Fall 2003 On-line at http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/Roadrunners/index-roadrunners.htm

British ColumbiaMinistry of TransportationStaff Newsletter

By Thompson-Nicola DistrictStaff

The McLure fire started July 30by a discarded cigarette near High-way 5. With no rain in more thansix weeks, the pine needles wereextremely brittle and dry, allowingthe flames to travel quickly.

Due to the amount of smoke gener-ated by the blaze, at times it was very dif-ficult for fire crews to determine the fire’sactual size. Highway 5 was closed to allbut emergency personnel as up to 1,000fire fighters struggled to contain the blaze.

To help facilitate the evacuation ofresidents in the surrounding area, theMcLure Ferry ran 24 hours a day for threeweeks. Hundreds of power poles burned,leaving towns as far away as McBridewithout full power for weeks.

Phones were dead and then intermit-tent for many days. Seventeen kilometres

Fires rage across Interior for weeksFires rage across Interior for weeksFires rage across Interior for weeksFires rage across Interior for weeksFires rage across Interior for weeks

Photo of Kamloops fire on August 1

of Schedule 2 fencing was completelyvapourized.

The concrete box beam bridge overFishtrap Creek was burned beyond repair.Many homes were completely lost in amatter of minutes as the firestorm ex-ploded up Highway 5 along the NorthThompson River.

A small fire on Wednesday eveninghad turned into a massive inferno by Fri-day, destroying the Tolko sawmill at LouisCreek and most of the homes in the area.It is a truly devastating sight, seeing theloss of people’s homes and businesses.

The Strawberry Hill fire startedin the afternoon of August 1.

The fire was only the size of apickup truck and within five to 10minutes grew to the size of a foot-ball field. The dry sage was no ri-val for the fierce fires.

This large “second fire” oc-curred along Highway 5 near Kamloops,placing many homes, ranches and graz-ing areas in the precarious position ofbeing between the fires.

Evacuation orders were issued almostimmediately by the RCMP on bullhornsannouncing: “The fire is here now! Youmust leave now!”

Both Ministry of Transportation staffand Argo staff were evacuated, and theDistrict Manager, being one of the evacu-ees, spent the night in the district parkinglot. This event caused the immediate

Continued on page 2

Submitted by DeniseBollinger

In January of 2001,after 10 years of studyand combining full-time work with nightclasses into my sched-ule, I finally completedall the requirements toenter into the Mastersof Business Adminis-tration degree program at Royal RoadsUniversity.

It took another two years of full-timeuniversity course enrollment and work-ing to successfully complete (and pay for!)this degree.

Achievement is worth the effortAchievement is worth the effortAchievement is worth the effortAchievement is worth the effortAchievement is worth the effortReceiving the de-

gree and being the re-cipient of the Univer-sity Founder’s Awardfor Leadership,Sustainability and Per-sonal Developmentwill be a memory Ishall never forget.

This final cer-emony really marks a

goal for me that has taken commitmentand sacrifice to achieve.

The RRU program is similar to otherMBA programs that offer a combinationof residential and virtual formats.

Take me away...Take me away...Take me away...Take me away...Take me away...Staff from the ministry’s West

Kootenay District gathered recentlyfor a barbecue to congratulateStephanie Gillis and wish her well onher move to Cranbrook, where she isnow an Area Manager.

Continued on page 2

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evacuation of residents in andaround the Raleigh andHeffley Creek area.

The fires came within 150feet of people’s homes. Notonly were people affected, butthe impact on the wildlife wasstaggering.

Thompson-Nicola Districtstaff worked long hours, react-ing very quickly to the chang-ing conditions.

The incident commandtraining was put to the test, andthe district incident team con-sisted of:

● Liaison Officer and alter-nate (Stew Miller andRenee Mounteney);

● Operations Chief and al-ternate (Harvey Nelsonand Julian Malinsky);

● Two Division Supervisors(Jeff Saby and VernGoodwin);

● Commander (SherryEland);

● Support Services (JoanneHarder and Dan Bader);

● Maps and Plans (PatHolt); and

● Damage Assessment per-sonnel (Jurgen Lutter andPercy Parent).

