Fall 2010
Nevada’s Technology Transfer Quarterly
Vol. 22 No. 3
FOCUS
NIGHT PAVING
■
Time management plays
crucial role in night paving
a
lways a critical factor in construction success, time management is even more
so when paving at night. Night paving
requires that you lay a certain number of tons in a
prescribed amount of time.
Plan, plan, plan! You cannot afford to lose
time; you won’t have any way to make it up in the
middle of a shift.
You’re on and off the road in a certain time
frame, so you’ve got to make sure that all your
equipment’s working properly. You also need to
plan for the possibility of breakdowns by having an
extra roller and truck or two to avoid unnecessary
waits.
You might want to do cooling curves that tell
you how long you’ve got before the mat cools to a
certain temperature. You can determine: If you’re
paving this wide, laying this many tons, you need
this many compactors. It’s getting information, and
sharing it, because the plan you make at night is
different than what the crew is used to doing during
the day.
When it comes time to lay material, you can’t
afford to make any mistakes because of the time
restraints. Everybody has to be a little bit more
vigilant at night, and it starts at the plant. As you
will not be able to detect defects in the material,
the plant’s quality control is even more crucial at
night. You need to be able to count on the fact that
the quality of the mix coming to you is the same,
truck after truck.
Intricate planning
Saving a few minutes a few times over a
night shift is what intricate planning is all about.
„ Scenario 1: Vibratory compactors typically
will need to resupply the water spray system
once during the shift. If you’re going to refill the
water spray system in, let’s just say, five hours,
you want to know where you’re going to be on
the project five hours from the start, and that’s
where you’re going to have your water truck
waiting. You don’t want to wait on somebody
to run back to the start of the job and bring the
water truck to that point. It’s a small detail, but
maybe that saves you 10 minutes.
„ Scenario 2: You’re working on a three-lane
paving job in which the high-speed lane is
paved for 1,500 feet. The crew then picks
up, backs up and completes the middle lane
for the same distance, and then ditto for the
right lane. You calculate that 18 trucks hauling an average of 22 tons are going to cover
this distance. You want to make sure that you
have those 18 trucks show up in a slightly
staggered pattern, so that you don’t have any
stops — zero stops — especially during the
first pull.
The trick is to get through the first third
of a particular phase of the project in less than
one-third of the phase’s allotted time. You want to
balance plant output, trucking, paving speed and
compaction so that in that first pass, you can go as
fast as you get the mix to it, without stopping and
without outrunning the compactors. Then you’ve
gained yourself a little breathing room moving
forward.
Trade-offs
Paving at night actually represents an
advantage because traffic is what hinders continuous paving. During the day you might have a plant
that has sufficient production, you might have an
adequate number of trucks, but traffic might hinder
the flow of trucks to and from the job site.
continued on page 2
IN THIS ISSUE
■ Factors to consider when
paving at night is the
focus (pp. 1, 7).
■ New UNR study
evaluates performance
of slurry seals on asphalt
pavements (p 2).
■ Recycle Michael enumerates the benefits of using
foundry sand in transportation projects (p. 6).
■ Guideline aids in the
design, quality control,
measurement and
payment procedures
for application of micro
surfacing (p. 8).
■ Elko superintendent’s
device rebuilds traffic
control barriers (p. 14).
■
ROUTING SLIP
Don’t file this Quarterly in
your inbox. Please — read
it, photocopy what you want,
initial below, and send it on,
especially to the frontline
troops.
_____________________
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_____________________
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IN NEVADA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus
Time management crucial to
night paving ................................1
Get compaction right at night .........7
Staying safe when the sun goes
down ...........................................7
In Nevada
Effectiveness of slurry seals on
asphalt pavements .....................2
NDOT photos win national
competition ................................3
Public works director puts
experience into practice .............3
Spring Creek roundabout offers
safety and creativity ....................4
Railroad agreement benefits
Ely ..............................................4
Railport and industrial park help
grow Elko economy ....................5
Mother Nature hinders Lamoille
Canyon Bypass project...............5
I-15 express lanes completed ........5
Engines of bygone economic
growth ........................................6
New phase of Carson City
freeway .......................................8
Health Watch
Steps to take to reduce stress .......9
Staying safe on Thanksgiving ........9
Whole grains reduce waistline .......9
Training
Recommended performance
guideline for micro surfacing.......8
Roads Scholars step into
spotlight .............................10–11
Training pays off in tight times ......10
Web based training ......................11
New traffic control guidelines .......11
On the Job
Nurturing “family relationships” at
work ..........................................12
12 business skills essential
to success ................................12
Job fulfillment ...............................12
Safety
Roadside cheatgrass can ignite
wildfires ....................................13
Safety edge reduces accidents ....13
Taking precautions with
methamphetamine waste ........13
On the Horizon
Emerging dynamics of ITS ...........14
Rear View Mirror
Relive pioneer trail history at
new I-80 heritage center ..........16
Humor
Talking turkey .................................9
Bumper shtick ..............................12
Regular Features
Road Smart Contest ......................4
Recycle Michael .............................6
Quotable Quotes ............................8
The Practical Man ........................14
2
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
New UNR study
Effectiveness of slurry seals
on asphalt pavements in the field
t
he Pavements/Materials Program at the University of Nevada, Reno has conducted a study for
the Washoe Regional Transportation Commission to evaluate the field performance of slurry seals
on asphalt pavements. Conducted recently under
the pavement technology contract between UNR
and RTC, the objectives of the study were to:
„ Evaluate the field performance of asphalt pavements with and without slurry seal applications.
„ Develop performance models for asphalt pavement without slurry seals and asphalt pavements receiving slurry seals at various times
following construction.
„ Identify the optimum time for the application of
slurry seals on asphalt pavements.
Evaluated sections
Asphalt pavement sections were identified
within the jurisdictions of Washoe County and cities
of Reno and Sparks. The evaluation covered pavements that were newly constructed and pavements
that received overlays. Residential streets were
by far the highest number of pavement sections
included in the study due to the high availability
of such pavements within the urban area. The
pavement sections were broken into the following
categories:
„ Do-nothing: a slurry seal was not applied to the
pavement
„ Slurry seal applied immediately after
construction
„ Slurry seal applied at one, three, five, seven
and nine years after construction
The performance of the various pavement
sections were measured in terms of the pavement
condition index that the agencies collect using the
Micro-Paver system every two years for all three
categories of pavements.
Micro-Paver divides the road network into
sections based on uniform properties of the pavement and traffic conditions. Each pavement section
is further divided into units, and the units surveyed
within a given section were identified randomly. The
average PCI value of the surveyed units within each
section was used to represent the condition of the
entire section for the specific survey data.
