September 2016 Interchange

Interchange September 2016

Internal Review

Much more than just auditing

Letters

Adopt-A-Highway and Roadside Memorial Programs help family heal along WYO 59 On behalf of my family, we would like to send our sincere thanks for a job well done to WYDOT employees Kimberly Ashley, Natalie Crawford, Ronda Holwell, Max Morbeto, Larry Davis, the maintenance crews, the sign crew and shop and also WSP for their help with the inception of the Roadside Memorial and Adopt-AHighway Programs.

Everyone who we have dealt with since 2012, when my well-loved nephew Jimmy passed away in a car accident, has been truly professional and sympathetic to our family in every way.

We, as a family, feel that by participating in the litter clean up through adopting a two-mile stretch of road right of way is a way to heal and to also give back to the citizens and landowners in the area.

We also feel this helps the environment and WYDOT mowers as they won’t dull or tear up as many blades mowing into road debris. The debris is quite evident, as we have picked up twice on this stretch and much of the debris has been hidden over the years.

In closing, I would say that our family is really excited about these programs and we are looking forward to continuing our participation. We are proud to represent our signs and the state of Wyoming when they are installed – hopefully by fall.

Helpful Driver Services staff

Interchange

To Whom it May Concern, I just renewed my drivers license at the WYDOT office in Jackson.

I would like to report that the staff are extremely helpful and friendly and it was a very pleasant experience.

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, or sending email to carlie.vanwinkle@wyo.gov

Vol. 44, Issue 9

Jane Gallie

Thank you WYDOT family I would like to take a moment to thank those that donated sick leave to me during my absence. It is truly appreciated and definitely helped make a very stressful situation a little less so. I am inspired by the kindness and generosity of my co-workers on a daily basis and this is no exception to that.

I could have cried happy tears today to see the donations that had come through.

Even just an hour or two makes a big difference. So, thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your time.

Staff WYDOT Director: William T. Panos

Public Affairs Manager: Doug McGee

Editor: Carlie Van Winkle

Contributors: Aimee Inama Dave Kingham Carlie Van Winkle Ross Doman Jeff Goetz Stephanie Harsha Ronda Holwell Cody Beers Sgt. David Wagener

Sincerely, Miranda Hall

Public Affairs Public Affairs Public Affairs District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5 Patrol

Photography: Rick Carpenter

Public Affairs

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.

Sincerely, Jim Fretz and family

Photos courtesy of Jim Fretz and family

In remembrance of James “Jimmy” Michael Hall

Jim Fretz and family on their adopted section of highway for trash cleanup. Also, the family near the roadside memorial for Jimmy Hall.

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September 2016

DOT publication

Contents

9

Features 9 Hot mix plant wraps up for season Plant finished season on Aug. 16

10 G. Clyde Larson award recipient District 4 maintenance employee honored

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11 Patrol joins effort for safety Safe 2 Sturgis initiative unveiled Aug. 4

12 Internal Review Program Helping other WYDOT programs in a variety of ways

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Also in this issue Letters.........................................................................................2 District briefs.............................................................................4 By the Numbers.................................................................. 5, 9 TechNotes................................................................................14

projects pr omeAccountingrisk 12 assessment fin

a accurate nnual

Training.....................................................................................15 District news...........................................................................16

proc

ograms federal fundsallowable business processes orsfinancial services co authorizations b regulations contractor fiscal year Extra Mile Awards................................................................. 22

grants

Passings................................................................................... 22

WTDEA..................................................................................... 23

costs coord

Rides......................................................................................... 24 Break Time.............................................................................. 27

Kindly recycle this publication after reading.

On the cover:

Overhead shot of the WYDOT hot mix plant just east of Guernsey.

Photo: Richard Steffens

September 2016

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District Briefs Transportation Commission awards $16.5 million in highway contracts

Cheyenne – Motorists will see additional passing lanes along WYO 59 between Douglas and Bill to help with traffic flow.

The Wyoming Transportation Commission during its meeting on Aug. 18 awarded a $6.3 million passing lane contract to Concrete Foundations Inc. of Douglas for the installation of eight passing lanes along WYO 59.

That contract was the largest the commission awarded out of a total of $16.5 million in contracts for 10 projects throughout the state.

The eight passing lanes will be part of phase two of construction in that section of WYO 59. The work is expected to start in the spring and will be completed by Oct. 31, 2017.

Crews are currently working in that area installing seven passing lanes as part of the first phase of the project, which will be completed by Oct. 31. The commission awarded that contract earlier this year, and it’s being paid for with revenue from the 10-cent-fuel-tax increase.

The other contracts the commission awarded are for work throughout the state and include the installation of move over signs, surface repairs, bridge replacement and a traffic signal update.

Knife River Corp. of Boise, Idaho, won a $3.2 million contract to do a full-depth reclamation on about 18 miles of WYO 233. The process will include a double chip seal, which WYDOT hasn’t done in several years. Crews will dig out about 10 inches of pavement and crushed base, recycle that material and put it back on the road. Crews will then add two layers of emulsion and aggregate chips. The process is being used on a low-volume road.

The project will be paid for with revenue from the 10-cent-fuel-tax increase, and

HQ

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the contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2017.

H-K Contractors Inc. of Idaho Falls, Idaho, came in as the low bidder at $1.8 million to mill and overlay about 10 miles in various sections of US 191 south of Pinedale. The work will remove deteriorating pavement and rutting from the surface. Crews will also be installing a 4-mile bike path in the area. The project will be paid for with revenue from the 10-cent-fuel-tax increase, and the contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2017.

Lewis & Lewis Inc. of Rock Springs won a $1.8 million contract to mill and overlay about 12 miles of WYO 430 between Rock Springs and Hiawatha in Sweetwater County. The work will help maintain the road surface. The project will be paid for with revenue from the 10-cent-fuel-tax increase, and the contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2017.

Lewis & Lewis Inc. also won a $1.7 million contract for mill and overlay work on 6 miles of US 189 between Lazeart Junction near I-80 and Kemmerer in Uinta and Lincoln counties. The work is part of a pavement preservation project.

The project will be paid for with revenue from the 10-cent-fuel-tax increase, and the contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2017.

Cannon Builders Inc. of Blackfoot, Idaho, came in as the low bidder at $1.3 million to replace the Hoback River Bridge on County Road 33 in Teton County. The project includes removing the old bridge, putting in a temporary bridge and building a new bridge. The current single-lane bridge needs to be replaced and has weight restrictions.

WYDOT is doing the design and contract administration for the project, which is being funded 90 percent from the federal government and 10 percent from the county. The contract completion date is Oct. 31, 2017.

Also awarded by the commission were contracts for: n $120,095 to S & L Industrial of Cowley for 11 move over signs in Lincoln and Uinta counties that will be placed at various locations on I-80, WYO 150, US 189 and US 26 by Oct. 31, 2017; n $99,051 to Casper Electric of Casper

for a new traffic signal at the inter-

section of WYO 22 and WYO 390 between Jackson and Wilson in Teton County by Dec. 15; n $93,413 to S & L Industrial for nine

move over signs that will be installed at various locations on I-80, I-25, US 30, WYO 214, WYO 215, WYO 213 and WYO 210 in Albany, Carbon and Laramie counties by Oct. 31, 2017; and

n $90,372 to S & L Industrial for nine

move over signs that will be installed at various locations on I-25, I-80 and near Casper in Carbon, Converse, Goshen, Natrona, Niobrara and Platte counties by Oct. 31, 2017.

Draft of WYDOT’s 2017 STIP project listing now available Cheyenne – A draft of WYDOT’s 2017 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) has been issued and is available for viewing and comment. The document is posted on the agency’s website at www.dot.state.wy.us.

The STIP contains a listing of highway and bridge projects, and also airport improvement work WYDOT tentatively expects to contract for during the upcoming fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The STIP is published annually and updates are issued quarterly.

In addition to the 2017 projects, the draft STIP includes a listing of transportation projects planned through 2022, as well as a summary of pass-through federal funding for public transit programs throughout the state.

Highway projects are listed as either rural or urban, and are further broken down by functional classification; namely, interstate, arterial, collector or local. The listings also note the general character of work, such as reconstruction, resurfacing or bridge replacement.

The STIP documents in PDF format on the website can be accessed by clicking, the “Construction & Engineering” tab and then the link reading “STIP Project Listing.”

Printed copies of the STIP and the quarterly updates are located at WYDOT offices, libraries, and city and county government offices.

Comments about the 2017 STIP

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WHP K-9 deployment sniffs out multiple arrests

Photo: WYDOT

Cheyenne – July 14-17 the WHP conducted an agency K-9 deployment in Laramie County. WHP K-9 teams and additional troopers from across the state came to Cheyenne for updated training and then hit the road for 24-hour patrols during the four-day deployment.

The troopers and K-9s stayed busy during the detail as multiple arrests and drug seizures were made. By the time the deployment was over, 25 drug-related felony charges and 26 drug-related misdemeanor charges were filed. Approximately 313 pounds of marijuana, one ounce of methamphetamine, three-quarters of one ounce of heroin as well as a small amount of ecstasy and prescription medications were also interdicted during the deployment.

