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October 23, 2018

SDDOT Pavement Marking Conference By Christina Bennett, Operations Traffic Engineer

In May of this year, the SDDOT hosted a joint Pavement Marking Conference for the South Dakota and Wyoming DOTs. The conference was held at the Springhill Suites in Deadwood and was attended by 30 SDDOT employees and 33 WYDOT employees, which included pavement marking crew members and traffic personnel from each state. WYDOT had representation for all 10 of their striping crews from the 5 districts in the state, which meant an 11-hour one-way drive for some.

In 2014, the SDDOT had begun holding a pavement marking conference every other year as a way for the striping crews from all four of the Regions to get together to share ideas, learn from each other and industry professionals, and to reinforce the importance of what they do for the state as well as the department. It was during a visit to the WYDOT Traffic Management Center during the Innovation Scan tour in 2017 that staff from both states started talking about holding a joint conference to share knowledge with our neighboring states.

The conference aligns with the major theme of the Performance Evaluation Network evaluation regarding the opportunity to develop systematic processes that includes cycles of evaluation and improvement utilizing existing data and information. In fact, the agenda for the conference included an overview of pavement marking operations in each state, a roundtable discussion where each crew gave an update of the past year’s operations, including any successes they wanted to share or issues they wanted feedback on from the group, and then an Opportunities for Improvement session where we went around the room and the attendees identified something they learned from the other state’s operations, something they plan to take home and apply to their operations, and any ideas for how we can improve our operations in

the areas of safety, efficiency, and better markings.

Crews from South Dakota and Wyoming also brought their striping trucks to the DOT Maintenance Shop in Deadwood, where we spent one part of the afternoon checking out the equipment, performing some calibrations, and doing a hands-on question and answer session with a technical service representative for the equipment manufacturer.

An evaluation form was handed out to the attendees after the last session. A total of 59 evaluation forms were turned in (93.7% of those present). One of the questions was, “Did you gain anything you could apply in your job?” They could circle yes or no and 57 circled yes and 2 left the question blank. How the attendees rated the conference is shown in the Figure below. The conference was a great success, with many attendees telling us how much they liked it, including some who went in to it thinking they could be out striping instead of

sitting in a conference! There was also a desire to host something again with our neighboring states,

perhaps in Wyoming and perhaps including other DOTs in the area.

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Mentoring Corner Upcoming Mentoring Events:

Mentoring Program Kickoff – October 30, 2018 (9am – 4pm)

Extra Mile Mentoring Book Club – November 28, 2018 (11am – 2:30pm)

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Missed the Mentoring Boat…Catch the Energy Bus by June Hansen, Mentoring Program Co-Coordinator

One of the books from last year’s book club was “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon. Full disclosure, I only skimmed the book and missed the actual discussion due to another meeting. I heard a lot of positive comments about the book from those that attended and have no doubt that Jeff Senst led a lively discussion. He rocks book club.

The book’s “10 Rules for the Ride of your Life” really hit home for me. I am extremely fortunate to do a lot of “other duties as assigned” like mentoring. I couldn’t imagine being on the mentoring bus without applying these 10 rules. Why do something like mentoring if you’re not going to enjoy the ride.

Every day at the DOT should be an adventure not a chore. It’s easy to get bogged down in deadlines and red tape. That’s when you need tap into energy bus’s philosophy.

Also, in full disclosure I spent five years of my DOT career being miserable every day and thinking it was everyone else’s fault that I was miserable doing a job I really didn’t enjoy…okay I hated it. It wasn’t until I realized I was the one making myself miserable and sucking the life out of those around me with my negative attitude that I got my act together. I quit feeling sorry for myself and started figuring out the way to get where I wanted to go was to do my job to the best of my ability with a positive attitude. I got on the energy bus and didn’t even realize I’d done it. But it made a dramatic difference in how I looked at the DOT and my job at that time. It wasn’t long after that I transferred to the job I have now which is a job I love. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that I got the job opportunity after I got onboard the energy bus. I doubt I would have stood a snow ball’s chance in Hawaii of getting the job I have now if I’d stayed in that negativity spiral.

Get the energy vampires out of your life. Jump onboard the energy bus and enjoy the ride! Life’s too short not to have fun along the way.

Tips from Finance By Brandy Hansen

Batch Load – Do you know how to update an employee’s address? If the person who handles travel vouchers notices an

employee’s address on their travel detail does not match with the voucher they need to update the batch load system

with the employee’s new address. You can do that by going into your travel template for the employee, right click, edit

employee, then click Get Vendor Information. This will bring in the most current address in Employee Space. If the em-

ployee hasn’t updated Employee Space then you will not be able to update it in batch load. This step should help avoid a

returned voucher.

For any questions, please contact Brandy at 773-5615

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Leave Home an Average Joe, Come Home a GIS Nerd By Roger Brees

Every October there is an opportunity to become more knowledgeable and better connected in the Geosciences and GIS fields. That opportunity is the Black Hills Digital Mapping Association (BHDMA) fall conference.

