SUMMER 2015 Hall, Patton, Keys: Top Leadership Changes at SCDOT by Pete Poore

VOLUME XXV NO. II SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SUMMER 2015 Hall, Patton, Keys: Top leadership changes at SCDOT By Pete Poore

or the second time in two years, Governor Nikki Haley appointed FChristy A. Hall as Acting Secre- tary of Transportation, on July 2, 2015, effective immediately. The Governor made the appointment following the resignation of Janet P. Oakley in June. Acting Secretary Hall had been serving SCDOT as the Deputy Secretary for Engi- neering since May of 2014. In that position, she was responsible for managing all engineering operations; preconstruction, construction, maintenance and traffic engineering in support of SCDOT’s $1.5 bil- lion program. Before serving a brief term as SC- DOT’s Acting Secretary from February to May 2014, the South Carolina native held the position of Deputy Secretary Christy Hall Ron Patton Brian Keys of Finance and Procurement from 2011- Acting Secretary Deputy Secretary Deputy Secretary 2014. In that role, she deployed revised of Transportation for Intermodal Planning for Finance and Procurement business practices and cash management techniques that led to restoring a sound fi- leadership team and all SCDOT employ- as the new Deputy Secretary for Intermo- on that date. Keys has served in several nancial position for an agency with a peak ees and our partners will work to provide dal Planning, effective immediately. leadership roles for the agency, most re- cash demand of over $100 million during the best and safest possible highway sys- Patton has served in a number of lead- cently as Director of Rights of Way since the summer months. tem to provide mobility for our citizens ership roles for SCDOT. Most recently he 2013. Prior to that position, he served as The Acting Secretary has more than and visitors, and give South Carolina an held the position of Chief Engineer since the Assistant Chief Engineer for Planning, two decades of service at SCDOT. She advantage in economic growth,” said June of 2010. Prior to that role, he served Locations and Design from 2007 to 2013. began her career in Road Design and held Hall. as the Director of Planning and Environ- He held a number of key positions in Pre- numerous management positions includ- Speaking at the SCDOT Commission mental from December 2001 to 2010. He construction from 1990 to 2007. He was ing Program Manager, District Construc- workshop and meeting on July 16 in Co- also spent nine years as a Program Man- responsible for ensuring the obligation tion Engineer (DCE) in District 3 and Dis- lumbia, Commission Chairman Jim Ro- ager for much of Upstate South Carolina. and delivery of federal-aid eligible and trict Engineering Administrator (DEA) in zier commented publicly on Acting Secre- Patton began his career at SCDOT in 1991 state projects, as well as assisting in over- District 2. She is a Registered Profession- tary Hall’s appointment. “This Commis- as a Hydraulic Engineer in the Hydrology all program management for his assigned al Engineer in South Carolina. sion is in lock-step supporting Christy and Office. region. The Clemson University graduate with this organization under her leadership. We He is a 1990 graduate of Clemson Uni- The Columbia native began his career a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil En- are excited about our direction. Her plans versity where he earned a Bachelor of at SCDOT in 1986 as an engineering in- gineering said she is honored to serve in are absolutely excellent and we are 100% Science degree in Civil Engineering. The tern while completing his undergraduate this key leadership position for the agen- supportive of Christy,” said Rozier. native of Greenville, he is a Registered degree. He earned a Bachelor of Science cy. “I am proud of SCDOT’s employees As Acting Secretary Hall took the reins Professional Engineer in South Carolina. degree in Civil Engineering from the Uni- and their dedication and commitment to of the agency, she had two Deputy Secre- Acting Secretary Hall appointed Brian versity of South Carolina in 1991. He is service for South Carolina. Together, the tary positions to fill due to retirements. On Keys as Deputy Secretary of Finance and a Registered Professional Engineer in July 2, 2015, Ron Patton was announced Procurement on July 6, 2015, effective South Carolina.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Target Zero ...... 7 Promotions and Retirements...... 13-15 News Briefs...... 8 Equipment Operators Safety Training...... 16-20 New FHWA SC Division Administrator ...... 2 Overheight truck sensors on I-85...... 9 50 years of service, still going strong...... 21 Public input on Carolina Crossroads...... 4 Strategic Highway Safety Plan...... 11 District Pages...... 23-30 Employee, former commissioner honored.....5 Division of Minority and Small Business...... 12 Crashes, fires destroy interstate roadway ....31 2 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015

Leaphart named Chief Emily Lawton is SC Division Engineer for Operations Administrator at Federal Highway n June 2015, Emily Lawton became the Division Administrator for ndrew Leaphart has been the FHWA South Carolina Division. selected as the Chief En- IIn this capacity, she leads a multi-disci- Agineer for Operations for plinary staff of 20 that is responsible for the South Carolina Department of the delivery of the federal-aid program Transportation. in South Carolina and provides leader- Leaphart has served in several ship and guidance to FHWA’s state, lo- leadership roles for the agency, cal and federal partners. most recently as Director of Sup- Prior to her appointment as Division port Services since November Administrator, Lawton served as the 2011. Prior to that position, he Assistant Division Administrator in Or- served as the Assistant Chief En- egon for 11 years. She joined FHWA’s gineer for Operations November Highway Engineer training program in 2007 to November 2011. He began 1991 with various assignments through- his career with SCDOT in 1992 in out the United States. Following the the Traffic Engineering Office. training program, she held positions in He is a 1991 graduate of Clem- Eastern Federal Lands and the Division son University where he earned a Offices in Virginia and North Carolina. Bachelor of Science degree in Civ- Lawton is a native of North Carolina il Engineering. He is a Registered and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Professional Engineer in South Engineering from North Carolina State Emily Lawton Carolina. University. SC Division Administrator Andrew Leaphart Federal Highway Administration South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission

Jim Rozier John N. Hardee Ben H. Davis Jr. Woodrow W. W.B. Cook Samuel B. Glover Mike Wooten Clifton Parker 1st Congressional 2nd Congressional 3rd Congressional Willard 5th Congressional 6th Congressional 7th Congressional Commissioner District District District 4th Congressional District District District At-Large District

Winner of awards from S.C. Division, Public Relations Society of America; Carolinas Association of Business Communicators; S.C. Press Association and AASHTO.

Editor: Stan Shealy news items may be reproduced with credit to The telephone (803) 737-1270. All materials submitted Photography / Layout Editor: Rob Thompson Connector or the source. News, photos and infor- become the property of SCDOT unless their return mation to appear in The Connector should be sub- is stipulated. The Connector Editorial Board: Pete Poore, Bob Kudelka, mitted to Stan Shealy, Office of Communications, is distributed free by mail to Bonnie Cramer, Tasha Crumpton, Kim Corley, S.C. Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 191, employees and to others upon Drew Stewart, Zoe Cook and Cody Crouch. Columbia, SC 29202, no less than three weeks prior request. to date of publication. Copy should include the name Christy Hall is the The Connector is an employee newspaper of the South Carolina and phone number of the source or person submit- Acting South Carolina Secretary of Press Association South Carolina Department of Transportation. All ting the article. For inquiries regarding news copy, Transportation. Associate Member SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 3 Work begins on I-85/I-385 Gateway project

By Pete Poore isting interchange in Greenville County “This rehabilitation work is just the first Garlington and Miller Roads. which handles 200,000 vehicles per day. of many upgrades scheduled in the next • Providing a “right-out only” exit from The work that began in late July involves four years to improve safety and ease con- The Shops at Greenridge onto westbound otorists traveling at night on repaving operations on the northbound gestion around this interchange. The pub- Woodruff Road. I-85 between Mauldin Road travel lanes on I-85 between Mauldin lic can expect to see a huge transforma- The major phases of construction are Mand Woodruff Road have seen Road (mile marker 46) and Woodruff tion of the current I-85/I-385 interchange expected to begin by early 2016 and fin- the first signs of construction activity on Road (mile marker 51). Repaving will in the coming years,” said David Hebert, ish in late 2018. During this time, lane the second-largest transportation infra- also start soon between Pelham Road SCDOT Resident Construction Engineer. closures will be restricted to the nighttime structure project undertaken by SCDOT (mile marker 54) and the Greenville-Spar- Highlights of the project include: hours to minimize impacts on traffic. in its history. The $231 million I-85/I-385 tanburg (GSP) Airport exit (mile marker • Extending the right-hand lane on I-85 This project is using a design-build ap- interchange improvement project is a 57). The repaving operations are expected northbound, about a mile north of the in- proach in which Flatiron-Zachry, a joint four-year project to modernize the ex- to be complete in November of this year. terchange, to tie directly into the Pelham venture of Flatiron Construction Corpo- Road exit. ration and Zachry Construction Corpo- • Extending the Pelham Road on-ramp ration, will not only be responsible for on I-85 southbound to tie directly into the building the interchange, but also per- new interchange. form the design, obtain permits, acquire • Adding collector/distributor ramps right-of-way and coordinate utility relo- through the new interchange and also un- cations under the oversight of SCDOT der Woodruff Road on I-385. and the Federal Highway Administration • Widening the I-385 corridor from four (FHWA). thru-lanes to six thru-lanes between But- The funding source for this project is Act ler Road and Roper Mountain Road. 98 of 2013 which provided SCDOT with • Constructing 11 new bridge structures additional funding for bridge, resurfacing within the interchange, including two fly- and mainline interstate projects, the Fed- over bridges to replace the existing “tight eral Interstate Improvement Program and loop ramps” associated with the existing the Greenville-Pickens Area Transporta- interchange. tion Study Committee (GPATS). • Reconstructing and enhancing the More information for the I-85/I-385 traffic signal system along the Woodruff Gateway project, including construction Road Corridor between Roper Mountain updates and lane closure restrictions is Road and Highway 14. available at www.85385gateway.com, so- • Reconstructing three intersections on cial media at Facebook (85-385gateway) Woodruff Road at Market Point Drive, and Twitter (85385gateway).

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR 4 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 Public gets involved in Carolina Crossroads Corridor Project By Bob Kudelka the same processes provided at the May 12 meeting. This “on de- t’s hard to watch TV these mand” feature is another way to days without seeing adver- encourage public involvement in Itisements touting the benefits the project. Brian Klauk of “On Demand” programming. “We had 157 attendees in per- SCDOT engineers even used son, 216 online meeting visitors, this concept to help the public and to date 448,000 social media learn more about a major high- impressions,” Klauk said. “We way improvement project, the have received 158 comments as Carolina Crossroads I-20/26/126 a result of the meeting. These Corridor Project. are good numbers for a meeting “Public involvement will be very early in the process at a point important throughout the proj- when there were no alternatives ect as SCDOT identifies alter- to display.” natives for the corridor,” said SCDOT, in cooperation with CODY CROUCH/THE CONNECTOR Brian Klauk, Program Manager, the Federal Highway Adminis- Carolina Crossroads is the name given to the project to reconfigure the intersection of Midlands Regional Production tration, is working to develop an Interstates 20, 26 and 126 in Columbia. Group. Environmental Impact Statement The community kickoff meet- (EIS) to promote informed deci- I‑26 from US 378 to Broad River up-to-date solution has become a mountains for recreation, and a ing was held May 12 in Columbia sion making in the development Road, and I‑126 from Colonial statewide priority. major cargo route between Low- and was well attended. But any- of a solution to reduce conges- Life Boulevard to I‑26. Located in the heart of South country ports and Upstate manu- one who could not be there was tion, improve traffic operations, First developed in the 1950s Carolina, the I-20, I-26 and I-126 facturers. invited to view an “online meet- increase safety and increase ca- and 1960s and improved in the corridor serves as a major hub for Klauk said the next meeting ing” at www.SCDOTCarolin- pacity within the Carolina Cross- 1970s and 1980s, the design of Midlands’ commuters, travelers will be Sept. 10, which will be aCrossroads.com between May roads I-20/26/126 Corridor. I-20, I-26 and I-126 does not and commerce. In addition to be- the Public Input meeting. It is the 12 and May 27. The I‑20/26/126 Corridor is meet current demands, and the in- ing a main route in and out of Co- first in a series of meetings over Users at their convenience generally defined as I‑20 from the terstate access ramps consistently lumbia, I-26 is a thoroughfare for the coming year as part of the EIS could access a video explaining Saluda River to the Broad River, become congested. Finding an travelers headed to the coast and process. SCDOT projects win two AASHTO awards By Pete Poore The first award was for the Cypress to a local bridge destroyed by a derailed Gardens Road Bridge replacement in train.” The replacement was completed CDOT won two of the eight Re- Berkeley County in the “Small Project” three weeks ahead of schedule and 19% gional AASHTO awards presented category. The $3.5 million project was under budget. Sat the SASHTO Conference held described by AASHTO as “a quick and The second award was for Columbia’s in Nashville on August 1-4. cost-effective solution to restore access Assembly Street Improvement project in the “Quality of Life/Community Devel- opment” category (“Small Project” designation). The $4.5 million project en- hanced pedestrian and transit safety with improved sidewalks and transit shelters. The job was completed more than three months ahead of schedule and $1.5 million under budget. The awards are presented annually by AASHTO to recognize the best in America’s transportation projects in four regional competitions. The Assembly Street Project was selected as one of the Top 10 projects in that nation. This designation qualifies it for one of two Amer- ican Transportation Awards. The first of the two will be selected by a panel of experts. The second will be a “People’s Choice” award, determined by voting on-line later in the fall. SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 5