Conclusions and recommendations
The performance data of slurry seals analyzed in this report supported the basic engineering
principles of preventive maintenance of asphalt
pavement as discussed below:
„
„
„
„
„
Asphalt pavements should be allowed to cure
for the first three years prior to the application
of any surface treatment. This is proven by the
low benefits of applying slurry seal at zero and
one year after construction.
The three years curing period of asphalt pavements allows the asphalt mix to gain strength
and build up its resistance to early rutting and
shoving.
The application of surface treatment on asphalt
pavements three years after its construction
protects the asphalt mix from excessive aging
and improves its resistance to cracking; e.g.
fatigue, thermal and block.
The application of the slurry seal immediately
after or one year after construction of the
asphalt layer is not effective in terms of both the
benefit to the users and the benefit cost ratio for
the agency.
The optimum time of application of slurry seal
depends on the type of construction activity.
For newly constructed pavements, the optimum
time to apply slurry seal is three years after
construction. For pavements subjected to overlays, the optimum time to apply seal is between
three years and five years after construction.
However, for uniformity purposes, it is recommended that the agency apply slurry seal three
years after the construction of the asphalt layer
for both new and overlay constructions.
For a copy of this study, go to the No-Brainer MailIn Page.
Night paving
continued from page 1
However, traffic control is a huge problem
at night because of lack of visibility. The key
is pre-project or pre-shift safety meetings that
explain to everyone where traffic is going to be
at all times, which lanes are closed, which lanes
are open, how close the traffic will be to the
cones or the barricades. In short, communication about safety is even more critical at night.
If you’re doing a long night project, you’re
probably better served by having one crew
doing it instead of switching crews on and off
nights. A single crew will have the chance to
acclimate to working at night and resting during
the day.
IN NEVADA
NDOT photos win national contest
t
NDOT Wellington Crew
235 members (left to right)
Tony Gutierrez, Tom Stern,
Brent Slobe, Robert Tracy
and Supervisor Steve
Stringham.
wo photos portraying Nevada transportation have been named winners in the
national “Face of Transportation” competition sponsored by the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials.
Best overall photo was awarded to NDOT photographer Julie Duewel for her
shot of the department’s Wellington maintenance crew. The caption reads: “Standing
strong and united; ready to expertly maintain and make safe the network of vital rural
roads, which crisscross the state’s 110,000 square miles.”
Julie also placed third in the “improving quality of life” category for her
September 2009 photo of Carson City’s fun run and walk.
Nearly 100 photos from 24 state DOTs were entered in the national competition. “These photos truly depict the
positive effects of transportation
on individuals and their communities,” says AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley.
“Thousands of men and women are working every day
to make America’s transportation system work better,
and we wanted this competition to honor them. Too
often what they do is taken for granted; these photos
show the real faces of transportation today.”
At left, residents commemorate opening of second phase
of the Carson City freeway with a fun run.
Profile
Public works director puts
experience into practice
p
ublic works director for the City of Elko for
three years, Dennis Strickland oversees 30
employees and manages the daily operations of the street, landfill, facilities and fleet departments.
“A primary goal of mine is to see that tax dollars are spent wisely and efficiently, especially in
the current downturn in the economy and shortage
of funds for public works,” Dennis says.
However, Elko is in much better economic
shape with 8.5 percent unemployment than the
rest of the state. “I’m thankful that there has been
no reduction in my force and no furloughs,” Dennis
says. “But we have undergone a 1 percent cut in
pay.”
Dennis contends that his 10 years of supervisory experience in the private sector has helped
him deal with budget constraints. “I’ve undertaken
cost savings practices in our preventive maintenance program,” he says.
His previous work experience also includes
four years as the city’s street superintendent
and five years with the Elko County Highway
Department. These positions further honed his
managerial skills. “I’ve reorganized the agency
which has made for
better management
and an improved
work environment,
especially in the
landfill and fleet
departments,” he
asserts.
Dennis
praises the Nevada
T2 Center for offering valuable training
courses. “The City
of Elko is a huge supporter of the program,” he
says. “Most of the street department employees
already are Roads Scholars.” Dennis and his
boss, Assistant City Manager Delmo Andreozzi,
who serves on the T2 Center Advisory Board, are
Roads Scholars themselves.
Born in Fallon, Dennis graduated from
Churchill Country High School where he was a
varsity athlete and attended Western Nevada and
Great Basin colleges. A member of the Northern
Nevada Golf Association, he travels around the
state playing in local tournaments.
■ THE NEVADA
T2 CENTER
ADVISORY
BOARD
Delmo Andreozzi
City of Elko
Kevin Carnes
USDA Forest Service
Ken Chambers
NDOT
Kevin Lee
Nevada DOT, Elko
Shital K. Patel
FAST, RTC Southern Nevada
Patrick Pittenger
Carson City Public Works
Jim Poston
Washoe County RTC
Roger Sutton
City of Winnemucca
Kathy Sanchez
City of Reno
Paul Solaegui
President, Solaegui Engineers
Barbara Stearns
NDOT, Training Division
Hannah Visser
FHWA
3
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
IN NEVADA
Spring Creek roundabout
offers safety and creativity
a
$2-milllion roundabout was completed in August at the intersection
of Lamoille Highway and Spring Creek/Licht parkways in Spring
Creek. Spring Creek Elementary School is located at the intersection, and the new roundabout makes it easier for students to cross the busy
Lamoille Highway. Raised concrete median islands serve as refuge points
for pedestrians.
Welding students at Spring Creek High School created a threedimensional sculpture of the Ruby Mountains, which stands in the middle of
the roundabout.
New railroad agreement
benefits City of Ely
t
he S&S Shortline Railroad recently rehabilitated Nevada Northern
Railroad’s tracks from Shafter, which is the line’s connection to the
Union Pacific main line, south for 40 miles to Currie.
Under an agreement with the City of Ely and the White Pine Railroad
Foundation, the S&S rehabilitated the tracks at its expense in exchange
for the city storing Union Pacific rail cars. The city and foundation receive a
portion of the storage fees and continue to own the tracks.
The Union Pacific has delivered 336 rail cars for storage with 186
more on the way.
“Road Smart” contest
For each issue of the Nevada Milepost, field representative Larry Lunz (“L2 on
the Road”) submits a photograph from his trips across the Silver State for the
“Road Smart” contest.
What’s your best guess
as to the location of
this road? Send in your
answer on the “NoBrainer” Page. First
correct answer by fax is
the Road Smart winner!
4
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
How to play
To win a handsome prize
that will make you the
envy of all your coworkers,
you need to be the first to identify the stretch of
road in the accompanying photograph. Specifically,
you need to identify the road and two nearest
destinations. If you think you know the road and
location, write it in where indicated on the NoBrainer Mail-In Page. If you’re the first person to
fax the T2 Center with the correct information, you
win! It’s that easy.
Fame and esteem
The winner will gain statewide fame and
esteem when written up in the Winter 2010 issue.
