Tag: California Department of Transportation: Page 4

Roadbuilding

California universities working to develop longer-lasting highways

The recent wet weather in the Bay Area has caused potholes and damage to many of California’s roads. The East Bay Times reports that, on March 1 emergency repairs were completed on a pothole that had developed in one of the northbound lanes of Interstate 680 in Fremont Feb. 28, noting that was just one of the […]

March 3, 2017

Roadbuilding

Caltrans begins emergency repairs on I-15 collapse that sent 50 vehicles into floodwaters

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has approved a $3 million project to repair a section of Interstate 15 at Cajon Pass where 200 feet of a southbound lane collapsed Feb. 17 during a severe storm. Caltrans says a dry creek bed running beside the interstate overflowed and washed out the rock slope protection below the roadbed, […]

March 2, 2017

Roadbuilding

Calif. Transportation Commission allocates $126.4 million for improvement projects

The California Transportation Commission has allocated $126.4 million for 49 projects for road and bridge upkeep and transit and rail system upgrades. “Caltrans is working to ensure every dollar counts when it comes to California’s transportation infrastructure,” says California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Director Malcolm Dougherty. “Although we must not forget that our state highway […]

January 26, 2017

Roadbuilding

Caltrans creates new position in Chief of Innovation, Risk and Strategic Management

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has named Blair Thompson as its first Chief of Innovation, Risk and Strategic Management, with the goal of streamlining and improving the agency’s performance. “Blair Thompson will be a valuable addition to the Caltrans executive team,” says Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “He will help Caltrans accomplish its strategic goals […]

January 13, 2017

Roadbuilding

Custom-built snowplows save Caltrans 33% in equipment costs

The California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) Division of Equipment has designed and custom built 14 snowplows, which it says has saved them 33 percent compared to purchasing commercial versions. To these trucks, the division added infrared pavement thermometers, backup cameras, high-speed attenuators, high-visibility striping and larger plows. Division employees also did all wiring and welding […]

December 20, 2016

Roadbuilding

Caltrans Director Dougherty named TRB executive committee chair

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) has named California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Director Malcolm Dougherty as chairman of its executive committee. Dougherty will begin serving his one-year term in the position Jan. 12, but will first become vice chairman of the executive committee Nov. 29. Dr. Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences […]

December 6, 2016

Roadbuilding

Greenberg named deputy director for Caltrans sustainability program

The California Department of Transportation has named Ellen Greenberg as the new deputy director for sustainability. She will oversee the agency’s efforts to “shift and align its policies and practices to improve the environment, the economy and social equity for all Californians.” “Ellen will be a valuable addition to the Caltrans Executive Team,” says Caltrans […]

November 17, 2016

Roadbuilding

San Francisco’s Bay Bridge celebrates 80th birthday

The Bay Bridge celebrated its 80th birthday on Saturday, Nov. 12. According to a report from SF Gate, construction of the $77 million project began July 9, 1933 and was completed in 1936. Prior to its completion, ferries carried Bay Area residents between Oakland and San Francisco, with an estimated 46 million passengers in 1928 alone. More recently, the eastern span […]

November 16, 2016

Roadbuilding

California receives $293.1 million federal bonus for meeting transportation project deadlines

California will receive a $293.1 million transportation funding bonus for meeting its 2016 fiscal year deadlines for federally funded projects. The money will be split between the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and local agencies. The bonus money comes from a pool created from federal transportation funds states do not spend before federal deadlines. The […]

September 6, 2016

Roadbuilding

First Caltrans District 7 employee death on the job in 11 years as worker is struck on freeway near LA

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7 employee Jorge Lopez, 57, was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer September 1 while working on the Antelope Valley Freeway in Acton at Crown Valley Road. Lopez, an electrician and 16-year Caltrans veteran, is the first District 7 agency employee to be killed on the job since 2005. […]

September 5, 2016

Roadbuilding

Eight state DOT projects receive federal grants to explore alternative Highway Trust Fund revenue

The Federal Highway Administration announced eight projects that have been awarded a combined $14.2 million in Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) grants to investigate “alternative revenue mechanisms” as means of sustaining the Highway Trust Fund. Last year’s Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act established the STSFA. The program is designed to fund projects that […]

September 1, 2016

Roadbuilding

Caltrans activates overhead signs on I-80 SMART Corridor near San Francisco

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has activated close to 100 overhead signs on 11 structures that extend across Interstate 80 from the Carquinez Bridge to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The activation comes after weeks of testing on what the agency calls the I-80 SMART Corridor. The illuminated signs indicate clear lanes with a […]

August 26, 2016