The criminal interdictions were a result of 400 highway-safety-related traffic stops that resulted in 357 warnings and 73 other citations, including seat-belt and child-seat infractions.

A July 16 traffic stop on I-80 west of Cheyenne netted 105 pounds of marijuana.

Rawlins – A 23-year-old resident of Nashville, Tenn. is in custody after eluding authorities in two states for 2.5 hours on Aug. 17.

The Tennesseean initially eluded law enforcement in Nebraska on a five-mile stretch of I-80 and US 30 after a Nebraska state trooper attempted to stop the driver for speeding in a 2013 Chrysler 300. Once the car entered Wyoming on US 30 at Pine Bluffs, the Nebraska trooper discontinued his pursuit and notified Wyoming law enforcement to be on the lookout for the vehicle.

WHP troopers in Laramie County, the Pine Bluffs Police Department and the Laramie County Sheriff ’s Office searched the eastern half of Laramie County for the vehicle but were unable to locate it.

Later that morning, a WHP trooper spotted the Chrysler traveling westbound on I-80 at milepost 266 near Arlington.

The trooper was able to catch up to the Chrysler, but the driver increased his speed and pulled away. A second trooper deployed stop-sticks on the Chrysler at milepost 256 on I-80 near Elk Mountain, six minutes later.

The driver continued speeding west, sealing his own fate when he began to travel on a closed and under construction section of I-80. While traveling in the closed section of the interstate, the Chrysler drove over a raised portion of a bridge deck in the construction zone disabling all four tires of the Chrysler. The driver continued for approximately two more miles after disabling the tires.

After the hobbled vehicle stopped near Walcott Junction, the driver exited the Chrysler, pointed a handgun at a Carbon County deputy, fled on foot and eventually dropped the hand gun on the ground while running away. He was apprehended after a brief foot pursuit by the Carbon County deputy and troopers.

The suspect was placed into custody, transported to the Carbon County Detention Center in Rawlins and has been charged by troopers with eluding law enforcement, reckless driving, driving on a suspended drivers license and driving on

a closed road. He is also facing potential charges from the Carbon County Sheriff ’s Office for his actions after the pursuit ended.

Along with the hand gun, troopers recovered $10,200 in cash the driver had thrown from the vehicle during the pursuit.

No injuries were sustained from this incident. The Carbon County Sheriff ’s Office, the Rawlins Police Department and the Sinclair Police Department all assisted Patrol in the successful end of the pursuit. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting with the follow up investigation.

Photo: WHP

Pursuit ends at Walcott Junction

should be directed to Tim McDowell, state programming engineer for WYDOT. Comments can be submitted by selecting the “STIP comments” topic under the “Contact WYDOT” link at the bottom of the department website, or by mail to 5300 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009.

WYDOT emphasizes that the STIP project listing is tentative and is revised in accordance with changes in funding levels, highway conditions and other issues that may arise during the advance project design phase.

The suspect eluded law enforcement in two states for 2.5 hours while on the run.

Briefs continued on page 6

Total number of employees: as of August 8, 2016

1,907

One month ago

1,926

One year ago

2,015

September 2016

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WHP stays busy during Cheyenne Frontier Days Cheyenne –The WHP stayed busy during this year’s Cheyenne Frontier Days. During the 10-day period from July 22 through July 31, troopers worked regular and extra patrols while also assisting in special details, such as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds air show.

Troopers in the Laramie County area kept highway traffic safety at the forefront of their Frontier Days duties. During Frontier Days, troopers in the Cheyenne area stopped 264 vehicles, finding four impaired drivers. Troopers also investigated 28 crashes in Laramie County during the celebration period. Two of those crashes were fatal crashes, five involved injury and 21 involved property damage only.

Troopers assisted with traffic control for the Thunderbirds practice air show on July 25 and assisted the day of the show, July 27.

Sign vandalism; big cost for taxpayers and compromised highway safety Rock Springs – Vandalism in the Bridger Valley is costing taxpayers unnecessary expenditures and impeding highway safety. This year, 23 signs have been repaired or replaced due to damage. Many of the replaced signs are in the Bridger Valley and have sustained damage from vandalism.

Vandalism of state property is covered under state statute 6-3-201 and could be defined as a misdemeanor if the value of the property is under $1,000 and a felony if over $1,000.

The cost of replacing a sign can vary, but can easily be thousands of dollars.

WYDOT is asking residents to refrain from vandalizing road signs and to notify authorities when vandalism occurs.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Capt. James Thomas said that vandalism of the public highway system continues to be a serious concern for the Patrol.

“Whether it is traffic signs, fences, guardrails, rest areas or other structures, each component plays a role in the safety and efficiency of those utilizing our state’s highways. Traffic signs are used to guide, warn or regulate the flow of traffic and are essential to communicating information for the safety of the public,” Capt.

Thomas said. “In order to address these

Photo: WHP

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A patrol car “selfie” with one of the USAF Thunderbird F-16 fighter jets following the air show on July 27.

Motorists experienced detours in Cheyenne Cheyenne – Motorists were detoured around Walterscheid Boulevard at West Allison Road starting the week of Aug. 1.

Walterscheid Boulevard at West Allison Road was closed so crews could install a manhole and storm sewers at the intersection. The work is part of the West Allison Road reconstruction project, which started on May 9.

Crews are reconstructing 0.45 miles of road between Walterscheid Boulevard and South Greeley Highway (US 85). That area of road closed to through-traffic when the project started.

Earlier this year, the Wyoming Trans-

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issues, we direct patrols to increase our presence, use technology and rely on the public to assist us in identifying those responsible. The costs of each act of vandalism that remains unsolved is passed on to the citizens of Wyoming.”

Photo: Stephanie Harsha

portation Commission awarded the $2 million contract to Simon Contractors.

At the Walterscheid Boulevard intersection, crews are finishing up concrete work and will then do paving work, said Tim Morton, WYDOT resident engineer in Cheyenne. WYDOT anticipates opening the intersection on Aug. 23.

The section of West Allison Road will remain closed while crews complete concrete work for the driveways, curbs, gutters and sidewalks, and pave the road, Morton said. West Allison Road is expected to be open to traffic starting the first full week of September.

WYDOT anticipates that the entire job will be completed by Oct. 31.

Briefs continued from page 5

Vandalism of public property, such as on highway bridges, shown here, is illegal.

WYDOT recommends alternative routes as traffic backs up Rock Springs – Work on the bridges that connect Dewar Drive and Blairtown Road is underway after wrapping up work on the bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks next to Rock Springs High School on the WYO 376 Belt Loop.

With work on the Dewar Drive/Blair Avenue bridges underway, a closure has been put in place for the duration of the work. Signs have been placed on popular routes near the work to notify motorists and commuters of the closures. Since the closure, WYDOT and contract crews have been notified of increased traffic strain on the Grant Street and Elk Street and Grant Street and North Center Street.

“Drivers are coming down the belt loop, seeing the closure, and turning right onto West Blair and onto A Street. Since there is no green left arrow cycle at the A Street and Grant Street Intersection, left-turning traffic is backing up over the bridge. Same goes for Grant Street and Center/Dewar Street intersection,” WYDOT Public Involvement Specialist Stephanie Harsha said.

WYDOT is recommending that traffic take the belt loop to 9th Street or use the M Street underpass or if they use the A Street overpass to continue to the inter-

Photo: Stephanie Harsha

to increase highway safety during the rally.

Additional troopers from around the state were sent to the area to assist local Patrol divisions with the increase of Sturgis traffic. Patrol focused the additional manpower Aug. 5 through Aug. 14 in the northeast part of the state. During that span of time in Campbell and Crook counties, troopers stopped 287 motorcycles and 594 other vehicles. From those stops, 680 warnings and 465 citations were issued. Only two impaired driving arrests were made, while 18 drug arrests and/or citations were made.

WHP troopers also investigated 26 crashes, 16 involving motorcycles, in the two counties in the same time period.

Only one crash was fatal and two others involved serious injury.

Temporary traffic control signals placed by WYDOT at key intersections in Crook County were once again credited for keeping traffic moving smoothly and safely. The high visibility patrols by WHP troopers were also key in keeping motorists safe.

This year’s rally also saw the first ever Safe 2 Sturgis safety campaign. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Region 8 Safe 2 Sturgis campaign aimed to keep motorcyclists safe to and from the rally. The campaign began Aug. 1 and concluded Aug. 21 corresponding with the weeks before, during and after the rally. The #Safe2Sturgis hash tag was also part of the campaign to help raise awareness on social media.

at 9 p.m.

The fire started on private land near US 16 and spread quickly to both Bureau of Land Management and Bighorn National Forest lands by dangerous weather conditions. County officials called for the evacuation of all residents in the vicinity.

The fire burned nearly 2,800 acres.