To help facilitate the evacu-ation of residents in the sur-rounding areas, both theMcLure and Little Fort ferriesoperated 24 hours a day to aidthe fire fighters.

ICS training has proved tobe remarkably beneficial as

There is also an international component to meet the grow-ing needs of organizations that deal with global issues. I at-tended my final residency in Grenoble, France, which offered acultural integration experience and a final exam, of course!

My life has definitely changed for the better, and I know it isjust the beginning because now it’s time to put this knowledgeand experience to work. There is an incredible opportunity inthese days of organizational change to help create a new andhealthy environment, wherever we are working, to be as pro-ductive as we can be and reach our potential while helping eachother.

It is a real privilege to work in an environment where thereis support and encouragement to learn and stretch our per-sonal limits. I am very thankful for all my fellow colleagues,friends and family that helped me along the way. The comple-tion of this degree is as much a result of their support as it isof the hard work and all the late nights studying.

I would be very happy to answer any questions or help findinformation for anyone else that might be interested in pursu-ing this degree. Information can also be found easily on theInternet at http://www.royalroads.ca/Channels/ or for specificbusiness programs at http://www.royalroads.ca/Channels/for+learners/prospective+learners/new+programs/default.htm.

(Continued from page 1)

Practice, flexibility & commitment keyPractice, flexibility & commitment keyPractice, flexibility & commitment keyPractice, flexibility & commitment keyPractice, flexibility & commitment keyfor ministry staff in battle against firesfor ministry staff in battle against firesfor ministry staff in battle against firesfor ministry staff in battle against firesfor ministry staff in battle against fires

staff easily fell into their roles,where work was performed asa part of an integrated, dy-namic and flexible team.

Argo, the highway mainte-nance contractor, was outswiftly, responding and assess-ing the damages. They wereextremely flexible in meetingchanging demands. As manyas 13 flagging stations and roll-ing roadblocks were in placefor three weeks. Checkpointswere manned by RCMP offic-ers to ensure only those ap-proved obtained access.Crews were quick to respondto elaborate evacuation routesand detours.

Argo volunteered theirown toll-free 1-800 number tofield calls on highway condi-tions, and an overwhelming5,000 calls were receivedwithin a few days. Argo alsobuilt a temporary bridge overFishtrap Creek so evacueesand fire fighters could gainaccess. A pat on the backshould go to Argo staff forgoing above and beyond thecall of duty, most notably TomBone, Don Lentz, KennyFriesen and Mark Stahl.

Work is under way to com-plete rock scaling along High-way 5 where the fire destroyedtrees, brush and roots, leadingto significant rock fall. Hun-dreds of dangerous trees havebeen felled by forestry crews,and more are being removedby experts working closelywith MoT, BC Hydro andTelus.

Fencing is being built toreplace the lost sections before

the fall cattle movements. Anew bridge will be built to re-place the old one we lost.

We are fortunate to live andwork among so many remark-ably giving people who as-tound us with their generos-ity. The overwhelming out-pouring of support frompeople donating their time,their property, their homes,their items and their moneywill be one of the memoriesof these fires. The thought-

fulness of people will alwayslinger.

Appreciation goes out toall other dedicated ministrystaff that worked extremelylong hours in PREOCs,MROCs and EOCs to assistin the protection of life, pro-vincial infrastructure and re-sources, and personal proper-ties. More information ontheir involvement will appearin the next issue of the RoadRunner.

Bollinger: MBA leads toBollinger: MBA leads toBollinger: MBA leads toBollinger: MBA leads toBollinger: MBA leads tolots of new opportunitieslots of new opportunitieslots of new opportunitieslots of new opportunitieslots of new opportunities(Continued from page 1)

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Customers recognizing service excellence...Customers recognizing service excellence...Customers recognizing service excellence...Customers recognizing service excellence...Customers recognizing service excellence...

