UDOT Region Three Recap 2014

UDOT Region Three

2014 RECAP

658 North 1500 West • Orem, Utah 84057 • 801-227-8000

Inside:

Region Three Plans Proactively for Growth

Sabey Wins Award 3

Congrats to Retirees 4US-6 Deck Project 6Snow Fence Success 7GIS Tools Save Time 8

Click N Fix Public Intro 9Repair, New Signs 10Design Squad Praised 11New Vision, Mission 12Integrated Transportation 13Zero Injuries 15Celebration Photos 17

In 2014, Region Three staff met regularly

with Mountainland Association of

Governments, local governments and

private developers to better understand

growth projections and anticipated

development patterns.

In the urbanized area, Utah County is

projected to double in population by

2040 with the majority of growth in Lehi,

Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain.

The urbanization of the Provo-Orem area

will likely continue south, as well, with

Region Three urban and rural areas are facing tremendous growth projected for

the year 2040 and beyond.

southern Utah County and Juab County

likely to be the location for the next wave of

growth post-2040.

Similar growth is projected in rural areas:

Wasatch County is projected to double in

population by 2040, which significantly

changes the character of state routes in the

area.

Duchesne and Uintah counties continue

to see a boom in energy production and

related industries that have high demand

Lehi Mayor Bert Wilson highlights Lehi’s growth and transportation needs at the Utah Transportation Commission meeting Aug. 15, 2014, held at the Lehi City Hall.

Continued, next page.

UDOT Region Three • 2014 RECAP

for freight movement and transportation

for its growing populations. State roads in

Daggett County continue to service local,

freight and tourist travel.

In response, Region Three staff is working to

preserve infrastructure and identify future

transportation needs.

Corridor planning and corridor preservation

are top priorities to begin planning for

projected growth. By creating a long-term

vision for routes such as US-40 and SR-73, we

can make better decisions about short-term

needs and how to best apply available funding.

Collaboration with local entities and

partnering agencies has been central to

understanding transportation needs and

desires throughout the Region. We are also

actively considering integrated transportation

modes such as transit, walking and bicycling

that support quality of life and help make

critical connections between transportation

systems.

Proactive planning and corridor preservation

allow the Region to better manage our

response to growth and develop a program of

projects that meet future transportation needs.

Region Three plans for growth, continued.

Population Density Maps show how Region Three is experiencing tremendous population and employment growth that will affect the transportation network. For example, Mountainland Association of Governments predicts that northwest Utah County population will more than triple by 2040.

Mike Sabey Wins Department Career Achievement AwardAfter more than 48 years with UDOT, Mike Sabey has performed nearly every maintenance task within Region Three and is still passionate about his job.

Congratulations to Mike Sabey on winning the UDOT Career Achievement Award for 2014!

It is this range of experience and

dedication to the department that earned

him the 2014 UDOT Career Achievement

Award. Mike was honored at the Annual

UDOT Conference Banquet on October

29.

Mike has worked at several maintenance

stations and recently moved to the paint

crew in order to do something different.

He is usually the first to volunteer to

try out new equipment. He has done

everything from running the vactor to

clean drains and culverts to the paint

guns in the striper. Mike is a hard worker

and takes pride in what he does.

Mike has shown loyalty to UDOT and

his co-workers throughout his career.

He is dedicated to his job and his crew.

Mike is known for giving up personal

priorities in order to meet maintenance

needs because “My guys are depending

on me.” Mike has a wealth of knowledge

that his crew members can learn from. He

is known as capable of fixing anything,

which speaks to his persistence and

problem solving abilities.

Mike has made countless suggestions

and adjustments in maintenance

practices over the years that have

improved maintenance procedures.

It is in his nature to continually look for

better ways to do things that can save time

and money and provide better service or

outcomes. He is dedicated to getting the

job done right.


Best Wishes to these Retirees! Region Three celebrated the retirement of five staff mid-December with a combined 150 years of service to UDOT. Congratulations!

