UDOT Region Three
2016 Outlook
Communicate, Question, Care Region Three adopts our own safety mission, vision and values To better focus Region Three’s safety efforts, safety manager Dan Fauvell and communications manager Eileen Barron worked together to develop a safety mission, vision and values. “We have such diverse roles at the Region,” Eileen Barron said. “Our goal was to develop a set of statements that would hold meaning for people throughout the region.”
are a tool for us to get on the same page about what’s important to us related to safety,” Dan Fauvell said. “What’s really important is how we live them out. You will see aspects of these statements emphasized over time; for instance, we might put extra focus on communication skills that support safety.”
The safety mission, vision and values establish an understanding of our commitment to safety and the direction we want to grow as a Region. “The mission, vision and values
The process of developing a mission, vision and values for safety started with individual interviews throughout the region that resulted in a set of safety themes. Those themes were tested in a focus group of field staff. Finally, results from the interviews and focus “The ideas group were discussed in a twoabout safety part workshop that included area came straight supervisors, station supervisors, senior leaders and other safety from our own staff.
Mission - We will achieve safety through continuous improvement of our knowledge, equipment and attitude.
Vision - Safety is everyone’s responsibility; we will look out for each other so everyone returns home to their families.
Values Communicate - Communication improves safety and demonstrates respect for each other. Everyone is encouraged to speak up for safety and be willing to receive feedback from colleagues. Question - Asking questions is expected. We commit to asking questions to understand expectations and why procedures are in place. Care - Safety starts with an attitude of caring. Safety improves when we care about the people we work with and doing the job right.
people.”
“It was very important that the mission, vision and values build on what we already value,” Eileen said. “Dan and I wanted this process to be grassroots up so that the concepts sound familiar. The ideas about safety came straight from our own people.” “The one area that pushes our comfort level a bit is the idea of questioning,” Dan added. “Through our discussions with individuals and groups, there was an interest in encouraging people to ask questions about why certain procedures are in place. The ‘why’ generates good conversation and helps us understand the importance of how we do things to stay safe.” Posters with the safety mission, vision and values are available from Dan or Eileen. “Ultimately, safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Dan said. “We make choices every day that determine our safety. The definition of success is that everyone goes home to their families every night without injury.”
Utah Department of Transportation, 2015 Region Three Summer News
In This Issue: Project Management Group Responsibilities...4 Transportation Commission meets in Duchesne in August...5 Employee Appreciation Breakfast...6 Safety fix in Duchesne and Saratoga...8 Do you TravelWise?..9 Safety, Leadership and Happiness...9
U.S. 189 near Deer Creek is Under Construction Construction is underway to improve U.S. 189 between Deer Creek Reservoir and Charleston Street. The $13 million project will widen U.S. 189 near Deer Creek Reservoir and was ranked No. 9 on UDOT’s Top 10 construction project list for 2016. Crews are widening a segment of U.S. 189 between Deer Creek State Park and the Rock Cut. The widened roadway includes two 12-foot travel lanes in each direction, plus a 14-foot center turn lane and 8-foot wide shoulders. Currently, U.S. 189 consists of one travel lane in each direction in this area. The project will improve safety and mobility along this busy stretch of US-189. The project will also address hazardous wildlife crossings with the installation of continuous deer fencing along the length of the widening project. A
wildlife under-crossing will be built between Main Canyon Road and Rainbow Bay, providing separation to reduce crashes caused by vehicle/ wildlife impacts. Pavement preservation will be performed by milling the existing pavement and applying new asphalt from the rock cut to the S.R. 113 intersection in Charleston. Daytime construction will occur with minimal impact to the travel lanes, largely allowing the flow of traffic to be maintained during the busy summer recreation and tourism season.
Roadeo Results...10 Road Respect Tours Wasatch County...12 Photo Contest...13 Orem Conference Room Facelift...13 The Deer Creek widening project adds two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane. Construction is scheduled to be complete fall 2016.
U.S. 189 Deer Creek Widening is number 9 UDOT’s Top Ten construction projects for 2016. See a short video about the project on Twitter.
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Provo City and UDOT Partner to
IMPROVE MOBILITY along 300 South (U.S. 89)
Provo 300 S 400 E rendering After years of collaboration between UDOT and Provo City, 300 South (U.S. 89) in Provo from 100 West to 700 East is under construction. The project will reconstruct 300 South in concrete pavement; add new storm drain, curb, gutter, sidewalks and raised medians. Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations as well as landscaping and lighting were important considerations for the project team. “This project has really been a collaborative effort between UDOT and Provo City,” said UDOT Project Manager Justin Schellenberg. “We’ve been working together and with the Maeser Neighborhood since 2013 to develop the best solution to a number of issues in the area including traffic accidents and pedestrian safety, aging drainage and utilities, and a lack of safe space for active transportation including bicycles and pedestrians.” The project will install raised medians to improve safety and allow space for new bike lanes on both shoulders. A new traffic signal will be added at 400 East to accommodate left turns and the other side streets will become right-turn in and out. Provo City Engineer Shane Winters acknowledged that the raised medians will change local driving patterns and explained, “This was a compromise that allowed us to add more features like the widened pedestrian path and bike lanes while still keeping two travel lanes in each direction. 300 South is a major corridor in Provo and we want to provide opportunities for all kinds of travelers.”