The Okanagan-Shuswap District, under the leadership of now-retired District Manager of Transportation Dan Williams, received the first annual MoTCustomer Satisfaction trophy award from Assistant Deputy Minister John Dyble for achieving the ministry’s highest customer service rating for 2002.

Who better to tell us howwell we’re serving our custom-ers than our customers them-selves?

When reviewing feedbackfrom the 2002 Customer Sat-isfaction Survey, there was anumber of ministry staff that

received specific mention forproviding excellent customerservice. Individuals were pre-sented with a special fleece

vest in recognition of their ef-forts. Congratulations to ev-eryone! Keep up the goodwork.

Sharon Beck, District Clerk in WilliamsLake, receives a fleece vest from DistrictManager Todd Hubner for excellentinternal customer service.

Max Walker, Manager, DevelopmentApprovals, New Westminster,presenting a vest to Barry Eastman,Operations Manager, Chilliwack.

Dan Williams also made a presentationto Kurt Edmunds, Provincial ApprovingOfficer, Kelowna.

Rocky Mountain District recipientsAudrey Prazinak, DevelopmentApprovals Clerk, retired; Art Caldwell,Provincial Approving Officer; OlwenRighton, Development Approvals Clerk.Jean Lubrecki, former District Clerk,was also recognized.

Dan Williams, DMT, Okanagan-Shuswap, presented a vest to JeffWiseman, Operations Manager,Penticton.

Earl Lindsay, Operations Manager,presented a vest to Robin Valentine,retired Area Manager, Rossland-Castlegar.

Ross Deveau, Development ApprovalsTechnician, Victoria, proudly wears hisvest.

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Submitted by Dirk Nyland, ChiefEngineer

The Kincolith Extension Project wasa highway construction project to con-nect the Village of Kincolith, south ofthe Nass River in northwestern B.C., tothe provincial highway system. Prior toconstruction of the road, the only accessto the community was by boat or air.

The project consisted of constructionof 24 kilometres of new roadway throughsteep, rocky and environmentally sensi-tive terrain.

It was a BC Transportation Financ-ing Authority and Nisga’a Lisims Gov-ernment joint effort, with the Ministry ofTransportation acting as the deliveryagent. Canada contributed about onethird of the cost, BCTFA a little over halfthe cost, and Nisga’a Lisims Governmentcontributed the remainder. The totalproject cost was estimated at $34 million.

To ensure the project was completedon time and within budget, an “alliance”process was used to deliver the project.This was new to the Province but has

An “alliance” brings rewards and getsAn “alliance” brings rewards and getsAn “alliance” brings rewards and getsAn “alliance” brings rewards and getsAn “alliance” brings rewards and getsthe job done on the Kincolith Extensionthe job done on the Kincolith Extensionthe job done on the Kincolith Extensionthe job done on the Kincolith Extensionthe job done on the Kincolith Extension

been successfully used in otherparts of the world.

In an alliance process, ajoint team of ministry design-ers and a private sector con-struction firm, working underthe direction of a project di-rector, work together to deliverthe project.

The process allows forrapid changes to design to meetunanticipated field conditions,solve construction problemsand take advantage of innovative or al-ternate ways to construct the project. Theprocess also allows for a cash award ifthe alliance goals are met.

The use of the “alliance” process onthe Kincolith Extension Project allowedthe project to be delivered on time andwithin budget. The changes made to thedesign under this process resulted in sav-ings of an estimated $1.68 million.

The key Ministry of Transportationpersonnel on the team for road workswere Wilf Taekema, Kelly Mann, Denise

Brummell, Frank Maximchuk and ChadTenney. This summer, each received acash award of $2,000.

