

However, it should be noted that change did not affect WYDOT’s Wellness Program, which remains intact and is now entering its eighth year. The WYDOT component of wellness was implemented in 2006 to encourage employees to incorporate physical activity into their daily routine in the interest of promoting better health and well-being. Participants have a menu of three dozen types of exercise from which to choose.

In addition, those who participate on a consistent basis and track their progress earn administrative leave; a.k.a. “comp time.”

Employees earn four hours of leave if they complete a minimum of 13 hours of exercise each month, for six consecutive months.

Although WYDOT’s Wellness Program was always distinct from Wyoming on Wellness, the two programs were interrelated and many WYDOT employees participated in both.

Budget constraints forced the elimination of Wyoming on Wellness, which was coordinated by the Employees Group Insurance (EGI) Program within the Department of Administration and Information. Wyoming on Wellness had been in force in one form or another since the summer of 2008, with the most recent version including the Mayo Clinic newsletter, Mayo Clinic Health Risk assessment, health risk assessment incentive and

Photo: Rick Carpenter

WYDOT wellness program continues despite end of state-sponsored ‘Wyoming on Wellness’ initiative

Many get out for a group hike on a chilly January day. Several activities, such as hiking, qualify as acceptable exercise activities to earn up to eight hours of comp time per year.

routine physical incentive.

EGI is reminding all employees that they will continue to provide wellness information via email and the Benefits Press newsletter.

WYDOT employees participating in the agency wellness program are authorized to use their break times to take a walk or other type of wellness activity. Wellness activities can also be logged before and after work or on weekends.

To reach 13 hours a month, employees must average about 30 minutes of exercise activity daily. Eligible Wellness Program activities cover a wide spectrum, from walking to swimming to boxing. Walking is far and away the most popular activity type, accounting for roughly half the total exercise time logged.

Weight lifting and aerobics are the next most popular Information about WYDOT’s Wellness Program is available on the WYDOT Intranet site, under the “Useful Links & Files” tab; link name Wellness_FAQ.pdf within the “Files” section. Employees who are already enrolled can use the “Wellness WYDOT salutes the following Director’s Extra Mile Award recipients.

Program” tab under “Useful Links & Files” The award is presented to individuals who have traveled the “extra tab on the same Intranet page to log exermile” in service to WYDOT. cise times and track their status.

Those who are interested in joining or Todd Sullivan Terry Arguello simply learning more about the program Craig Walker Karmen Warrington can also contact one of the numerous volEd Kunkel Karen Hall unteer Wellness coordinators listed on the Intranet page. Human Resources also has a Dennis Goodwin Laurie Smith listing of Wellness coordinators.

Ken O’Leary Janet Fridline – Bruce Burrows

Extra Mile

AWARDS

Congratulations to our November recipients!

Marvin Pantle For more information about the Extra Mile Award or to nominate someone, contact Janet Farrar at janet.farrar@wyo.gov or Mel Anderson at mel.anderson@wyo.gov.

January 2014

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While local residents are hoping for some of Wyoming’s best weather this winter season, WYDOT officials are preparing for some of its WYDOT crews work 12-hour shifts when necessary worst. WYDOT to keep the highways open and the traveling public continues to safe. do its best to protect motorists on Wyoming’s highways.

To operate snow plows and snow blowers, WYDOT always attempts to add to its winter staff. Every season, temporary operators join WYDOT crews to supplement permanent maintenance teams.

Winter Maintenance Tool Kit

Photo: Rick Carpenter

WYDOT uses many tools to fight ice and snow

In addition to manpower and plowing, WYDOT utilizes several different chemical mixtures and the traditional sand/salt mix to maintain safe road conditions. WYDOT uses several mixtures on Wyoming roads – both before and after snow storms – such as salt-sand, brine, magnesium chloride and Ice Slicer. These mixtures are stockpiled at WYDOT’s maintenance stations in preparation for winter.

When snowfall can be predicted, some of these chemicals are applied to roads before the storm to help keep snowpack from accumulating, and to assist with the removal of snow after the storm.