So keep a sharp eye when you’re out and about.
Even if you don’t know the location this time, don’t
lose heart. You’ll get ample chances with different
locations in future issues of the Nevada Milepost.
Thanks for playing!
Las Vegas winner
David Dwyer, P.E., president of Dwyer Engineering,
Inc., is the latest Road
Smart contest winner. He
was the first to correctly
identify the photograph in
the Summer 2010 issue of
Milepost as State Route
156 near State Route 158
and the Las Vegas Ski &
Snowboard Resort.
IN NEVADA
Railport and industrial park in Elko
help to grow the local economy
t
he new Northeastern Nevada Regional Railport is a 54-acre public-private partnership facility owned
by Elko County and operated by a professional transloading firm.
Located 4½ miles from the city of Elko, the railport has direct access to Interstate 80 and 3,700
feet of dedicated Union Pacific Railroad siding for rail service. The railport is in an excellent location for
manufacturing and distribution industries at the geographic crossroads of Reno, Boise and Salt Lake City.
It is also in the heart of the largest gold producing area in North America providing important rail access
to support the mines.
The adjacent industrial park that opened in March has already attracted three companies. “The
companies employ 50 people and pay an average wage of $20 per hour, making for good paying jobs
for the Elko economy,” says Pam Borda, executive director of the Elko County Economic Diversification
Authority.
The estimated economic benefit of the railport and industrial park to Elko County is $19 million, according to Pam, who says the combined facility is expected to pay $632,000 in local taxes and
$261,000 in state taxes annually.
A side benefit of the industrial park is that one of the companies, Pacific Steel & Recycling, has
decreased the amount of recyclable items going to the county-owned landfill, and thereby extended its
capacity.
Mother Nature hinders Lamoille
Canyon Byway
reconstruction
a
fter enduring nature-caused delays, a $4.5-million
partial reconstruction project funded by the U.S. Forest Service is under way on the Lamoille Canyon
Scenic Byway within the Ruby Mountains near Elko.
Upper end of Lamoille Canyon Road
Last spring the contractor was eager to get a head
start on the project because of the short construction season
in the area known as “The Alps of Nevada.” NDOT obliged,
opening the road with a rotary snow blower.
However, within a matter of days three avalanches covered
the road. The largest was 200 feet long and 12 feet high. The
Bureau of Land Management brought in a front loader to clear the
avalanches.
On June 7 a mudslide closed the road once more. The mud
on the road was 400 feet wide and 20 feet deep. The slide started
on a steep slope above the road in soil saturated from the wet
spring and sent thick mud and debris down the mountain. The
Bureau of Land Management was called in again to remove this
obstruction.
The project involves rehabilitation, restoration and resurfacing 12.4 miles of the canyon access road and replacement of six
roadway drainage culverts and addition of riprap to a seventh
culvert.
Mud slide area on
The two-lane byway leads to the top of the high mountain
Lamoille Canyon Road
canyon. Interpretive signs that explain some of the natural features
are found along the road. Several marked trail heads
are starting points to small lakes and hidden valleys.
■ I-15 express
lanes
completed
Alongside the Las Vegas
Strip, NDOT recently completed two express lanes in
each direction of Interstate 15
between Russell and Sahara
avenues.
Separated from regular travel
lanes by 3-foot-high “candlestick” delineators, through
traffic can now make the fiveplus-mile journey past the resort corridor in the designated
express lanes. Separating
through traffic from vehicles
exiting within the resort corridor reduces weaving, merging and congestion.
“The I-15 express lane project
gives drivers a smoother ride
and gives those exiting onto
the Strip easier access and
safer, more consistent traffic
flow,” NDOT Assistant Project
Management Chief Jeff Hale
says, noting that approximately 250,000 vehicles drive
through the area every day.
These are Nevada’s first interstate express lanes. They’re
eventually planned to become
part of a larger high-occupancy vehicle network with
dedicated carpool lanes connecting the major Las Vegas
freeways.
5
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
IN NEVADA
Engines of bygone
economic growth
t
he steel link in the eastern Sierra was a Gold Rush era railroad built to
ferry fortunes in silver and gold from the Comstock Lode. At its most
robust during the 1870s, the Virginia & Truckee Railroad was known as
the wealthiest short line in the world. It spurred development across
Nevada and turned its shareholders into titans who routinely netted more
than $100,000 a month.
But by the 1920s, a highway had become the people’s choice for transportation; in the 1930s,
competition from trucking dealt the line an even more serious blow. In the 1950s, the V&T died — and
remained a ghost rail until 1976, when it returned to life as a tourist train.
Along its winding three-hour round-trip route between Virginia City and Carson City, riders frequently see mustangs roaming the folds of the foothills. Memories of the Comstock silver strike literally
surround passengers as the train chugs through a pair of tunnels dug mostly by hand, with picks and
shovels, by Chinese laborers — some of the same workers who toiled in the mines.
„
From $29, $20 for children 5–12, (775) 847-0380, www.virginiatruckee.com.
RECYCLE MICHAEL
Recycle Michael is as tight-fisted as his ol’ buddy the Practical Man is tight-lipped. He has the first dollar he ever earned and
expects the government to be frugal as well. He’s always on the lookout for ways to reuse things to save a little money while
helping to preserve the environment.
Foundry sand saves energy, water
m
ore than nine million tons of foundry sand is produced each year in the United States, primarily composed of sands from iron, steel and aluminum foundries. A byproduct material
generated by metal casting processes at metal foundries, it is high quality, fine silica sand
used to make the molds for casting metal parts.
However, it becomes physically degraded over time, at which point it is removed from the sand supply. Although it is no longer suitable for making molds, it is still high quality sand.
Typically, foundry sand has a uniform gradation and has friction angle and cohesive strength similar
to natural sand. The presence of bentonite clay may provide superior compaction and better freeze-thaw
performance.
Foundry sand can be used in most applications that require fine aggregate. It is particularly suitable
for structural fills and embankments, road base layers and flowable fill.
6
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
Benefits
Using foundry sand in transportation projects has a number of benefits. In general, foundry sand
performs as well or better than natural sand, while substituting foundry sand for natural sand results in
significant energy and water savings, in addition to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and particulate matter emissions.
Where foundry sand is locally available, it usually is very competitively priced and also may reduce
aggregate transportation costs and impacts. In the end, using foundry sand in highway projects makes
good sense from engineering, economic and environmental points of view.
The link below leads to a database that contains a list of references related to the use of foundry
sand in highway or infrastructure applications:
http://www.refworks.com/refshare/?site=047211195200000000/RWWS4A1029997/FoundrySand
The following link leads to another database that contains a list of standards and specifications
related to the use of foundry sand in highway or infrastructure applications:
http://www.refworks.com/refshare/?site=047211195200000000/RWWS4A1029997/
Foundry%20Sand-%20State%20Specifications
FOCUS
NIGHT PAVING
Get compaction right at night
c
ompaction of a new road surface for optimum smoothness, rideability and density
can be challenging enough during the day
given the number of variables that affect them.
