4 The Legend—November 2016
District 3 Employee News
November 2016
What’s Inside…
DDD Corner
What’s an R-Cut
Richland County Employ-
ees Lend a Helping Hand
Employee News
Get to Know...
Get to
Know… Jim Prussak
Jim, an HT2 in
Medina County,
has been with
ODOT since
2010 when he
started as a
seasonal. Medi-
na County Man-
ger, Matt Si-
mon, says, “He
is one of the
hardest working
employees in
Medina County.
An interesting
fact about Jim-
my is that he lived in San Diego for 17 years
and now works for ODOT. He is an asset to
the Medina team because he is a versa-
tile employee. He can do anything and is al-
ways willing to lend a hand when necessary.
In 2014, he received his herbicidal spraying
license. Jimmy has been a mentor for many of
the new hires and is a great role model. He is
an all-around great guy and we are grateful
to have him in Medina County.”
FAMILY: Wife, Judy and daughter, Kelcie (16)
PETS: Daisy (black lab) and Moe (guinnea pig)
HOBBIES: Gardening and hunting
BOOK LAST READ: Lonigan by Louis
L’Amour
FAVORITE MOVIE: An Officer and a Gentle-
man
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Survivor
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Red Lobster
FAVORITE WEBSITE: MSNBC
FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT: San Diego, Cali-
fornia
MY PET PEEVE IS: Red tape
FAVORITE CD ALBUM/WHAT TUNES ARE
YOU LISTENING TO: Classic Rock
THE TALENT OR SUPERPOWER I WISH I
HAD IS: To read minds
LEAST FAVORITE CHORE: Cleaning up after
the dog
IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT
MYSELF IT WOULD BE: To be taller
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Browns, Cavs,
Indians and Ohio State
FIRST JOB: Wallee Fees Poured Walls
BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: Don’t mort-
gage your future.
NOBODY KNOWS I: Worked in Dutch Har-
bor, Alaska
WHO, LIVING OR DEAD, WOULD YOU
MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Dad
New Hires
James Wyatt – HT1 - Lorain
Dana Smith – HT1 – Lorain
Hershel Ricker – HT1 – Medina
Donald Rostofer – Env. Specialist 2 – P&E
Reclassifications
Aaron Martin – HT2 to HT3C/M – Ashland
Promotions
Jerry Schlett – Trans Tech 1 – P&E
Craig Van Horn – Trans Tech 1 – P&E
Retirements
Dale Bullocks – HT1 – Lorain – 29 years
John R. Kasich
Governor
Jerry Wray
Director
Howard Huebner
District Deputy Director
Dates to Remember
11/6 Daylight Saving Time
Ends
11/11 Veterans Day (ODOT
Closed)
11/24 Thanksgiving (ODOT
Closed)
In August, when District 3 personnel discovered the replacement of an aging
10 ton bridge on State Route 113 in Erie County could possibly be delayed
this fall due to property owner restrictions, a team made up of construction
and P&E employees worked together to come up with a solution. According
to District 3 Bridge Engi-
neer, Marlin Wengerd, “I
did not want to take the
old bridge through an-
other winter.” However,
the old wooden struc-
ture provided the only
access for trucks to and
from a local orchard, so
avoiding a closure dur-
ing their harvest time
was crucial.
Construction staff reviewed
the situation with the contractor, Simonson Construction, requesting the box culvert
be moved up in the schedule with their supplier since they had originally scheduled
the work for
2017. Their
supplier was
able to accom-
modate this
request and
have the cul-
vert available
for delivery on
September 15.
(Continued on
page 2)
D3 Collaborates With Contractor and Property Owner to Replace Bridge in Record Time
The Legend District 3 Employee Newsletter
Old 10 Ton Wooden Bridge on State Route 113 in Erie County
Newly Constructed Box Culvert With Pre-cast Wingwalls
3 The Legend—November 2016 The Legend—November 2016 2
After we presented our Criti-
cal Success Factors at the lat-
est round of focus meetings,
you heard me talk about
“mapping our processes.”
Many of you asked, what is
process mapping and why
are we doing it?
The mapping process is a
simple diagram used to understand the work
flow we currently use to perform our work ac-
tivities. It gives every individual involved the op-
portunity to define:
What we as an agency do
Who is responsible for each step
To what standard the process should be
completed
How the success of the process can be
determined or measured
This will provide us the opportunity to develop
additional measures and personal goals that are
linked to our core processes to ensure we are on
track to meet Critical Success Factors.
As we complete these process maps, we will ei-
ther schedule visits or host meetings
between our process teams and
other districts, counties and work
teams in an effort to bench-
mark and identify any best
practices that we can incorporate
into our processes or provide
them with best practices to
incorporate into theirs.
Stay safe!
Butch
Traffic Team Q&A What Is an RCUT?
An RCUT is an intersection where
minor road traffic must turn right
and make a U-turn to complete a
left turn or crossing movement. Left
turns are permitted from the major
road at some locations.
Where Does an RCUT Make
Sense?