“We try to prevent the snowpack from forming, but we can’t always do that. However, it does help with the removal of the snowpack afterward,” District Engineer John Eddins said.

Others are used continuously, to help alleviate snowpack and icy conditions.

“We do what is called ‘pre-wetting.’ This is where we use a salt-sand mixture that has been pre-wet with a chemical, usually magnesium chloride. This helps the sand stick to the road more,” Eddins explained.

Wyoming’s notorious winters are marked by some of the most severe durations of snowfall, freezing rain and blowing snow. With a high rate of snowfall and some of the worst blowing snow conditions in the United States, WYDOT has to reach deep into its tool bag to maintain safer roads and prevent icy conditions.

Salt, or sodium chloride, is the most common and cheapest tool across the nation for fighting ice. However, Wyoming’s brutal temperatures and whipping winds can sometimes render salt inadequate, putting Wyoming motorists at risk of hitting ice rinks without a pair of skates.

Salt does have an important place in ice removal. Using salt on roads lowers the temperature at which ice will melt, therefore preventing the formation of ice at lower temperatures. However, when temperatures drop below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, salt becomes ineffective.

During winter, pavement freezes, forming a bond with ice and snow. Eliminating that bond helps WYDOT maintenance crews

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plow off excess moisture, clearing roads faster and providing safer conditions. However, in the past, freezing temperatures have thwarted salts ability to melt the ice off roads, causing crews to spend weeks chipping up ice with plows to clear roadways.

Nowadays, public works departments and transportation departments, as well as WYDOT, are taking a more proactive approach to address Wyoming’s notorious dipping temperatures and a brutal wind chill.

WYDOT has also added GeoMelt, also known as beet juice, to its tool kit. Recently, many motorists have seen WYDOT maintenance vehicles out on highways before storms hit, spraying a sticky, red solution on the pavement. This solution is 60 percent brine, and 40 percent beet juice, which gives it the red color. Crews are taking preventative action with pre-wetting.

“This is where we use a salt-sand mixture that has been pre-wet with a chemical, usually magnesium chloride. This helps the sand stick to the road more,” Eddins said.

How does it work? Spraying the beet mixture down before a storm essentially stops the ice and snow from bonding to the pavement during the storm, allowing crews to basically plow off the excess moisture easier and quicker, clearing roads faster. Pre-wetting assists in providing safer conditions for drivers during the storm as well. This also helps crews by decreasing the amount of hours that crews have to spend chipping ice off the interstate.

“We have seen a big difference with the beet juice mix. You don’t have that ice pack on the roads for weeks, our guys can clear it up the next day when the sun comes up,” District Maintenance Engineer Tory Thomas said.

Supplementing beet juice mixtures in the battle against icy road conditions allows ice and snow to melt at lower temperatures while providing a preventative coating that lasts longer, giving crews a chance to get more snow and ice off the roads faster.

Others combinations of brine and sand are used continuously, to help alleviate snowpack and icy conditions.

Snow Plan Priority

When winter storms persist, WYDOT relies on their plan of attack. With limited resources, priorities must be set.

A snow removal plan goes into action, creating a prioritized list of routes based on traffic counts. This plan is divided into four levels: high volume, medium volume, low volume and closed. The snow plan is available on the WYDOT website at, www.dot.state. wy.us/wydot/travel/winter/snow_plow_priority_plan.

High-volume roads are plowed up to 24 hours a day and consist of interstates and principal urban routes, such as Interstate 80.

Medium-volume routes are plowed to keep them passable and reasonably safe and are a secondary priority to high-volume routes.

Low-volume routes are only serviced after high-volume and medium-volume roads have been cleared, and are only plowed during daylight hours.

Closed refers to seasonally closed roads, where the cost of keeping them clear outweighs their use.

However, exceptions to the plan are made for school bus routes, which are plowed twice a day regardless of their priority.