Gary Lepic

Lynn Worwood

Ron Hall

Les Seckletstewa

Jack Lyman

Retirees, continued.


US-6 Bridge Deck Replacement Named UDOT Construction Project of the YearReplacement of the bridge deck for the structure over the Union Pacific Railroad on US-6 at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon in August-September 2014 required a comprehensive strategy to mitigate traffic impacts.

The hard work and collaboration of the project team earned the

team recognition at the Annual UDOT Conference as the 2014

Construction Project of the Year.

The Project Team took a hard look at a range of traffic mitigation

scenarios from full closure to a one-lane road with alternating

traffic. After assessing cost of delay up to $80 thousand per day,

an addition of up to 60 minutes of travel time and potential

for 3-4 mile queues in canyon conditions, the team set a goal

for 20 minutes or less of travel delay to optimize mobility for

travelers on US-6 using the one-lane road across the bridge with

alternating traffic. Traffic modeling of this configuration showed

that a 10-15 percent reduction in traffic would help meet the

goal.

Because the canyon approach to this bridge has limited sight

distance due to curves, the project team also set a goal for 1

mile or less of queuing and used other traffic calming measure

to support UDOT’s goal of Zero Fatalities. The team also

implemented a 24-hour weight restriction across the bridge to

minimize structural deflection during concrete cure time.

To minimize delays and maintain safety, the team:

• Accelerated construction, from 17 to 13 days, which was

achieved by the contractor’s hour-by-hour construction plan

and 24 hour work schedule, and a collaborative effort between

Utah DOT, contractors and consultants.

• Planned detour routes for truck traffic that avoided heavy

loads traveling over the bridge, to minimize deflection during

concrete cure times.

• Provided public information to the trucking industry and other

travelers, that helped establish driver expectations and reduce

traffic congestion through the project work zone.

• Adjusted signal timing on-site to maximize “green” time for

peak traffic directions.Continued, next page.

• Installed temporary cameras to monitor the queuing and traffic

flow. The on-site team could then quickly make adjustments.

The project team also used a proprietary product called

RoadQuake. They are portable transverse rumble strips that alert

distracted drivers with auditory and vibratory sensation that they

are entering a caution zone. They were owned and provided to

the project by the Department but deployed and maintained

by AAA Barricade. The project team placed them far outside the

project limits as the first element of traffic control. Due to canyon

conditions, traffic could potentially come out of a steep winding

canyon at 60 miles per hour to the back of stopped cars.

Because drivers had been alerted by the temporary rumble strips,

there were no rear end accidents, no skidding cars and no close

calls. Any extraneous or secondary accidents would have driven

delay through the roof, as it did with an accident up the canyon

during construction which delayed drivers by roughly 90 minutes.

Many drivers did not notice the VMS or static signs approaching

the construction zone, but none were able to bypass the warning

message provided by the RoadQuake. This is a newer product

being used in only a handful of states, positioning UDOT at the

cutting edge of this innovation.

Traffic counts were taken during the one-lane configuration to

compare it with traffic counts prior to construction. Through

the team’s public communication efforts and aggressive traffic

mitigation approach, the US-6 Bridge Deck Replacement Project

Team realized a 15-20 percent reduction in traffic, which helped

meet the goal of 20 minutes or less in additional travel time. In

addition to a great diversion of passenger vehicles, the project

team experienced a 25-30 percent reduction in heavy trucks. As

further evidence of effectiveness, hotline calls during the one-

lane configuration were focused on questions related to trip

planning instead of complaints, which speaks to the success of the

communication effort to notify travelers of possible delays.

The contractor’s commitment to complete the work early helped

UDOT successfully optimize mobility during construction. Likewise,

collaboration and coordination within UDOT, and with contractors

and consultants, resulted in minimized impact to the traveling

public.