Coupled with a veil of darkness at night, the goal
can become even more difficult.
But like a growing number of transportation
agencies nationwide, NDOT is undertaking more
night rebuilding projects, due in part to the driving
public’s aversion to bottlenecks and detours during
periods of high traffic volume.
Monitor temperature
Monitoring the temperature drop in asphalt
material is very important to the success of the compaction process. The rapid fall in temperature has to
be handled differently at night than during the day.
The level of temperature drop between day
and night operations varies depending on the
region of the country.
For example, a compaction crew in Las Vegas
will need to handle asphalt much differently at night,
when temperatures may be about 50 degrees F,
than during the day when the ambient temperature
is 110 degrees F. That asphalt is going through a
much more rapid cooling off process, which means
you have a shorter period of time for compaction.
In extreme cases in Nevada, a dramatic
temperature drop may require that more rollers be
brought onto the job site. Operators also may have
to run their rollers at higher speeds.
Higher frequency machines can allow the
operator to work at faster speeds while maintaining optimum impact spacing, which is important for
density and smoothness. If the mix cools beyond
a certain point, you can’t compact it anymore. You
may break the rock in the mix because it can’t take
the energy that the drum is trying to put into it. If
that happens, you’re making paths for water to get
in. You also may damage the machine.
Superpave mixes have helped minimize some
of the challenges of nighttime operation. Because
they can be successfully compacted at lower temperatures, they provide crews with a longer window
of opportunity to achieve optimum results.
When compacted properly and at the right
time, polymer modified asphalt also can give you
an excellent riding surface as far as smoothness
and degree of compaction.
Maintaining visibility to the
work surface and around the
machines is critical to safe,
successful night compaction.
Light it up
Generally, the process
of compacting asphalt at night
is the same as during the day.
Equipment sizing, drum width,
drum diameter, etc., remain
unchanged. However, required
precautions are different.
One of the main precautions is the need to obtain an
■ Staying safe when
adequate and acceptable means
the sun goes down
for quality lighting, so workers
truly can see what they’re placNight paving always comes with risks. But there are
measures you can take to minimize the risks.
ing, compacting and finishing. In
the absence of daylight, that can
†
„ Hold frequent safety meetings — nightly if
be a challenge.
needed — to raise employee awareness of work
zone safety. Complacency is the enemy.
For instance, if you don’t
notice that the water spray bars
†
„ Create a buddy system. Match newcomers with
veterans. The veteran passes along information
quit working, you can get a piece
throughout the first few shifts.
of asphalt caught on the roller
†
„ Place greenhorns on the non-traffic side.
drum. Once it sticks, it can scar
the asphalt. You could more eas†
„ Spacing the work zone’s cones or barricades
ily see it during the day. But at
even more closely than specified can help
prevent impatient drivers from jumping into your
night you have to more closely
space behind the cones. If the specification calls
watch for it and have as much
for 120-foot intervals, you might want to use
lighting as possible.
60-foot intervals.
Many manufacturers
†
„ Use one or more state patrol cars, or police
provide special light packages
cars — with their light bars flashing — in critical
for their compaction equipment.
locations near your work zone. Patrol cars can
even do “rolling road blocks” by cruising through
In addition to standard work
the zone at a reduced speed.
lights on the front and back of
†
„ Use plenty of light. But don’t shine lights toward
the machines, high intensity
traffic. Some project officials have determined
discharge lighting can be added
that light towers are distracting to traffic and
to simulate daytime conditions.
rely almost solely on extra equipment lights.
Experience shows that motorists’ eyes are easily
Additional trapezoid lamps and
diverted to a light source.
drum edge lighting provide maximum illumination to the work
†
„ Stay together. Keep everyone working right
around the paver, where there are lights. That
surface around the machine.
might mean going slower, but the improved
Balloon lights are becomsafety is worth it.
ing popular due to their ability
†
„ Even with vests, sometimes drivers can’t see
to provide glare-free lighting.
you. Stay in the light.
The diffused light is softer than
†
„ Signage and message boards usually make
traditional tower lights, and there
flaggers unnecessary on high-volume highway
is no reflection of the ground or
projects. If flaggers are necessary, it’s important
equipment. And because they
to light them well.
cast no shadows, construction
workers and drivers are not
blinded if they look directly at them. The lights also
are highly transportable and have no outriggers
to set, masts to crank or lights to position. When
mounted to a piece of equipment, they easily move
with the job.
7
Of course, traditional light towers are still
a popular source of light because they provide a
wide area of light coverage, plus you can tilt them
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
to illuminate other areas.
IN NEVADA
Step by step
New phase of Carson City freeway
t
New Koontz Lane Bridge
over Carson Freeway
he next phase of the Carson City freeway will cost $7.5 million. This phase of construction,
which does not include an extension of the freeway, will involve erecting bridges on Clearview
Drive and Koontz Lane, which eventually will carry cars over the freeway.
Also, a portion of Colorado Street between Blue Haven Lane and Edmonds Drive in Carson
City will be permanently closed. A cul-de-sac will be constructed on Colorado Street to help ease
traffic flow.
The final phase of the freeway, which currently ends at Fairview Drive, will extend to Highway 50 on
South Carson Street. Construction on the final leg of the freeway is not expected to start until 2014.
TRAINING
Recommended performance
guideline for micro surfacing
■ Quotable
quotes:
Funny money
Money is better than poverty, if only for financial
reasons.
— Woody Allen
If you want to know what God
thinks of money, just look at
the people He gave it to.
— Dorothy Parker
Someday I want to be rich.
Some people get so rich they
lose all respect for humanity.
That’s how rich I want to be.
— Rita Rudner
I finally know what distinguishes man from other
beasts: financial worries.
— Jules Renard
However top-lofty and idealistic a man may be, he can
always rationalize his right to
earn money.
— Raymond Chandler
8
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
t
he intent of this guideline is to aid in the design,
testing quality control, measurement and payment procedures for the application of micro
surfacing.
Micro surfacing
Micro surfacing is a mixture of polymer-modified emulsified asphalt, aggregate, water and additives which are proportioned, mixed and uniformly
spread over a properly prepared surface. It can be
used in ruts, scratch courses and milled surfaces. It
is applied as a homogeneous mat which adheres to
the surface and has a skid-resistance texture. Traffic
can resume shortly after placement, usually within
an hour.
There are a number of tests that can be
performed, but not all tests are needed for every
project. For example, if the mixture to be used in
the project has a record of good performance, an
individual test could be waived.