The Department of Transportation would like to remind all drivers to obey all advisories and closures, lower your speed in adverse weather conditions and always buckle your seat belt.

– Stephanie Harsha

From Public Affairs

Hello My Fellow WYDOTians.

If you’re like me, you never get tired of Google introducing new tools to improve our work lives.

OK, I’m just messing with you. More likely, you and I both get tired of yet another “great tool” to use on our work computer. But, this time our friends in IT have got something Doug McGee that is truly useful to the right folks. If you’ve wanted a project management tool, but didn’t have the budget, this thing is for you.

It is called Trello.

I know, it sounds like an Italian dessert, but Trello is much more useful and not nearly as fattening.

According to their website: “Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes your projects into boards. In one glance, Trello tells you what’s being worked on, who’s working on what, and where something is in a process.”

It is a lot like having an electronic bulletin board for you and your co-workers to stay organized on a project. And it’s practi-

cally free, it costs about 10 cents per WYDOT employee per year.

Instead of spending thousands on project management software, you can use Trello for a dime.

Bonus: It is really easy to learn.

After only a few minutes of a training video on YouTube, I created a project board, populated it with note cards and a logo, and shared it with two members of my team. You can link to video clips and websites and attach documents and spreadsheets.

You can create check lists, set deadlines and assign responsibilities to team members. Just type “Trello” into the search bar on YouTube and you’ll see all sorts of tutorials to choose from.

Double bonus: It’s mobile. You can load the free app to your mobile device and stay on top of your project wherever you go.

To get started with Trello, review the directions below. Then maybe watch a few tutorials on YouTube.

If you need help with Trello, contact the IT help desk at: 7773995.

Thanks for your time.

Doug McGee

quick guide...

Starting Trello is very simple. Some users will already see Trello as an option under their Gmail apps list.

After you’ve logged in to your Gmail account, click on the icon that looks like nine little boxes next to your name in the top right corner. Here’s a screen grab to show you.

After you click on the icon, select “More” at the bottom of the app window.

Scroll down the list of apps and, hopefully, you will see the Trello icon.

Some users don’t have the Trello app as an option. Not to worry!

Just go to: www.trello.com, and choose “sign up with Google account.” It should be pretty self-explanatory from there.

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District News Headquarters

Welcome Photo: Rick Carpenter

Jeffrey Lee, Facilities Management-Building Maintenance.

Promotions and Transfers Service Awards Alicia Clements, Patrol-Dispatch – 25 years; Vincent Lucero, Traffic-Sign Shop – 25 years; Paul Smith, Highway Development-Project Development – 20 years; Heidi Bosch, Construction Staff – 15 years; James Thomas, Facilities ManagementSecurity – 15 years; Paul Andersen, Telecommunications-Administration – 10 years; Amy Lucero, EmSmith Thomas ployee Safety – 10 years; Roy Weber, Right Of Way-Engineering – 10 years; Lori Davis, Highway Safety – 5 years; and Jonathan Russell, Patrol-Capitol Services Protection – 5 years.

Retirements

Weber

Vance

Lenard Fulmer, Driver Services-CDL; Sharon Kettle, Driver Services-Policy and Records; and Karen Vance, Right Of WayNegotiations.

District 1

Welcome Wyatt Houston, Elk Mountain Maintenance.

Promotion and Transfers James Dimele, Rawlins Patrol; Gregory Hopper, Elk Mountain Maintenance; Lavonn Kulmus, Rawlins Construction; Craig Mustard, Baggs Maintenance; and Michael Petruso Jr., Rawlins Patrol.

Service Awards Roy Sommers, Cheyenne Mechanics – 10 years.

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Capt. Troy McLees with the new WHP Dispatchers and their trainer. (From left) Capt. McLees, Cassandra Pohl, Monica Navidad, Tosha Roberts, Kayla Heitstuman, Bob Barrowman and trainer Heather O’Connor.

Photo: Carlie Van Winkle

Eric Gaasland, Bridge-Operations Design; Andrea Jones, Highway Safety; Joseph Ruess, Bridge-Operations Inspection; and Dale Ryden, Bridge-Engineering Design.