UDOT TeamProject Manager Doug Bassett; Resident Engineer

Travis Ackermann; Traffic Operations Engineer Brian

Phillips; Traffic Signal Engineer Adam Lough; Traffic

Modeling Eric Rasband and Kelly Burns; Traffic

Operations Center Control Room Corey Coulam;

Structural Engineers Cheryl Hersh-Simmons and

Donath Picardo; Field Engineer Marco Palacios;

Inspection Manager Andy Anderson; Lab Manager

Kurtis Park; Office Manager Mike Rymer; Materials

Testing Jake Barney; Lead Inspector Mote Siafunua,

Inspectors Brad Jones, Blake Price and Cody Taylor;

Region Communications Manager Eileen Barron.

Contractors and Consultants Contractor Granite Construction: Project Manager

John Farrar and Field Superintendents Tom Nye and

Richard Evans; Traffic Control AAA Barricade: Field

Superintendent Larry Moeaki; Traffic Signal Timing

Horrocks Engineers: Michael Merkley and Devin

Squire; Public Information Jaques & Associates:

Darryl Jaques; and Intrepid: Beau Hunter and Gemma

Puddy.

US-6 Bridge Deck Replacement Project

Congratulations to the project team for a job well done!

US-6 Deck, continued.


Thanks for Adding the Crossing Signs:

“Thank you so much for listening

to me and working to get the “Deer

Crossing Signs” on Highway 6 here in

Spanish Fork. I was so happy to see

them. I counted three. I believe they

will help a great deal in protecting

traffic and deer. That is such a

dangerous highway and it has been

so sad to see so many deer killed over

these last 18 years I have lived here.

(I wish I had asked for signs years

earlier.) Thank you so much!”

Christine Baker, Spanish Fork

June 18, 2014

Great Project and Product:

“The Springville City Mayor and

City Council wanted to commend

UDOT for their work in Springville

this summer. We had no complaints

from our business community during

the project and the end product was

great!

We also appreciated UDOT working

with us to get our infrastructure

upgraded prior to the overlay.”

Sincerely,

Troy K. Fitzgerald, City Administrator

August 25, 2014

Snow Fence Improves Winter SafetyRegion Three installed snow fence on SR-85, 2100 North, in Lehi on an

experimental basis to determine if a snow fence would reduce the drifting across

the roadway. It is experimental because the placement is within the narrow

right-of-way where snow fence theory says it shouldn’t work.

The snow fence has worked very well and reduced the amount of snow building up on

the roadway. 2100 north is adjacent to open hay fields were the wind blows the snow

off of the fields and across the road. Plows are often called out on sunny days to push

snow that the wind has blown across the road. The snow fence has almost eliminated

the drifting snow on the road which reduces our overall snow removal effort and

associated costs.

Region Three is currently designing another section of snow fence in this area to

further reduce the snow removal effort and the improved safety of the road.

Based on the success of snow fence on 2100 North, Region Three is planning to install snow fence along sections of SR-73 and other select locations in 2015.

From the in-box

GIS Tools Save Months and Millions in Uinta Rail Feasibility Study

The Uinta Basin Rail project team utilized existing GIS and environmental analysis tools to develop, analyze and evaluate 26

corridors totaling more than 4000 miles.

Uinta Basin Rail North Tunnel Portal Sketch

A feasible route was identified to bring rail service into the Uinta Basin closely following three existing roadways – US-40, US-191 and Emma Park Road. In December, Duchesne and Uintah counties decided not to proceed with further study based on more detailed risk and cost analysis of the preliminary concept alignment.

The results yielded one feasible corridor that can be taken into

the NEPA process for more detailed engineering and evaluation.

The feasibility analysis process using GIS to calculate and display

data streamlined the study from an estimated 24-30 months to 2

months.

The savings are directly attributed to costs for consultants to

perform the work, which is approximately $200,000/month, or

a total cost savings of $2-3 million by using tools and data the

department has already developed.


Public Roll-out of Click ‘n Fix a Success

UDOT’s interactive maintenance request tool Click ‘n Fix has been in use for

nearly a year and we were ready for a broader public roll-out in January.