By Kim Corley she says she will miss him when he goes away to college. “Ever ach year, the American since my brother was 10 he has Stan Jones Jr. receives scholarship Road & Transportation set a goal for himself in life and I Scholarships open to children of highway workers EBuilder’s Association- believe that he has achieved that Transportation Development goal,” she says. killed, disabled on the job Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) Julia Jones believes her fam- awards scholarships to the chil- ily’s unwavering faith in God has dren of highway workers killed helped them persevere during dif- or permanently disabled in the ficult times since losing her hus- line of duty. band. Stan Jones Jr., of Gaston, is Stan Jr. graduated from Air- one of only 10 recipients across port High School in June. He is the nation of the Lanford Fam- attending Clemson University to ily Highway Worker Memorial study architecture. He also plans Scholarship. to try out as a walk-on for the In 2007, Standra Jones Sr., Clemson football team. Lexington County Maintenance The 2015 National Work Zone Foreman, was fatally injured in Awareness Week was held March a collision on I-26 in Lexington 23-27, 2015. According to the County. He and his crew had just Federal Highway Administra- completed a barrier wall cleaning tion’s (FHWA) most recent statis- operation. As they were prepar- tics in 2013: ing to leave the site, a truck ran l 579 work zone traffic-re- off the side of the interstate and lated fatalities (6% decrease from struck Jones and a fellow worker. 2012) That stretch of interstate is now l 29,000 work zone injuries called the “Standra Jones Memo- (9% decrease from 2012) rial Highway.” At the time, Stan l 105 worker fatalities (21% Jr. was only ten years old. decrease from 2012) Despite this devastating loss l 186 large trucks (184) and at a young age, Stan Jr. stepped buses (2) involved in fatal crash- into his father’s role in the fam- es in work zones (11% increase ily. “I had to grow up fast. It made from 2012) me more mature than my other SCDOT and partnering agen- friends,” he says. cies continue to research and de- “I’m proud of my son,” says velop innovative safety initiatives Julia Jones. “I couldn’t ask for a to protect the lives of highway better child,” she says as she de- construction workers and motor- scribes her son’s dedication to his ists. ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR education, spirituality and family. To learn more about ARTBA, The Jones family holds a photograph of Standra Jones Sr. during a visit to SCDOT Younger sister Breana is also please visit their website at http:// headquarters on May 19, 2015. From left, Breana Jones, Stan Jones Jr. and Julia Jones. very proud of her brother, but www.artba.org/. Outstanding! SCDOT employee, former commissioner recognized by State Employee Association

he South Carolina State Marion County. She has been a Employees Association state employee for 33 years. (SCSEA) announced its Former SCDOT Commis- T2015 Outstanding State Employ- sioner Harrison Rearden was ee and Outstanding State Retiree named the SCSEA Larry G. El- recipients. Two of those honored lis Outstanding State Retiree for have ties to SCDOT. 2015. Nancy Fipps is the Outstand- The award recipients were ing State Employee female for recognized during the SCSEA 2015. Fipps is the chief admin- Annual Meeting and awards lun- Nancy Fipps Harrison Rearden istrative assistant at SCDOT in cheon on June 20, 2015. District 5 Construction Former SCDOT Commissioner 6 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 Urban planning student finishes her degree with SCDOT internship By Kim Corley at graduation in May at the University of Cincinnati, the School of Planning requires hio native Amanda Wroblewski is her to participate in a cooperative educa- spending her summer down south tion program before officially receiving Ointerning in the Intermodal Plan- her degree in Urban Planning. ning Division at SCDOT Headquarters. Wroblewski also has experience in the Her primary focus this summer is re- private sector. In 2013 and 2014, she in- searching and presenting options to ex- terned with Walt Disney Imagineering and pand public engagement through different Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. She con- community outreach efforts. Not only is ducted GIS mapping and square footage she involved in SCDOT’s transition to an studies to determine future park expansion electronic system for the Statewide Trans- options. She also assisted with their as- portation Improvement Plan (STIP), but set management program, which focused she is also working closely with engineers on projects within the Animal Kingdom coding projects for transportation demand theme park. “It was extremely interesting modeling and ranking MPO/COG projects. getting to spend time working on both the Wroblewski previously interned with creative and technical sides,” she said. the Erie Regional Planning Commission in Wroblewski says she was drawn to a ca- ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR Ohio where she worked closely with trans- reer in urban planning because of “the idea Amanda Wroblewski’s internship with SCDOT consists of inputting portation planners. This experience, along that what you are working on has the po- Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan data into the new electronic with similar courses, sparked her interest tential to make an impact on somebody’s system. The Ohio native has spent a lot of this summer at Lake Murray in transportation. “I wanted to get experi- life, or make the community or region a where she’s adjusted to the heat and humidity of South Carolina. She ence at the state level of government, and better place.” hopes to work at SCDOT after her internship. the idea of moving south appealed to me, Her dedication to public service goes so here I am,” she said. well beyond her chosen career field. She the Literacy Center tutoring adults study- public service, where I hope to plan, design She adds that South Carolina has been a is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and ing for their GED. and manage projects that will benefit the great place to enjoy her hobbies -- tennis, the Planning Student Organization. While In the future, she plans to work toward a community I work in,” she says. boating and fishing. at the University of Cincinnati, she was Master’s degree in planning and her AICP To learn more about internship This internship is the last step of her a teaching assistant for a professor in the certification. “These two things will help opportunities with SCDOT, please contact academic career. Although she walked College of Design. She also volunteers at me to reach my ultimate goal of a career in Human Resources at (803) 737-1321.

Environmental Services 2015 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 7 Target Zero: How many traffic deaths are acceptable? By Bob Kudelka To inform motorists, SCDOT’s Carolina reaching its goal of zero overhead roadway message signs deaths,” Hardee said. will periodically show fatality Commission Chairman Jim CDOT joined the South counts throughout the year. Rozier and 1st Congressional Dis- Carolina Department of “This announcement repre- trict Commissioner Mike Wooten Public Safety (SCDPS) and sents another exciting step for- joined similar news conferences theS Federal Highway Adminis- ward in eliminating deaths on our held in Charleston and Myrtle tration (FHWA) to announce the roadways,” said SCDPS Director Beach. FHWA South Carolina launch of a 24-member Target Leroy Smith. “We believe that the Division Administrator Emily O. Zero Enforcement Team to re- loss of one life on our highways Lawton attended the Columbia duce traffic deaths. is unacceptable. We want every news conference. SCDOT is providing funding driver, every family in our state The 16 corridors of focus are: for a new 24-trooper unit to fo- to take the pledge to make Target • I-26 in Lexington, Berkeley cus on proactive enforcement on Zero their personal goal.” and Charleston counties; roadway corridors that are high- SCDOT Commissioner John • U.S. 1 and S.C. 48 in Rich- risk for traffic fatalities and seri- N. Hardee, of the 2nd Congres- land County; ous injuries. sional District, informed people • U.S. 301 in Orangeburg Acting Secretary of Transpor- of the new Target Zero website, County; tation Christy Hall said SCDOT www.sctargetzeroplan.org, which • U.S. 17 in Charleston Coun- worked with SCDPS and FHWA shows Target Zero corridors and ty; to identify locations where fatal includes a pledge to reduce fatali- • Three segments of U.S. 17 collisions are occurring. Most are ties. in Horry County; caused by driving under the influ- The web site also features the • U.S. 501 in Horry County; ence, not wearing seatbelts and state’s Strategic Highway Safety • S-62 in Berkeley County; speeding, Hall said. plan, which was recently com- • U.S. 25, U.S. 276 and I-385 “Our goal is zero deaths, but pleted by representatives from in Greenville County; unfortunately over 800 motorists SCDPS, SCDOT, FHWA and the • U.S. 28 in Anderson County ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR die each year on our roads,” Hall National Highway Traffic Safety The Target Zero message Acting Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall announces said at a news conference in Co- Administration. is also currently being spread that SCDOT is providing funding for a 24-member Target lumbia. “This is unacceptable and “Remember, you, the motor- through billboard and regional Zero Enforcement Team. unnecessary.” ing public, have a stake in South television campaigns.

For more information on Target Zero, the Target Zero team or the state’s Strategic Highway Safety plan, visit www.sctargetzeroplan.org. Richland Maintenance employee struck, killed on the job By Pete Poore

CDOT lost Paul L. Fee, 56. in Feb- ruary of 2015. Fee was a Trades Spe- cialist III and a member of the team inS Richland Maintenance. He was assigned to the Blythewood Section Crew. He was the Crew Leader for Hot Mix Asphalt Patching Operations. Fee had been an SC- DOT employee since 2007. On Friday evening, Feb. 27, Fee and his crew were performing pothole patching operations in a temporary work zone on Farrow Road in Columbia. Shortly before 8:30 p.m., a pick-up truck drove into the work zone, striking Fee. The driver of the pick-up fled the scene on foot. Fee was taken to a Columbia-area hos- ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR pital in critical condition. He died early On June 18, 2015, the SCDOT Commission presented a resolution to Saturday morning. the family of Paul Fee, an SCDOT employee from Richland Maintenance Late Saturday afternoon on February who was killed while on the job. From left, Commissioner Mike Wooten, 28, Ray Pickett, 59, turned himself in at LaTonya Fee Cook (daughter), Betty Fee (wife), O’tria Fee (daughter) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Paul Fee Commission Chairman Jim Rozier. Pickett was charged with hit and run result- dren. ing in death. The SCDOT Commission, at its monthly his service to the South Carolina Depart- Fee’s passing is a somber reminder of Paul Fee left behind his widow, Betty meeting on May 21, 2015, adopted a reso- ment of Transportation. The resolution was the dangers SCDOT employees face each Fee; three children, Paul Fee, LaTonya Fee lution in memory of the fallen Maintenance presented to the Fee family and friends at day while working on the roads and bridg- Cook, O’tria Cook; and four grandchil- employee, and to express appreciation for the June 18 Commission meeting. es in the state. 8 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 Meet Jerodd Todd ‘Peanut’ is nuts about SCDOT By Kim Corley ing. During February’s winter storm, Todd’s crew was one of many on call to assist crews in the upstate. “I work out of Horry and we got the Employee: Jerodd “Peanut” Todd truck ready to head up to York around 4:30 in Office: District 5 Maintenance the morning,” he enthusiastically posted on the Title: Trades Specialist III SCDOT Facebook page. Todd lives in Loris with this two lab/pit mix- erodd “Peanut” Todd began his career es, Onyx and Cephus. He is an avid outdoors- with SCDOT in 2009. In February, he re- man who spends much of his free time fishing, Jceived his Certificate for 5 Years of Ser- camping and duck hunting. Todd also enjoys vice. He works with the paint crew in Horry golf frequently, even though he confessed that County. his golf game could use some work. Before joining SCDOT, he worked with a A proud Free Mason, Todd is a member of contractor mowing right-of-ways. Todd says he the Little Pee Dee Lodge #83 AFM where he is is glad the opportunity to work with SCDOT a master mason and sitting senior deacon. came along because he enjoys working on the His nickname is a remnant of his high school paint crew. days. He says the name came from friends his He says the best part about his job is “travel- sophomore year in agricultural science class. ing around to different counties in our district.” Ever since, Todd has embraced the name. For a PHOTOGRAPHS BY DISTRICT 5 Todd has also had the opportunity to work out- short time, it was even on his SCDOT uniforms. Jerodd Todd works on the paint crew in District 5. He enjoys side his district. He and his crew were asked to Congratulations to him on his five years of traveling around the District and has helped out other areas of the lend a hand to crews in Lexington with paint- service, and we wish him many more. state during emergency situations. He is enthusiastic about his job and loves SCDOT. BRIEFLY transit stakeholders and advocates Ethics Training Deadline: Crash Closes throughout the Southeast, along with Ravenel Bridge senior leadership of the Federal Transit Nov. 30, 2015 On Tuesday, May 26, at around 11 Administration in Washington. The South Carolina General Assembly Act 114 requires a.m., a fuel tanker and a sedan collided award recognizes SCDOT’s innovation, on the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston leadership and efforts on behalf of all SCDOT employees to take mandatory Ethics training County. The leaking tanker caused the state’s public and human services every two years. This two hour e-learning class is now available the bridge to be shut down in both transportation providers with the state via the SCDOT Learning Management System. directions for most of the afternoon. and the Federal Transit Administration. Fortunately, less than 100 gallons of All employees are required to complete the course diesel fuel leaked from the truck. The SCDOT DBE firm in fuel had to be transferred to another no later than Nov. 30, 2015. tanker while the spilled fuel needed to USDOT mentor program be scrubbed off the bridge deck. The Freeland Construction Company, Each employee with computer access needs to log in Ravenel Bridge was reopened at 7:20 Inc., based in Charleston, has been p.m. selected to participate in USDOT¹s first and take this mandatory training class. Heavy Civil Construction Contractor Mentor Protégé Agreement. Freeland For those employees without a computer, the training can be delivered SCDOT Receives Construction will be partnered with FTA Award Skanska, one of the largest construction in a group setting. Employees completing the training in a group setting SCDOT was recognized with an award companies in the US. This program must sign a sign-in sheet including the employee’s name and employee from the Federal Transit Administration provides an opportunity for small number. This sign-in sheet can then be entered into the LMS by the Regional Administrator, Dr. Yvette businesses to create strategic alliances Learning Manager for your office. Taylor, for “consistently demonstrated with successful prime contractors outstanding transit service” at the in an effort to move their businesses Southeastern Regional Transit to the next level. The agreement is a Course Name: SCDOT Workplace Ethics Conference held in Atlanta in May. three-year arrangement. Freeland¹s Course Length: 2 hrs The conference was co-sponsored by President & CEO, Kenneth Cantey, P.E. the Georgia Transportation Institute/ says his company is honored to be a University Transportation Center and part of this mentor program and states The training is located on the e-learning site the Center for Urban Transportation that the goal for the company is to be Research. Attendees included transit worthy enough to serve as a mentor https://scdot.csod.com/client/scdot/default.aspx operators, MPOs, state agencies, at the conclusion of the three-year state transit associations and other contract. SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 9