Materials
„ Emulsified asphalt: The emulsified asphalt
should be polymer modified. The polymer
material is milled or blended into the asphalt
or emulsifier solution prior to the emulsification process. In general, 3 percent polymer
solids, based on asphalt weight, is considered
minimum.
The emulsified asphalt and emulsified
asphalt residue shall meet the requirement of
AASHTO208 or ASTM D 2397. For exceptions
to this rule see Recommended Performance
Guideline for Micro Surfacing.
„ Aggregate: The aggregate should be crushed
stone such as granite, slag, limestone, chat or
other high-quality aggregate, or a combination
„
„
„
„
of them.
The aggregate should meet agency specified
polishing values and some minimum requirement as specified in the Guideline for Micro
Surfacing.
Mineral filler: Portland cement, hydrated lime,
limestone dust, fly ash or other approved filler
can be used to improve the mixture consistency
and to adjust its properties. Other approved
filler meeting the requirements of ASTM D
242 can be used if required by the mix design.
Typical use levels are 0-3 percent and may be
considered part of the aggregate gradation.
Water: The water must be free of harmful salts
and contaminates. If the quality of the water
is in question, it should be submitted to the
laboratory with the other raw materials for the
mix design.
Additives: Additives may be used to accelerate
or retard the break/set point of the micro surfacing. Appropriate additives should be approved
by the laboratory as part of the mix design.
Laboratory evaluation
Before the works begins, the contractor needs
to submit a mix design covering the specific materials to be used in the project.
Compatibility of all materials has to be evaluated. The materials used for this evaluation need
to be consistent with those that will be used in the
project. The recommended tests are mix time, wet
cohesion, wet stripping, wet-track abrasions loss,
lateral displacement, excess asphalt by LWT sand
adhesion and classification compatibility.
To receive a copy of the booklet
Recommended Performance Guideline for Micro
Surfacing, go to the No-Brainer Mail-In Page.
HEALTH WATCH
Steps to take to reduce stress
o
ur work lives are often filled with what can
seem like unbearable amounts of stress.
And although some of those stresses are
unavoidable, there’s a lot you can do to start to
whittle those high levels of stress down to something that feels at least manageable. Here are a
few suggestions:
„ Know when to say no. That means you have
to first understand your own limits. Then set
limits on others so they don’t encroach on
your time by pressuring you to take on tasks
or responsibilities that will throw you out of
balance.
„ If possible, avoid people who consistently
stress you out. If your boss is the culprit,
you might not be able to do this. And you
can’t steer clear of everyone who inadvertently or occasionally causes you anxiety.
„
„
But you can avoid people who have a history
of leaving you feeling stressed after you’ve
tried to change the situation, and they haven’t
responded.
Don’t expose yourself to unnecessary
stresses. For instance, if you read the news
on the Internet during your break, but it leaves
you feeling tense, stop reading the news on
your break. Do something that relaxes you
instead. Go for a short walk, knit, meditate,
work a puzzle.
Learn to manage your time. Letting projects
go until the deadline is upon you will undoubtedly cause you stress. Work at a steady pace
— and don’t procrastinate. Procrastination
can affect the quality of your work and leave
you feeling anxious and strained for prolonged
periods.
■ Talking turkey
†
„ Who is not hungry at
Thanksgiving?
The turkey — he’s
already stuffed.
†
„ Why can’t you take
turkeys to church?
Because of their fowl
language.
†
„ What do hippies put on
their turkey?
Groovy.
Staying safe on Thanksgiving
w
hen you fire up the oven to roast your Thanksgiving turkey, you’re probably
not thinking about tragedy. But home fires are the most common disaster in
the United States, according to the American Red Cross — one is reported
every 79 seconds.
Cooking is the leading cause of these fires, and Thanksgiving Day is the unfortunate host of about 4,000 fires each year. The following safety tips will keep your
Thanksgiving fire-free.
„ Stay in the kitchen and keep watch while you are cooking.
„ Use a timer if you have something in the oven or are boiling or simmering
something on the stove.
„ Don’t wear loose sleeves or clothing when cooking.
„ Keep anything that can catch on fire — potholders, oven mitts — away from
your stovetop or oven.
„ Turkey fryers are extremely dangerous, and most safety organizations do not recommend
their use.
„ Make sure you have a smoke alarm installed with working batteries. Push the button every
month to check that it’s working and install new batteries at least once a year.
„ After your guests leave, do a home safety check to make sure that all candles and cigarettes are extinguished.
Whole grains reduce waistline
i
f you want to reduce your waist size, it could be
as simple as eating the right whole grain cereal
or bread.
Penn State University researchers
recently found that people who were counseled
in healthy eating and exercise lost weight,
but those who were advised to get their grain
servings from whole grains rather than refined
grains lost significantly more weight in their
abdominal region.
Foods that can be beneficial for waist circumference loss include oatmeal, whole grain cereal,
brown rice, whole wheat pasta and snacks such as
granola bars, popcorn and whole wheat crackers.
Foods in which at least 51 percent of the grain
comes from whole grains are recommended.
9
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
TRAINING
Roads Scholars step into spotlight
■ Setting course
To become a Roads Scholar
you need to complete 10
designated courses during
four years. They consist of
four required and six elective
classes. Upon completing the
requirements, you receive
a Roads Scholar certificate,
and your supervisor is notified in writing about your
achievement.
Required courses
Roadway Drainage
Tort Liability
Workplace Safety
Work Zone Safety &
Traffic Control
„
†
„
†
„
†
„
†
Course electives
(choose six)
„ Aggregate Properties &
†
Characteristics
„ Asphalt Binder
†
Technology
„ Asphalt Pavement
†
Maintenance
„ Asphalt Pavement
†
Rehabilitation
„ Avalanche Control
†
„ Design of Concrete
†
Pavements
„ Dust Control
†
„ Effective Communication
†
Skills
„ Engineering for Safety
†
„ Gravel Road
†
Maintenance
„ Leadership Techniques
†
„ Pavement Management
†
Systems
„ Road Materials
†
„ Snow & Ice Control
†
„ Soils Sampling & Testing
†
„ Summer Survival
†
„ Winter Safety
†
For information
To request registration materials or a brochure on the
Roads Scholar Program,
please contact Lisa Cody at
(775) 784-1433. You also can
reach her by fax at (775) 7841429 or by e-mail: lacody@
unr.edu.
10
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
t
here are 236 transportation personnel currently enrolled in the Roads Scholars Program. Since the
beginning of the program in 1994, 200 employees have become Roads Scholars. Among these are a
dozen of the most recent graduates; half of them are from the Reno Public Works Department, who
will be introduced to you first.
Reno Public Works graduates
Maintenance Worker III Danny
Buzzetti has been with the
agency for five years. “Challenges
on my job include dealing with
traffic while working on the streets
and repairing damaged sewer
pipes,” he says.
