ODOT has taken a very aggressive roll to keeping everyone safe while maintaining Ohio’s roads and infrastructure which allows necessary and important supplies to move throughout the state. During this time it’s important to know where to look for more information about ODOT’s response.

1) E-mail updates from Central Office (ODOT Messenger) and District 12 Deputy Director John Picuri are sent often.

2) ODOT TV is a great resource for information if you do not have access to email. When messages are sent from District 12 Deputy Director John Picuri they will be posted on ODOT TV shortly after. In addition there are frequently asked questions and answer slides to help clear up any confusion. Make sure the volume is turned up on your ODOT TV’s as the Director’s video messages are played.

3) Sign up to receive ASAP alerts via text message to your cell phone. All of Director Marchbanks’s video messages and ODOT Messenger are sent out through the ASAP Text Alerts.

4) Visit www.coronavirus.ohio.gov for lots of good information like: latest developments, Govenor DeWine’s latest orders, stay at home information, resources for parents and families, checklists, resources for economic support, news releases, how you can prevent and prepare, coping with COVID-19 anxiety, and guidelines for educations and childcare.

IN THIS ISSUE: A Message from the DDD, Kudo’s, Construction Project Wins Award, Mike Moriarty Shares the Blues and more...

Crews from the Riveredge Garage Sweep the Shoulder of I-71

COMMUNICATING WITH THE PEOPLE OF DISTRICT 12April 2020 VOLUME XX, ISSUE IV

DispatchDispatch

Where to Get Updates on ODOT’s and Ohio’s Response to COVID-19

AprilAprilApril 22

Work Zone Awareness WeekApril 12 EasterApril 20-24

Earth Day

PAGE 2 April 2020

The State of Ohio, under Governor DeWine’s leadership, has been leading the entire country in the response to COVID-19. As we are currently positioned in the middle of a ‘Stay at Home’ order for all Ohioans, ODOT District 12 has the very unique responsibility of continuing to provide a safe and reliable highway system to the hardest hit region of Ohio. Essential services are counting on us, the food supply chain is counting on us, the medical equipment supply chain is counting us, our medical professionals and first responders who need to get to work on the front lines are counting on us to do our jobs so they can do theirs. A very important recovery effort is on the horizon and that’s why we need to keep planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining our infrastructure during this most challenging time. We will soon be counted on to play a major role in our state’s economic recovery. That’s why it’s so important that we keep our focus and vision on what’s coming next. What we do now and in the months ahead will set the stage for our families, friends, and neighbors recovery moving forward. I want to thank you for your dedication to our mission, resilience during a trying time, sacrifice at both work and home, cooperation in keeping each other safe and trust in how we have worked to respond to this unprecedented event. As we look to turn the corner on this pandemic, stay vigilant, stay safe, and stay healthy.

John Picuri

District 12 Construction Project Wins Multiple Awards

A Message from the District Deputy Director

Amanda McFarland

Left - A Ohio Department of Health trailer is loaded with COVID-19 PPE equipment and is then delivered by an ODOT truck. Bottom- Districts 3,6, and 7 have been called on to transport essential supplies to all 88 counties.

The Broadway Avenue Bridge project (also known as CCG6B) took home some hardware in early March for their partnering efforts and bridge design. At the Conaway Conference, the team was awarded Honorable Mention for their partnering on this complex bridge construction project. You can view a video of the team that was played at the conference to learn more about their efforts, https://tinyurl.com/tm75oy6. The Association for Bridge Construction and Design (ABCD) awarded the team the Outstanding New Short Span Bridge for 2020. Congratulations to the ODOT team, Dave Lastovka, Erik Zippay, and now retired Scott Slack. These three worked very well with project designer E.L. Robinson and contractor Kokosing Construction Company to complete this project on time and just over the project’s original budget.

Scott Slack, Eric Zippay, and Dave Lastovka pictured with the designer E.L Robinson and Contractor Kokosing Construction Company

Customer & Co-worker KudosPAGE 3April 2020

Congrats to Noah Enano, Traffic Signal Tech at District

Congratulations New Fulltime EmployeeThey both have successfully completed their probation and are now a fulltime employee.