By Bob Kudelka

CDOT has installed the New system detects, warns state’s first detection and warning system aimed at reducingS dangerous and costly overheight trucks on I-85 overheight truck collisions with bridges. The system, which is similar to systems in place on I-95 in North Carolina, consists of sensors that can detect loads that are close in height to the existing bridge clearances. “I would like to thank everyone who played a role in getting the system designed and installed,” said Director of Traffic Engineering Tony Fallaw. Fallaw thanked Wayne Feast- er and J.T. Egan for creating the signs and Dan Campbell and Charlie Shirley for their work on the electrical components. This new system was recently installed along I-85 in Cherokee County. It covers the portion of I-85 from S.C. 5/198 - Exit 102 to U.S. 29 - Exit 106, which is TOP LEFT: Trucks are directed just south of the North Carolina to use the right lane for height State line. The detour route runs detection. along S.C. 5 and U.S. 29 and is approximately 5½ miles in CENTER LEFT: A closeup of length. the sensor Last fall, one of the bridges along this stretch of I-85 with ABOVE AND RIGHT: Overheight less clearance than the current trucks are detected by sensors standard of 17½ feet was struck located on poles between mile and badly damaged by an over- markers 106 and 102 at the sized load. state line on Interstate 85. SCDOT installed the new system in an effort to prevent a re- BELOW LEFT: Flashing lights peat occurrence until the bridge alert vehicles that are too tall clearances can be increased as for upcoming bridges. part of an upcoming interstate rehabilitation project. Once the re- BELOW: The clearance of one habilitation project is completed, bridge in the area is less than the detection/warning system of 15 feet. signs can be relocated elsewhere PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROB THOMPSON/SCDOT in the state. Here’s how it works: An advance notice warning sign alerts trucks of the upcoming detector station. When triggered, the detectors activate a system of flashing beacons mounted on a second sign, located down the road from the first sign. This sign displays instructions for the driver to exit the interstate and follow the posted detour route when the beacons are flashing. A Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) also provides additional detour information over a designated AM channel (1680 northbound and 1610 southbound). 10 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 Perry stopped his truck, figuring the man needed help changing a tire. Instead, Responder the man approached Perry and told him he was just checking the batteries of the por- table message sign. helps bust “He had a vest on, but he wasn’t in a truck with a strobe light,” Perry said. Perry noticed the battery box on the theft case sign was open as the man started to drive By Bob Kudelka away. Perry wrote down his license tag and helped make sure the man merged safely CDOT incident responders in the back into traffic. He called in the informa- SHEP program travel our highways, tion to the TMC dispatcher and then went Smaking traffic smoother by helping back to check the sign. disabled vehicles, setting up traffic man- It had been broken into; one battery was agement in major incidents and sometimes gone. “He must have been trying to take even helping solve crimes. the next battery out” when Perry had first Call it CSI: SCDOT. pulled over, he said. In this case, SHEP driver Matthew Perry gave police a description of the Perry of TE-HQ/SHEP helped crack a man and the vehicle. case of vandalism and thievery involving The next day, a man was arrested steal- state-owned variable message signs along ing a battery out of a car on I-77. Perry interstate highways in the Midlands. picked the man out of a police lineup, link- Perry’s supervisor, James Zarpentine, Rob Thompson/THE CONNECTOR ing him to the theft and vandalism of the is not surprised that Perry went the extra Incident Responder Matthew Perry was an extra set of eyes on the state sign battery. mile to help nab the perpetrator. highway that helped catch a thief who was stealing batteries from After the arrest, officials said the inci- “We’re proud of Matthew,” said Zar- variable message signs. dents of sign vandalism and thefts along pentine, Columbia SHEP supervisor, said. the interstates stopped. “We’re proud of him for what he did and days, three signs were found vandalized a horrible tractor trailer accident in North “He handled it well,” Zarpentine said we’re proud of the job he does every day.” and batteries stolen. Carolina. He vividly remembers passing of Perry. “SHEP operators are out there by In January, SCDOT began to get reports Wood and other SCDOT officials alert- by as authorities helped at the scene. He’s themselves.” of wires cut and batteries and tires stolen ed SHEP responders to be on the lookout wanted to be part of SHEP ever since. Perry, of Gilbert, joined SCDOT seven from variable message signs, said John for anything suspicious with signs as they “I enjoy helping people,” said Perry. years ago and has been with SHEP for Wood, Columbia SHEP Program Supervi- made their routine patrols. On the morning of Jan. 27, Perry was more than a year. It’s a job he wouldn’t sor who works out of the Traffic Manage- Among the SHEP responders notified patrolling in Lexington County on I-77 trade. ment Center on Shop Road. was Perry, who said being a member of northbound near mile marker 2 when he “Anything I do I try to give it 110 per- The batteries alone cost $1,500 to re- SCDOT’s SHEP is a dream job. saw a man and a vehicle at the side of the cent,” he said. “My favorite thing is watch- place, Wood said. In one stretch of five He was 14 years old when he came across highway. ing the people leave after they get helped.”

was very familiar with their responsibili- placing of traffic control devices for each ties,” Cook said. “That’s the time of the reversal roadway. Hurricane season starts early year we are going through lane reversal The lane reversals that made up the By Bob Kudelka In addition, traffic signal crews were practice, updating plans and contact infor- exercise were U.S. 501 in Horry County; on stand-by to repair any signals taken mation. It was a good shot across the bow I-26 from Charleston to Columbia; U.S. urricane Season was still three down by high winds. Charleston and for us.” 21 from Beaufort; and U.S. 278 from Hil- weeks away when SCDOT em- Berkeley counties each had two crews on- On June 10, SCDOT employees again ton Head. Hployees readied for a storm aimed call. The state Traffic Management Center were focused on hurricanes – but this time Hundreds of employees from Districts at the SC coast. (TMC) monitored conditions around the it was the annual lane reversal and evacu- 1, 5, 6 and 7 participated in the drill. It was no drill, despite the calendar clock. The TMCs in Districts 5 and 6 were ation exercise. Director of Traffic Engineering Tony showing May 9. The Atlantic Hurricane open for extended weekend hours. The evacuation drill activities were Fallaw joined Jenkins at the OCC. Ber- Season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 Crews and bridge inspectors were as- coordinated from the SC Department ry Mattox was in Conway at the Horry “This is the earliest that I can recall signed to the three swing bridges in Lit- of Public Safety Headquarters at Bly- County Emergency Operations Center. having to prepare for a storm,” said State tle River, Socastee and the Ben Sawyer thewood at the Highway Patrol’s Opera- Headquarters staff included Brian Keys, Maintenance Engineer David Cook, a 23- Bridge in Charleston. Crews were pre- tions and Control Cell (OCC) for Emer- Kenny Eargle, Leland Colvin, Laura year veteran of SCDOT. pared to lock down those bridges to mari- gency Traffic Operations. Masem, Kevin Sheppard, Jason Still- The threat of subtropical storm Ana time traffic once sustained winds reached State Traffic Management Engineer well and Brad Latham. put employees into action, from crews 25 mph. Only the Little River Bridge was Dick Jenkins worked there alongside The SC Emergency Management Divi- in Districts 5 and 6, led by DEAs Kyle closed from Saturday evening to midday representatives from the Highway Patrol sion in Pine Ridge was fully staffed for Berry and Robert Clark, to Headquar- Sunday due to high winds. All three bridg- Command Staff, SLED, Department of this event with Tom Johnson leading ters and the Traffic Management Center, es remained open to vehicular traffic. Natural Resources, Probation Pardon and Emergency Support Function One-Trans- Cook said. Fortunately, Ana weakened and no Parole Services and the Civil Air Patrol. portation. Horry and Georgetown counties structural damage was reported on the Jenkins coordinated SCDOT’s ac- “I am quite proud of our entire team brought in one crew each early Satur- coast. tions at the OCC and communicated with as a quick evaluation by Highway Patrol day morning in case roads needed to be Cook said it turned out to be a mean- SCDOT Headquarters Command Staff after the exercise revealed very good co- cleared. Those crews worked a 12-hour ingful warmup for what the agency could in room 311 by 800 mhz radio and tele- ordination between our crews and the Pa- shift. They were relieved on Saturday face later in the season. phone. The Headquarters staff commu- trol,” Jenkins said. “Continued planning evening by a second crew in each county, “It was good for us to go through all nicated with the Districts to coordinate and exercising is the key.” also working a 12-hour shift. the preparations to make sure everyone SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 11 Strategic Highway Safety Plan Comprehensive statewide plan focuses on ‘four Es’ to reduce highway deaths, injuries By Dick Jenkins laborative processes with safety jury rates. There is no other way • Speed Related and Brett Harrelson Engineering stakeholders. The plan must be for the plan to be successful. • Vulnerable Roadway Us- evaluated and updated on a regu- The SCDOT Office of Traffic ers – Motorcyclists, Pedestri- he Strategic Highway lar basis to determine if Safety within Traffic Engineering ans, Moped and Bicyclists Safety Plan (SHSP) is a the goals are being met. has been in the forefront of SC- • Intersections Tstatewide, data-driven, Enforcement If any goals are fall- DOT’s efforts in developing the • Impaired Driving comprehensive plan that provides ing short, then SHSP. The Traffic Safety staff has • Heavy Trucks a framework for reducing deaths changes in em- taken great pains to make sure the and severe injuries on all pub- Education phasis are ad- collision data was properly and Proven, successful solutions lic roads. The SHSP establishes justed. precisely located. The staff used for each of these areas are listed statewide goals and identifies way Admin- The GPS coordinates, SCDOT map- in the SHSP. critical areas of emphasis. Fed- istration (FHWA) key ping assets and road inventory If these measures are applied, eral, state and local safety stake- require all states to EmergencyResponse to the data in this process. South Carolina’s fatal and serious holders were involved in the de- have an SHSP as the suc- The data gathered related to injury statistics will drop. velopment of the plan. foundation for how cess of the SHSP is the use of real fatalities and serious injuries have A complete copy of the SHSP The centerpiece of the SHSP all roadway safety improvements collision data to determine which revealed this list for the “empha- can be found at: www.sctargetze- involves the “Four Es” of road- are made and for safety policies types of crashes are causing the sis areas” with the highest per- roplan.org. The website offers way safety: Engineering, En- that are adopted. highest rates of death and serious centages listed first: you an opportunity to take the forcement, Education and Emer- SCDOT and the SC Depart- injury. This data is the only way • Roadway Departure pledge to make a positive differ- gency Response. ment of Public Safety (SCDPS) to get actual results and reduce • No Seatbelt Use ence in South Carolina’s fatal and USDOT and the Federal High- were the lead agencies in the col- the high fatality and serious in- • Younger Drivers serious injury rates. SCDOT awarded Federal Highway Administration grant for bridge inspections By Pete Poore

CDOT is one of six state Depart- ments of Transportation to receive SFHWA grants to fund demonstration programs for innovative road and bridge work that will foster better and safer infra- structure. SCDOT’s $787,104 grant will be invest- ed in structural health monitoring (SHM) technology used to complement visual bridge inspections. The grant will allow SCDOT engineers to determine if SHM can effectively be used statewide. Bridge Maintenance had already installed this technology on the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston County and two other bridges. The grant will permit the monitoring of an estimated 50 additional bridges using SHM. The current limited use of SHM has already proven valuable. The technology has saved $700,000 in repairs on one bridge and data resulting from SHM has allowed engineers to stop overweight activity on a few bridges. SHM will assist in making decisions ranging from considering load restrictions, to rehabilitation and replacement. SCDOT will share the results of the demonstration project with other states interested in de- ploying this technology.

Lee Floyd of Bridge Maintenance installs a health monitor on the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston. The monitor will be used in conjunction

with visual inspections. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BRIDGE MAINTENANCE 12 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 Meet the Division of Minority and Small Business Affairs

By Lis Bleasdale Division of Minority and Small Business Affairs

he mission of the South Carolina Department Tof Transportation’s (SCDOT) Division of Minor- ity and Small Business Affairs (MSBA) is to enhance equal opportunities through small business development, contract- ing, monitoring and workforce development. Several programs are implemented in this division to ensure compliance with State and Federal regulations gov- erning Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), External Equal Opportunity (EO), External On- the-Job Training (OJT), and Title VI. The office builds and -main tains relationships to facilitate the development of socially and economically disadvantaged businesses and individuals. SCDOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) programs assist prime contractors in their efforts to identify and use DBEs that are ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR participating in the Agency’s The Division of Minority and Small Business Affairs office is made up of: Front Row, from left: Division Director Greg DBE Program. Certification is Davis, Gary Linn, Alexander Burton, Anthony Cromartie and James Cooper. Middle Row, from left: Syrees Oliver, Steve granted through the Division as Smith, Zaria Brown, LaChandra Walker, Rebecca Blue, Amber Eldridge; Arlene Prince and Colette Swann. Back Row, verification that a business is from left: Tammie Greene, Carolyn Burton, Delicia Wingard, Paula Hollis, Barbara Beagles, Lis Bleasdale, Christina bona-fide in its claim to bea Johnson, Betty Richardson, Luevertia Moore, Mary Spence, Juanita Campbell and Renee Miller-Cotton. Not pictured, disadvantaged/small business new employee Michele Amritt. enterprise. Certified firms are used to meet goals on feder- and economically disadvantaged through the offering of vari- Division also offers special pro- program objective is to assist ally assisted projects and certain businesses, as well as small ous services for firms seeking grams such as the Mentor Pro- firms in becoming more com- state contracts. They also have businesses that have been certi- to participate in SCDOT pre- tégé Program. petitive entities in the transpor- a Business Development Cen- fied through the South Carolina construction and construction In partnership with the Fed- tation industry. ter (BDC) which provides pro- Unified Certification Program related projects, as well as other eral Highway Administration For more information, please grams and services to socially (SCUCP). This is accomplished procurement opportunities. The (FHWA), the Division’s major go to www.scdot.org.