From the In-Box

Click ‘n Fix has been live on UDOT’s

webpage in place of the online comment

form and UDOT recently publicized the tool

now that our internal processes are in place.

The central Communications Office invited

media coverage of the interactive tool Jan.

6, 2015.

The Click ‘n Fix interface tracks when new

comments are posted on an interactive

map and when system administrators

respond. Kim Krein manages incoming

posts for Region Three and averages

acknowledgement within 2.4 days. This is

the shortest amount of time among the

four regions. After Kim acknowledges a

post from the public, she contacts the

appropriate maintenance station or crew

if action needs to be taken. Once Kim is

notified by the station or crew that the

action is complete, Kim closes out the item.

We currently average 19.3 days from report

date to closure of the issue, which is the

second shortest time of the four regions.

In 2014, 123 Click ‘n Fix issues were

reported in Region Three. Some of these

reports were handled by the Traffic

Operations Center; 73 of the reports

were handled by Region Three staff. 118

reports have been closed-out, which

means that any necessary action has

been taken in response to the public

report.

Media coverage in January included all

four television broadcast stations. Region

Three received 23 Click ‘n Fix reports the

first week after the roll-out. Twenty were

closed out within days of being sent to

the responder, bringing our average

response time down to 17.6 days. Thanks

to everyone who helps respond to Click

‘n Fix maintenance requests, and special

thanks to Kim for administering this tool

for the Region!

2014 Click ‘n Fix Facts

• 123 issues reported in Region Three

• 73 issues responded to by Region Three staff

• Average 2.4 days to acknowledge incoming issues

• Average 19.3 days to close-out issues

Wonderful Round-Trip Tweet:

Twitter Post, Dec. 26, 2014:

Riverboat ‏@sjisom2002Major props to @UDOTRegionTwo & @UDOTRegion3 for making the drive from WVC to Orem & back again a safe one. Roads were great!

#nicework

Safe, Smooth and Clean State Roads:

“Dear UDOT employees, Two weeks ago I took my family on a trip to Southern California to enjoy some time at Disneyland and to hit a few beaches. I just wanted to tell you how enjoyable our drive through Utah was. The roads were smooth, well-maintained, well-marked and just overall really enjoyable to travel along as we made our way to California. The same couldn’t necessarily be said for the other state highways. Thank you for all you do in keeping our roadways safe, smooth and clean. I know it takes a lot of work and a lot of hours to maintain so many roadways and highways. And I know you usually just hear from people complaining—but not today! Have a wonderful day and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.”

Todd Hollingshead, Orem

November 24, 2014

Quick Repair

When a semi-truck rolled into Deer Creek Reservoir

last April, the Provo Canyon Crew had the guard rail

replaced by nightfall. This picture shows the length of

guardrail retrieved from the water after the crash.

Speed Limit Increase

Crews updated speed limit signs along I-15 on

Monday, December 8. A 5 mile per hour increase

from 65 to 70 was approved based on traffic studies.

Thanks to Grant Jackson for these photos of the Lehi

crew placing stickers on the speed limit signs.


Region Three Design Squad Praised for Consistent Quality Deliverables

The Region Three Design Squad is a textbook example of how UDOT’s internal staff

delivers quality design and specifications.

Region Three staff at the region directors’ conference presentation in October: Brent Schvaneveldt, Rod Hess, John Higgins, Rich Crosland, Justin Schellenberg, Rich Allen, Boyd Humpherys and Andrew Gwynn.

The squad includes Boyd Humpherys, Lynda

Seckletstewa, Benjamin Maughan, Andrew

Gwynn and Dilshad Yasmin. According to

project manager Larry Montoya, they work in

a professional manner delivering high quality

projects on time and under budget. “They

exemplify quality teamwork and collaboration for

projects of all scopes and sizes.”