Danny plans to take additional T2 Center classes. “They are a great source
of information to help further my career and to do
my job more efficiently,” he contends.
With public works for four years,
Maintenance Worker I Mark
Mariucci performs various duties
including operating the sign,
crack sealing, pavement patching, right-of-way maintenance
and snow plowing.
Mark expresses concern
for the safety of his crew and the
public in work zones. “My goal is to get promoted,
and I hope what I’ve learned in T2 Center classes
will help me,” he says.
Maintenance Worker I Jimmy
Murphy, who has worked for
the department for three years,
shares the goal of getting promoted. He also wants to learn
how to run more equipment and
supervise crews.
“The biggest challenges for
me on the job are working and
dealing with all the weather and terrain conditions,”
he says. Jimmy adds that he “enjoyed and learned
much” from the T2 Center classes and recommends them to all his co-workers.
Also a Maintenance Worker I
with the agency for three years,
Jeremy Swanson does street
maintenance, crack sealing, painting and operates the sign truck.
“I take pride in my work,”
he says. “My biggest challenge is
understanding traffic control and
safety. “The T2 Center classes
have been a great learning experience.”
Daniel Tresley has been with
Public Works for four years and
performs every duty involving the
maintenance of city streets.
“My goal is to get promoted,” he says. “My challenges
on the job are solving the problems that arise within my everyday duties.”
Daniel says that the T2 Center does a “great
job” of putting on the classes.
With Public Works for 20 years, Jack Wilson is the
general supervisor for the street crews for the south
side of Reno. “My primary goal is to help my crews
“My primary goal is to help my
crews produce a quality end
product.” — Jack Wilson
Training pays off in tight times
c
utting back on employee training has a measurable downside. Budget-strapped transportation
agencies that eliminate training altogether or rely on minimal on-the-job training will see the hidden costs as the lack of technical training keeps new hires from getting up to speed quickly and
leaves other employees in a rut.
Economizing on training might save money in the short term, but over the long haul the approach
can undermine productivity and morale.
Studies show that employees energized by programs where they learn something new go back to
work with valuable ideas for getting things done more efficiently and effectively.
Targeted training also helps agencies retain good people. Researchers say one of the main reasons
valued employees move to other organizations is a lack of opportunity to learn new things and develop
and grow on the job.
TRAINING
produce a quality end product,” he
says. “Another goal of mine is to
help institute a salt brine program
for snow and ice removal.”
Jack says the most difficult
aspect of his job is working within
the budget restraints facing the
department.
“The T2 Center program,” he
maintains, “is a great way to enable employees to
work together using common information.”
“The success of the T2 Center classes
depends on the employees and how much they
want to get out of them,” he contends.
An 11-year departmental veteran,
Don Stephens is a Highway
Maintenance Worker IV in
Fernley. He is working toward
moving up to supervisor and
identifies his main job challenge
as traffic safety. “The T2 Center
classes have been very helpful to
me on the job,” he says.
NDOT graduates
With the agency for six
years, Antonio Gutierrez is
a Maintenance Worker III in
Wellington. He says that he wants
to learn all he can to advance his
career and that the T2 classes
are very helpful in this regard.
“Even when a topic was discussed that I was
familiar with, there was always some new useful
information.”
With the department for nine
years, Amy Hann works in Fallon
and is a Highway Maintenance
Worker III. “My greatest challenge
on the job is effective communication with my supervisors and
fellow workers,” she says.
Amy says her goal was to
graduate from the Roads Scholar
Program. “I’ve learned a lot from the T2 classes and
apply what I’ve learned to my job,” she says.
A Highway Maintenance worker III
in Las Vegas, Chris Hansen has
worked for the agency for three
years.
His career goal is to
become a Maintenance Manager
and recognizes that requires the
ability to deal with many different
personalities. Chris says that the
T2 Center offers good classes.
With the department for 24 years,
Maintenance Supervisor II Ren
(Buzz) Jackson works for the
department in Wells.
He says that the toughest part of his job nowadays is
dealing with the furloughs to
make certain that the supervisors
under him have the personnel
available for overtime to ensure coverage during
emergencies.
Dave Burns has worked for
the department in Las Vegas
for two years and is a Highway
Maintenance Worker III. His job
goals are to perfect his concrete
finishing skills, develop the ability
to design and construct drop inlet
boxes and gain a better understanding of concrete applications.
“I try to leave each job looking better than when it
was first installed,” he says.
Dave maintains that the T2 Center provides
a “great experience with great instructors” and provides a lot of information that relates to his job.
Web based training
t
he National Highway Institute has developed
a number of FREE Web-based trainings that
can be completed in one, two or three hours.
Whether you are working in the field, have limited
time for training or just want to improve your skills,
these courses provide a way to enhance your
knowledge in key areas. Current topics include:
„ Preventive Maintenance & Pavement
Preservation
„ Concrete Pavement Evaluation
„ Slab Stabilization & Slab Jacking
„ Partial-Depth Repairs
„ Full-Depth Repairs
„ Retrofitted Edge Drains
„ Load Transfer Restoration
„ Diamond Grinding & Grooving
„ Joint Resealing & Crack Sealing
„ Strategy Selection
Training is geared for design engineers, quality control personnel, contractors, suppliers, technicians and trades people. Projected outcomes,
continued education units and length of classes
are described on the NHI Website. Additional information on subject matter is available from christopher.newman@dot.gov.
■ New traffic
control
guidelines
The 2010 Temporary Traffic
Control Guidelines booklet
is now available. Prepared
by the Nevada T2 Center in
cooperation with NDOT, it has
been updated with the 2009
MUTCD changes.
The cost of the booklet is $5.
To order copies go to the NoBrainer Mail-In Page.
11
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
ON THE JOB
Nurturing “family relationships”
in your work environment
y
our coworkers aren’t your family, but the same rules that ensure a warm relationship with your family members apply to the workplace. Here are some guidelines for communication and respect that
will create a positive atmosphere at work:
■ HUMOR:
Bumper shtick
Some bumper stickers are
inspiring and motivational;
others not so much. Steer
clear of these vehicular
affirmations:
†
„
I assume full responsibility
for my actions, except the
ones that are someone
else’s fault.
†
„
My intuition nearly makes
up for my lack of good
judgment.
†
„
Joan of Arc heard voices,
too.
†
„
I’m just grateful that I am
not as judgmental as all
those self-righteous people around me.
†
„
Why suffer in silence while
I can still moan, whimper
and complain?
†
„
Forgiveness is cheaper
than a lawsuit. But not
nearly as gratifying.
†
„
I am at one with my multiple personalities.
†
„
I find humor in my
everyday life by looking for
people I can laugh at.
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
Respect boundaries. Understand that people have their own concepts of personal space and
privacy. Don’t assume you can open someone’s desk without her permission. Stay out of your
coworkers’ personal lives and don’t share too much of your own.