The BHDMA originated in the early 1990's because of a need for the development of digital data in the Black Hills. Geographic Information System (GIS) base data layers were desired, and coordination and sharing of funds between local counties, the state, the US Forest Service, and the USGS enabled the creation of these digital products. Out of this collaboration, a group of like-minded but diverse people and organizations saw the need to get together every year and learn what is new in technology, geoscience policy, and applications. The BHDMA conference has grown from an informal one-day meeting of peers and vendors to a full two days of training, workshops, and presentations.

The conference is unique, as there is nothing like it in or around South Dakota. This year the conference will feature presentation topics on mobile laser scanning, UAS applications, drone imagery, mobile data collection, and more. Training opportunities include ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and how to use AutoCAD data in ArcGIS. Join us on October 23 and 24 in Rapid City.

Conference registration is open right now. Workshops and sessions count towards Professional Development (PD) hours and GIS certification. Visit the conference website to see what is in store for this year and what you might want to be part of.

7,000 Action Plan Ideas by Megan Steever

There are currently an estimated 60,000 suggestions to improve various DOT processes, 4,500 different opinions on how to improve safety, and 16 action plan ideas to improve public meetings. It’s overwhelming. Really, where do you start? How do you organize all the ideas out there about ways to improve design and procedures manuals for instance? In such a large organization with so many moving parts, it can be difficult.

When the Innovation Team initiated a project to improve design and procedure manuals in the P&E Division that is a question we had to answer because we didn’t just receive one idea….. we received multiple requests for new pro-cedures documents, new design manuals, and updates to existing manuals. We can’t do them all at once and cer-tainly not alone, so we had to find a way to look at needs on a division-wide level and systematically prioritize them. In doing so, we were able to identify redundancies, include everyone in the conversation, and provide management a tool for easy decision-making.

This month the Innovation Team would like to Highlight the Design and Procedures Manual Project. Please read Scott Rabern’s article about how the P&E Division aligned all these ideas into a common set of goals and what’s next.

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Highlight Innovation: Design and Procedures Manual by Scott Rabern

After the Design and Procedures Manual topic was identified as one to pursue and move forward with, a Project Team (aka Team) of staff from across the Planning and Engineering Division was formed. The team members include the following staff:

• Mike Behm – Division Director of P& E – Project Champion

• Megan Steever – Road Design – Team Project Leader

• Chad Howard – Materials & Surfacing – Team Project Leader

• Shea Lemmel – Materials & Surfacing – Team Project Leader

• Shane Carnahan – Right-of-Way

• Melissa Dockter – Road Design

• Thomas Druyvestein – Bridge Design

• Jennie Fuerst – Project Development

• Paula Huizenga – Administration Office of Local Governments

• Steve Kerr – Bridge Design

• Ken Marks – Inventory Management

• Scott Rabern – Materials & Surfacing

• Karen Olson – Road Design

• Claire Peschong – Project Development

The Team first met in October of 2017 and continued to meet over the next number of months. The Team was tasked with developing a list of design and procedures manuals for the P & E Division. This list was not just a list of current design and procedures manuals, it also included a list of any design and procedures manuals that might not be available but would be helpful and desired by staff. The Team went back to their program staff and work groups and requested input on what staff felt would be beneficial and needed to perform their work as efficiently as possible. The Team put all this information into a comprehensive list of ideas. The list contained existing manuals and potential new manuals, along with a variety of information including the responsible staff or owners, the estimated time to update or develop these documents and the locations where the documents are stored.

The Team then met to review and discuss that comprehensive list of current and potential manuals. The result was a list of recommended priorities the Team thought would most benefit the P&E Division and the Department. As part of this process, the Team also put together a high-level outline and workflow for developing design and procedure documents. It included information on the steps involved in developing a document such as consideration of stakeholders, input from subject experts, preliminary reviews, final reviews, publication and future updates and it can be used by others as a guide when working on these types of documents. Guidance documents are available at M:\DOT\Common\Innovation\Design and Procedures Manuals\Guidance Document and M:\DOT\Common\Innovation\Design and Procedures Manuals\Process

In May 2018, the Team met with the program managers from P&E to discuss what had been identified as priorities, go through the recommendations and receive input and feedback to create an updated the list of priorities for the P&E Division’s design and procedures manuals.

So what’s next? Well, now is the hard part. Creating or updating design and procedures manuals is a huge commitment. It takes time and available resources. Over time, the offices that have identified priorities will be asked to work on creating or updating those documents. Some will take longer than others, but the priorities have been established and we will be moving forward toward reaching these goals. In the end, the Department will benefit with more efficient production and more informed staff.

The latest list of priorities that were identified by the process can be viewed at M:\DOT\Common\Innovation\Design and Procedures Manuals\Manuals Processes Procedures List and Recommendations.xlsx. The list is sorted by office and identifies those manuals with High Priority.