RCUTs are used along rural, high-
speed, four-lane divided highways
to maintain the integrity of the ma-
jor highway as a through route. They are also effective as a corridor treatment along
signalized routes.
What Are the Benefits of an RCUT?
RCUTs improve safety and overall roadway operations. A typical four-leg intersection has 32 conflict
points and an RCUT reduces this number to 16. Because RCUTs eliminate all crossing conflict points,
they greatly reduce all crashes and in some locations eliminate fatal and injury crashes.
Are We Implementing RCUTs in District 3?
District 3 currently has two RCUTs planned, including:
US Route 30 & State Route 603 in Ashland County
US Route 224 & Westfield Road in Medina County
For more information on RCUTs, please contact Jared Feller, District 3 Traffic Engineer, at
419.207.7058 or [email protected].
Bridge Collaboration Cont...
Once this schedule was confirmed, Dis-
trict 3 worked with Burnham’s Orchard to
schedule the work during a window of
time in September that would minimize
the impact on their operations. Luke
Wysocki, District 3 Area Engineer, added,
“I have to give Burnham’s a great deal of
credit for accommodating our construc-
tion during their harvest time.”
Simonson started the work as scheduled
on September 7. The box culvert was ac-
tually delivered a day early on September
14. The contractor also utilized pre-cast
wingwalls to expedite the remaining con-
struction once the box culvert was set. The
weather was favorable throughout construc-
tion, which allowed the work to be completed on time and the road re-opened within 21 days as
promised to Burnham’s and the public.
“This is a good example of teamwork between ODOT, the contractor and local property owners
on the coordination and construction of one of our projects,” explained Mike Fair, District 3
Construction Administrator.
Kudos to Richland County Employees for Lending a Helping Hand
On October 7, employees from the
Lexington Outpost and Richland County
Garage gathered at Keith and Melissa
Brokaw’s home to cut trees, split and stack
wood for them for the winter. Keith, an
HT2 in Richland County, was injured on
the job this summer. After filling his out-
door wood burner and shed with wood
for the winter, everyone enjoyed a deli-
cious picnic. Many thanks to you all!
Left to right: Ben Rayl, Craig Brokaw, Colton Acevski,
Keith Brokaw, Matt Dailey, Dave Shaffer, Melissa
Brokaw, Ted Stone, Steve Haip, Brett Wirick and up
front, Boone Mayes. (not pictured: Jeanie Burows,
Denny Vanhouten and Brenda Mayes)
Approach View of New Structure on State Route 113 in Erie County
3 The Legend—November 2016 The Legend—November 2016 2
After we presented our Criti-
cal Success Factors at the lat-
est round of focus meetings,
you heard me talk about
“mapping our processes.”
Many of you asked, what is
process mapping and why
are we doing it?
The mapping process is a
simple diagram used to understand the work
flow we currently use to perform our work ac-
tivities. It gives every individual involved the op-
portunity to define:
What we as an agency do
Who is responsible for each step
To what standard the process should be
completed
How the success of the process can be
determined or measured
This will provide us the opportunity to develop
additional measures and personal goals that are
linked to our core processes to ensure we are on
track to meet Critical Success Factors.
As we complete these process maps, we will ei-
ther schedule visits or host meetings
between our process teams and
other districts, counties and work
teams in an effort to bench-
mark and identify any best
practices that we can incorporate
into our processes or provide
them with best practices to
incorporate into theirs.
Stay safe!
Butch
Traffic Team Q&A What Is an RCUT?
An RCUT is an intersection where
minor road traffic must turn right
and make a U-turn to complete a
left turn or crossing movement. Left
turns are permitted from the major
road at some locations.
Where Does an RCUT Make
Sense?
RCUTs are used along rural, high-
speed, four-lane divided highways
to maintain the integrity of the ma-
jor highway as a through route. They are also effective as a corridor treatment along
signalized routes.
What Are the Benefits of an RCUT?
RCUTs improve safety and overall roadway operations. A typical four-leg intersection has 32 conflict
points and an RCUT reduces this number to 16. Because RCUTs eliminate all crossing conflict points,
they greatly reduce all crashes and in some locations eliminate fatal and injury crashes.
Are We Implementing RCUTs in District 3?
District 3 currently has two RCUTs planned, including:
US Route 30 & State Route 603 in Ashland County
US Route 224 & Westfield Road in Medina County
For more information on RCUTs, please contact Jared Feller, District 3 Traffic Engineer, at
419.207.7058 or [email protected].
Bridge Collaboration Cont...
Once this schedule was confirmed, Dis-
trict 3 worked with Burnham’s Orchard to
schedule the work during a window of
time in September that would minimize
the impact on their operations. Luke
Wysocki, District 3 Area Engineer, added,
“I have to give Burnham’s a great deal of
credit for accommodating our construc-
tion during their harvest time.”