Field Operations staff brought holiday cheer to their luncheon by wearing an ugly sweater, or equally obnoxious item, to the event. Pictured are (from left): Ken Keel, Marc Anderson, Dwayne Floy, Cliff Spoonemore, Heidi Bosch, Kathy Ahlenius, Lisa Ayers, Kent Ketterling, Laura Schei, Jeff Frazier and Dan Prickett.

District 2

Welcome Devon Carrizales, Torrington Maintenance; Sean Harris, Midwest Maintenance; and James Mathis III, Douglas Maintenance.

Promotions and Transfers Jacob George, Casper Maintenance; and Clinton “Scott” Davis, Patrick Draw Maintenance.

Davis

Service Awards David Gillaspie, Shirley Rim Maintenance – 35 years; Gerald Carr, Douglas Maintenance – 30 years; Wayne Fox, Muddy Gap Maintenance – 30 years; and Debbie Herbold, Casper Construction – 10 years.

Gillaspie

Carr

Fox

Herbold

Sommers

District 3

Welcome Richard Jorgensen, Rock Springs Maintenance; and Bruce Wilson, Pinedale Maintenance.

Service Awards

Total number of employees: as of Dec. 2, 2013

2,014

One month ago

Libert

District 3 construction crew 3005 donated close to 1,000 decorated bags of candy for local community groups, including Toys for Tots. Mary Toone, Stephanie Harsha and Cherie Hauser with Rock Springs firefighters who organized the Toys for Tots drive.

District 4

Welcome Joan Ripley, Gillette Driver Services.

Retirements Christine Gillett, Sundance Port Of Entry.

District 5

2,003

Promotion and Transfers

2,058

Robin Nichols, Basin Maintenance – 20 years; and Mark Smith, Meeteetse Maintenance – 10 years.

One year ago

Newsome

Photo courtesy Stephanie Harsha

Loretta Ristau, Kemmerer Port Of Entry – 20 years; Damon Newsome, Evanston Construction Ristau – 15 years; Mark Bullock, Evanston Maintenance – 10 years; Mark Libert, Evanston Maintenance – 10 years; David Homer, Evanston Patrol – 5 years; Jeffery Parker, Granger Maintenance – 5 years; and Mark Priest, Jackson Patrol – 5 years.

Daren Wagner, Cody Mechanics.

Service Awards

Nichols

January 2014

Smith

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In The Community Wind River High School students are

Photo courtesy Cody Beers

A Fremont County rivalry was renewed in November, and students from Wind River High School edged students from Shoshoni High School in the first Battle of the Belts seat-belt competition.

The seat-belt champions were crowned during a school assembly in Pavillion.

Student and faculty drivers were surveyed for seat-belt usage in early November as they entered school parking lots in their vehicles. Of 100 vehicles observed at each school, 55 percent of Shoshoni High School students were wearing their seat belts, while 65 percent of Wind River High School students were buckled up while driving. Seat-belt compliance numbers were even lower for school staff members at the two schools.

Following November school assemblies with each student body featuring representatives from Injury Prevention Resources, Shoshoni students increased their seat-belt usage to 73 percent and Wind River students increased their seat-belt usage to 89 percent.

“Female students were more likely to buckle their seat belts at each school,” according to Tom Cunningham, safety education

Photo courtesy Cody Beers

“Battle of the Belts” champions

coordinator for Injury Prevention Resources in Riverton. “At Shoshoni, 54 percent of staff members wore their seat belts, and at Wind River, staff members buckled up at a rate of 96 percent.

“There’s still room for improvement at both schools,” Cunningham said. “We are trying to remind young drivers, and all other drivers too, that buckling your seat belt is the single most important thing you can do to save your life while driving. Please buckle up and safely enjoy the upcoming holiday season.”

