From Tech Transfer Newsletter, Summer 2008 » printer-friendly

Unique Perspectives on Transportation in California

As California transportation professionals, we are a varied lot. We see vastly different things on the job each day and work with different materials than one another. We each have a "unique perspective" on transportation in California, and it's often one that others don't get to see.

Several months ago, the Technology Transfer Program solicited photographs depicting your views on transportation in California. The response was powerful. We received incredible photos from all corners of the state that featured very unique takes on our transportation system. See for yourself.

First Place : Bay Bridge

John Feist
County of Santa Barbara, Public Works, Roads Engineering, Santa Maria, CA

This photo depicts the East Span of the San Francisco-Bay Bridge as seen from Yerba Buena Island. The bridge currently spans 8.4 miles and is composed of suspension, tunnel, cantilever, and truss elements. The Bay Bridge is currently undergoing a major seismic retrofit, which will bring it up to today's transportation standards. The East Span (depicted in the right side of this photo) will be demolished and replaced with a concrete-pier supported skyway and a self-anchored suspension span.

Second Place : Sundial Bridge

Lorraine Lerman
Federal Transit Administration, San Francisco, CA

This is one small angle of the pedestrian bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava in Redding, California. It crosses the Sacramento River without disturbing the salmon runs in the river. It is a focal point for the community; open until midnight in the summer, it draws locals and tourists alike.

Third Place : The Sierras

Bradley Larson
Caltrans District 9, Maintenance Engineering, Bishop, CA

This view of the Sierra Nevada mountain range from Highway 395 outside of Bishop, California captures the beauty that accompanies the challenge of maintaining roads in Caltrans District 9. Located on the eastern side of the Sierras, the area ranges from alpine settings and the Sierra Nevadas to the low deserts and valleys. These extremes present many challenges in designing, building, and maintaining streets, roads, and highways. Highway 395, which today is composed almost entirely of four-lane expressways, follows the general alignment of the old wagon trail and some Native American routes through the area.

Honorable Mention : Cave Creek

W. Park Steiner
Mendocino County, Department of Transportation, Environmental Compliance, Ukiah, CA

Rural roads offer essential links to remote locations and often provide access to natural areas of unparalleled beauty. The Mendocino County Department of Transportation maintains 1,018 miles of roads with unique challenges resulting from unstable soils, steep gradients, storm damage, and long distances from maintenance yards. Tomki Road is an unpaved link between back areas and is occasionally used as an alternate route when landslides cause Highway 101 to close. The road is less than 12 miles long, but crosses a salmon-bearing stream nine times. Water quality and endangered species are ongoing considerations.

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