„
Keep promises. Family members and coworkers both want to
know they can depend on you. Don’t make commitments you
can’t keep. If something prevents you from doing what you’ve
said you will, be honest and explain it at once. And do everything reasonable to live up to the promises you make. You’ll build
a reputation for trustworthiness that will aid your career.
„
Don’t waste people’s time. We’re all busy with our jobs or our
chores. Although a certain amount of informal chat helps build
and maintain a friendly atmosphere, don’t overdo it, and don’t let
your coworkers waste your time on irrelevant discussions. Keep
an eye on your priorities, and other people’s, so everyone can
concentrate on getting work done.
„
Pay attention to people. No one likes to be ignored, whether it’s by your spouse reading the
paper while you’re trying to talk about your day or by a coworker checking his BlackBerry during a meeting. Give people your full attention when they’re speaking to you. Eliminate distractions. This shows you respect their time and intelligence.
12 business
skills essential
to success
„
12
„
„
Response inhibition — the ability to think
before you act.
Working memory — remembering information while you are performing complex tasks.
Emotional control — not giving in to anger,
anxiety or other counterproductive feelings.
Sustained attention — the ability to focus on
the immediate job.
Task initiation — just get started.
Planning and prioritizing — knowing what’s
important and what to do first.
Organization — having all the tools and
resources available whenever you need them.
Time management — using your time as
efficiently as possible.
Goal-directed persistence — setting goals
and moving steadily toward them.
Flexibility — the ability to adapt to changing
circumstances.
Perspective — seeing the big picture and
your role in it.
Stress tolerance — ability to deal with stress.
Job fulfillment
i
s your job fulfilling, or just a way to pay the
bills? The latest nationwide survey of more
than 500 working Americans found that for 60
percent of employees, work serves mainly to provide income to enjoy other aspects of life.
Twenty-six percent view work as a major
source of happiness and fulfillment, while just 11
percent find their jobs a major drain on their energy
and happiness.
The highest level of job satisfaction was
expressed by employees in mid-career: 30 percent
of those ages 45–54 said they felt fulfilled, compared with just 2 percent of those 18–34.
SAFETY
Roadside cheatgrass
can ignite wildfires
i
n the summer and fall, dry cheatgrass is easily ignitable
along roadsides and can fuel wildfires.
Cheatgrass fires can be started by catalytic converters on vehicles, cigarette butts, welding activities, lawn
mowers, fireworks and ricocheting bullets. Do not park your
vehicle over dry cheatgrass and properly dispose of cigarettes and matches.
Cheatgrass can be from several inches to more than 18
inches tall. Typically, it has a nodding seed head that resembles a shepherd’s crook. It is bright green in the early spring
but quickly dries out as the summer progresses. It competes
with more desirable perennial grasses for moisture because
of its winter and spring growth habit. After maturity it becomes a nuisance and a fire hazard.
If cheatgrass is near your home or workplace, remove it for at least 30 feet around all structures.
Use a lawn mower with a mulching blade or cut it with a weed eater, rake it up and remove it. Make sure
there’s a connected garden hose with a spray nozzle attached in case an accidental fire starts.
Safety edge
Precautions with
reduces accidents meth waste
w
hen a driver drifts onto the roadway
shoulder and tries to steer back onto the
pavement, the vertical pavement edge
can create a “tire scrubbing” condition that may result in over-steering. If drivers over-steer to return to
the roadway without reducing speed, they are prone
to lose control of the vehicle.
A simple and cost-effective way to promote
pavement edge safety is to:
„ Adopt a standard specification for all resurfacing projects that requires a 30-degree to 35degree safety edge. After paving, the adjacent
material is graded flush with the top of the
pavement.
„ Routinely resurface shoulders when roadways
are resurfaced and add the safety edge.
„ Maintain edge drop-off depths at 2 inches or
less on high-speed roadways.
Attach a device to the screed of the paver that
confines the material at the end gate and extrudes
the asphalt material in such a way that results in
a compacted wedge-shaped pavement edge of
approximately 30 degrees (not steeper than 35
degrees). Maintain contact between the device and
road shoulder surface and allow for automatic transition to crossroads, driveways and obstructions.
Recent research shows that nearly all drivers can recover if the roadway edge is tapered to
30 degrees from the horizontal. This durable taper
is easy to include in the paving process, provides
a safer roadway edge and a stronger interface
between the pavement and the graded material.
m
aintenance crews need to watch
along roadsides for an increasing
danger: methamphetamine waste.
The traditional method of making meth
involves some type of lab setup, filthy containers,
foul odors and high flames. In the past these labs
were often in rural areas that helped conceal the
dealers as they “cooked” their drugs. However,
portable labs can be found in urban areas, in hotel
rooms and even in cars.
Although this method is as dangerous as
ever, drug users and makers have found a much
faster, cheaper and simpler way to make meth in
small batches that can be carried in a small bag and
mixed on the run. Known as the “shake and bake”
method, it is becoming increasingly popular. Bottles
used in this type of production are being discarded
on roadsides, and are a hazard for road crews.
The batches can produce powerful explosions and release drug ingredients that must be
handled as toxic waste. Bottles that don’t explode
contain a poisonous brown or white sludge that
maintenance crews must be aware of and look for
before handling any discarded waste, particularly
two-liter bottles.
If you discover discarded bottles containing
an unknown brown or white sludge, do not open
them, pick them up, kick them, roll them over or
touch them. Leave them alone and contact your
supervisor immediately. Your supervisor should
contact law enforcement personnel with the exact
location of the possible meth waste.
■ Trivia:
Famous
stutterers
These people are famous for
having stuttered. They made
a name for themselves with
their contributions to society,
art and culture.
„
†
„
†
Aesop — Storyteller
„
†
„
†
Lewis Carroll — Novelist
„
†
Nat King Cole — Musician
„
†
Stephen Hawking —
Scientist
„
†
Thomas Jefferson –
U.S. President
„
†
James Earl Jones —
Actor
„
†
Greg Louganis —
Olympic diver
„
†
Theodore Roosevelt
— U.S. President
„
†
„
†
Carly Simon — Musician
„
†
Chris Zorich — Football
player
Clara Barton — Founder
of the American Red
Cross
Winston Churchill —
British Prime Minister
George Washington —
U.S. President
13
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
THE PRACTICAL MAN
The Practical Man tolerates no nonsense and minces few words. He doesn’t stand on formality and isn’t easily
amused. He grudgingly appears here to offer you hard-bitten practical advice to make your job easier.
Savvy superintendent develops
sturdy and eco-friendly device
i
want you to meet my good buddy Darren Skelton, Public Works Superintendent for the City of
Elko, who has come up with an ingenious way to rebuild damaged Type II traffic control barricades. Not only can this mechanical whiz save you the $135.50 cost of buying a new replacement;
his is better.