The Battle of the Belts competition was sponsored by Injury Prevention Resources, Fremont County Sheriff ’s Office, Wyoming Highway Patrol and WYDOT. n

Wind River High School students at an assembly to receive the award for winner of the inaugural Battle of the Belts seat-belt competition.

Photo: WYDOT

The annual snow plow painting contest was held this past November. The WTDEA snow plow committee, spearheaded by John Beasley of WHP/OWL, sponsored the event.

The parade theme this year was Trains, Planes and Automobiles. Each of the snow plow blades was represented by high schools from Laramie County District 1 which were viewed by the public during the annual Cheyenne Christmas parade and aired on local news.

Each school received a check for the school’s art department to help defray the cost of art supplies.

The participating schools this year were Cheyenne South High School and Triumph High School. The winner this year was Triumph High School.

Along with guidance from instructors Tracey Wilcox and Angie Wolf, the talented artists from Triumph are: Alejandro Romero – spray paint artist and logo stencil work; and Jennifer Schaffer – design leader, spray paint, ATV and airplane in acrylic.

South High School’s second-place entry in this year’s competition.

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Photo: WYDOT

Trains, planes and automobiles, oh my!

Triumph High School’s winning snow plow blade entry.

WTDEA snow plow committee would like to thank each of the schools that participated along with the employees who voted and participated in this event.

A special thanks goes out to the snow plow drivers, Steve Cisco, who drove the South High blade, and Steve Winegeart who drove the Triumph blade, as well as their supervisor Luke Eigenberger.

These drivers went the extra mile to make this a success.

A special thanks also to WHP and WyHy Federal Credit Union for donating gifts to the schools. n

Submit your photos for the April WYDOT Outdoors!

Submissions deadline for

WYDOT Outdoors:

03/14/14

carlie.vanwinkle @wyo.gov

Passings Rick Peterson loses

Noteworthy Telecommunications award honors District 3 employee WYDOT Telecommunications Senior Technician Mike Lance was presented with the Wyoming Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Public Safety Communications Radio Frequency Technologist of the Year award at the APCO annual meeting in Casper on Nov. 14.

The award particularly recognized Mike’s expertise and his sustained good work while he was a “one-man show” in WYDOT District 3 (Lincoln, Mike Lance with his APCO “Public-Safety Communications Sublette, Sweetwater, Teton and Radio Frequency Technologist of the Year” award.

Uinta Counties) for about four of the years since 2005.

Though he is quick to credit help from others and understanding customers, the APCO award notes that Mike handled the extraordinary workload and unpredictable demands on his time with outstanding dedication and perseverance. n

Photo: WYDOT

What have you seen so far in 2014?

cancer battle

Cohrs succumbs while hunting

Long-term employee Richard F. “Rick” Peterson, 50, of Cheyenne, died Dec. 20 in Cheyenne following a lengthy and courageous battle with esophageal cancer.

Peterson was a Cheyenne native and graduate of Cheyenne Central High School. After high school, he attended WyoTech in Laramie.

He hired on as a clerk in the Sundance port of entry in July 1984. At the time, the ports of entry functioned within the old Wyoming Department of Revenue and Taxation. They were moved under the Highway Patrol when WYDOT was organized in 1991.

In 1985, Peterson transferred to the Cheyenne I-80 port of entry and then the following year, to the I-25 port. He continued working at the I-25 port for the next 17 years, with promotions to assistant supervisor in 1993 and then supervisor in 1995.

Peterson was promoted again in 2003, moving into the WHP headquarters

WYDOT’s Craig Cohrs, 58, of Douglas died Dec.1.

Cohrs, who had been with WYDOT since the beginning of 1996, was stricken while on an elk hunting trip south of Douglas.

“Craig was an outstanding worker and will be sorely missed by his co-workers,” said Terry Uhrich, District 2 equipment supervisor. “He was a good-natured man who always enjoyed talking about how much he loved the outdoors and always had good stories to share.”

Cohrs was a native of southwestern Minnesota, where he graduated from Walnut Grove High School in 1974. He had lived in Wyoming since 1976.