In 2014, the design squad designed 14 projects

with completed plan sets and specifications

delivered on time. The group had a perfect

“batting average,” meaning that all projects

were bid within 110 percent of the engineer’s

estimate. Eight projects in 2014 were considered

“home runs,” which means the contracted bid

was within 90 to 100 percent of the engineer’s

estimate. They are on-track to deliver another

14 projects by the end of this year to optimize

timing of putting the projects out to bid for 2015

construction.

The design team collaborates with maintenance

staff early in the project by holding a field review

US-40 Big Project Yields Great Results at Bid

A recent success that demonstrates the quality of our design squad’s work is the completion of an 18-mile Purple Book project on US-40 in Duchesne County for bid. The project, which will be constructed in 2015, includes a 4-inch rotomill and overlay, microsurfacing, soft spot repair, culvert crossing extensions and side slope grading. The project also addresses substandard roadside features, bringing the design for the roadway up to current safety standards. The project was awarded in September 2014 to the low bidder for approximately $12.2 million, which was 74% of the engineer’s estimate. The project attracted seven bidders with a $100,000 difference between the low and high bids. The approximately $3 million in funding that was saved will be applied to another Purple Book project that the team is already preparing to design.

to get input. This early input at the site visit

allows design engineers to address maintenance

needs associated with the project that otherwise

could have been overlooked.

Examples where early coordination enhanced

project outcomes include:

• US-89 in Springville – Early coordination with

maintenance staff during design identified

several locations where drainage was a problem.

• US-191 in Duchesne County: Maintenance

staff identified locations for the design team

where soft spots are a problem.

• US-40 in Duchesne County: Maintenance

staff helped identify several culverts that were

deteriorating and needed to be addressed in

the project design.

“The design staff shows great cooperation

with project managers and other groups within

the Region,” said Larry Montoya. “They have

developed strong relationships and a high

level of communication that facilitate project

coordination. They provide expert support to

other projects including consultant design and

local government projects.”

The design squad was nominated by Larry

Montoya for a UDOT Conference Award and

UDOT’s WASHTO Quality Award. Thanks for all

your hard work!

Vision and Mission Announced at UDOT Annual Conference

Executive Director Carlos Braceras announced a new vision, mission statement,

logo, and changes to its strategic goals during the Annual UDOT Conference—all

aimed at improving Utah and keeping people safe.

After focus group testing vision statements

with internal UDOT staff including a group

at Region Three, UDOT’s vision is “Keeping

Utah Moving.” This simple statement is a

powerful reminder of the department’s

purpose and the goal employees,

consultants and contractors should be

working toward every day.

“With our growing population and changing

demographics, we need to keep our state

moving,” Braceras said. “Whether it’s

building new roads, repairing old ones,

taking phone calls or holding meetings, it’s

all aimed at Keeping Utah Moving.”

The new vision statement is paired with

a new mission statement: Innovating

transportation solutions to strengthen

Utah’s economy and enhance quality of life.

As Utah looks ahead to a rapidly growing

population, expected to almost double

in the next 35 years, the entire state must

begin anticipating solutions for Utah’s

infrastructure and economy. Change can

either be a problem or an opportunity.

Braceras argues that for Utah, it’s an

opportunity to reinforce Utah’s position

as one of the country’s best places to

live. “Quality of life is the essence of

what makes living in Utah so attractive,”

Braceras said. “I’ve made Utah home for

34 years because I can buy a house, get a

job, and enjoy the outdoors I love. That,

combined with the strong state economy,

is what will keep me here the rest of my

life.”

Braceras, who’s been a career-long

champion of safety, also announced

moving Zero Fatalities to the

department’s top strategic goal, but

with a twist. “Nothing that we do is more

important than safety. Zero is our number

one goal. Zero fatalities. Zero crashes.

Zero injuries,” Braceras said.

While UDOT will continue aggressively

educating drivers on habits that will

decrease the amount of fatalities on

Utah’s roads, focus will also be on keeping

everybody within UDOT safe as well. That

goes for accountants as much as it does

construction workers, he said.