SCDOT collects 49 pints for American Red Cross he American Red Cross sets up blood collection stations in SCDOT headquarters Tevery few months. The two most recent collection events nearly reached their goals of 30 collected units of blood. The May 5 drive collected 28 units with 29 employees registered to donate. On the July 22 drive, 21 units of blood were collected with 25 employees registered to donate. Donating can save lives, and blood is always in demand. For more information on Red Cross Blood Drives Collection Specialist Bernice Smith prepares PHOTOGRAPHS BY CODY CROUCH/THE CONNECTOR visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/ or call the Safety to draw blood from Chris Williams of Traffic Donnie Cason of Safety donates a pint. Cason retired office at 803-737-1161. Engineering during the May 5 blood drive. from SCDOT on Aug. 31 after 42 years of service. SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 13 Johnny Mmanu-ike Ipock is State appointed Director Construction of Public Transit Engineer ohnny Mmanu-ike has been ap- laude Ipock has been selected pointed as the Director for the Office of to fill the position of State Con- Public Transit effective Aug. 2, 2015. Cstruction Engineer for the Direc- J tor of Construction Office. He has been with SCDOT for 25 years, spending his first two years in Traffic Engineering. For 23 Ipock began his career at SCDOT years he has been with the Office of Public Tran- in 2006 and has served in various roles sit, serving as Assistant Director for the past 10 including Project Engineer and Design years. Build Engineer. He completed the Certified Public Manager Ipock earned his Civil Engineering/ Program and Certified Transit Administrator Pro- Environmental Science degree from gram. North Carolina State University and is As Director of Public Transit he directs and a Registered Professional Engineer in manages various Federal Transit Administration South Carolina. and State Mass Transit Funds to develop and pro- He is married to Gayle and they have mote public transportation in South Carolina as three children. They are members of Mt. part of the SCDOT strategic plan. He supervises 13 Horeb United Methodist Church. His employees with an annual budget of $52,000,000. Johnny Mmanu-ike hobbies include golf, fishing and watch- Claude Ipock ing his kids play soccer. Information Technology selects regional Information Resource Consultants By Doug Harper IT Director

n early 2012, SCDOT began a comprehensive look at how Iour Information Technol- ogy (IT) resources are managed throughout the agency. The goal was very simple – to provide the best service and fast- est response times to our users across the state. An important part of this effort is to initiate centralized management of our IT resources, and to install regional teams. Michael Masi, formerly of District 1, was hired to lead this effort. Myron Singleton Tameki Watts Julie Young Donna Cleland SCDOT has announced the se- Region A Region B Region C Region D lection of the four regional leads. HQ and District 1 Districts 2 and 3 Districts 4 and 5 Districts 6 and 7 The region leads will assist Masi IT support in HQ Information and Public Service Degrees. For has done IT Support. She was the throughout the agency. She is a in establishing, developing, and Technology Services (ITS). His the past 8 years, she has been the IT Manager of Springs Mortgage 1992 graduate of Francis Marion maintaining IT standards, proce- goal is to strategically utilize his primary IRC for District 3 where from 2002 to 2009. Since then, University where she received a dures and policies and oversee- skills to advance in management she took the lead in developing she has been the primary IRC for Bachelor of Business Administra- ing installation and support of all within the agency. the Encroachment Permit Pro- SCDOT District 4. tion Degree in Computer Infor- HQ and district desktops, laptops, Singleton’s hobbies include cessing System (EPPS). Young is married to Steve mation Systems Management. tablets and printers. family gatherings, traveling, Watts has two children. She Young, project manager for Guy In 2000, she received a Mas- cooking, talking with friends enjoys spending time with her M Turner, Inc. They are the proud ter of Business Administration Myron Singleton attended and rollerblading. He keeps his family and helping her son man- parents of two grown daughters. Degree from Charleston South- the public school system in Co- velvety voice tuned by singing age his business ventures. She enjoys running and bicycling ern University. She is married to lumbia. After completing high with The Voices of Deliverance, Julie Young received her and did her first Sprint Triathlon Morgan Cleland and they are the school, he attended South Caro- The Male Chorus Inc. and Capi- Bachelor of Science degree in in May. proud parents of two sons, Cole lina State University in Orange- tal City Chorale Performing Arts. Computer Science from the Uni- Donna Cleland began her and David. burg, then continued his studies at And last but not least a spiritual versity of South Carolina. After career with SCDOT in 2002 as Please congratulate them on University of Phoenix, complet- meditation with God. graduating in 1978, She worked the Lead IRC for District 6. She their selection and assist them ing his bachelor degree in 2015. Tameki Watts has multiple as a Systems Analyst for compa- has served on several improve- during this transition. SCDOT He began his career at SCDOT degrees that include Information nies in Chapel Hill and Charlotte ments process committees and should see improved levels of in 1993. For the past 10 years, he Technology (Computer Network- working on financial applica- has assisted in developing and responsiveness with these addi- supervised and managed end user ing), Business Administration, tions. For the last 12 years, she implementing enhancements tional resources at your disposal. 14 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 PROMOTIONS Liyana Abayasinghe, promot- senior geodetic technician at Ma- engineer/associate engineer III at Maintenance on June 2. District 4 Office on Apr. 17. ed to engineer/associate engineer I terials and Research on July 2. Laurens Maintenance on June 17. Thomas Mims, promoted to Terry Scott, promoted to trades at Greenville Construction on Apr. Richard Corley, promoted to Doyle Hill, promoted to trades trades specialist III at Berkeley specialist III at Anderson Mainte- 2. engineer/associate engineer II in specialist IV at Clarendon Mainte- Maintenance on May 2. nance on Mar. 17. Russell Alston, promoted to RPG 4 - Upstate on Apr. 17. nance on Mar. 17. Harriett Moore, promoted to Rodney Shaw, promoted to trades specialist III at Kershaw Alexander Crawford, pro- Andrew Huff, promoted to engineer/associate engineer II at trades specialist III at Greenwood Maintenance on May 17. moted to trades specialist III at right of way agent III at Right of Lexington Maintenance on Mar. Maintenance on June 2. Eric Anderson, promoted to Charleston Maintenance on Mar. Way - Greenville on May 2. 17. Terry Simmons, promoted to trades specialist V at Aiken Main- 17. Todd Jackson, promoted to John Moore, promoted to engineer/associate engineer I at tenance on Mar. 17. David Crisp, promoted to trades specialist V at Cherokee engineer/associate engineer I at Dorchester Construction on Apr. William Andrews, promoted trades specialist IV at Pickens Maintenance on June 2. Greenville Surveys on May 2. 17. to associate geodetic technician at Maintenance on Mar. 2. Stephanie Jackson-Amell, Michael Moser, promoted to Joseph Simpson, promoted to Spartanburg Construction on Mar. Henry Cross, promoted to en- promoted to director of engineer- associate geodetic technician at trades specialist III at Greenwood 2. gineer/associate engineer IV in ing at District 3 Office on Apr. 2. Spartanburg Construction on Mar. Maintenance on Mar. 17. Jonathan Antley, promoted to Preconstruction on May 2. Patricia Jenkins, promoted to 17. Michael Skilinski, promoted communications manager at D6 - Teneshala Cunningham, pro- trades specialist III at Orangeburg James Moultrie, promoted to to mechanic III at Spartanburg Traffic Signals on June 17. moted to administrative assistant Maintenance on Apr. 2. trades specialist III at Jasper Main- Maintenance on Apr. 17. Michael Armfield, promoted at Jasper Maintenance on July 2. Vernette Jenkins, promoted to tenance on May 2. Michael Smithart, promoted to trades specialist III at Marlboro Mary Davis, promoted to ad- trades specialist III at Holly Hill Jennifer Necker, promoted to to associate geodetic technician at Maintenance on July 2. ministrative assistant at Charles- Maintenance on Apr. 2. engineer/associate engineer IV in Lexington Construction on May 2. Philip Bethea, promoted to ton Maintenance on Apr. 17. Debra Jerideau, promoted to RPG 3 - Midlands on May 2. Richard Sosebee, promoted engineer/associate engineer II at Wilton Dean, promoted to program coordinator II at District Christopher Owens, promoted to trades specialist III at Richland Darlington Construction on Apr. 2. trades specialist III at Anderson 6 Office on May 17. to trades specialist III at Charles- Maintenance on Apr. 17. David Bilodeau, promoted to Maintenance on Mar. 17. David Johnson, promoted to ton Maintenance on Mar. 17. Jacquella Stevenson, promot- associate geodetic technician at Darius Devore, promoted to engineer/associate engineer IV at Jake Pagels, promoted to ed to senior geodetic technician at Berkeley Maintenance on Mar. 2. trades specialist III at Jasper Main- District 5 Office on June 17. trades specialist IV at Oconee Materials and Research on June 2. Gail Bogan, promoted to assis- tenance on May 2. Chris Jordan, promoted to Maintenance on June 2. Joseph Sturm, promoted to tant geodetic technician at Bam- William Dickert, promoted to engineer/associate engineer IV in Susan Phillips, promoted to engineer/associate engineer III in berg Construction on July 2. senior geodetic technician at Ma- RPG 4 - Upstate on June 17. engineer/associate engineer IV in RPG 2 - Pee Dee on Apr. 17. Fouad Bouani, promoted to terials and Research on Mar. 2. Michael Kelley, promoted to RPG 4 - Upstate on Apr. 17. Terry Swygert, promoted to engineer/associate engineer II at Paralee Dozier, promoted to right of way agent III at Right of Douglas Phillips, promoted to engineer/associate engineer IV at Colleton Construction on Apr. 2. trades specialist III at Clarendon Way - Greenville on May 2. trades specialist III at Anderson Materials and Research on Apr. James Bowers, promoted to Maintenance on May 17. Randy King, promoted to en- Maintenance on June 17. 17. trades specialist V at D6 - Traffic Bobby Easler, promoted to gineer/associate engineer III in Michael Pitts, promoted to Seth Tanner, promoted to se- Signals on July 2. associate geodetic technician at Preconstruction on Apr. 2. engineer/associate engineer II in nior geodetic technician at Flor- Doreen Brennan, promoted Edgefield Maintenance on May 2. Margaret Kizer, promoted to RPG 1 - Lowcountry on Mar. 17. ence Construction on Apr. 2. to associate geodetic technician at John Egan, promoted to engi- associate geodetic technician at Barry Powell, promoted to Tamika Thomas, promoted to York Maintenance on Apr. 17. neer/associate engineer III in Traf- Richland Construction on Apr. 17. engineer/associate engineer II in administrative assistant at Green- Jessie Brown, promoted to fic Engineering on July 2. Christopher Madden, pro- RPG 4 - Upstate on Mar. 17. ville Maintenance on June 2. trades specialist III at Williams- Richard Ellis, promoted to moted to engineer/associate engi- Bruce Raffield, promoted to Jerry Thompson, promoted to burg Maintenance on Apr. 2. associate geodetic technician at neer III at Greenville Maintenance trades specialist III at Barnwell trades specialist IV at Holly Hill Joseph Burns, promoted to se- Spartanburg Construction on Apr. on May 7. Maintenance on May 2. Maintenance on Apr. 2. nior geodetic technician at Green- 2. William Martin, promoted Joshua Readett, promoted Jason Thompson, promoted to wood Construction on Apr. 2. Travelus Floyd, promoted to to trades specialist III at Colleton to trades specialist III at Pickens engineer/associate engineer IV at Sylvester Campbell, promoted trades specialist III at Aiken Main- Maintenance on May 2. Maintenance on Apr. 2. District 5 Office on May 2. to trades specialist III at Berkeley tenance on Apr. 17. Jerry Matthews, promoted Randy Rhodes, promoted to Joseph Thompson, promoted Maintenance on Apr. 2. Dennis Garber, promoted to to trades specialist III at Florence engineer/associate engineer II at to trades specialist III at Richland Barry Campbell, promoted to engineer/associate engineer IV at Maintenance on Mar. 17. Jasper Construction on May 17. Maintenance on June 2. senior geodetic technician at Ab- District 3 Office on June 17. Laurie Mazzell, promoted to James Rich, promoted to engi- Bryan Thornton, promoted beville Construction on May 2. Edward Goff, promoted to right of way agent III at Right of neer/associate engineer III at Ab- to trades specialist III at Laurens Joseph Cannon, promoted to associate geodetic technician at Way - Central on May 2. beville Construction on Mar. 17. Maintenance on June 17. osha officer II at Greenville Main- Greenwood Construction on Apr. Donald McElveen, promoted John Richardson, promoted Marcie Timmons, promoted to tenance on Apr. 2. 2. to engineer/associate engineer III to associate geodetic technician at engineer/associate engineer III in David Cantrell, promoted to Eddie Haggins, promoted to at Clarendon Construction on May Laurens Construction on May 2. Preconstruction on June 2. trades specialist III at Pickens trades specialist III at Lancaster 17. Joshua Richey, promoted to Foy Trantham, promoted to Maintenance on June 2. Maintenance on Apr. 2. Randy McKenzie, promoted trades specialist III at Greenwood trades specialist IV at Greenville Ronald Cassell, promoted to Eugene Hailey, promoted to to assistant geodetic technician at Maintenance on Mar. 17. Maintenance on June 2. senior geodetic technician at Pick- trades specialist III at Marlboro Florence Maintenance on Apr. 2. Wanda Roberts, promoted to Amitkumar Vaidya, promoted ens Construction on Apr. 17. Maintenance on June 2. Travis McKnight, promoted administrative assistant at District to engineer/associate engineer I at John Cathcart, promoted to Jordan Haley, promoted to to associate geodetic technician at 4 Office on May 2. Laurens Construction on May 2. trades specialist III at Fairfield mechanic II at Oconee Mainte- Florence Construction on June 17. Encarnacion Robinson, pro- Shayne Van Horn, promoted Maintenance on June 17. nance on Apr. 17. Jean Miller, promoted to engi- moted to engineer/associate engi- to trades specialist III at Charles- Jason Cisson, promoted to Jason Hall, promoted to engineer/associate engineer III in RPG neer II at Charleston Construction ton Maintenance on June 17. engineer/associate engineer II at neer/associate engineer III in Pre- 3 - Midlands on May 2. on June 17. Greenville Maintenance on July 2. construction on June 17. Ashley Miller, promoted to Michael Sandifer, promoted See PROMOTIONS Brandon Clark, promoted to Wesley Hedden, promoted to trades specialist III at Greenwood to engineer/associate engineer II at on page 15. SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 15 Samuel Moyd, retired as chanic III at Clarendon Mainte- trades specialist IV at D6 - Bridge nance on Apr. 30. retirements Inspection on Mar. 3. James Horne, retired as Robert Oliver, retired as trades specialist II at Chesterfield Patricia Amick, retired as Kenneth Hardee, retired as trades specialist III at Kershaw Maintenance on Mar. 2. deaths administrative assistant in Con- communications manager at Or- Maintenance on Apr. 16. George Johnston, retired as struction Office on Mar. 16. angeburg Maintenance on June Margaret Pearson, retired as trades specialist III at York Main- Neal Anderson, retired as 19. program coordinator I in IT Ser- tenance on June 18. trades specialist IV at Pickens Julian Harrison, retired as vices on Mar. 2. Jimmie Jones, retired as me- Maintenance on June 29. geodetic technician I at Cherokee Clyde Richardson, retired as chanic II at Aiken Maintenance George Boggs, retired as en- Maintenance on June 1. trades specialist III at Chester- on Apr. 30. gineer/associate engineer II at Rodney Hartley, retired as field Maintenance on June 30. Patricia Kannegieser, retired Materials and Research on May senior geodetic technician at Ma- James Sease, retired as en- as trades specialist III at Beaufort 31. terials and Research on Mar. 31. gineer/associate engineer III in Maintenance on Apr. 27. Marvin Brunson, retired as Michael Holston, retired RPG 3 - Midlands on Apr. 21. David Kirk, retired as geo- director of engineering in Con- as trades specialist V at Aiken Leroy Shuler, retired as detic technician I at Greenville struction Office on Mar. 31. Maintenance on June 30. trades specialist III at Holly Hill Surveys on May 31. Edwin Alison Bethea Jr., Michael Cantrell, retired as Timothy Honea, retired as Maintenance on May 29. Mark Lester, retired as direc- special projects engineer in mechanic III at Berkeley Mainte- trades specialist V at Oconee Dannie Timmons, retired as tor of engineering in Intermodal Road Data Services, died July nance on June 30. Maintenance on Apr. 17. senior geodetic technician at Ma- and Freight on June 26. 5, 2015. Lowman Dash, retired as Ricky Horne, retired as trades terials and Research on May 31. Mitchell Metts, retired as trades specialist IV at Orange- specialist V at Cherokee Mainte- Russell Torres, retired as director of engineering in Con- burg Maintenance on May 29. nance on June 1. trades specialist II at Kershaw struction Office on June 26. Francis Davenport, retired as Norman Jackson, retired as Maintenance on Mar. 31. Vance Morrison, retired as engineer/associate engineer IV in engineer/associate engineer III in John Vereen, retired as trades trades specialist III at Lancaster Preconstruction on June 30. Planning on June 30. specialist II at Georgetown Main- Maintenance on Mar. 16. Trudy Drawhorn, retired Wilma Johnson, retired as tenance on June 30. Roger Raines, retired as as trades specialist II at Dillon communications manager at Betty Wilson, retired as trades trades specialist II at Pickens Maintenance on Mar. 31. SHEP - Myrtle Beach on May 1. specialist II at Holly Hill Mainte- Maintenance on Apr. 30. Colon Dudley, retired as Donald Judy, retired as trades nance on June 30. Thomas Rambo, retired as trades specialist III at D5 - Traffic specialist II at Calhoun Mainte- Jimmy Beverly, retired as trades specialist II at Greenwood Signals on May 28. nance on May 29. trades specialist III at Horry 1 Maintenance on Mar. 31. Ronald Duncan, retired as Stephen Jumper, retired as Maintenance on Apr. 9. Ronnie Reynolds, retired as Efird Calhoun “Cal” Bo- trades specialist IV at Pickens senior geodetic technician at Ma- David Capps, retired as geo- senior geodetic technician at Jas- land, trades specialist IV in Maintenance on June 30. terials and Research on June 5. detic technician I at Richland per Maintenance on Mar. 2. Building Maintenance, died Charles Eleazer, retired as Herman Kelly, retired as Maintenance on June 30. William Ridley, retired as May 8. engineer/associate engineer IV in trades specialist III at McCor- Charles Cooper, retired as trades specialist II at Oconee Charles C. Catoe, SCDOT Construction Office on June 26. mick Maintenance on June 10. mechanic III at Equipment Depot Maintenance on June 15. retiree, of Elgin, died May 30. James Fludd, retired as trades Jerry Lomax, retired as on May 1. Bobby Small, retired as trades John Gaither, trades spe- specialist III at Charleston Main- trades specialist III at Anderson Ray Crisp, retired as trades specialist V at Florence Mainte- cialist III at Lancaster Mainte- tenance on May 31. Maintenance on June 30. specialist III at Laurens Mainte- nance on July 1. nance, died May 2. John Galloway, retired as James Love, retired as me- nance on Mar. 13. Marvin Smith, retired as me- trades specialist IV at D6 - Traf- chanic III at York Maintenance Larry Davis, retired as geo- chanic III at Jasper Maintenance fic Signals on June 29. on June 30. detic technician at Sumter Con- on June 30. Sue Gamble, retired as hu- Michael Lowe, retired as struction on July 1. Julie Smoak, retired as ad- man resources specialist at Ma- trades specialist IV at Aiken Elmer Gardner, retired as ministrative assistant at Lexing- terials and Research on Mar. 31. Maintenance on Mar. 31. incident responder II at SHEP - ton Construction on Apr. 16. Douglas Gause, retired as Sammie Madden, retired as Rock Hill on Mar. 1. Elijah Thompson, retired as trades specialist II at Horry 1 administrative coordinator I at Richard Gilliard, retired as trades specialist II at Holly Hill Maintenance on Apr. 22. District 2 Office on Mar. 20. trades specialist II at Berkeley Maintenance on Apr. 1. Steven Gwinn, retired as di- Joseph Maxwell, retired as Maintenance on Apr. 23. Charles Vliet, retired as en- rector of engineering at District 3 trades specialist V at D6 - Traffic Margaret Harrington, re- gineer/associate engineer II at Office on Apr. 1. Signals on May 1. tired as supply specialist III at Charleston Construction on May 1. Michael Hall, retired as geo- Mary McQueen, retired as Williamsburg Maintenance on Marion Welch, retired as Glenn Edward Hammond, detic technician I at Greenville right of way agent II at Right of Apr. 1. trades specialist III at Clarendon retired associate geodetic tech- Construction on Apr. 30. Way - Central on Apr. 1. Harold Hodge, retired as me- Maintenance on June 8. nician, died April 17. Herbert Hood, trades spe- I at Charleston Construction on on June 2. associate geodetic technician at cialist II at Sumter Mainte- PROMOTIONS May 17. Todd Williams, promoted to Charleston Construction on Apr. nance, died Apr. 23. continued from page 14. Kara Weber, promoted to se- trades specialist III at Colleton 2. Tommy McClure, trades nior geodetic technician at Rich- Maintenance on Apr. 2. Sinclair Wright, promoted to specialist II at York Mainte- Eric Vickery, promoted to nance, died Apr. 21. engineer/associate engineer III at land Maintenance on June 17. Jimmy Williamson, promot- associate geodetic technician at Jayhue Weisner, promoted ed to trades specialist III at Lex- Charleston Construction on May Wesley Morrison, trades District 2 Office on June 17. specialist II at Anderson Main- Carl Warren, promoted to to trades specialist III at Laurens ington Maintenance on Mar. 17. 17. Maintenance on May 17. Nicholas Wilson, promoted Jeremy Yuhas, promoted to tenance, died Apr. 1. trades specialist III at Spartan- Robert R. Salisbury, retired burg Maintenance on Apr. 2. Randy Westmoreland, pro- to mechanic III at Spartanburg engineer/associate engineer II at moted to associate geodetic tech- Maintenance on July 2. Lexington Construction on May SCDOT bridge engineer, died Jemmie Watson, promoted June 21. to engineer/associate engineer nician at Anderson Construction Zachary Wood, promoted to 17. 16 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 17