Photo: Mike Kuzara, WYDOT Maintenance

section at Elk Street and North Center Street.

“The intersection at North Center Street/Bridger Ave/Elk Street is better equipped to handle the strain of traffic because it has a green left turn arrow phase,” WYDOT Resident Engineer Clint Lockman said.

WYDOT would like to remind travelers to plan accordingly for the closure and remember to detour around the bridges. Access is being maintained from Dewar Drive to the trailer court, Rock Springs Animal Control Offices and the Dog Park. However, residents turning out of those areas are not be able to access the Blairtown area over the bridges, they must turn out onto Dewar Drive. WYDOT has set a 60 calendar day window for the closure that ends Sept. 1.

The contractor is currently on schedule to meet the opening date.

The contract was awarded to Reiman Corp. and Subsidiary, out of Cheyenne, in September of 2015, for about $1.5 million.

WYDOT has set a completion date for the project at the end of October this year.

Plumes of smoke from the Hatchery fire from a distance.

US 14-16-20 speed limit study underway west of Cody

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Alternate routes through Rock Springs are recommended during construction on the Dewar Drive and Blair Avenue bridges.

Sundance – The 76th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally affected parts of northeast Wyoming as motorcycle enthusiasts flooded toward the Black Hills for the event. Although rally numbers appeared to be down this year compared to past years, the Wyoming Highway Patrol stayed busy in its efforts

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Photo: WHP

Troopers in northeast Wyoming stay busy during Sturgis rally WHP and the South Dakota Highway Patrol teamed up for the Safe 2 Sturgis campaign.

Fire closes US 16 southwest of Buffalo The Hatchery fire in Ten Sleep Canyon, discovered on July 22, prompted a highway closure on US 16 southwest of Buffalo.

The highway, from Hazelton Road to WYO 435, remained closed until July 24

Cody – Wyoming’s new 70 mph speed limit law increased statutory speed limits from 65 mph to 70 mph this year on the vast majority of rural non-interstate highways in the state, including US 14-1620 west of Cody.

Due to public concern since the speed limit was implemented, “WYDOT believes it is appropriate to further investigate this section of the North Fork roadway and has contracted with a private engineering consultant to conduct the study,” said WYDOT Traffic Engineer Randy Merritt of Basin.

Merritt said the consultant, Morrison Maierle of Sheridan, will review geometric constraints of the highway, operating speeds, vehicle-wildlife conflicts, highway access density, type of roadway use and other criteria to make a recommendation on the future speed limit.

Citizens wishing to make public comments regarding the speed limit of the 16.72-mile section of US 14-16-20 west of Cody – between milepost 27.8 (the Shoshone National Forest boundary) and milepost 44.52 (just west of the big tunnel) – were asked to respond by email, with a deadline of Sept. 1.

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Chip sealing scheduled west of Dubois began Aug. 1

dan Avenue and 10th Street in Cody.

Photo: WYDOT

“These public comments will be used to make sure all concerns are fully investigated during this study,” Merritt said.

Study results will be presented at a Wapiti-area public meeting/open house this fall.

Motorists driving US 14-16-20 west of Wapiti.

Cody 8th Street sidewalk repairs Cody – Traffic delays were expected on Aug. 8 when repairs begin on concrete double gutter and sidewalk on the $1.95 million highway improvement project in Cody.

Prime contractor Mountain Construction Co., of Lovell repaired double gutter at 9th Street and the entrance to Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Allan Avenue, Lindsay Lane, Canyon Avenue, and the highway access entrance to the contractor staging area near Medical Center Pharmacy, said WYDOT Resident Engineer Todd Frost of Cody.

Replacement of damaged sidewalk occurred near Pinnacle Bank, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and the West Park Hospital parking lot.

“We removed and repaired damaged pieces. Work was staged to maintain public access at all times,” Frost said.

Due to damaged concrete, increased visitor traffic and summer events, including the annual Cody Stampede celebration, WYDOT and Mountain Construction Co., suspended work June 12 on the US 14-16-20 project between 10th Street and Cody Labs.

Sidewalk and gutter repair and replacement needed to be finished and cured prior to the application of a new wearing course on the road surface.

WYDOT specifications mandate wearing course pavement to be placed on highways by Sept. 15 due to expected onset of fall and winter weather.

The Cody project is located between 10th Street and Cody Labs on US 14-1620, which includes 8th Street and Sheri-

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US 14A barrier rail repaired in August Lovell – Repairs to highway barrier rail damaged in a July 11 semi-truck crash began Aug. 1 on US 14A, about 24 miles east of Lovell in the Bighorn Mountains.

A 12-foot width restriction remains in place on US 14A between Burgess Junction and Lovell until permanent repairs occur, and the restriction also includes a 29,000-pound weight limit on trucks.

Digital message signs were placed at Burgess Junction and Lovell warning travelers of the repairs, and a flagger was stationed atop the mountain road to warn west-bound travelers of the WYDOT work zone at milepost 71.

“The repairs are temporary and involve placement of temporary Jersey barrier, and the roadway will have a 30 mph speed limit until permanent repairs happen,” said WYDOT District Maintenance engineer Pete Hallsten of Basin.

New WYO 28 Web camera features Red Canyon route Lander – A new WYDOT Web camera has been installed on WYO 28 in Red Canyon, and the images are available for viewing.

The new Web camera is located at milepost 58 on WYO 28, about 23 miles south of Lander. The Web camera is operated by solar cells and a wind generator.

“The images are awesome,” said WYDOT ITS Technician Tommy Scott of Lander.

Photo: WYDOT

Photo: WYDOT

An overview of the construction zone at the Cody project this spring.

The July 11 truck crash on US 14A east of Lovell which damaged highway barrier rail.

Dubois – A WYDOT chip sealing crew continued its summer work Aug. 1 west of Dubois at the east boundary of the Shoshone National Forest on US 26-287.

The Dubois-area work involved 15.47 miles of US 26-287 in the town of Dubois and west to the Shoshone National Forest boundary, said WYDOT Chip Sealing Foreman Shane Wilson of Thermopolis.

“Why chip sealing during times of high traffic? Chip sealing is the least expensive, most cost effective way of preserving asphalt pavements, and the best time to chip seal highways is in the summer,” said WYDOT District Maintenance Engineer Pete Hallsten.

Following the work in the Dubois area, chip sealing moved to 11.99 miles of US 26 between Riverton and Kinnear.

Photo: WYDOT

Briefs continued from page 7

Web camera images of WYO 28 south of Lander and Red Canyon.

WHP Total number of highway fatalities: as of Aug. 22, 2016

Hot mix winding down for the season

by Jeff Goetz, District 2 Public Involvement Specialist As summer winds down, so does WYDOT’s in-house patching/paving program.

Finishing its season on Aug. 16, crews laid down 13,346 tons of hot mix within District 2.

Districts 1 and 4 also received mix from the plant, which was staged on WYDOT property just east of Guernsey.

The program helps departments maintain smaller sections of roads such as District 2 paving a short section of US 18-20 near Lost Springs this summer.

“This was a good year,” said Richard Steffens, equipment operator from Crew 2031 in Casper. “We had great crews and minimum breakdowns.”

Hot mix asphalt is a combination of stone, sand or gravel bound together by asphalt cement which is heated and mixed with the aggregate at the hot plant. Once heated, the mix is loaded onto trucks and driven to the patch location, placed and then compacted using heavy rollers. Traffic is usually able to travel on the fresh patch once the hot mix has cooled.

As with most outdoor work, weather can play a role in the patching and paving operation. Steffens said this year there were no weather delays within Districts 1 and 2 and only a brief delay near Buffalo. n Photo: Jeff Goetz

Powell – The WYO 32 Whistle Creek bridge improvements began in late July southeast of Powell.

“Traffic speeds will be reduced to 10-20 mph over the bridge to limit vibrations while the Silica Fume concrete pour cures,” said WYDOT Resident Engineer Michael Miller of Basin.

The Whistle Creek bridge improvements are part of the $2.36 million project which begins at WYO 32’s intersection with WYO 295 southeast of Powell, and continues 7.3 miles (mileposts 105.27 to 112.57) toward Lovell. It includes bridge work at Whistle Creek and Lovell Canal.

Work on the WYO 32 project includes slope flattening, pipe extensions, bridge rehabilitation, frost-heave repair, an asphalt overlay and a chip seal finish.

Prime contractor is H-K Contractors, Inc., of Idaho Falls, Idaho. The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded H-K the contract in January. Contract completion date is June 30, 2017. n

Photo: Richard Steffens

Whistle Creek bridge work on WYO 32

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Photo: Richard Steffens

one year ago

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G. Clyde Larson Award

by Carlie Van Winkle Kyle Seymour with the Buffalo maintenance crew was honored with the G. Clyde Larson award on Aug. 18 at the Transportation Commission luncheon.

Seymour and his co-worker Mike Bennett had been out on a litter and deer detail on the morning of July 11 when they heard a report from the Transportation Management Center (TMC) that there had been an accident on I-25 just a few miles south of where they were. Although the accident had occurred south of their district boundary in District 2, just 16 miles north of Kaycee, they thought they could lend a hand directing traffic.