In the fall of 1989, Ohio introduced its Adopt-A-Highway program after a group of Ohioans traveling through Texas saw the blue and white signs and the litter free roads. Twenty years later, the SouthWest Unitarian Universalist Church adopted a stretch of highway at I-71 and U.S. 42. For more than a decade, this committed group of volunteers has been clearing litter and debris from their area, helping to alleviate some of the constant work ODOT does to keep its highways clear. From 2009, the year the church adopted its highway, through 2018, ODOT spent $40 million on cleaning up litter and picked up 3.8 million bags of trash. The church initially was interested in the free advertising they would receive from their Adopt-A-Highway sign, but as time went on it grew to mean much more. “The most rewarding part for me is seeing how much we can do to beautify an outdoor space in a relatively short amount of time,” said the group’s organizer Susan Paxson. “When I drive by areas of the highway [that do not have volunteers] I think, ‘They need an Adopt-A-Highway group here.’”

Ohio currently has over 1,500 groups with at least one group in each county. Litter is not just a key issue at ODOT, but is a concern for many citizens. “I hate trash,” church member, and volunteer, Joel Neilsen said. “I really wish more people were bothered by [litter] as much as I am because then there would be far less of it in the world, but the next best thing is to just pitch in and clean some of it up.” For more information on Ohio’s Adopt-A-Highway program, visit: transportation.ohio.gov and search ‘Adopt-A-Highway.’

Adopt-A-Highway group shares their 11-year experience

Isaac Hunt

Southwest Unitarian Universalist Church Adopt-A-Highway group.

Congrats to Tim Spangler, Highway Technician at Geauga County

Mike DeWineGovernor

John Picuri, P.E.District Deputy Director

Jack Marchbanks, Ph.D.ODOT Director

THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

PAGE 4 April 2020

This winter started with bold ideas to increase the use of salt brine and decrease the amount of salt used while plowing the roads. How did we do?District 12 used 27.7% less salt this

year compared to last year.District 12 increased its brine use

by 582%Good Job!!

While at work, Michael Moriarty, a Transportation Engineer 3, reviews and inspects culvert data for ODOT District 12. In his free time, he reviews and inspects the latest blues’ albums to get prepared for his weekly radio show at WJCU, “The Blue Room.” Two years ago, around the same time he transitioned from a Project Manager in planning and engineering to his current position, Moriarty started “The Blue Room” after a call from one of his friends. “A good friend of mine hosts the show before me, and called me up one day,” Moriarty said. “We’re both really into music, and he said there was an opening after his show. I called the program manager later on and they hooked me up.”

The late-night show runs from 11:30 p.m. on Fridays through 2 a.m. Saturday, and features 60s and 70s rock and all kinds of blues music. “I try to keep up on the newer blues as well

as playing the old stuff like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson,” Moriarty said. “I grew up listening to 60s and 70s rock, which was influenced by the blues. That led me to getting into blues more lately.” While sticking to the classics in rock (The Beatles are a favorite of his), Moriarty ventures out in the Blues scene to find new and interesting artists to share to his audience. “I go to a lot of shows and do a lot of research about the blues,” he said. “If I hear something I like, I add it to my show.” Moriarty also reads news reports to find the latest albums that are in the current top 50,

listening to songs on YouTube to see if he should purchase to play on “The Blue Room.” A true labor of love, all the time spent preparing and hosting the show is volunteer. And all the songs played were purchased by Moriarty. The opportunity to share music from the John Carroll campus is worth all the work. “There’s a lot that goes into a show every week,” Moriarty said. “But it’s a lot of fun and I enjoy it a lot.” While the show has been going for almost two years, there is still a lot to develop moving forward. Moriarty currently takes calls and requests, and gives out tickets for shows and concerts every now and then, but as time goes on the show will start to welcome in some live acts to play acoustic numbers and talk about their career. “I’ve designed my own logo and printed my own T-shirts,” he said. “It would be much more difficult and taxing to put a show together every week and oraginze songs into a playlist if it wasn’t something I loved so much.” You can listen to Moriarty on “The Blue Room” every Friday at 11:30 p.m. on WJCU on the radio at 88.7 FM or stream the show at WJCU.

Michael Moriarty Shares the Blues Over the Airwaves

Isaac Hunt

2019-2020 Snow and Ice Wrap Up

2018

-2019

Salt - 41,944 TonsBrine- 110,855 Gal.

Salt - 11,691 Tons

Brine- 13,520 Gal.

Salt - 23,054 Tons

Brine- 5,125 Gal.

2019

-2020

Salt - 27,790 TonsBrine- 446,301 Gal.

Salt - 17,174 Tons

Brine- 54,100 Gal.

Salt - 10,518 Tons

Brine- 253,860 Gal.