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Bridge Improvement Grants by Doug Kinniburgh, office of Administration

In 2015, the South Dakota Legislature created the Bridge Improvement Grant (BIG) fund that provides $7 million for local government bridges derived from an increase in license plate fees. In addition, the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) adds $8 million in state funds, for a total of $15 million annually available in the bridge grant program.

“Funding for the BIG program is not intended to be used for expansion of infrastructure with creation of new routes on new alignments but rather for the preservation or restoration of access of the existing system,” says Mike Behm, director of Planning and Engineering.

What structures qualify for the grants? First and foremost, check to see if the structure meets the official definition of a bridge as per S.D. Codified Law 31-14-1: “A structure, including supports, erected over a depression or an obstruction, as water, highway, or railway, the structure having a length measured along the center of the roadway of more than twenty feet between undercopings of abutments or extreme ends of openings for multiple boxes and pipes where the clear distance between openings is less than half of the smaller contiguous opening.”

If it does meet the definition, then the next question is who has jurisdiction of it. In South Dakota there are five main categories of jurisdiction; federal (forest service, BIA, tribal), state (includes SDDOT and GF&P bridges), county (includes bridges on county and township roads), city, and private. The BIG program was created for only county and city use. If a city has jurisdiction, then all their “bridges” qualify for the grant program. If the county has jurisdiction, then two additional statutory requirements need to be met to qualify for the grant program; the County Commission has enacted a wheel tax and they have adopted a 5-year transportation plan as approved by the SDDOT. The remaining eligibility criteria are established annually and are at the discretion of the Transportation Commission. Examples of this type of eligibility requirement currently in place is that no consideration will be made for a grant for a bridge located on a Minimum or No Maintenance road, owner must be in full compliance with the national bridge inspection requirements, and the bridge must be shown as a need in the county’s 5-year plan.

It has been determined the bridge meets the criteria, now what kind of assistance is available?

Bridges that are in fair to excellent condition are all eligible for a preservation grant. Examples of preservation work are seal coats, guardrail repair, bank and channel protection, and/or joint repair. All bridges are eligible for a hydraulic and hydrologic study which includes an analysis and recommendation on what the preferred replacement structure is. This type of analysis is required to be eligible for a replacement grant which is reserved for the bridges in poor condition. Good news is you do not need to apply for both grants to get the bridge replaced. If desired, the local entity can get a study grant and then move forward on their own for replacement. An example of this would be where a bridge is being replaced with a smaller culvert. Likewise, some of the local entities are getting a jump start and doing the studies on their own and then applying for just the replacement grant.

Policy Updates

Links in the “Work Zone Safety and Mobility Plan Policy,” DOT-OS-OC-6.0, were updated because there is a new Work Zone Safety and Mobility Plan. If there are any questions, please contact Christina Bennett, 773-4759.

Updated policy: "Reimbursing Employee-Owned Cell Phone and Smartphone Costs, http://intapps.sd.gov/hm90Policy/PolicyDocs/DOT-S-PER-8.1.docx

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Employees: BABIES! Boone Alexander Uhrig was born on July 19, 2018, to proud parents Jana and Ross.

Weight: 6 lbs. 12 oz., 21 inches long

Joins sister Temperance and brothers Tor and Sterling

Jana is an Auditor in Internal Audits in Pierre.

Wayne Brock, Highmore, 9/23 28 years Brian Raecke, Mitchell. 9/23 31 years Michael Haaseth, Roslyn, 10/8 14 years

Employees: Longevity

Employees: New & Promotions

Melanie Paige was born Oct. 11, 2018 to Tyler and Brienne Sandal.

Weight: 8 lbs. 12 oz.

Melanie is the first grandchild of proud grammy Kristi Sandal, PIO in Pierre.

Employees: Retirements Randy Brown, Project Development 20 years Lary Andersen, Hayes 25 years Dale Albright, Clark 20 years John Forman, Pierre Region 35 years

White Buffalo, Shannon Hwy Maint Worker White River New Hire

Hoffman, Becky Engineer IV Pierre Promotion

Edgar, Dean Hwy Maint Worker Ipswich New Hire

Knodel, Ty Hwy Maint Worker Buffalo New Hire

Heidenreich, John Hwy Maint Worker Aberdeen New Hire

Jager, Hunter Hwy Maint Worker Brookings New Hire

Sharma, Pranav Engineer II Pierre New Hire

Kramer, Morgan Hwy Maint Worker Faulkton New Hire

Balcom, Levi Equipment Technician Mitchell New Hire

Currington, Jason Hwy Maint Worker Faulkton New Hire

Employees: Condolences Joel Jundt’s brother Jeff passed away Sept. 8 after a courageous battle with cancer. John 14:6 states "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me."

Richard Kahre died September 22, 2018 at his home. He had 11 years prior service before he began with the DOT in 1984. He was an Equipment Technician in Aberdeen, operating the hot plant. The plant was sold, and he became a Parts-room Assistant in Aberdeen, until his retirement in 2008.