Caltrans District 4 won several major awards at the recent California Transportation Foundation awards ceremony, held in Sacramento on June 4.

The CTF awards, known as “Trannys,” are among the most prestigious transportation awards in California. Since 1998, the CTF has given out the Trannys in honor of the most significant and challenging transportation projects in the state. All transportation agencies — federal, state, and local — are eligible, along with private industry.

This year, District 4 won the following:

• Project of the Year — The new Benicia-Martinez Bridge. Shared with Kiewit Pacific Company, T.Y.Lin International, CH2MHill, FCI Constructors, Bay Area Toll Authority, and Earth Mechanics. The new, five-lane bridge spanning the Carquinez Strait opened to traffic in August, 2007. The new bridge features boothless, “open-road” Fastrak tolling, and a new toll plaza. All northbound traffic now uses the new bridge.

For photos of the new bridge, visit www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/photography/images/070515c/.

• Traffc Operations Project of the Year — Commuter Travel Time Information System. Shared with San Mateo County Transportation Authority, Bay Area Rapid Transit, and California Center for Innovative Transportation. The system uses state of the art technology to calculate travel times between cities, train stations, and other destinations along U.S. Highway 101 in San Mateo County. The travel times are then posted on overhead electronic message signs, enabling motorists to make decisions based on real-time information.

• Major Structure Project of the Year — Bay Bridge Seismic Retrofit Roll-In. Shared with C.C. Myers Inc. Over the Labor Day weekend, the East Span of the Bay Bridge was shut down completely to demolish a three-hundred foot section of highway just east of the Yerba Buena Tunnel. As the demolition proceeded, a prefabricated, seismically-improved section of highway sat on rollers next to the demolition area. Once the old roadway was demolished, the new roadway was rolled into place. The work finished eleven hours early, and traffic was back on the bridge before the holiday weekend ended.

For a time-lapse view of the project, visit www.mtc.ca.gov/news/info/movies/bay_bridge_video_9-07.htm.

• Public Outreach Program of the Year — I-880/580 Maze Rebuild Public Outreach. Shared with Metropolitan Transportation Commission and City of Oakland. Almost immediately after the Maze collapse, District 4 Public Information instituted daily media briefings in the District Office, and also was available for live interviews during the morning and evening news programs. District 4’s Executive Staff remained in close contact with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, who in turn regularly updated all Bay Area cities and counties. District 4’s Executive Staff also worked very closely with the City of Oakland to coordinate the detours through the streets of Oakland, and to minimize the inconvenience to West Oakland residents. As a result of the outreach, public transit ridership spiked, and the expected traffic nightmare failed to materialize.

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