Seymour and Bennett knew immediately it wasn’t an ordinary crash. They noticed a semi-tractor pulled off the road in front of an RV pulling a passenger car on a car dolly. Upon closer inspection, they saw that the semi-tractor had crashed into the car and car dolly being pulled by the RV. They parked their WYDOT vehicle behind the scene on the side of the road with the yellow warning flashers flashing and got out to help.

Another passerby had stopped to help at the scene prior to their arrival and had informed Bennett and Seymour that there had been one fatality and one seriously injured woman with a leg amputation. Bennett called this information into the TMC to get additional emergency support on the way. Bennett began flagging traffic around the scene while Seymour collected a third, uninjured, distraught woman out of the middle of the road.

Seymour gathered from talking to the third woman that she was the driver of the semi-tractor and she was convinced she had just killed two people, sending her into hysterics. Seymour got her safely to the side of the road and went over to the seriously injured woman.

“We had a lot of people directing traffic, but she was just laying on the side of the road by herself. So I went over to her,” said Seymour.

The woman had multiple injuries and a leg that had been severed by the crash. The other passerby had helped immensely by improvising a ratchet strap from the trailer into a tourniquet for the leg, slowing the loss of blood.

The crash had knocked her facedown on the side of the road, so Seymour knelt beside her and asked her if she was breathing okay.

“She was laying face down so I went over to make sure she could breathe. She spoke to me so I held her head up out of the dirt. I couldn’t move her too much because of her injuries,” said Seymour. “I just kept her awake and made sure she could breathe until the medics got there.”

He held her head until an EMT crew arrived 10 minutes later.

A Kaycee police officer arrived on scene minutes prior to the EMT crew and applied a proper tourniquet to the woman’s leg to

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Photo: WYDOT

Seymour honored with coveted G. Clyde Larson award

Kyle Seymour was presented the G. Clyde Larson Memorial Award by Director Bill Panos (left) and Commissioner Rick Newton. Andrea Seymour, Kyle’s wife, was also in attendance.

stop the bleeding completely.

Seymour stayed with her, willing her to keep her eyes open, speaking to her and reassuring her that everything was going to be OK. The severely injured woman, Brenda VanCampen of Lamar, Colo., was taken by ground ambulance to Johnson County HealthCare Center in Buffalo before being airlifted to Wyoming Regional Medical Center in Casper. VanCampen’s husband, Clifford VanCampen, succumbed from his injuries at the scene.

Seymour, a former EMT, had never seen a scene such as this, but was thankful for the training he had as an EMT and the WYDOT safety and basic first aid trainings he has had since. n

The G. Clyde Larson Memorial Award

In 1969, the Wyoming Highway Commission established an award program in honor of the late G. Clyde Larson. Larson was appointed to a six-year Commission term in 1965 by Gov. Clifford Hansen. Larson died in July 1968, and his son, Grant, was appointed to fill the unexpired term.

The award program was created to honor Larson, and its purpose was to recognize acts of heroism by Highway Department employees.

The award acknowledges an employee who has saved a life or prevented great property damage, thus, saving personal and/or governmental expense.

To be eligible, an employee must be distinguished through action above and beyond the call of duty, including rendering first aid to save a life; saving a life through immediate action without regard for personal safety or subsequent results; preventing further bodily harm to others through individual action, if peril was imminent; alleviating danger through immediate preventive action at personal risk. n

Photo: Rick Carpenter

The WYDOT Highway Safety Program hosted a #Safe2Sturgis campaign kick-off at the Colorado-Wyoming border near Cheyenne with the help of representatives of NHTSA, the Colorado State Patrol, the Colorado

Department of Transportation, Cheyenne Police Department and the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Patrol joins six-state effort to keep Sturgis-bound motorcyclists safe

to the Sturgis rally at least 18 times and observed many things motorcyclists can do to make themselves safer riders.

“There is a myth among the motorcycle riding community that it’s the other guy that’s going to get you,” Keeton said. “It’s the guy in the passenger car that’s going to kill you when you’re riding a motorcycle. Statistically that is not true. Statistically about 75 percent of the time when somebody dies in a motorcycle crash it is their own fault.”

He said the three most important things riders can do to stay safe are ride sober, wear proper safety gear and be properly trained to ride a motorcycle “Thirty to 40 percent of the riders who are killed in motorcycle crashes are impaired by drugs or alcohol. That’s an easy fix,” Keeton said. “Surprisingly, 30 to 40 percent of the time that a motorcycle rider dies in a crash, they don’t have the proper endorsement to be riding that motorcycle. That’s an easy fix. Go get trained.”

While the law may not require riders 18 years old and above to wear a helmet, he said the laws of physics show the more safety equipment you’re wearing, including a certified helmet, the better your chances of surviving a crash.

Christi Little of the Colorado Sportbike Club encouraged her fellow riders to get the riding skills training they need to be safe.

“We are dying, and it is up to us as a community to work together to live,” she said. “Every time we climb on our bikes we must be the better driver, constantly paying attention, and always working to improve our skills. We must never stop learning.” n

by Dave Kingham With trucks and motorcycles roaring by a few feet away on I-25, Wyoming Highway Patrol Col. Kebin Haller urged motorcyclists on their way to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to ride like their lives depend on it.

Haller joined representatives of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Department of Transportation at the WyomingColorado border on Aug. 4 to launch the first #Safe2Sturgis initiative in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, North Dakota and South Dakota.

“I ask all motorcycle enthusiasts to please ride as defensively as possible to avoid damages brought upon by other motorists,” Haller said speaking in front of the “Welcome to Wyoming” sign.

“In other words, ride like your life depends on it, because it does.”

There were 24 motorcycle fatalities in Wyoming last year, he said, another 12 by the end of July this year, and there has been an average of three each year during the weeks surrounding the Sturgis rally.

The #Safe2Sturgis campaign was initiated by NHTSA after a statistical analysis found more motorcyclists are being killed in the six-state region.

“Motorcycle fatalities are up 19 percent over last year across the region, and 16 percent of those motorcycle fatalities occur during a three week period surrounding the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which kicks off next week in South Dakota,” NHTSA Regional Director Gina Espinosa-Salcedo said.

A total of 275 motorcyclists were killed in the region last year.

“Wearing a helmet remains the number one way to save your life and reduce serious injury, but we all play a part,” EspinosaSalcedo said. “It’s up to all motorists and motorcyclists to share the road and make our roads safer. If we can keep one more rider up on two wheels and get them home safely, then this safety campaign will be a success.”

Colorado Highway Patrol Major Tim Keeton said he’s ridden

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Internal Review Program helps WYDOT employees in a variety of ways

by Dave Kingham Whether it’s a question about allowable uses of federal or state funds, improving business processes or determining what WYDOT can charge for indirect services provided on projects, the Internal Review Program’s goal is to help department employees get it right.

Program Manager Kristin Burkart and her auditors, Pam Fredrick, Kirsten Rigg, Maria LaBorde, Stephen Nelson and Ryan Yoksh, perform financial and compliance audits, and process and analytical reviews.

“There sometimes is this fear of an auditor coming in, but we really Burkart are here to help,” said Burkart, who has been with Internal Review 13 years, nine as program manager. “I tell people, ‘Wouldn’t you’d rather have us come in and look at something or help you with something, than have the feds come in or an external auditor find something.’”

Building rapport with the field districts and programs in Cheyenne has led to Internal Review getting more inquiries from employees about how situations they encounter should be handled.

“We can talk through it before it goes all the way to the end and we’re finding some sort of unallowable cost that we would have to pay back a whole lot of money for,” Burkart said. “So I think we’ve opened up that door and it’s helped a lot.”

The department-wide financial and compliance audit completed annually to meet state and federal requirements is contracted out to an independent auditor, but the Internal Review

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staff is kept busy providing that consultant with any information and assistance they need.

“We’ve already started to do a little work with them,” Burkart said. “They’ll be on-site in September for a couple weeks, and then they’ll be on-site the whole month of December to do both sides of the audit.”

The consultant will audit all of the department’s financial statements, balance sheet, income statement and government funds. The compliance audit will test a random selection of federal programs for allowable costs and other federal requirements, and make sure bills are being paid on time and with the proper authorization. For construction projects it will make sure certified payroll requirements are met.

Burkart said contracting out the department-wide audit frees the program’s auditors to handle other work they weren’t able to get to when they had to spend up to seven months of the year working on that audit.

The program does an annual risk assessment, working with Executive Staff and program managers to compile a list of areas of concern and things they want reviewed during the coming year.

Based on that assessment, Burkart develops a work plan for her program to complete during the fiscal year.

“We try to hit just about every program there is, reviewing their processes and procedures, internal controls, making sure that we’re mitigating risks to the department so we’re not losing funding, and making sure that we’re compliant with federal and state statutes,” Burkart said. “We audit Fuel Tax, Driver Services, ports of entry, Financial Services, Payroll, Procurement.”