Equipment Operators’ Safety Training Conference: Employees mix training with friendly competition By Bob Kudelka asset in the SCDOT is you – our family – we really appreciate everything you do,” Oakley eventy-three employees took part in said. “It’s our job to give you everything we this year’s Equipment Operators’ Safe- can to make your job safer…Thank you very, Sty Training Conference in Columbia. very much for your commitment to safety It was the 13th year of the conference, and and to each other.” Committee Chairman Sam Riddle said the Looking ahead to the regional conference, program continues to grow and gain interest Oakley said, “We need to beat Tennessee… and support each year. so bring your A-game with you.” “Our goal is to provide training for the Chairman Rozier praised the work of all equipment operators, safe operation of the maintenance employees at SCDOT. equipment and vehicles as well as improve- “We’re constantly amazed at how much ment of their skills,” said Riddle, the agen- you guys get done on our roads with so little cy’s Assistant Director of Supply and Equip- money,” Rozier said. “New Jersey spends $2 ment. million per mile per year on their roads; most Employees take the conference seriously. states spend $500,000. And South Carolina Just ask Scott Burgess, of Lexington gives you $39,000 per mile. Maintenance, who won the motorgrader “I don’t know how you provide the roads event for the third consecutive year. that you provide with so little money,” Ro-

ABOVE: District 3 Committee member Jason Allison gives his PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR team a few words of encouragement Assistant Director of Supply and Equipment Sam Riddle welcomes the before the competition. It must have A competitor maneuvers his employees to the competition portion of the training. Riddle gave the worked. District 3’s team scored the single-axle dump truck through a employees the rules of the competition and reminded them of the importance highest overall. narrow set of tennis balls. Equipment of doing their jobs safely. operators demonstrate their “The first time I was nervous, but the Riddle said. “We also see a lot of work-relat- knowledge of the vehicle’s position second time I just calmed down and did it,” ed information being shared among the oper- without being able to physically see said Burgess, a ditching foreman and 27-year ators, which builds on a system of network- the obstacles. veteran employee. “I really enjoy it; I enjoy ing between counties and districts across the zier said. “There’s no way you can provide my job.” state. This allows them to take information better roads than you do.” The May 21 conference was the culmi- back to their respective counties and possi- Colvin thanked Riddle for his work in nation of county and District competitions. bly make improvements in work quality and chairing the committee and once again mak- Winners advance to the state competition, production.” ing sure the conference was a success. and those winners will advance to a South- “Overall, it does increase morale and Riddle thanks Oakley and the Commis- east regional competition held in South Car- comradery among employees,” Riddle said. sioners for supporting the training. He also olina this fall. Speakers at the awards presentation in- thanked Colvin, Andy Leaphart, Tina The events included using backhoes; trac- cluded then Secretary of Transportation Kennedy, the District Engineering Admin- tors with mowers; motorgraders; single-axle Janet Oakley, Commission Chairman Jim A backhoe operator demonstrates dump trucks; tandem axle dump trucks; and Rozier, Commissioners John N. Hardee and LEFT and ABOVE: This year, judges used iPads to score the competitors backhoe skills by picking up golf tractor trucks with lowboy trailers. Mike Wooten and Chief Engineer of Opera- See EQUIPMENT balls and placing them into small “There is a significant amount of team tions Leland Colvin. which improved accuracy and Judges measure and record how close an operator pulled up to a stop. on page 20. containers. spirit within each District’s representatives,” “Our most precious and most important quickened scoring. 18 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 The Contestants Equipment Operators’ Safety and Training Conference

Wayne Anderson Dock Bowick Richard Bowman Freddy Brown Melvin Brown Aiken McCormick Clarendon Florence York

Jeremy Bryson Donald Bunch Scott Burgess William Burgess Wayne Scott Richard Carter Mike Cathcart Marion Berkeley Lexington Florence Canup Horry Fairfield Spartanburg