The updated vision, mission, emphasis

areas, strategic goals and core values are

available on UDOT’s new web app.

UDOT Director Carlos Braceras

speaks at the UDOT Conference

http://udot.utah.gov/roadmap/


Road Respect Forum

A Utah County Road Respect Forum

was held November 13. City planners

and engineers, Mountainland

Association of Governments and

Region Three participated in a

discussion about bicycle route

connectivity and safety. The group

also brainstormed ideas for hosting

the Road Respect Tour in Utah County

in June 2015. Ongoing Road Respect

conversations will take place at MAG’s

Bicycle Planning Committee meetings.

Integrated Transportation Workshop

Several Region Three staff participated

in a workshop at Rice-Eccles stadium

November 18 focused on integrated

transportation. The day-long

event was designed to encourage

collaboration between UDOT and

UTA staff including getting to know

each other’s staff roles, terminology

and processes. Project scenarios were

discussed at break-out tables to better

understand how we can work together

to build and maintain a multi-modal

transportation system.

In support of UDOT’s emphasis on Integrated Transportation, Region Three has participated in events that highlighted coordination and planning for bicycle and transit networks.

Focusing on Zero Injuries: Is it Achievable? A message from Teri Newell, Region Three Director

A few summers ago I finished some yard work, had showered

and was ready to run some errands. My husband asked me to

give him a hand moving some lumber across the yard. Instead

of taking the time to take off my flip flops and put on some “real”

shoes, I went outside and grabbed the end of the lumber to help

maneuver through the maze of the backyard.

On a typical day it may have been just fine, but on this day my

high energy chocolate lab, Chip, had dug a hole next to the deck.

The next thing I knew I was laying on the ground with my broken

foot in a hole. Six weeks, three doctor visits, crutches, a lovely

boot and many missed activities later, I was back to normal.

Literally taking 2 minutes to change my shoes would have saved

me lots of money and missed fun. Oh, and did I mention that I

had switched to a high deductible health plan a few months

before?

I don’t recount this to you so that you can remember not to

wear flip flops as you carry lumber, but to make a point that

in order to get to Zero Injuries, it will take us all being brave

enough to admit our mistakes so that others can learn from

them. If we make it a habit to talk about mistakes or near

misses, we can hopefully help others from making the same

mistakes. Is it easy to admit when we do something so silly?

Of course not. But let’s get started so we can start towards the

goal of Zero Injuries.

MAG Open House — Region Three participated in three Transportation Fairs hosted by Mountainland Association of

Governments during October. We used the opportunity to ask for input on our region bike plan. Zero Fatalitites, TravelWise

and The Point project also participated in the fairs.


2014 Project Highlights

US-40 Passing Lane Extension at the “Twists”

This US-40 passing lane extension project widened US-40 and extended the eastbound passing lane from MP 130.6 to MP

136.1 (approximately 8 miles southwest of Vernal). Acceleration and deceleration lanes for right or left-turning vehicles were

constructed at the Twelve Mile Wash Road intersection. In addition, the existing pavement was also rehabilitated. Construction

was complete in early September.

Pioneer Crossing Extension

Pioneer Crossing Extension opened to traffic Wednesday, Nov. 26. Crews worked long hours, seven days a week to complete

the project one month ahead of schedule. Crews continued work on some landscaping and other final items through mid-

December. A final surface layer will be applied in spring 2015 when temperatures are warmer. A bicycle lane and mutli-

use trail adjacent to the roadway are also open for public use.


Celebrating in Style

Ladies’ Lunch

The Ladies of Region Three go out for lunch in honor of birthdays throughout the

year. This group outing was in honor of Pat Lowe’s birthday in November.

Where’s Higgins?

In honor of John Higgins’ 60th birthday, the Project Management Group celebrated

with custom-made Higgins face masks.

O Christmas Tree

The second floor of the admin

building in Orem was graced with

a tumbleweed Christmas Tree

decorated with found objects and

office supplies during the holiday

season.

UDOT Region Three Recap 2014

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