As an example of the scope of the audits, she said the review of Fuel Tax Administration included making sure that the actual distribution of tax revenue to WYDOT and the cities, towns and counties is accurate, policies and procedures are being followed, deadlines are being met, and required authorizations are taking place.

The program also does cash drawer audits of Driver Services offices and ports of entry, where employees dealing with the

a accurate nnual

projects procurement sk find inefficiencies sessment allowable use co s t alinessfunds a o ca tio n scope processes p la n s services compliance criteria authorizations balance deadlines regulations

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coordination costscontractors public need cash to make change.

The WTDEA’s Employee Relief Fund is audited annually to make sure all the funds collected are accounted for, and all applications and donations made to the employees meet the fund’s policies and have been appropriately approved.

“That’s a fund we as employees contribute to help people in a crisis situation,” Burkart said. “This audit is required by policy so that people can feel confident in donating to that.”

Despite the program’s name, not all of its audits are internal.

Consultants and contractors doing work for the department, and local governments that get pass-through funding from WYDOT for local construction projects also are audited.

“We compile a list of all the local entities we give money to, and figure out if they’ve had an audit before, if they had significant deficiencies in their audits, or if our grant administrators have had issues with them doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” Burkart said. “So we have a whole list of criteria and we set up a risk assessment, and the top ones get reviewed every year with the help of the local grant administrators.”

Consultant audits can look at the indirect costs they charge for their services, as well as charges they submit for actual work on a WYDOT project.

“On design projects, consultants are required to have an indirect cost rate that has been reviewed, audited and approved by the state they are headquartered in,” Burkart said. “So we conduct those for a few firms here in Wyoming. We make sure that billing rates or indirect cost rates that they are charging on those projects are reasonable and allowable per the federal regulations before they start a project.”

Project audits are done based on risk and criteria including the total cost of the work, whether the consultant has been audited before and, if so, the findings of that audit.

Internal Review also handles special requests for reviews before a project closes, or before a contract is awarded for a new project, to make sure the contractor, consultant or subrecipient is complying with all requirements.

“At some point in time, everything is looked at, especially if it has a lot of federal money involved,” Burkart said. “We’ve done very well in all of our audits, both on the federal side and with our external auditors who come in. Our findings have gone down significantly, and the findings that we do have are usually pretty minor and easy to fix.”

c o n s u l t a n t s

Internal Review works closely with Financial Services, the Budget Office and the grant coordinators in the department to make sure any issues found in an audit get corrected so WYDOT stays in compliance.

The Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials conference WYDOT hosted in Laramie in June is another subject for an Internal Review audit.

“We’ll be auditing all the money that came in, the bills that were paid, and making sure everything is accounted for before all that gets handed over to the next host state, which is Alaska,” Burkart said.

Internal Review also helps develop and audit WYDOT’s own indirect cost allocation plan that determines the rates the department can charge for services such as accounting, human resources and procurement provided on federally funded projects.

“My office has to do an audit of the plan to make sure that everything that is federally required is in there, and all the numbers tie out, it matches PeopleSoft and our audited financial statements before it goes to the feds for approval,” Burkart said.

The auditors also audit WYDOT’s payroll loading rate, which combines the value of insurance and retirement benefits employees get with their salaries, to determine the rate that can be charged on projects.

A similar indirect cost rate is computed and audited for the use of WYDOT equipment based on operating costs, fuel use, maintenance and depreciation.

The program’s auditors are required to complete at least 80 hours of continuing professional education every two years, training in areas such as grants, federal regulation and government accounting. They also attend WASHTO and AASHTO conferences to learn from other states and help develop more consistent ways of doing things across the nation. As technological advances continue to change how WYDOT employees do their jobs, Burkart said increasing use of electronic processes will require finding new ways to audit those processes.

She said she also anticipates her staff ’s future duties will include doing more internal process reviews to find areas of redundancy and inefficiency.

“I also think we’ll be doing more analytical work on issues such as how we’re going to stabilize our revenue,” Burkart said.

“What fees can we increase, how far can we increase them and how much revenue will that bring in?” n September 2016

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TechNotes

WYDOT, employees and VPN

by Rusty England, IT Program Manager So what should an employee do if they need remote access to WYDOT’s systems, and they don’t have a state-owned mobile device? They should talk to their supervisor about the possibility of getting a device. If the device is only needed for a short period of time, then the employee can borrow a device from the support desk. They can simply call the Help Desk at 777-3995 and talk to them about what is available in the “Lending Library.”

People frequently ask if they can use VPN (virtual private networking) to access the network from their personal device. The short answer is no. This article discusses the risk of doing this and highlights the specific policy language related to this not being allowed.

It is important for employees to understand the risks of using their own devices.

When a device connects to the network via VPN, the networking environment treats it like a trusted device. So, it is connected behind our firewalls. The real risk is that this device will bring some sort of malware/infection into our environment.

Some folks will claim that they are doing everything possible to secure their personal devices (apply patches, keeping anti-virus and malware current, using good passwords, etc...). Unfortunately everyone doesn’t. In addition we don’t have tools in place to be able to make sure remote devices are properly maintained.

We do make exceptions for people in the vendor community that are providing remote support to WYDOT system. However, we do not give them the same broad access as employees. We lock them down to the specific systems they need to support.

Now the policy language. WYDOT is following the state-level

Cell phone calls using Wi-Fi Technology keeps advancing. There are a number of Verizon phones that allow for calls to be made over Wi-Fi. This is quite useful when you’re in an area – your office, home, etc. – where you have no or very intermittent cell phone coverage, but have access to Wi-Fi. Some of the newer phones allow you to make and receive calls over Wi-Fi. Available phones with this capability at this time are: iPhone 6 (any version) iPhone SE Samsung Galaxy S6, S7, Note 5 HTC 10 LG G5, V10 Moto Z Force Droid (not yet available for government contract)

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policies with respect to VPN. Policy “9400-P175: Mobile Computing and Telework” covers using VPN. In Paragraph III. D. it states: “State employees shall conduct electronic State business on State-owned computer resources. The use of non-state resources to conduct State business shall be specifically authorized by the Data Steward on a case-by-case basis after conducting a risk analysis. Group exceptions are not permitted.

Personnel granted exception to use non-state owned computer resources for State business shall be aware of the additional protection, dissemination, retention, and/or destruction responsibilities that come with having public records or restricted information on their personal computers or mobile devices.”

We are also following the 09400-P174: Network Connections and Management Policy, and in Paragraph III It states: “No network or network device, computer system, or modem shall be installed or connected to a network without the prior approval of Department of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) or agency IT staff.

All wireless networks connected to the State WAN shall be approved by ETS. Any person creating or opening an unauthorized connection to a network owned, managed, or operated by the State or any of its agencies may be subject to State and Federal criminal prosecution and penalties as well as civil penalties.”

As you can tell there is the ability to allow access on a caseby-case basis. Unfortunately policy also states that, “Agencies shall verify that anti-virus software and operating system security patches are up to date prior to or during the remote access.” As previously mentioned, we simply do not have a method for complying with this requirement.

Again there are options available for employees to work remotely using WYDOT managed equipment. n

With these phones, simply ensure that HD voice/video is turned on – it is usually the default setting. Then switch on the box for “Calling over Wi-Fi.” If you are in an area with no cell coverage, but you have Wi-Fi, you can make and receive phone calls and text.

The phone will default to using the cell service for calls when cell coverage is available. This could be inconvenient if you are in an area with slight or intermittent cell coverage. To force the phone to use Wi-Fi, simply put the phone in “Airplane Mode.”

This turns off all cellular services and data, including Wi-Fi. When in airplane mode, you can simply turn Wi-Fi back on.

The phone will see Wi-Fi, but not a cell signal, and you’ll be able to make and receive calls, text and use the internet if logged into the Wi-Fi. When you return to a strong cellular service area, turn your airplane mode off.

Enjoy Wi-Fi calling. n

Training

Transportation related e-learning in a self-paced environment

by Jim Boyd, Training Services In last month’s Training Services article, Todd DePorter wrote about how to access self-paced e-learning courses through the WeLL. The WeLL contains hundreds of courses focusing on behavioral competencies such as communication, leadership, personal effectiveness and more.

Did you know that WYDOT also offers access to self-paced e-learning that is transportation specific and technical in nature?

WYDOT’s partnership with the Transportation Learning Network (TLN) gives every WYDOT employee the ability to access TLN’s learning system called LearnFlex. TLN’s LearnFlex houses

courses either developed by TLN or the Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TC3). TC3 is, “a technical service program within AASHTO that focuses on developing training products for technical staff in the areas of construction, maintenance, and materials.” (http://tc3.transportation.org/about/).