Simonson started the work as scheduled
on September 7. The box culvert was ac-
tually delivered a day early on September
14. The contractor also utilized pre-cast
wingwalls to expedite the remaining con-
struction once the box culvert was set. The
weather was favorable throughout construc-
tion, which allowed the work to be completed on time and the road re-opened within 21 days as
promised to Burnham’s and the public.
“This is a good example of teamwork between ODOT, the contractor and local property owners
on the coordination and construction of one of our projects,” explained Mike Fair, District 3
Construction Administrator.
Kudos to Richland County Employees for Lending a Helping Hand
On October 7, employees from the
Lexington Outpost and Richland County
Garage gathered at Keith and Melissa
Brokaw’s home to cut trees, split and stack
wood for them for the winter. Keith, an
HT2 in Richland County, was injured on
the job this summer. After filling his out-
door wood burner and shed with wood
for the winter, everyone enjoyed a deli-
cious picnic. Many thanks to you all!
Left to right: Ben Rayl, Craig Brokaw, Colton Acevski,
Keith Brokaw, Matt Dailey, Dave Shaffer, Melissa
Brokaw, Ted Stone, Steve Haip, Brett Wirick and up
front, Boone Mayes. (not pictured: Jeanie Burows,
Denny Vanhouten and Brenda Mayes)
Approach View of New Structure on State Route 113 in Erie County
4 The Legend—November 2016
District 3 Employee News
November 2016
What’s Inside…
DDD Corner
What’s an R-Cut
Richland County Employ-
ees Lend a Helping Hand
Employee News
Get to Know...
Get to
Know… Jim Prussak
Jim, an HT2 in
Medina County,
has been with
ODOT since
2010 when he
started as a
seasonal. Medi-
na County Man-
ger, Matt Si-
mon, says, “He
is one of the
hardest working
employees in
Medina County.
An interesting
fact about Jim-
my is that he lived in San Diego for 17 years
and now works for ODOT. He is an asset to
the Medina team because he is a versa-
tile employee. He can do anything and is al-
ways willing to lend a hand when necessary.
In 2014, he received his herbicidal spraying
license. Jimmy has been a mentor for many of
the new hires and is a great role model. He is
an all-around great guy and we are grateful
to have him in Medina County.”
FAMILY: Wife, Judy and daughter, Kelcie (16)
PETS: Daisy (black lab) and Moe (guinnea pig)
HOBBIES: Gardening and hunting
BOOK LAST READ: Lonigan by Louis
L’Amour
FAVORITE MOVIE: An Officer and a Gentle-
man
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Survivor
FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Red Lobster
FAVORITE WEBSITE: MSNBC
FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT: San Diego, Cali-
fornia
MY PET PEEVE IS: Red tape
FAVORITE CD ALBUM/WHAT TUNES ARE
YOU LISTENING TO: Classic Rock
THE TALENT OR SUPERPOWER I WISH I
HAD IS: To read minds
LEAST FAVORITE CHORE: Cleaning up after
the dog
IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT
MYSELF IT WOULD BE: To be taller
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Browns, Cavs,
Indians and Ohio State
FIRST JOB: Wallee Fees Poured Walls
BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: Don’t mort-
gage your future.
NOBODY KNOWS I: Worked in Dutch Har-
bor, Alaska
WHO, LIVING OR DEAD, WOULD YOU
MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Dad
New Hires
James Wyatt – HT1 - Lorain
Dana Smith – HT1 – Lorain
Hershel Ricker – HT1 – Medina
Donald Rostofer – Env. Specialist 2 – P&E
Reclassifications
Aaron Martin – HT2 to HT3C/M – Ashland
Promotions
Jerry Schlett – Trans Tech 1 – P&E
Craig Van Horn – Trans Tech 1 – P&E
Retirements
Dale Bullocks – HT1 – Lorain – 29 years
John R. Kasich
Governor
Jerry Wray
Director
Howard Huebner
District Deputy Director
Dates to Remember
11/6 Daylight Saving Time
Ends
11/11 Veterans Day (ODOT
Closed)
11/24 Thanksgiving (ODOT
Closed)
In August, when District 3 personnel discovered the replacement of an aging
10 ton bridge on State Route 113 in Erie County could possibly be delayed
this fall due to property owner restrictions, a team made up of construction
and P&E employees worked together to come up with a solution. According
to District 3 Bridge Engi-
neer, Marlin Wengerd, “I
did not want to take the
old bridge through an-
other winter.” However,
the old wooden struc-
ture provided the only
access for trucks to and
from a local orchard, so
avoiding a closure dur-
ing their harvest time
was crucial.
Construction staff reviewed
the situation with the contractor, Simonson Construction, requesting the box culvert
be moved up in the schedule with their supplier since they had originally scheduled
the work for
2017. Their
supplier was
able to accom-
modate this
request and
have the cul-
vert available
for delivery on
September 15.
(Continued on
page 2)
D3 Collaborates With Contractor and Property Owner to Replace Bridge in Record Time
The Legend District 3 Employee Newsletter
Old 10 Ton Wooden Bridge on State Route 113 in Erie County
Newly Constructed Box Culvert With Pre-cast Wingwalls