James Catoe Charles Cleveland Earl Coaxum Jacob Cockrell Wilshawn Robbie Craigo Alan Crumpton Jerome Kershaw Anderson Beaufort Newberry Commander Greenville Newberry Cunningham Darlington Richland

John Davis Gary Downes Richard Downs Jerald Drafts Terry Epps Jr. Robert Randy Gallaway Saluda Orangeburg Sumter Lexington Union Galbreath Pickens Pickens

Ervin Green Robert Green Kenneth Harris Gerome Haynes Timothy Hill Brian Hodges John Holley Moses John Charleston Sumter Aiken Dorchester Aiken York Abbeville Clarendon SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 19

Tommy Johnson Nathan Lance Veron Lingerfeldt Charles Long Beverly Lowery Bernard Lucas Bobby Maple Timothy McAlister Spartanburg York York Saluda Lee Florence Sumter Oconee

Celina McFadden Chad McMillian Bobby Meekins Norm Meyer Robert Perkins John Quick William Rabon Calhoun Colleton Dillon Charleston Marlboro Marlboro Horry

Chuck Reynolds James Franklyn Marcus Troy Seigler Terry Seymore Rodney Shaw Jeremy Spartanburg Richardson Robertson Robertson McCormick Anderson Greenwood Shrewsberry Newberry Hampton Saluda York

Calvin Smith Chad Smith Perry Smith Walter Smith Jason Stafford Richard Stroble Gene Taylor Aiken Spartanburg Colleton Colleton Chesterfield Charleston Kershaw

Brandon Corey Watkins Cliff Weaver Danny West Byron Williams Jamie Williams John Williams Steve Zaretzka Varnadore Lexington Spartanburg Spartanburg Richland Orangeburg Bamberg Darlington York 20 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015

EQUIPMENT from page 17 tors, Committee members and District personnel from across the state who assisted with judging, scoring and facilitating events within their counties and districts; the Supply and Equipment Office Staff, Equipment Depot Staff, Supply Depot Staff and Radio Services Staff. In addition to Riddle, the Equipment Operators’ Safety Training Confer- ence Committee included Robert Dickinson, District 1; Steve Coleman, District 2, Jason Allison, District 3, Todd Cook, District 4; Treasure Scarborough, District 5; Michael Black, District 6, Efrem Dantzler, District 7; Tina Kennedy, PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR Support Services; and Aar- The pep talk before the competition must have worked. District 3 on Williams, Occupational Winner, winner chicken dinner! Scott Burgess of Committee member Jason Allison kisses the State Champion trophy Safety and Health. Lexington Maintenance won both First Place in after District 3 was announced the overall winner of the competition. Motorgrader and Third Place in Tandem Axle.

Competitors who will participate in the Southeastern Regional competition in September are: Front row: Troy Seigler, Jeremy Shrewsberry, Melvin Brown, Jacob Cockrell, Tommy Johnson and Scott Burgess. Back row: Richard Downs, Dock Bowick, Robert Galbreath, Richard Stroble, Charles Long and James Catoe. SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 21 Employee’s daughter gets a special wish CDOT Richland Maintenance employee necessities lined up for the family’s trip which Timothy Gibson got to spend some started on Aug 22. Sprecious time with his daughter Rachael This wish will give precious time back to and his wife, Allison, on a Caribbean cruise in Rachael and her family. It will be a period of August. family bonding without the worry of doctors, The trip was granted by Make-A-Wish® appointments or wondering what the next day South Carolina. The organization, with the brings. help of dedicated donors and volunteers, grants That is why these wishes are granted. To create the wishes of South Carolina children with hope, strength and joy that will last a lifetime. life-threatening medical conditions. Make-A-Wish® South Carolina grants the When Rachael was referred to Make-A-Wish, wishes of children with life-threatening medical Midlands volunteers met with Rachael to conditions to enrich the human experience with determine what Rachael’s one true wish was. hope, strength and joy. Make-A-Wish South Sixteen-year-old Rachael said, “I wish to go on a Carolina has never turned a qualified child away Caribbean Cruise.” and granted 156 wishes last year, averaging three So the Make-A-Wish staff and volunteer wishes a week. The chapter receives funding Midlands Regional Team Leader Gary Linn (also through private donations, individuals, companies an SCDOT employee) got to work to make her and special events. PHOTO PROVIDED dream come true. If you would like to help make wishes come true Timothy Gibson, left, and his wife, Allison Gibson, pose with They coordinated with the family to get for kids like Rachael, please visit http://sc.wish.org their daughter, Rachael. Rachael was recently granted a wish passports, a wheelchair accessible van and other to find out more about volunteering or to donate. from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

David Lorick serves 50 years at SCDOT

ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR Some of David Lorick’s coworkers joined him at the SCDOT Commission meeting on Aug. 20, 2015, where he was recognized for his 50 years of service. Shown above, from left: Laura Alexander, Christene Wright, By Pete Poore taking a job in the Property Management Kathryn Copeland, David Lorick, Chris Johnston and Jean Barnes. section of Rights of Way in 1995 as a During the meeting, the commission read a resolution and Acting part-time employee, where he used his Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall presented him a letter from the f you are an SCDOT employee born engineering skills in a different venue. He governor. after 1964, it might interest you to became a full-time employee in Property Iknow that one of your colleagues Management in 2008. Currently he is a with many SCDOT employees who are Lorick prides himself on being the has been on the job before you were Right of Way Agent II and considered always grateful for his help. family auto mechanic, handyman and born. This past spring, C. David Lorick to be a dynamic and integral part of the Outside of his work at SCDOT, Lorick gardener. He loves music, especially reached the 50-year mark in his service to team. has a passion for cars, particularly a 1957 Christmas music and his church, Shandon SCDOT and the state of South Carolina. The West Columbia resident has red and white Ford. Once upon a time, Baptist. He’s married to Sandra Lorick. He came to work for the agency in seen many changes at SCDOT over the he’d run home at lunch just to wash his The couple has a son, Scott Lorick, and a 1964 in the Road Design Section. He years, not the least of which has been pride and joy. The car is long gone, but daughter, Windi Sheltra. served well in Road Design until he transitioning from drafting in pencil and not the 45 rpm record player he rigged The SCDOT family congratulates retired after 30 years in 1994. ink to electronic design on the AutoCAD. under the dashboard long before anyone Lorick on his 50th anniversary working Retirement did not sit too well with A team player, he’s always been willing to thought of eight-tracks, cassettes, CD for SCDOT and we look forward to many Lorick. He returned to SCDOT by share his vast knowledge and experience players or XM Radio. more years. 22 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015

Keith Melvin wins national award By Pete Poore effectiveness of SCDOT’s Outdoor Advertising Control program, his long-term commitment to the program CDOT’s Director of Outdoor and the creative manner in which he Advertising, Keith C. Melvin meets challenges. Swas presented with the Melvin is a 16-year veteran of Chairman’s Award by the National SCDOT. He administers the Highway Alliance of Highway Beautification Advertising Control Act which Agencies (NAHBA). The presentation regulates the erection and maintenance was made at the 2015 AASHTO of outdoor advertising signs, Subcommittee on Right of Way, vegetation management and junkyards Utilities and Outdoor Advertising on federal aid primary routes and Control Conference held in National Highway System routes. Minneapolis in late April. He is a graduate of SCDOT’s Melvin was honored for STTAR Program, the SC Executive demonstrating strong leadership, Institute and he earned the credentials communications and consensus as a Certified Public Manager (CPM). building skills. In addition, he was Melvin has held a number of positions recognized for his commitment of on the NAHBA Board, including Vice ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR staff and resources for improving the Chairman and Chairman. SCDOT’S Newest Certified Public Managers SCDOT congratulates four graduates from the Certified Public Managers program on May 14. From left, Bryan Jones, Patty Langland, Julie Barker and Michele Paoleschi pose after the program held at the S.C. Archives and History auditorium. The mission of the CPM Program is to provide quality training for public administrators, to assist agencies in developing future leaders, and to recognize management as a profession in the public sector.

Crews clean roadways during Litter Pick-Up Week n support of Gov. Haley’s designation hot spots.” SCDOT has long-standing of April as Litter Prevention Month, partnerships with PalmettoPride and other ISCDOT Maintenance units and other organizations to help keep South Carolina employees in all 46 counties picked up litter beautiful. During that week, 1,200 SCDOT during the week of April 20. employees participated in the cleanup. SCDOT employees focused their The amount of litter collected by those attention on high visibility routes and “litter employees totaled 183,395 pounds.

Bamberg Maintenance employees were joined by then S.C. Secretary of Transportation Janet P. Oakley and other members of the SCDOT senior staff for a litter pickup along U.S. 301 in Bamberg on April 23. PHOTOGRAPHS BY CODY CROUCH/THE CONNECTOR SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 23

Engineering News Got news? Contact 3D Engineered Model for Construction Dede Elmore at 803-737-7900 What is 3D engineered model? Can it help SCDOT’s project deliveries? or email her at ElmoreDD@scdot. By Peter Yeh org. Director of Maintenance Office

or many years, design engineers have developed projects from con- Dede Elmore Fcept to final design in a three-dimensional (3D) CADD environment with While plement them – all can drastically change the goals of producing two-dimensional the 3D engi- and improve the way design is done,“ said (2D) paper record sets. neered mod- Elgin. The contractors would construct the eling was “3D AMG is the future of construc- projects in a real world 3D environment exciting, SC- tion,” according to SCDOT District based on the paper plan. Often, they have DOT faced Bridge Engineer Jason Thompson. “The had to interpret what designers wanted, many chal- learning curve is steep, but with patience trace lines on the plan, re-enter data, and lenges during and experience, it does indeed increase do other work to turn the design into real- the pilot proj- efficiency, speed, precision and yield a ity. This traditional 2D paper-based pro- ect execution. better product while lowering operation cess can introduce discrepancies and add SCDOT District 5 construction crew took the 3D modeling The most costs.” time and cost to the project. for automated stakeout and inspection training at Florence critical was On Feb. 18-19, 2015, SCDOT and In recent years, the way contractors U.S. 378 construction site. the field sur- FHWA co-hosted a 3D Engineered Mod- fuel consumption. build projects has changed substantially vey equipment upgrade. In 2014, over els for Construction workshop in Colum- Realizing the importance of the tech- thanks to an innovative technology called $770,000, including FHWA STIC grant bia. Acting Secretary of Transportation nologies, SCDOT and FHWA South Car- 3D engineered model. As part of MAP21, assistance of $100,000, were used to pro- Christy Hall and FHWA Assistant Divi- olina Division formed a 3D engineered the transportation law signed by President cure advanced survey instruments. “A to- sion Administrator Bob Thomas made the modeling initiative team in 2013. The Obama, and FHWA Every Day Counts tal of 44 robotic total stations (RTS) and opening remarks and stated leadership’s 3D AMG specifications for construction (EDC) initiatives, 3D engineered model 41 GPS rover units were set up and dis- support of adopting the new technology. were first developed to accommodate for construction has become a major point tributed to construction and preconstruc- Seventy-two engineers from FHWA, SC- the evolving technologies, followed by of emphasis to virtually connect design tion survey offices,” said Dr. Wei John- DOT construction and preconstruction the development of operation procedures and construction teams. son, Engineer in the SCDOT Director of offices, consultants, contractors and other to prepare Electronic Engineering Data 3D engineered model is a mature tech- Construction office. state highway agencies attended the two- (EED) files for construction pre-bid. nology that serves as the building block “The SCDOT has utilized FHWA STIC day workshop and peer exchange ses- “The EED files are the key ingredient for the modern-day digital jobsite, ac- funds to purchase 3D modeling survey sions. to the successful 3D engineered models. cording to FHWA. equipment for construction verification, “FHWA invited subject experts to pro- They can save time and reduce the pos- The main reason for the use of 3D which has allowed them to expand their vide overviews on various topics of 3D sibility of human error due to direct data engineered model is the emergence of resources to move this innovative tech- engineered models,” said Johnson who import,” said Peter Yeh, SCDOT Design automated machine guidance (AMG) nology forward in the state,” according to was also the workshop coordinator. “We Automation Engineer, and Co-chair of the technology in construction. The AMG Alice Travis, SC Division Operations En- have received positive feedback from the 3D modeling initiative team. “We adopted technology involves an on-board com- gineer, Co-chair of 3D modeling initiative participants and will certainly tap into the a universal file format to ensure compat- puter linked to GPS satellites and sen- team. resources provided by FHWA and fellow ibility among CADD design software, sors that continually monitor directions But that was just the beginning. Over DOT’s.” survey and construction equipment. Our and ground position. With the 3D model the next several months, SCDOT coordi- Workshop moderator David Unkefer, goal is to prepare EED files to automate data, the AMG-enabled construction ma- nated extensive training and workshops who is the Construction and Project Man- both AMG construction and SCDOT field chines such as dozer, excavator, grader, or to assist the technology implementation. agement Engineer from FHWA Resource verification.” paver can run day and night via on-screen Several “Just-In-Time” training classes Center Atlanta office, said: “It was inter- The technologies have since been ap- guidance and achieve accurate measure- were introduced to SCDOT field con- esting to hear from the Sitetech Inc. rep- plied to let four SCDOT projects for ment within a quarter of an inch. AMG struction offices with hands-on practices resentative about SCDOT’s Conway By- AMG construction. The first pilot project, technologies can reduce the needs to stop in automated stakeout and inspection. pass in 1998 being the world’s first AMG U.S. 378 from Lake City to Kingsburg, construction equipment for grade checks Just like the AMG operators, SCDOT project. I hope that provides some encour- went out for bid in November 2013. and cut infield surveying cost (staking) by field surveyors could access 3D models of agement to SCDOT to move ahead with “It is an ideal project for AMG con- 50-70 percent. Safety can also be greatly finished grade elevations anywhere on the this powerful shift to the 3D engineered struction,” said Wilson Elgin, Upstate improved as fewer workers will be onsite, construction site, allowing their advanced models for construction technology.” Regional Production Engineer who was and predefined “avoidance zones” can be survey instruments to receive instant “The most important lesson we then the Design Manager for the project. set to alert the operators. feedback on cut/fill information. learned: 3D engineered model is not a “The project involves widening the exist- Projects using the combined technolo- “The potential moving forward on the product,” said Yeh. “It is a combination ing two lanes to a five-lane section for ap- gies of 3D engineered model and AMG design front is tremendous - greater abil- of technologies, processes and people that proximately eight miles with an estimate have achieved a 30-50 percent reduction ity to evaluate alternatives, to visualize could lead to a much faster, safer, cost ef- of more than a million cubic yard earth- in time delays, material rework, and labor them, to make changes and quickly im- fective and predictable project delivery.” costs as well as a 40 percent reduction in work volumes.” 24 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015