Some of the e-learning courses you can find through TLN’s LearnFlex system include: • ATSSA Traffic courses • Bridge Construction Inspection • Materials Testing courses • Seal Coat Modules • Construction Surveying • Concrete Series • Pavement Preservation series • Plan Reading series In all, there are more than 100 e-learning transportation specific and technical courses through TLN’s LearnFlex. You can access TLN’s LearnFlex system through the WeLL by selecting “QuickLinks” on the WeLL home page and then “Other WYDOT eLearning Resources.” Finally, choose “TLN LearnFlex LMS.” You will need to create an account if you haven’t created one yet and we’d recommend downloading the LMS User Guide (http://tln.learnflex.net/Upload/TLN_Users_Guide.pdf) for details on navigating LearnFlex. For additional information, please visit the Training Services intranet page or contact one of us in Training Services. n Check out these upcoming training opportunities from WYDOT-U, the Transportation Learning Network (TLN) and WeLL.

Coming in October: Date Class 10/3/16

10/4/16 10/5/16 10/12/16 10/26/16 10/27/16 10/27/16

Research Presentation: Use of Travel Time, Reliability and Winter Condition Index Information Franklin Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Sliplining and Other Culvert Repair Options John Maxwell’s “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect” Process Improvement Credibly Accountable Tier IV Emissions, Regeneration, and Diesel Exhaust Fluid

Coming in November: Date Class 11/7/16

New Employee Orientation

PMI Competency

Location

Vocational Personal Effectiveness Vocational Personal Effectiveness Judgment & Decision Making Personal Effectiveness Vocational

Webinar WYDOT-U TLN TLN WYDOT-U WYDOT-U TLN

PMI Competency

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Communication

WYDOT-U

Access e-Learning content from other providers through the WeLL. TLN LearnFlex, WyoTraining, Risk Management and more!

To register, or to find out more details, visit the Training Services intranet page.

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District News Headquarters

Welcome Candace Garman, Highway Project Management Oversight; Michael Hofmeister, IT-Financial Systems; and Destinee Paintin, Driver Services-Laramie.

Promotions and Transfers Thomas Eckhardt, Driver ServicesPolicy and Records.

Service Awards Perry Jones, PatrolSupport Services Commander – 25 years; Troy McLees, Eckhardt Patrol-Support Services Manager – 25 years; Shannon Ratliff, Patrol-Operations – 25 years; James Fibranz, Traffic – 20 years; Holly Hopwood, Employee Safety – 20 years; Sunday Cathcart, Patrol-Dispatch – 15 years; Daniel Kline, Planning-System Planning – 15 years; Zachary Gutierrez, Highway DevelopmentProject Development – 10 years; Ratliff

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Joshua Hardee, Patrol-Capitol Services Protection – 10 years; Wayne Hassinger, Fuel Tax – 10 years; George Jones, Aeronautics-Flight Operations – 10 years; Alan Moore, Highway DevelopmentProject Development – 5 years; and Michael Turner, Fuel Tax-Uniformity – 5 years.

Retirements James Johnston, worked 30 years for the Wyoming Highway Patrol Communications Center as a communications officer.

Johnston’s last working day was, appropriately, Independence Day. On June 30, two shifts prior to retiring, he was the communications officer working the radio when Trooper Eldred was involved in a rollover crash on US 20-26 while responding to a shots fired call in Douglas. That day also marked Johnston’s 30 years of service with the agency.

Johnston, or “JJ”, as he was affectionately called by his co-workers, was someone who could always be counted on. He was also exceptionally good at customer service; demonstrating great empathy, patience and a sincere desire to help people.

He served in the U.S. Navy from 19711973, and was a law enforcement officer for both the Cheyenne Police Department and the Laramie County Sheriff ’s Office before starting his career with the WHP Communications Center. Having prior law enforcement experience gave him a unique perspective and helped his co-workers understand what life is like on the other side of the radio.

Rhonda DeLeeuw retired on Aug. 1 after 35 years of service to the department and state.

She started her career in the Records Section of the Wyoming Highway Department, and later moved to Management Services, where she spent 21 years and worked as Deleeuw a multimedia specialist.

She became a distance-learning technologist in the Training Program in 2010, and then moved back to Management Services in 2015.

Capt. Troy McLees retired from the Wyoming Highway Patrol Aug. 12 with 25 years of service to Wyoming.

McLees began his career with the WHP on Aug. 12, 1991 as a patrolman in Pine Bluffs and Cheyenne.

In January 2001, McLees promoted to McLees sergeant in the Safety and Training Division, where he managed the safety education program. In May 2006, he promoted to lieutenant in Safety and Training where he oversaw intra-agency training, WHP recruit hiring, the WHP recruit academy and the safety education program.

In January 2013, McLees promoted yet again to the rank of captain as the communications officer for the WHP Dispatch Center. While there he oversaw the operations of the patrol dispatch center and its personnel until his retirement.

McLees was the driving force behind bringing the Alive At 25 program to Wyoming. With McLees as the catalyst, the WHP adopted the Alive At 25 program to help combat the high number of teen crashes and fatalities on Wyoming highways.

Since the inception of the program, more than 10,000 Wyoming kids have successfully passed the Alive At 25 program.

Being with the public while instructing classes or attending various safety events are the things McLees says he will miss the most in retirement, and he has cherished those memories throughout his career.

McLees is well-known for his trademark contagious laugh that has been heard by countless members of Patrol and the public for the last 25 years.

Dan Prickett retired on Aug. 1 after 26 years of service to the department and state, the last 20 years as a senior business program management analyst in the Maintenance Program.

“I have had a great career here at WYDOT and worked with many great people,” Prickett said.

He signed on with the Wyoming Highway Department in 1990, first as a temporary employee in the Planning Program, and was soon Prickett hired as a permanent employee in the Mail-

Headquarters, cont.

Telecommunications Program Manager Robert Wilson retired on July 22, after 15 years with WYDOT. Wilson came to the department in 2001 following his retirement from the U.S. Coast Guard, after a 20-year career that included tours of duty in Key West Florida and Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

The Cheyenne East High School graduate earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computers at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., in 1980, and a master’s degree in tele- Wilson communications sys-

Jeannie Kincaid retired from Driver Services on July 1 after nine years of service to the department and state. She worked in the Driver Services section that handles license renewals by mail.

Congratulations Dennis Byrne has been selected as the chief financial officer effective Aug. 1.

Christy Yaffa will serve as the interim Aeronautics administrator effective Aug. 1.

Marshall Newlin has been selected as a principal bridge design engineer. Newlin replaces Jeff Booher and assumed his duties effective Aug. 3.

Chris Pivik has been selected as the new assistant state Contracts and Estimates engineer. Pivik replaced Doug Jensen who was recently promoted to Contracts and Estimates Program manager.

Toby Grapes has been selected as the new deputy Human Resources manager and assumed his duties on Aug. 15. He transferred to WYDOT from Wyoming Game and Fish.

Lisa Ayers has been selected as the Agile Assets software system administrator for the Maintenance Staff Program. She assumed her duties Sept. 1.

Condolences Our sympathy and heartfelt condolences to Contracts and Estimates employee Matt Simpson and his family for the loss of his sister, Susan Schlichtemeier.

Schlichtemeier, 58, passed away Aug. 23 in Loveland, Colo.

Oops!

Due to a clerical error, the May issue of Interchange stated Compliance Investigation employee Shane Fox as having 10 years of service to the state. In fact, he has 15 years of service.

We sincerely apologize for the error. n

Photo: Rick Carpenter

tems management at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., in 1991.

Shane Fox receiving his 15-year service award from Lacey Bruckner and Bob Stauffacher.

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room. Later he did friction testing for the Programming Section of Planning, and he moved to Maintenance in 1995.

“I worked for almost three years towards and implementing ERP, working primarily with Agile Assets,” Prickett said. “I have been a functional administrator for Agile Assets since go-live in 2006.”

The Cheyenne native graduated from high school in Sunnyvale, Calif., and earned an associate degree from Laramie County Community College and a bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Montana.

He served two years in the Air Force in the early ’70s, and worked at a variety of jobs before coming to WYDOT. “I worked construction in San Diego, drove a taxi here in Cheyenne and worked in the oil fields around Gillette,” he said. “I worked construction in Denver, installed cable TV in Casper, climbed telephone poles doing overhead cable construction in San Diego and Santa Cruz, California. I worked on a steel gang for the BN railroad in Montana.”

Prickett also worked seasonally for the U.S. Forest Service in the Lolo National Forest in Montana from 1978 through 1987, working on timber sales, roadless area reconnaissance and fighting forest fires in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and California.

After getting his forestry degree in 1983, he worked as a forester for a private business in the Belt Mountains east of Helena.

“I would like to say that WYDOT was the best job I ever had, but hey, I worked in the woods for 11 years!” Prickett said. “But WYDOT worked out very well for me, and it has been a great career.”

Newlin The Pink Ribbon Run was a spectacular one for Pam Fredrick with Internal Review, in pink and gray, who placed second in her age group for survivors. Many WYDOT running enthusiasts came out to run with Team Pam, including Joe Perea (left), retired from Traffic-Signing Operations, Christina Spindler, a principal engineer in the Traffic Program (fancy socks) and Patsy Perea (right).