As you may know, the legs and uprights on the new Type II barricades are lightly constructed
and easily damaged. Instead of sending it to the landfill when it’s no longer usable, he strips off the
cross panels to be used again. Doing this makes Darren an eco-star in Recycle Michael’s eyes.
Taking damaged Telespar breakaway sign posts, Darren builds a new heavy duty frame for
the old six-foot panels. He then bolts the old panels to his homemade frame and slaps on new
reflective tape. Presto! My man has created a rugged, serviceable barricade.
Legs on
rebuilt barricade
Darren Skelton with rebuilt barricades
■ Trivia:
Fall Classic
It’s World Series time again;
the competition that every
baseball fan looks forward
to all summer.
What’s the “winningest”
baseball team in history?
The New York Yankees.
14
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
ON THE HORIZON
Emerging dynamics of ITS
t
he promise of intelligent transportation system
technology is the high-tech transformation of
automobile and truck travel, making it faster,
safer and more efficient, helping optimize the traffic-carrying capacity of our congested highway
infrastructure.
ITS encompasses a huge variety of applications over very wide segments of the soft-wheel
transportation sector. Examples of ITS applications
include vehicle collision avoidance technologies,
E-Z Pass and “open road” tolling, real-time traffic
and transit information, GPS equipped navigational devices, “smart” traffic signals and parking
systems, congestion pricing systems, weigh-inmotion truck inspection, electronic reservation and
payment for transportation services and advanced
traffic management systems.
Applications include improvement of traffic flow, reduction of congestion and emissions,
detection and response to highway emergencies
and warning of drivers of impending danger; also
improving freight security, provision of on-demand
travel services and the checking of registration
documents for commercial vehicles.
“Intelligent technologies are emerging to
enable transportation networks and users to
communicate with each other, improving system
performance, safety and convenience, making IT
just as important to 21st Century transportation as
airplanes, asphalt and petroleum were in the last
century,” says Samuel Palmisano, chairman and
CEO of IBM.
“The idea is simple. The traveler’s time,
safety and experience should be the initial design
point. And a system’s design point matters. What
you optimize it for — the way you envision its
end state — will determine the value it ultimately
delivers.”
No-Brainer Mail-In Page
Your Name: ___________________________________________________________________
Phone: __________________________________Fax: _________________________________
Company/Organization: __________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________
City: _________________________________________State: _________ZIP: _____________
If you have changed your address, telephone or fax number, please write them below and fax changes to (775) 784-1429
or e-mail to lacody@unr.edu.
Circle
YES where appropriate
1.
Do you want a free copy of “Paving at Night” by Asphalt Contractor? YES
2.
Do you want a free copy of “Paving Safety at Night” by Better Roads YES
3.
Do you want a free copy of “Highway Contractor: A hard day’s night paving” by Better Roads? YES
4.
Do you want to borrow a DVD Safety Basics Video by Caterpillar? YES
5.
Do you want to barrow a DVD Avoiding Runovers and Backovers by ARTBA? YES
6.
Do you want to receive the Nevada Infrastructure Concrete Conference brochure? YES
7.
Do you want to purchase the new 2010 Temporary Traffic Control Guidelines? YES
8.
Do you want to receive workshop information by e-mail? Please provide e-mail address_________________________________
The T2 Center would like to be able to communicate with you by e-mail. Do you have an e-mail address? If so, please enter it
here. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Please provide your answer to the “Road Smart Contest.” Identify the road and two nearest destinations.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
FAX this form to (775) 784-1429. Or fold it in three, close with tape and mail.
______________________________________
PLACE
STAMP
HERE
______________________________________
______________________________________
University of Nevada, Reno
T2 Center/257
Reno, NV 89557-0179
Nevada T2 Center
University of Nevada, Reno/0257
Reno, NV 89557-0257
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. Postage
PAID
Reno, NV
Permit No. 26
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Nevada Milepost
is published quarterly by the
Transportation Technology
Transfer Center at the University of Nevada, Reno. Its
purpose is to provide the latest information on transportation in a way that is useful
to local and county highway
personnel.
Nevada Milepost contains
original and rewritten material
compiled from reliable sources. It assumes no responsibility for the correctness of the
information.
The Nevada T 2 Center is
part of the nationwide Local
Technical Assistance Program. It is financed jointly by
the Nevada Department of
Transportation, the Federal
Highway Administration and
the Washoe County Regional
Transportation Commission.
Nevada Milepost
Nevada T2 Center/257
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV 89557
Ph: (775) 784-1433
FAX: (775) 784-1429
http://www.t2.unr.edu
T2 Center Staff
Maria Ardila-Coulson
Peter Sebaaly
Lisa Cody
Larry Lunz
Elie Hajj
Nevada Milepost:
Editor: Maria Ardila-Coulson
Photojournalist: Larry Lunz
Graphic Design:
KCJ Creative
16
Nevada Milepost • Fall 2010
Relive pioneer trail history at
new I-80 heritage center
m
otorists driving across Northern Nevada on Interstate 80 can stop at
the new California Trail Center at the
Hunter Interchange eight miles west of Elko to get
insight into the hardships pioneers faced 150 years
ago as they followed nearly the same route on the
old California Trail.
Phase one of the center is complete and
includes site improvements, the building and outdoor plaza with interpretive panels and relief sculptures. A limited number of exhibits also are in place.
Scheduled for completion in 2012, the main purpose
of the center is to greet motorists and let them know
the significance of the route they are traveling.
The center tells the story of the 250,000
emigrants who traveled westward to California
between 1841 and 1869 in search of free land,
gold and adventure. In 1849, the lure of instant
wealth beckoned at the end of hundreds of miles
of trail with the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in
the Sierra foothills near
Sacramento.
The deserts of the
Great Basin and the barrier of the Sierra Nevada
made the California Trail
the most difficult of all
overland trails. An important source of water, the
Humboldt River, got more
sluggish and alkaline as it
bent west and south until
it finally disappeared into
the Humboldt Sink, leaving the emigrants to face a
40-mile stretch of desert without water.
In 1869, the Union Pacific from the east and
the Central Pacific from the west connected their
rail tracks at Promontory Point in Utah. A symbolic
golden spike was struck to celebrate the union
that hailed a new and exciting way to traverse the
continent. It also signaled the demise of the wagon
trails to the West.
Although the dust from the wagons settled
long ago, the California Trail’s heritage lives on
with people who are intrigued by its history. For the
early pioneers it took 4½ months to complete the
2,000-mile journey with their oxen pulling wagons.
Later, by stagecoach the trip took 20 days and by
1869 it took only four days by rail. Nowadays by rail
it takes 41 hours, by car 72 hours and by airline 3
hours and 45 minutes.
Pictured below, the California Trail Interpretive Center