District 1 News Got news? Contact Glen Bramlitt at: Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Richland and Sumter counties 803-737-6420 or email him at [email protected] District Engineer: Thad Brunson (803) 737-6660 FAX (803) 737-6401 Glen Bramlitt District 1 prepares for the Equipment Operators’ Safety Training Conference istrict 1 maintenance balls with a backhoe and placing offices (Kershaw, Lee, them in concrete test cylinders. DLexington, Richland, Each county chooses their most and Sumter) have put their experienced operators in hopes game faces on, buckled up those of advancing through to both the seat belts, and put their skill to state and regional competitions. work. No, it’s not the Daytona In 2014, James Catoe of 500 – it’s the 2015 Equipment Kershaw Maintenance, and Operators’ Safety Training Con- Scott Burgess of Lexington ference. Maintenance both represented Each year, maintenance of- District 1 in the motor grader fices from all over the country competition. Catoe finished a compete in various equipment solid second place in the region- events. The events range from al competition. Both men hope safely navigating a tractor to get another chance to bring through a tight turning course, home a first place finish, as do parallel parking a tractor truck other operators of District 1. with a lowboy, maneuvering a District 1 competition was GLEN BRAMLITT/DISTRICT 1 motor grader through a course held on April 22 at the State Scott Burgess of Lexington Maintenance navigates the Motor Grader course during practice for time, and picking up golf Equipment Depot. for the 2015 Equipment Operator’s Safety Training Conference.

Meet Shane Byrd

ichland Maintenance has a new Shinn Cutter Operator and he brings 30 years of experience Rin drilling and blasting mining, doubles as a mechanic in the Richland Maintenance Shop, helps with the Winter Maintenance Crew, and knows a secret for catching the best Spanish mackerel. His name is Shane Byrd. Byrd, a native of North Carolina, moved to West Columbia, South Carolina in 2001. After spending thirty years in the drilling and blasting field, he finds himself setting new long-term goals with Richland Maintenance. Serving as the Shinn Cutter Operator since December 2014, Byrd quickly transitioned to mechanic mode when the Shinn Cutter became inoperable and has become a valuable asset to the shop. He has a wife, four sons, and one daughter to keep him busy when he’s away from work – which includes riding his motorcycle and fishing at the beach. While very much a family-man, “kid free, riding free,” would be his perfect day. The next time you’re visiting Richland Mainte- nance, or you happen to be fishing from his favorite spot at Garden City Pier in Myrtle Beach welcome him Shane Byrd takes time away as the Shinn Cutter Operator with a hearty handshake – and maybe he’ll share that for Richland Maintenance to help with equipment preventive secret for catching Spanish mackerel. maintenance. SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 25

District 2 News Got news? Contact Steve Abbeville, Anderson, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, Coleman at McCormick, Newberry and Saluda counties 864-889-8029 or email her at Interim District Engineer: Kevin McLaughlin (864) 227-6971 ColemanWS@scdot. FAX (864) 227-6567 org.

Mower operator puts best foot forward Steve Coleman lan Crumpton has served run over by a riding lawnmower— Operators’ Safety Training with SCDOT Newberry resulting in him losing his right foot Conference. AMaintenance since May of and three toes on his left. Crumpton has been a 1987. He has performed well on Crumpton has dealt with this true example of overcoming every crew in each duty assigned to handicap so well, that for years we obstacles in life and keeping a him over the years. did not know of it until one morning positive outlook; his crewmates From asphalt shoveling and our ARME noticed him carrying his call him “Chipper.” patching, to mowing, to litter pickup, foot to his car. All he said was, “the As with all our employees, we he has been a reliable employee with bolt broke!” and his leave slip was are blessed and thankful to have a positive attitude since his arrival immediately approved. He was back Crumpton here in Newberry. In his with the Department. at work in an hour. spare time, he is a strong supporter Originally from Newberry, In one of life’s ironies, he has of local dirt track racing and loves Crumpton has been a resident of been performing his duties very well vacationing in the mountains. Whitmire for many years. on the Newberry mowing crew and Crumpton lives in Whitmire with A turning point in his life most recently has been the District his wife, Teresa; son, Cody; and happened when he was around 2 runner up two years in a row in daughter, Jessica. seven years old and was accidentally tractor-mower of the Equipment

Newberry mower operator Alan Crumpton has consistently been one of the best mower operators in District 2. He has never let a handicap prevent him from doing his job, and doing it well. 26 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015

Got news? District 3 News Please contact Brian Harris at 864-241-1010 Greenville, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg counties or by emailing him at [email protected] District Engineer: Stephanie Jackson-Amell (864) 241-1010 FAX (864) 241-1115 Brian Harris Staff, building changes in District 3 s summer draws to a close and many of us prepare for the start of yet another school year Ato begin, we here in District 3 have seen many changes occur this summer for our District 3 headquarters. SCDOT District 3 also welcomed a new DEA, Stephanie Jackson-Amell. Please join me in wishing her much success in her new position. The building has also received a much needed facelift. Stop by and see the District 3 headquarters building updates. The lobby has fresh paint as well as new flooring, and the old elevator has been updated. These updates have been a much an- ticipated effort and will go a long way in providing employees a harmonic and cohesive working environment. It will provide visitors to the SCDOT headquarters with a positive and wel- coming impression.

Meet Brooke L. Lewis Name: Brooke Lewis Title: Administrative Assistant Office: Greenville Signal Shop

istrict 3 introduces est and is big fan of the online Brooke L. Lewis to the game Candy Crush. She is often DSCDOT family. Lewis quoted as saying, “If you stand has been with the SCDOT for straight, do not fear a crooked three months as an administra- shadow.” tive assistant at the signal shop in Please welcome Lewis to Greenville. SCDOT and wish her much suc- Lewis enjoys reading, Pinter- cess in her position. Stephanie Jackson-Amell District 3 Engineering Administrator SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 27

District 4 News Got news? Contact Edward Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield, Lancaster, Moore with your Union and York counties ideas at 803-377- 4155 or by emailing District Engineer: John McCarter (803) 377-4155 him at MooreEO@ FAX (803) 581-2088 scdot.org

Chester employee helps officers get bulletproof vests Edward Moore ollowing the gang-related shooting death of a Ches- ter City Councilman in November, Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood pled with Chester County CouncilF for more funding to combat the gang problem in Hooked on fun Chester County. The County Council stated that funds were not available at this time to help with the problem. District 4 employees enjoy During the exchange, residents learned that the Sheriff’s deputies were wearing bullet-proof vests that had exceed- annual fishing tournament ed their life expectancy. mployees from Chester and York Maintenance SCDOT District Four OSHA Officer Kim Desrosiers, came together on May 11 to participate in the an- after watching the news clips from the council meeting, Enual District 4 fishing tournament. put her thoughts on Facebook that morning before going The tournament was held at the Chester State Park to work. She stated that the officers needed to feel safe with prizes awarded in bass and bream categories. to be able to protect the citizens. Kim suggested that if each person in Chester County, which is roughly 33,000 residents, would donate just $1, the citizens could help the PHOTO BY SUSAN THOMAS deputies. Kim Desrosiers, left, poses with Chester County By the time she arrived home, her post had been shared Sheriff Alex Underwood with a new vest for many times and the responses poured in that many were officers. willing to donate. After talking it over with her hus- Sheriff’s Foundation of Chester County, donations and band, she once again posted on Facebook that what had pledges poured in, and in less than a week enough money just been thoughts would now be a reality and that she was raised to provide 18 new vests to the Sheriff’s Office. was going to contact the Sheriff’s office about starting The vests are custom fit for more protection from high the fundraiser. She also stated that she and her husband powered weapons and the costs is approximately $800 per Bob would purchase the 1st vest, soon her friend Susan vest. Once ordered and custom made, a press conference Thomas stated that she and her husband, Scott, would also was held to present the vests to the Sheriff and his Depu- purchase a vest. Susan began contacting dozens of people ties. Sheriff Underwood was overwhelmed with the com- who pledged support. Media outlets from the Rock Hill munity’s support of his officers; fighting back tears as he and the Charlotte area picked up the story and the cam- thanked all the citizens who helped to protect those who paign for a vest drive was underway. Working with the protect them. CHAMPS! D4 Signal Tech Colby Hall, left, and his fishing Meet Leonard Scott partner show off the winning catch of bass. SERVICE AWARD Name: Leonard Scott DEA John McCarter pre- RETIREES Age: 29 sented Administrative Coor- Title: D4 Information dinator Juanita Abercrom- Resource bie with her certificate for 20 Coordinator years of service. Started at SCDOT: July 2014 eonard Scott grew up in the Columbia area and Lgraduated from Lower Richland High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Limestone College Ricky D Horne Julian C. Harrison in Gaffney. He is married and has Cherokee Maintenance Cherokee Maintenance 3 sons and 1 daughter. He served 33 years of service. 37 years of service. 3 years in the US Air Force. Juanita Abercrombie 28 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015

District 5 News Got news? Contact Michael Miller at 843-661-4710 or by emailing Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, him at [email protected] Marlboro and Williamsburg counties

District Engineer: Dennis Townsend (843) 661-4710 Michael FAX (843) 661-4704 Miller Equipment Operators’ Training Thanks to the all the An opportunity to perfect their skills equipment operators

The 2015 Equipment Operators’ Safety Training Conference was a tight competition for the hard work this year. All the contestants did great, but the winners were just a bit better than the other competitors this time around. Congratulations to the first and second place they do every day. finishers!

Backhoe: Motor Grader: Single Axle Dump Truck: 1st Place: Richard Carter, Horry Maintenance 1st Place: Steve Zaretzka, Darlington 1st Place: William “Dexter” Rabon, Horry (Right) Maintenance (Right) Maintenance (Right) 2nd Place: Wilshawn Commander, Darlington 2nd Place: Robert Perkins, Marlboro 2nd Place: John Quick, Marlboro Maintenance Maintenance (Left) Maintenance (Left) (Left)

Tractor and Mower: Tandem Axle Dump Truck: Lowboy and Tractor Operation: 1st Place: William Burgess, Florence Mainte- 1st Place: William “Dexter” Rabon, Horry Main- 1st Place: Bernard Lucas, Florence Mainte- nance (Right) tenance (Right) nance (Right) 2nd Place: Jeremy Bryson, Marion Mainte- 2nd Place: Bobby Meekins, Dillon Maintenance 2nd Place: Freddy Brown, Florence Mainte- nance (Left) (Left) nance (Left) SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 29 District 6 News Got Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester and Jasper counties news? Contact Debra District Engineer: Robert Clark (843) 740-1665 Jerideau : FAX (843) 740-1663 843-834-9034 or by emailing her at JerideauDJ@scdot. org District 6 clears the way Debra Jerideau very local SCDOT Maintenance Plan. The machine is a modern day me- Office is required to maintain an chanical lumberjack. EIntegrated Roadside Vegetation The Loftness cutter head allows the Management (IRVM) Plan. machine to cut various heights and diame- There are various activities that are ters of trees depending on the skill level of performed by SCDOT or subcontractors the operator. These machines are a great to support the goals of this plan. They all-around excavator, easy to maneuver, include: Mowing, Brush Management, yet powerful enough to handle tough jobs. Hand Trimming, ODA Window Mow- They have many modern conveniences ing, Routine Mowing, Safety Mowing, such as: coat hook, beverage and literature Herbicide Application, Grassing, Limb holder, storage shelf suitable for lunch Management, Tree Removal and Debris or toolbox, adjustable armrest and color Removal. LCD display showing warning fluid/filter The purpose of this plan is to provide change and working hour information. a safe roadway and it also allows the De- They have been modified to provide partment to reclaim its right-of-way that safety for the operator with cages and Luther Erwin III may have been loss due to vegetation more maneuverable controls. These overgrowth. machines are located in Charleston and Mechanical mowing uses various types Colleton counties. They have dedicated of equipment to maintain clear zones free operators Legree F. Alston and Luther of obstructions and to allow vehicles, “Bubba” Erwin, III. which may leave the travel way, to re- Alston has been with Charleston cover. Mowing is necessary to maintain Maintenance for 25 years as a Trades adequate site distances, roadside ditches, Specialist III. Erwin has been with Col- and the integrity of associated structures, leton Maintenance for 2 years as a Trades such as fences. Mowing helps keeps an Specialist III. These employees have had aesthetically pleasing appearance of the extensive training inside and outside SC- roadside for the traveling public. DOT on heavy equipment. Their knowl- District 6 has added two Caterpillar edge of proper use of these machines is 320E Excavators to the list of equipment apparent when you see the various job that will aid in accomplishing the IRVM sites. Legree F. Alston