Pivik

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District 1

Promotions and Transfers

Service Awards

Nathaniel Buscher, Highway Development-Project Development-Laramie Design Squad; Barbara Giffin, Highway Development-Project DevelopmentLaramie Design Squad; Eric Redland, Highway Development-Project Development-Laramie Design Squad; and Leslie Thronburg, Highway Development-Project Development-Laramie Design Squad.

Steve Kohnz, Cheyenne Construction – 40 years; David Rettinger, Laramie Patrol – 25 years;

Eric Anderson, District 1 Maintenance Staff – 15 years; Joseph Barnes, Cheyenne Mechanics – 10 years; Kevin Treat, Saratoga Maintenance – 10 years; and Craig Mustard, Elk Mountain Maintenance – 5 years.

Retirements James “Ed” Ecker retired July 2 with more than 20 years of service to the state.

He began with Rawlins maintenance crew 139 and then transferred in May 1999 to the Rawlins mechanic shop, where he retired as a senior heavy mechanic.

Ecker plans to work on his house in Rawlins and his property near Alcova upon retirement. n Photo courtesy of Jake Lonn

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Ed Ecker celebrating his retirement after 20 years of service at his June 28 party.

District 2

District 3

Welcome

Service Awards

Steven Skiba, Chugwater Maintenance.

John Wynn, Evanston Mechanics – 15 years; Ty Jereb, Rock Springs Traffic-Striping – 5 years; and Shaneal Miller, District 3 Maintenance Staff – 5 years.

Promotions and Transfers Andrew Tkach, Casper Port Of Entry.

Service Awards

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Retirements Ed Smith

In the ‘70s, Jackson was a quaint little ski town. As time passed, more and more

families began to migrate into the area, including Edward Smith’s family. He was 12.

Smith would find himself back in Jackson after attending trade school in Casper and began his career at the Wyoming Highway Department in 1980.

“I wanted to live in Jackson, and it was a pretty good job,” Smith said.

Thirty-six years later, WYDOT officials honored Smith and his dedicated years of service at a luncheon at the Jackson Shop on June 29.

Avalanche Technician Jamie Yount shared a story of Smith’s experience and ability to calmly and efficiently address any transportation crisis, including avalanche slides.

“I just remember calling him and saying, ‘Do you realize how much snow is up there? What are we going to do?’ And he answered calmly, ‘Let’s just get a loader up there.’ I remember relaxing and thinking, ‘All right. A loader. We got this,’” Yount recalled.

Smith said he learned so much under the tutelage of the men he called “the old timers,” his first couple supervisors, Jack

District 3, cont.

Photo: WYDOT

Photo: WYDOT

Oakley and Ernie Potter. Smith said he appreciated Oakley, “giving a punk, long-haired kid a chance,” when Oakley hired Smith. However, Smith’s leadership style was influenced mostly

by Ernie Potter’s example over the years.

“I learned so much from those guys, they taught me everything I know. I worked with some great people over the years,” Smith said.

Back when Maintenance Supervisor Jack Oakley gave “a punk, Smith explained how long-haired kid a chance.” Smith learned much from Oakley and his Jackson began to morph other supervisor, Ernie Potter. from a sleepy ski town skiing. So I thought, ‘what the heck?’ I to the resort destination area it is today. didn’t have to be to work until about one “Jackson has changed dramatically in the afternoon so I skied all morning over the years, with the traffic and busiand then went to work. I thought it was nesses growing,” Smith said. great,” Smith said.

With that change, came changes in Over his many years of service, Smith WYDOT’s maintenance department. expertly worked, supervised and managed In the late 1980’s, it became necessary numerous mudslides, avalanches, crashes to conduct winter maintenance on Teton and natural disasters that impacted state Pass at night, as traffic and commuter highways in Teton County. travel increased. In the past, maintenance “Given the challenging environment of activities had only taken place during Teton County, he always knocked it out of daylight hours. Drivers had driven the the park. Very seldom did anything get to pass at night at their own risk. Working the district office. Ed took care of it on a on one of the most dangerous mountain local level,” District Maintenance Engipasses in Wyoming at night was a hard neer Tory Thomas said. sell to the crew.

Smith also was a part of pioneerSmith was the first to volunteer and ing and shaping WYDOT’s avalanche became the first driver to plow and conprogram into what it is today. Smith duct much of the maintenance work on and Avalanche Technician Jamie Yount Teton Pass at night. worked over the years to improve the way “I was single and young and I loved WYDOT predicts and manages avalanche cycles in Teton County.

“The program has come a long way. We went from basically a manual system to an almost fully automated system under Ed’s leadership and Jamie’s direction,” Thomas said.

Smith recalled several memorable points in his career with WYDOT, including several close calls that could have taken his life.

Ed Smith at his retirement party surrounded by gifts and the Jackson crew. From left: Jamie Yount, Brian Gorsage, Justin “I remember once there Moss, Richard Wilson, Ed Smith, Richard Grabowski (partially was a big mudslide at the hidden), Louis Simpson, Troy Jerup, Clay Seals and Bruce Wolf Mountain area. It Daigle.

wasn’t an area that usually had slides, but we heard there was some mud out there.

I went out there early in the morning, it was still dark, and there was just a trickle of mud through these big trees. Suddenly the water stopped, and I thought, something is weird here. Just then, a patrol guy showed up and I backed up to him and he shined his light over where I was. Just then a huge slide, full of boulders and 100 year old trees came barreling out of the side about cab-high and 30-40 feet wide.

I realized that had I not moved back, that slide would have pushed me right into the Snake River,” Smith recalled.

Smith’s experience and knowledge will be sorely missed, as well as his companion Maggie and his calm tone.

“Ed wore some very big boots that will be difficult to fill. We are happy for his retirement, but very sorry to see 35 years of excellence go,” Thomas said.

D3 News continued on page 20

s

S tate E mployee

SERG

up

Retirement Gro

Gather with other state retirees monthly.

SERG meets at noon the second Monday of each month at the Cheyenne Radisson (formerly the Holiday Inn).

The gatherings include a brief business meeting, social luncheon and an educational program.

Contacts for further information:

Roger Nelson – 634-1881 Ron Labreque – 632-8240 Donella Marrs – 635-5858 September 2016

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One of WHP’s fourlegged finest retires

Photo: Carlie Van Winkle

Wyoming Highway Patrol K-9 Kato officially retired Aug. 15 after seven years of service to Wyoming.

K-9 Kato was originally assigned to Trooper Jason Green in 2009. After Green promoted to lieutenant in 2011, Kato was reassigned to Trooper Brandon Deckert in Pinedale. Deckert has been Kato’s partner until the K-9’s retirement.

Kato has made significant contribu-

nap on the couch, continuing to be a part of Deckert’s family.

Deckert will begin training with his new K-9 partner, Jaeger, on Aug. 15.

Jaeger is an 18-month-old male Belgian Malinois.

We wish Kato the best in his wellearned retirement! n

It’s a joke – or is it? Lt. Dan Wyrick showing his true colors in Yellowstone.

District 4

Service Awards

Retirements

Richard Burridge, Sheridan Patrol – 25 years; William Zilka, Gillette Patrol – 25 years; and Thomas Hulick, Buffalo Construction – 5 years.

Martin Bach retired on July 6 with more than 25 years of service to WYDOT. Bach began his career with WYDOT in Sheridan Traffic and was promoted throughout the years.

He retired as a senior staff technician with Bach District 4 Maintenance Staff. n

Burridge

K-9 Kato playing with a “Kong” toy after a job well done.

Photo: WHP

tions to public safety over the span of his career. He was deployed 321 times resulting in the seizure of 277 pounds of marijuana, 5.4 pounds of methamphetamine, $182,273 dollars of US currency, directly related to drug trafficking, approximately one pound of prescription pills, psilocybin mushrooms, LSD and acid, five firearms (one from a school), and two searches that lead to federal investigations involving domestic and international terrorists.

Deckert and Kato also made an impact within their local community at many safety events and K-9 demonstrations held at schools and community functions throughout the years.

After two knee surgeries and the early stages of arthritis, K-9 Kato will now spend his days going on short hikes, riding in the truck and take the occasional

Photo: WHP

District 3, cont.

Beach vacation?

Hunt lately?

Get those photos in!

Outdoors deadline:

09/16/16

carlie.vanwinkle@wyo.gov Zilka

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Hulick

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District 5

Cradle Call

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Service Award Recipients

Photo courtesy of Jason Aldridge

Jason and Lenaya Aldridge welcomed Arabella Jaylen into the world in Lander on July 24. She was 19 inches long and weighed in at 7 pounds, 8.9 ounces. The happy family have since returned to Thermopolis.

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

Service award recipients at this month’s luncheon: (from left, standing) Perry Jones, Anne Pettrey and Joe Trujillo. (from left, seated) Robert Zigweid, Tony Avila, Curtis Clabaugh and Troy McLees.

Oops!