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Provo 300 S, first pavement
UDOT and Provo City want the public to stay informed about activities that will impact them. The project team sends regular email updates with information about scheduled construction impacts and major activities. The public can stay informed by signing up for email updates by emailing 300South@utah.gov or by calling the project hotline at 888-556-0232. More information is also available online at www.udot.utah.gov/go/300south.
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Project Management Group Restructures Responsibilities With the new calendar year came a new organizational structure for the project management group at Region Three. Each project manager is now responsible for a geographic area. “This allows the PM to build relationships with local government contacts,” said program manager Brent Schvenaveldt. “This change also provides an opportunity to better anticipate needs in the area.” The geographic approach has been in place several years for managing projects in the Uinta Basin. “It worked really well in the Basin,” Brent said. “We are looking to build that same kind of value in having one person familiar with the area.”
Brent also said that this approach helps the project managers be more invested in both relationships and project results. “Each project is a piece of meeting the area’s long-term needs. I expect PMs will start to notice where the gaps are in our planning or the unique transportation challenges of a particular community.” In addition to geographically organizing project managers, Chris Memmott joined the group to manage pavement projects. Chris will oversee preparation of plans and bid documents for the annual pavement program.
PM geographic areas
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Transportation Commission meets in Duchesne in August The Utah Transportation Commission, the governor-appointed body that oversees transportation funding, will hold its monthly meeting in Duchesne Friday, Aug. 12.
Commission tour route The Commission alternates holding meetings at the UDOT Calvin Rampton Complex in West Valley City with various locations throughout the state. The commissioners tour the area the day prior to the meeting in order to better understand current road conditions and key issues. We are in early planning stages and expect to take the commissioners on a road tour of our key routes including U.S. 191, U.S. 6, I-15, U.S. 189 and U.S. 40. The road tour will highlight the needs of our rural and canyon roads in particular. If there are specific areas or issues you recommend highlighting on these routes, contact Eileen Barron at ebarron@utah.gov or 801-244-7412.
UDOT Region Three
Preliminary commission tour route for Thursday, Aug. 11: 1. From Duchesne, go south on U.S. 191 through Indian Canyon to Helper 2. Turn west on U.S. 6 to Spanish Fork City 3. Travel north on I-15 to 800 North Orem 4. Take U.S. 189 east to Heber 5. Travel U.S. 40 east to Duchesne
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2016 EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION BREAKFAST
People from throughout Region Three gathered at the Mechanic’s Shop in Orem for the third annual Employee Appreciation Breakfast on May 18. After enjoying breakfast burritos prepared by the mechanics, Region Three’s Employee of the Year, Leader of the Year and Career Achievement nominees and award-winners were announced. Anyone can nominate someone for an award and the final winners are selected by a group of peers representing each of the departments in the region. The winners will participate in a luncheon with UDOT Senior Leaders and will be honored at the Annual UDOT Conference in November.
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Congratulations! Employee of the Year: Klay Steele
Leader of the Year: Jim Winn
Klay is a Trans Tech II in the Eureka shed. He has successfully overseen the chip seal program for the south area the past two seasons. He has been in charge of organizing the crew, ordering the oil, as well as inputting all the work orders for labor and equipment for the chipping operation. He sets up the schedules for various locations and mobilizes equipment, flaggers and traffic control for multiple work zones.
Jim is the Saratoga Springs station supervisor. He takes pride in UDOT and cares for his people. Jim’s crew has the utmost respect for him and would do anything for him. Jim works hard to maintain his equipment and facilities and has an excellent track record for safety.
Career Achievement: Pat Lowe Pat has been with UDOT 25 years. Pat is very friendly and goes out of her way to help anyone with anything. She always has a smile and doesn’t get told thanks enough. She is outstanding with the public and extremely good at handling difficult situations. Pat helps everyone from new employees to senior staff without complaint. Pat takes great pride in her work and doesn’t quit until the job gets done. Employee of the Year Nominees Cole Giles Kelly Fugal Daniel Taylor Eldon Simpson Dwaine Webber Jared Steele Jim Fiero Kyle Lazenby Pat Lowe Shawn Bright Leader of the Year Nominees Adam Lough Boyd Humpherys Wayne Casper Career Achievement Nominees Kevin Carter Lannie Offret
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Safety Fix: Duchesne & Saratoga New cattle guard makes a smoother drive
The Duchesne crew replaced a cattle guard in Indian Canyon (S.R. 191 milepost 265) to improve safety for drivers and to keep cattle off the road. The existing cattle guard was falling apart and was a half inch lower than the pavement surface.
As part of the repair, the cattle guard was installed level with the roadway surface and the adjacent gate, fence posts and wire fencing were replaced.