“He was very good at his job and enjoyed helping many of the local ranchers and friends with their mechanical, farming and ranching needs,” according his obituary in the Douglas Budget newspaper.

Funeral services were held Dec. 6 at the Wyoming State Fairgrounds in Douglas. n

Peterson

building as a port of entry quality control specialist.

“Rick was dedicated and committed to serving the citizens of Wyoming and the trucking industry. His knowledge and expertise were unmatched,” Highway Patrol Administrator Col. John Butler wrote in an email to WHP staff.

Memorial services were scheduled for Jan. 4 in Cheyenne. n

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WTDEA Meet state board representative Rex Markley This month’s spotlight falls on Gillette Mechanics worker Rex Markley. He has been involved with WTDEA for five of the six years of his employment with WYDOT, and has now been a state board representative for one year.

“Getting more employees involved with WTDEA is really what we as a board would like to see,” said Markley.

Markley, a former vice president with his local District 4 WTDEA chapter, hopes to devote more time and once again be more involved at an officer level within WTDEA. After having moved around a lot when he was young, Markley returned to his family’s hometown of Gillette and has spent the last 40 years there. In those years, he has been raising his two sons, ages 18 and 14.

In his spare time, Markley enjoys hunting and fishing with his boys.

WTDEA is funded by membership dues and fundraising efforts and is grateful for the support they do receive. n

WTDEA headquarters member of the year

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Congratulations are in order to the 2013 WTDEA headquarters chapter member of the year – Justin Mordahl from Geology.

Mordahl was crowned member of Mordahl the year at the 2013 WYDOT Christmas party Dec. 7 at the Historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne. He receives a reserved parking spot and bragging rights for a year. Compliments on a job well done. n

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WTDEA Photography Con WTDEA state board photography contest The WTDEA state board photo contest was a huge success for it’s first year. The contest was open to only WYDOT and WyHy Credit Union employees.

Each photograph submitted had to have been taken in Wyoming, and only limited editing to the photograph was allowed. Each photographer could only win once, despite the number of entries and voting results.

The 2013 photo contest committee received 68 photographs from 45 photographers. The photographs ranged in diversity from children and pets to wildlife and Wyoming landscapes.

WTDEA Photo WYDOT employees were urged to vote for their Contest Calendar 2014 favorites online using the WTDEA classified website. During the week long voting period, WYDOT employees voted 413 times for a total of 1,195 votes to select the top 12 photographs featured in the 2014 WTDEA State Board Cash Calendar. The cash calendar supports the WYDOT Relief Fund.

Each employee who entered a photograph is credited on the inside of the cash calendar. The photographs not chosen as one of the 12 feature month photos were used to create the cover of the calendar.

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By purchasing a calendar you are entered into a d Winning numbers are placed back in the pot givi Shaun Emmett – Cody Maintenance – Pilot Peak, Beartooth Highway; chances Wayne Hassinger –to Fuelwin.

Tax, Cheyenne – Mirror Lake, Snowy Range; Reggie Boyd – Bridge Design, Cheyenne – Lake Marie at Sunset; Don Edington – Drivers Services, Cheyenne – Castle Gardens;

Talbot J. Hauffe – LGC, Cheyenne – Red Canyon, Lander;

Names drawn on a weekday win $10, Kevin Hoff – Casper Construction – Mountain Lion, Mountains; win $20, Names drawn on Shirley a weekend Jerry Jowett – Sheridan Maintenance – Field of Honor, Sheridan; Names drawn on a holiday recognized Troy McAlpine – I-80 Port Of Entry, Cheyenne – Snowy Range outside Wyoming win $50.

Laramie; Nick Hines – Environmental Services, Cheyenne – Fox kits outside Casper;

Neal Perkins – Planning, Cheyenne – Fremont County;

Contact Nick Hines or Janet Vossler to purchase nick.hines@wyo.gov | janet.vossler@wyo.gov

Rebecca Savastano – Fuel Tax, Cheyenne – Moose, Medicine Bow; and Don Twing – Buffalo Maintenance – Northwest of Buffalo.