A slight typographic mistake was spotted after printing last month’s issue. Marty Roedel retired with 40 years of service to the state. Our apologies, Marty. Enjoy your retirement. n

C

IT

OR

ET

LICK

T IC K

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Passings Craig R. Larsen

le Afte yc

r

ading!

Re

ease Re c Pl

Craig Larsen, 57, died Aug. 2 at his home in Rock Springs after a sudden illness.

Larsen, a native of Rawlins, was born in January 1959, attending schools in Rock Springs.

He graduated from Rock Springs High Larsen School in 1977 and continued his education at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont. earning his bachelor of science degree.

Larsen began working for the Wyoming Highway Department in May 1980 in Rock Springs as a highway maintenance employee. While in Rock Springs, he worked in various positions, retiring from the District 3 Maintenance Staff just shy of 27 years of service to the state in October 2007.

He was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles No. 151 in Rock Springs, where he was a past worthy president in 1991, 1993 and 2000, and a past worthy state president 2000-2001.

Larsen enjoyed spending time with his family, getting away at his cabin, woodworking, remodeling his home and watching NASCAR. Memorial services were held on Aug. 13. n

Procurement Supply Catalog OF2475 - US flag OF2485 - Wyoming flag

Nylon flags are also available.

New flags for

high velocity winds.

Check them out.

Congratulations to our 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.

Mike Bennett Janetta Bowey Susan Elliott Pam Fredrick Jeff Goetz Lyndy Guenther Paul Harbeson

Martin Kidner Bernie Kushnir Karen Obermeier Tracy Romero Sandy Scott Kyle Seymour Bryan Wenger

For more information about the Extra Mile Award or to nominate someone, contact the Strategic Performance Improvement Program.

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Over the Limit?

Under Arrest.

Always use a designated driver.

HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAM

OMING WY HWAY PATRO HIG

L

WTDEA

Headquarters WTDEA looking for GAP committee member The Grant Assistance Program was established in 2013. The goal to give something back to WTDEA members through grants for a variety of activities for the WTDEA member, their spouse, children, stepchildren or grandchildren.

Nick Hines was one of the original members of the group who developed the idea of the GAP fund and the Spring Festival. Hines has made the difficult decision to resign as a standing member on this committee. We are looking for a WTDEA member to fill Hines’ shoes.

The GAP Committee is a combination of five standing members: Janet Vossler, Brenda Luegering, Heidi Martin, Duane Ellis and the now vacant position; and two revolving members: Renee Krawiec and Pam Fredrick.

A standing member is in place on the committee until they resign their position or terminate employment with WYDOT. Revolving members may change yearly.

Committee Expectations

The Spring Festival is the major fundraiser for the GAP. A member of the committee is expected to participate in planning and working at the Spring Festival

with the other six committee members.

Duties include attendance at meetings, soliciting donations, organizing carnival style games, gathering items and running a silent auction and live auction, raffles, advertising, collection of money, recruiting event help and food preparation.

The treasurer emails the committee GAP applications at the closing of each quarter. The applications must be reviewed. Each application must be approved by five of the seven committee members. On occasion, the committee meets face to face to discuss or clarify a specific application.

The committee meets once a year to review the rules and applications and update if necessary. Meetings are somewhat more frequent as the Spring festival approaches.

Disclaimer

Committee members may need to work on GAP business during work hours. Your supervisor needs to approve your participation on this committee.

If you have any questions regarding this position, you may contact any of the standing or revolving members.

If you are interested in filling this position, please email Pam Fredrick at pam.fredrick@wyo.gov with your name, program and phone number by Sept. 9. n

Winter is coming. Are your tires ready?

Take it slow

Get up-to-the-minute travel information by using the new Wyoming 511 app or visiting www.wyoroad.info.

Know before you go.

September 2016

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Rides

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Mike Bowen, of He adquarters Facilitie s Management, ow 2000 Harley David ns this beautiful son Ultra Classic.

e belongs to

Photo courtesy of Ron and Cheri Koehn

d Glid 6 Harley Davidson Roa This charcoal black 201 al.

Sandov Rigging employee DJ

Manager

Photo: Rick Carpenter

A 1967 Harley built by retired State Equipment Ron Koehn.

legos owns Traffic employee Dino Gal Ford Roadster.

this crimson beauty. It is a

1932

State Equipment Manager Bernie Kushnir with his 1977 Datsun 620. Kushnir has owned it for 31 years. The engine is a 4-cylinder with a 4-speed transmission.

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September 2016

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Recent Rawlins retiree Ed Ecker stands next to his 1964 Ford pickup. The truck has a 292 Y-block, overhead valve V8 engine.

Photo: Rick Carpenter

This 1971 Chevy No va SS belongs to Pro ject Development em ployee Larry Crosby .

Photo: Gary Bailiff

Photo: Rick Carpenter

Neal Perkins, with the Planning Program, likes to take his 2016 Harley Davidson Street Glide out on the road.

This sunshine-yellow beauty belongs to retired WHP Capt. Gary Bailiff.

It is a 2007 Z-06 Chevy Corvette with a 7-liter engine. “It’s a great performer and a treat to drive,” says Bailiff.

September 2016

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WYHY WE’RE we re wi t h you ’

WE’REWYOMING

Visit WyHy.org Cheyenne • Casper 307.638.4200 26

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September 2016

and refer your friends, family & co-workers today.

Break Time Check your answers online at: employees.dot.state.wy.us, or if not able to access the employee site: www.dot. state.wy.us/home/engineering_technical_programs/manuals_publications/ interchange.html.

See if you can find the following 25 words hidden in the grid to the right: Burntfork Chip seal Classic cars Districts Egbert G. Clyde Larson Award Hawk Springs Labor Day Mayoworth Motorcyclists Networks Quealy Retirements Rides Road repair Safety Security Summer Technology Transportation Vandalism Virtual Private Networking Web cameras Whistle Creek WiFi

E S R T T A D R S A T N H E D B O E W B N E W T MH R E E V M I M K U N S N S T P H U I Z R Z O B A A D C W K I T R O K R N V I R O O S O U M L W A E P

O E R E T E C H N O L C Y M T Z A F I N O B E L G S O R B E T T D C S K T E

M E H C H N E S O E N S K G S Y P B I R H GW A A I R T D B O E L H I P X G E I D D N O I M A F A O I D N T Y E W X S N E WH O T S F A W H C A A R L E O E S L U S C A E MH S E A O D S P U U E C H E P B U S R Q A O C H F N S A

I O T E V E E F U Q E S R L H D R E O R G A E O Y A H T T O R X I I A C A E

Z L U Q A O A R R O A E I E C I B I A R E U M R R T S R D I O X Z C G K C S

O O P U C P N K T M N A S C T C U O S A C S E E S K F S T O X L O Y E L I O

P E N S A G Y A G K U E D R E E P O E N A F T I O T L E P S I R L A A O S O R K S I U T Y A S HM F L A S T A L K N R B O O E L Y P M I P M A A WO T MO N C I T U O O X N G I H L O T M A Y R T I W S E N O K O Y R S S H O C R P M F U L R C F E R I Y N U V N S S O S G E Y OM S R Y U T X O I S D E M O R S N C QWH I S U D S E R C S L E S A N T L E S U C I J NMO S N R A I L E

G R E L N C U A N O L S C O N Y S A R Q D I S T R E G Z T E L X R O V A F R A I R I T E R S L H E T O E L J U N S V C A A C H I L W S W E P A E L B R R M L O I D C A I V H T B P A OWO R T T C R I E P S DMN A S A P E O F Y R T T R P E W R O S S O C Y T T R T O A S K S S R L I E A R E N C E OWG V I C T O T L E C R T H E T R T W R T Q A E X S S K D A V I I E L K N M A C V I

O P P U O C S E I C M S M E E S R P E N I K E R M Z R E A G T S T M R Y H S R I I C M V P S O I R N T E A G N Y T X S O R Y E E U E L W R F D S I W N O

U E E W T Q U R O A D R E P A I R F C A G S A A C U L A R W A K E O G O N M

E D R X S F A V O R I T E M N E E R S H F O I N R S K R O L L Y R Y U N A U

D S A Z O O D I A O B B J F E C N Y G E I O O G D D A O Y Y E L R A H O V P

E E A O I G E S R I I L K U I N J O N A T P S D N A I V U J A V I T A L E S

T OM S E V M I M F N L S E A P R T I A O C V R T R E R E I A N B N O T S A E P N C O E T R O E T A O A S C T W I I A R O S O N F U S NM A A E C W K I A A L K U O I L T S S U T S T Q I S U R T U E E N A V W L E I Y N F N G I X

A I A Y R V Y F E M O N E Y B N P U E R T I S E S E L S E M S L E S S U R B

Interchange subscription issue? Update your address:

1) Complete and return this slip to WYDOT Public Affairs Office, 5300 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009, or 2) Email Carlie Van Winkle at carlie.vanwinkle@wyo.gov.

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Wyoming Department of Transportation 5300 Bishop Blvd.

Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009-3340

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

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