Meet Craig Brown raig R. Brown, a graduate of University of North Carolina at CCharlotte, began his career with SCDOT in 1985 at the research and materials lab in Columbia. He is currently the Resident Maintenance Engineer in Berkeley County. Prior to becoming RME he worked as an Assistant Maintenance Engineer and Construction Project Engineer. Brown’s hobbies are weight lifting and restoring old cars. He is the proud owner of a 1967 RS Ca- maro convertible, and drove it in the 2014 and 2015 Hotrod Power Tour, Long Haulers Group. Brown restores old cars including his 1967 RS Camaro convertible. 30 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015

District 7 News Got news? Contact Danny Simmons at: 803-395-7165 or by emailing him at Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Clarendon, [email protected] Hampton and Orangeburg counties

District Engineer: Jo Ann Woodrum (803) 531-6850 Danny FAX (803) 531-6854 Simmons Aiken Maintenance wins local fitness challenge

he Aiken City Cup Corporate Fit- ness Challenge serves as a com- Baskins recognized mon ground for small and large for 30 years of service Tcompanies, as well as, government, education, and professional organizations to meet in friendly competition. The competition promotes healthy life- styles, friendly competition, boosts employee morale and provides community exposure, leadership skills and personal skills. The event was held May 19-21 at the H.Odell Weeks Center in Aiken. Events included volleyball, shuffle- board, bocce ball, racquetball, horseshoes, ladderball, cornhole, table tennis and more. Aiken Maintenance has participated for three years and took first place this year. DEA Jo Ann Woodrum, right, Congratulations to Aiken Maintenance, Aiken Maintenance employees pose with the trophy after winning congratulates District Traffic Engineer 2015 winners of the Aiken City Cup Cor- Ems Baskin on 30 years of service porate Fitness Challenge! the Aken City Cup Corporate Fitness Challenge. ms Baskin reached a milestone of 30 years of service with SCDOT in January Bamberg gets top safety, excellent QMT awards 2015. E Baskin began his career with the SC Depart- uring the 2015 Engi- ment of Highways and Public Transportation in neering Conference 1985 as an Assistant Research Engineer. He was Bamberg Maintenance promoted into the Headquarters Traffic Engineer- Dwas awarded the Top Safety ing section in 1987 and supervised various of- Award. The unit won in the fices. small unit category. Orange- Baskin’s engineering and management expe- burg Maintenance won the rience at SCDOT involves 18 years in the field large unit category. The units at District level assisting the DEA,10 years at were rated on OSHA lost work headquarters in Traffic Engineering and includes day case rate, SCDOT lost time cross training in construction and time in the work days, vehicle accidents, research and materials lab. accident frequency rate, back- Baskin became District Traffic Engineer in the ing accidents, equipment acci- Orangeburg District 7 office in 1996 and contin- dents and the OSHA incident ues to serve in that capacity. rate. Baskin, a graduate of the University of South Bamberg Maintenance, un- Carolina, has a BS in Civil Engineering and der the leadership of Bobby achieved registration as a professional engineer Crider, has rated excellent in 1992. Baskin resides in Cameron with his wife during three consecutive Safe- and three daughters. He and his family are ac- ty Quality Management Team tive at Four Holes Baptist Church. Baskin enjoys (QMT) inspections. Crider spending time with family, tries to live a healthy credits his staffs’ quality work, lifestyle and strives to be a good husband, father, commitment to safety, and ex- Efrem Dantzler and Bobby Crider celebrate Bamberg Maintenance engineer and employee. cellent customer service for after getting the top safety award and three consecutive excellent QMT Congratulations Ems! this achievement. inspections. SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 31 Crash and burn Crews make repairs as summer crashes, fires destroy roadways

By Kim Corley marker 17 in Spartanburg Coun- ty. The crash on the morning of Crews in Districts 1 and 3 June 27 involved two vehicles have really felt the heat this and a tanker truck loaded with gas summer. Three separate fires and diesel fuel. The tanker over- shut down sections of South turned and caught fire causing Carolina’s busiest interstates and extensive damage to both lanes caused extensive damage. Motor- of I-26 westbound. Firefighters ists posted pictures and videos of held the fire at bay while they black smoke billowing for miles waited for a special crash truck on social media. used to extinguish airplane fires The first fire occurred just be- to arrive at the scene. Unfortu- TONY MAGWOOD/RICHLAND MAINTENANCE fore 6 a.m. on May 27, 2015, on nately, there were three fatalities The burned up tanker and vehicles had to be removed before crews made repairs in I-26 between exits 104 and 106 and a fourth person was severely Columbia along I-26. in Richland County. Eight cars, burned and airlifted to the hospi- a tractor trailer and a gasoline tal. SCDOT crews worked over tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of thirty-six hours straight to reopen fuel were involved in the colli- I-26. Crews milled 6 inches from sion. Fuel from the tanker spilled the bridge for approximately two into a 300 foot drainage pipe and hundred feet and replaced the as- ignited. Luckily, only four peo- phalt roadway. In addition, there ple required medical attention at was barrier wall and traffic con- nearby hospitals for minor inju- trol repair and debris removal. ries. After Columbia firefighters The total SCDOT and contrac- extinguished the flames, DHEC tor cost for response and repairs officials were called to the scene to I-26 in Spartanburg County to investigate any environmental was $85,101.94. damage. SCDOT had four crews Most recently, an 18-wheeler (25 employees) respond to the hauling frozen chicken over- incident. The intense heat from turned and caught fire after hit- the fire caused severe damage to ting a dividing wall on I-85. The the median barrier wall and sev- incident happened around 4:30 eral sections of pavement. Those p.m. Aug. 3, 2015 at mile mark- crews repaired 177 square yards er 68 near Hwy 129 in Spartan- of asphalt roadway that were se- burg County. The driver of the verely damaged to re-open all 18-wheeler suffered fatal inju- lanes on I-26 before the afternoon ries. A woman who was driving ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR rush hour. Additional repairs on the other side of the interstate Richland Maintenance crews make repairs to I-26 after the tanker crash on May 27, 2015. were completed by a contractor. was taken to the hospital after she Damaged roadway was repaved to open all lanes of traffic on the same day. Including the repair/replacement was hit by debris. After emergen- of: cy response workers battled the • 860 feet of barrier wall flames, SCDOT crews worked scorched and damaged by heat. overnight to have all lanes open • 420 feet of chain link fence just before 8:00 a.m. Tuesday burned/melted. morning. • 7650 square yards of asphalt Currently, the SCDOT and roadway – moderate damage & Contractor cost for response and exposed to unleaded fuel. repairs to I-85 in Spartanburg The total SCDOT and Con- County is $33,813.18. tractor cost for response and re- These crashes were investigat- pairs to I-26 in Richland County ed by the South Carolina High- was $643,725.84 way Patrol’s Multi-disciplinary A month later, another fire Accident Investigation Team engulfed parts of I-26 near mile (MAIT).

RIGHT: On Aug. 3, 2015, a truck carrying frozen chickens crashed and burned on I-85 in Spartanburg. PHOTO BY DISTRICT 3 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015 31 Crash and burn Crews make repairs as summer crashes, fires destroy roadways

RIGHT: On Aug. 3, 2015, a truck carrying frozen chickens crashed and burned on I-85 in Spartanburg. PHOTO BY DISTRICT 3 32 SCDOT l THE CONNECTOR l SUMMER 2015

VOLUME XXVI NO. I SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SUMMER 2015 Roundabouts save lives By Pete Poore all of these projects using “Before Crash Data” (prior to construction hen drivers approach of the roundabouts) and “After a roundabout for the Crash Data” for a period of time ROB THOMPSON/THE CONNECTOR Wfirst time, navigating after construction was completed. Office. Safety engineers will con- lower right-of-way impacts than the circular intersection might The evaluation reveals that tinue the use of roundabouts to other geometric improvements. be a little challenging, but get- crashes on the nine intersections meet the agency’s safety goals. • Roundabouts are designed ting the hang of it shouldn’t take were reduced significantly. In Approximately 20 more round- to easily accommodate larger ve- very long. It’s in the best interest fact, both the number of crashes abouts are in the design phase for hicles such as trucks, buses and of drivers in the state to learn how and “injury crashes” were reduced future construction. emergency vehicles. to use roundabouts. One reason is by 71% each. In addition, no fatal Roundabouts have other ben- To demonstrate further proof that they are proving to be the saf- crashes have been reported in the efits in addition to saving lives: of the effectiveness of round- est places on the road. “after” period for a 100% reduc- • This design creates less de- abouts in preventing crashes, The SCDOT Safety Office tion in fatalities. lay and better traffic flow than a injuries and saving lives, the worked through the Federal High- An evaluation of roundabouts traditional stop sign or signal con- Federal Highway Administration way Safety Improvement Program on a national scale also reveals trolled intersection. (FHWA) has advised all states PERMIT NO 108 COLUMBIA, SC US POSTAGE

(HSIP) to complete the first round- significantly improved safety. • The operational costs are that roundabouts are one of the PRSRT STD about project on September 29, The current national data shows lower in the long term versus signs top nine proven safety counter- 2011, at the intersection of Longs that crashes on roundabouts are and signals that need both short- measures for roadway safety. PAID Pond Road (S-204) and Nazareth 35% less than those on traditional term and long-term maintenance. FHWA encourages all states Road (S-243 in Lexington County. intersections, 76% less for crash- • Roundabout intersections to make consideration of the use A total of nine roundabouts es with injuries and fatal crashes are more environmentally friend- of roundabouts a high priority in were constructed in under the are 90% less. ly than signalized intersections helping to save lives and prevent HSIP in 2011-12. Federal require- Roundabouts are a proven that require utilities to operate. serious injuries on our nation’s ments called for an evaluation of success for the SCDOT Safety • Roundabouts generally have roadways.

3. Simplify Messaging and Provide implemented a new policy that adds an ad- VIEWPOINTS Visibility. “Complex” is perhaps under- ditional layer of protection to the statutory By Christy Hall 1. Stabilizing the Workforce and stating the federal funding and engineering provisions of the Ethics Act by precluding Acting Secretary Leadership Team. SCDOT has recently issues that SCDOT deals with on a daily any former SCDOT employee from using of Transportation seen a number of key employees retiring basis. We realize that we must provide easy their qualifications to gain an unfair advan- or otherwise leaving the agency. These to understand descriptions of our activities, tage on a contract for a year after leaving am honored to be able to serve as your vary from senior managers to the front line budget, revenues and other items of inter- SCDOT. This requirement does not pre- Acting Secretary for SCDOT. I sin- maintenance employee. We must continue est. We owe it to the citizens of South Caro- clude any employee from gaining employ- cerely appreciate all that each and ev- our efforts in recruiting and retaining em- lina an easy to use resource that explains ment in their profession once they leave I how the agency is funded and what it does agency. However, it does restrict their new ery one of our team members do every day ployees in those positions to keep a consis- in order to ensure that we are meeting our tent and productive team. with those resources. As such, we will be company from using that former employee mission to the best of our abilities. I am al- 2. Improve Project Delivery. This launching some new graphics for our bud- before the agency as they compete for a ways proud of our workforce and especial- effort is aimed at getting projects “on the get, posting our project rankings, releasing contract. The purpose of this new policy ly appreciate the recognitions of excellence street” faster and completing our construc- a monthly expenditure report and using and our revisions to our selection process is we receive, whether if it is for emergency tion projects on-time or ahead of schedule. Facebook and Twitter to get the word out to draw a clear line and address the percep- situations such as fire, ice or storms, or a The nature of most federal-aid projects and on the good things that our team does. I will tion of conflicts of interest or undue influ- simple thanks for assisting with a flat tire the process of developing and constructing need the help of everyone on the SCDOT ence in these multi-million dollar contracts. or winning regional awards for some of our projects is complex. In order to address this team to help keep our Communications Of- I expect the dialogue to continue in the key projects. Thank you for your commit- challenge, the agency must start develop- fice in the know, so please don’t hesitate to next legislative session on funding and re- ment to SCDOT and South Carolina. ing projects earlier and put more projects send Pete Poore items and pictures of items structuring of SCDOT. We must continue As we move forward day to day, we will in the development pipeline. We must also that you want to celebrate so he can con- our efforts to remain focused on our mission continue to adhere to our Strategic Plan understand where delay is introduced into a sider posting them to social media. and doing our very best every day to get the and Division Goals in order to ensure that project, whether it is in design, right of way, 4. Procurement of Professional Ser- job done. I have a vision of SCDOT as be- we are all pushing on these very important utility coordination, permitting or construc- vices. SCDOT wants the procurement pro- ing recognized as a strong and effective goals together in order to make a difference tion. This initiative will take several years cess for consultants to be transparent and DOT. The goal is for SCDOT to be viewed for the state. Over the next few months, to mature before it will yield consistent re- free from any appearance of conflict. We as efficient, reliable, focused on the mission, there are also 4 key areas that we will be sults, but we will go ahead and start work- are in the process of revising our selec- and ACT 114 compliant. We are committed focusing on in order to make some self- ing in the right direction with our internal tion process for consultants in order to as- to restoring relationships. I am calling on improvements. staff and industry partners. sist with this effort. Additionally, we have you to help the agency achieve that vision.