Pothole repair requires rebuilding pavement in Saratoga
The Saratoga crew excavated and replaced an 11-foot wide by 30-foot long section of S.R. 73 near milepost 21 to improve safety for the driving public. The westbound lane had poor material that was not holding up well. The crew replaced the road base and then placed 5 inches of new HMA.
2016 Outlook
The work required closing a lane, including setting up traffic control and contracting flaggers for one-way alternating traffic operations.
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Do you TravelWise? TravelWise is a UDOT program that invites Utahns to rethink their trips by driving less and driving smarter.
Visit the TravelWise website to find our more and to get a construction resource kit.
TravelWise promotes behaviors such as carpooling, using transit or walking and biking to reduce single occupancy trips and ultimately help optimize mobility, reduce energy consumption and improve air quality in Utah. As Utahns TravelWise, they leverage the integrated transportation solutions that are needed to meet Utah’s long-term mobility needs.
The TravelWise team works with businesses, state agencies, communities and other partners, educating them on the benefits of using trip-saving behavior. and encouraging them to TravelWise by carpooling, teleworking, adjusting their travel times and trip chaining.
TravelWise also works with major construction projects to help reduce traffic during peak travel times. For example, the Rethink Your Trip TravelWise around Freeway Construction campaign has helped reduce traffic on The I-15 Point Project by up to 17 percent during peak travel times. TravelWise can also be a tool in addressing acute, localized traffic issues not associated with construction. In the area around the SR- 92 interchange with I-15, the UDOT TravelWise team is meeting with local businesses to better understand how employers and employees can rethink the way they travel to and from work to help reduce area traffic delay. By collaborating with businesses and other area motorists to TravelWise by shifting travel times away from primary commute periods, carpooling or taking transit to reduce congestion or teleworking when possible to avoid delays altogether, the TravelWise program aims to optimize mobility and improve productivity for this fast-growing area. Through year-round education and promotion of TravelWise, Utah is reducing trips and helping improve our quality of life in Utah. To find out more about the TravelWise Program and learn how you can rethink your trip, visit travelwise.utah.gov.
Safety, Leadership and…Happiness? Message from Region Director Teri Newell Can we be a more safe organization by being a more happy organization? This might seem like a strange connection, but research shows we make better decisions and are more successful in our jobs (and lives) when we already feel a sense of happiness. Called the “happiness advantage,” research in a field called positive psychology demonstrates that happiness improves performance, not the other way around. I read the book “The Happiness Advantage” and personally felt challenged to put several of the book’s principles to work. It has shaped the way I approach my role as region director as well as my role as a spouse and parent. For instance, the book inspired me to place more value on experiences with my family rather than buying them things; as a result, we have made family vacations a priority. It gives us
UDOT Region Three
something to look forward to (which produces happiness) as well as the satisfaction of spending quality time together and creating memories (that continue to create happiness). I have asked the Region Three senior staff to read “The Happiness Advantage” over the next year. We will read a chapter or two at a time and discuss the book once a month. Shane Marshall has also selected this book and is hosting a discussion of the second half on Monday, July 11 at 10 a.m. at the UDOT Complex or via video conference. If you don’t care to read an entire book, you might like the TED talk by the author. It gives a good overview of how intentionally shaping your mental outlook can make a difference in your professional work and personal life.
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2016 ROADEO Results Seventeen people participated in the 2016 equipment roadeo held May 11 at the Lehi shed.
M P I E N U T Q E
ROADEO Nearly every station was represented, but the Eureka and Nephi crews showed off their skills, sweeping top honors in each category! Thanks to everyone who helped with the event!
Congratulations to this year’s prize winners: Backhoe 1st place: Klay Steele (Eureka) 2nd place: Chase Steele (Nephi) 3rd place: Devan Ingram (Nephi) Loader 1st place: Devan Ingram (Nephi) 2nd place: Klay Steele (Eureka) 3rd place: Chase Steele (Nephi) Truck 1st place: Klay Steele (Eureka) 2nd place: Devan Ingram (Nephi) 3rd place: Matt Garbett (Eureka) Overall Points Winner Klay Steele (Eureka)
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Road Respect Tours Wasatch County Midway City and Heber City were named Road Respect communities during events June 9, 2016. Region Three staff participated in 12-mile and 50-mile bike rides in Wasatch County along with a bike fair held in Heber. Aaron Pinkerton, Matt Parker and Bill Townsend (pictured above) participated in bike rides to celebrate Road Respect community designations for Midway and Heber. Community members were invited to join the Road Respect team in demonstrating how cars and bikes can share the road in Wasatch County.
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2016 Photo Contest
Orem Conference Room Gets a Facelift Conference rooms A, B and C on the first floor of the Orem administration building have been updated with new chairs, carpet and paint. A wireless projection screen has been installed and closets were built to store unused chairs and supplies.
Photo by Travis Ackermann, Work on U.S. 6 • Photos submitted to Kim Krein throughout the year will be considered • Entry deadline is Wednesday, July 20 • Photos will be featured in the summer picnic slide show and next region news • Winners will receive prizes • Video clips welcome Send photos to Kim Krein (kkrein@utah.gov) with a brief description of the location and/or activity.
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