The photo contest received positive feedback from WYDOT employees and the WTDEA state board will determine if it will be held again based on the number of calendars sold this year. As long as the calendars are a positive benefit for the relief fund, it is likely there will be another contest. Make sure you keep you photographs ready!

WTDEA state board would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2013 photo contest, Tegan Carter in Management Services for creating the calendar, and the WYDOT print shop.

The 12-month calendars are $15 each. Purchase of the calender enters the recipient into daily drawings for cash prizes. Weekday drawings are $10, weekends $20, and state of Wyoming approved holidays are $50. Winners are placed back into the pot for even more chances to win.

Contact Nick Hines or Janet Vossler to purchase a calendar. Cash drawings start this month. n

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January 2014

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t rvices shot her firs

Photo courtesy Susan Hendrickson

Motor Vehicle Se Shannon Ferree of October. antelope this past

Klassen

Stephanie Redland, daughter of Mark Redland, shot her first deer on a hunt south of Ten Sleep. She took this 5x5 buck with one shot from 326-yards.

ose this past Geology with his mo Cory Rinehart from ns. tai un owy Range Mo He hunted in the Sn

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January 2014

October.

er Photo courtesy Christina Spindl

hart Photo courtesy Cory Rine

Sheridan Port of Entry employee Susan Hendrickson proudly submitted this photo of her granddaughter, Michaela Rodriguez. The 14-year old poses with the buck she hunted in Ucross.

Photo courtesy Jaso n

Jason Klassen, from District 1 Materials Lab, barked on an elk emhunting advent ure near Cody. harvested this He 8 by 8 wapiti.

Photo courtesy Mark Redland

non Photo courtesy Shan

Ferree

WYDOT Outdoors

Traffic, and Christina Joe Perea, retired WYDOT ing the 2013 Denplet Spindler, Traffic, after com Oct. 20. on on rath Ma Roll ver Rock and

ch deer ed a 30-in g trip gain Pictured tin n t. u h h g ri ily m m cond fro se rburton fa a y, a W nning W er f la b p O o An Oct ith Right YDOT state arburton w , former W n o . rt n u o rt rb u a for Tony W W lint Warb ft are Jack Tony and C from the le arburton, W n h Jo r, enginee

Photo courtesy Kit Martin Photo courtesy Dave Kingham

After a two-hour hike up Mount Suthep outside Chiang Mai, Thailand in December, Dave Kingham encountered this young Hmong girl greeting visitors at the base of the 309 steps leading to the Buddhist temple on top.

Wesley Patrick , 13-yearold son of Shan e and Morgen Patrick of Cody, harvested his se cond deer in Novem ber. This five-point buck was found on Heart Mount ain.

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Kit Martin from the Sundance shop with a nice bull he shot this fall.

Photo courtesy Sha ne

Photo courtesy Kevin Maynard

Photo courtesy George Nuhn

Tyler Nuhn of Encampment took this deer at his grandparents’ ranch west of Alzada Mt. It is his first mule deer. Tyler is the grandson of George and Karen Nuhn of Cheyenne, where George is a seasonal plow driver for crew 1035.

Tyler’s uncle, Jared Nuhn, also works for WYDOT in Geology.

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2014 Cash Calendar featuring the winners from the WTDEA Photography Contest

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Winning numbers are placed back in the pot giving you more chances to win.

Names drawn on a weekday win $10, Names drawn on a weekend win $20, Names drawn on a holiday recognized by the State of Wyoming win $50.

Contact Nick Hines or Janet Vossler to purchase calendars: nick.hines@wyo.gov | janet.vossler@wyo.gov 22

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January 2014

Break Time Word search time!

Can you find all 25 combinations of words?

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F

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January 2014

n

Interchange

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Interchange

Pre-sorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid Cheyenne, WY 82009 Permit No. 24

Wyoming Department of Transportation 5300 Bishop Blvd.

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