A key ministry support person on theproject was Kevin Baskin, and Dave St.Thomas was key to project coordination.Each received a $1,000 cash award.

All these MoT staff were commendedfor readily adapting to this new processand working closely with the construc-tion contractor staff to effectively andeconomically deliver this project. Con-gratulations on a job well done!

Kevin Baskin, Chad Tenney, Wilf Taekema, Kelly Mann andDirk Nyland

An opportunity of a lifetimeAn opportunity of a lifetimeAn opportunity of a lifetimeAn opportunity of a lifetimeAn opportunity of a lifetimeFrom June 7 to 9, Kurt

Edmunds, Provincial ApprovingOfficer, and Susan Ingram, Man-ager, Renewal Program, attendedthe Western Premiers’ Conferencein Kelowna at the Mission Hill Fam-ily Estate. In attendance were thepremiers from Canada’s four west-ern provinces and three northernterritories.

Kurt Edmunds and Susan Ingram hadan opportunity to volunteer at the con-ference. Kurt was chauffeur for the vis-iting premiers’ deputy ministers and the

press. Susan was the delegate as-sistant to the premier ofSaskatchewan.

Kurt and Susan comment: “Vol-unteering for an event of this na-ture was an opportunity of a life-time. It provided brief insight tothe work and commitment of thoseinvolved in these conferences and

meetings held at the premiers’ level. Itwas an opportunity to work with the vari-ous premiers’ support staff, executive as-sistants and protocol staff and learn thehistory of the conferences.” Kurt Edmunds and Susan Ingram at the 2003

Western Premiers’ Conference in Kelowna.

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Submitted by Sharlie Huffman,Bridge Seismic Engineer

That was the theme of this year’s Na-tional Public Service Week, June 15-21,to celebrate the commitment and contri-butions public service employees havemade and continue to make in improvingthe lives of all Canadians. On June 17and 18, trade shows at the VancouverPublic Library and the Victoria Conven-tion Centre were used to showcase thevarious federal and provincial governmentservices, initiatives, special programs andcareers that play a strong role in buildinga better future for Canada. There wereabout 50 booths at each venue. More than800 people attended the Victoria venue.

The Ministry of Transportation boothorganized and staffed by Sharlie Huffman,Bridge Seismic Engineer and AlSzczawinski, Senior Systems Technician,had posters and a running promotionalvideo on the ministry, highlighting whowe are and what we do.

The Sea-to-Sky Highway map that wason display garnered most of the interestin Vancouver. At the Victoria venue, alarge-scale model of one of the OkanaganLake Bridge concepts was added and

Proudly serving Canadians:Proudly serving Canadians:Proudly serving Canadians:Proudly serving Canadians:Proudly serving Canadians:celebrate making a differencecelebrate making a differencecelebrate making a differencecelebrate making a differencecelebrate making a difference

proved very popular. Questions rangedfrom employment opportunities toproject intentions on the Sea-to-Sky. Weeven had a few complaints about roadquality and accesses. Several people inVictoria asked about the “fixed link” tothe Mainland. We told them that such aconcept was not on the immediate hori-zon.

We were fortunate enough to get agood display frame that went togetherwith little difficulty, but practising with itbeforehand proved a good idea, afterwatching others at the show who had not!We learned that people like maps, modelsand tangible representations of projectsthat affect their area. They also like give-aways, but unfortunately we didn’t haveany. Some questions showed that thepublic has trouble knowing where ourministry jurisdiction is versus TransLink’sor that of municipalities.

Many thanks for the assistance ofheadquarters Highway Engineering staffIan Sturrock and Bruce Barnewall forheavy lifting and moving as well as SharonWilder for booth relief.

For more information and photos, goto http://www.bcpublicservice.ca.

A note from the editorA note from the editorA note from the editorA note from the editorA note from the editorMany thanks to everyone who con-

tributed to this fall issue of the RoadRunner.

The Road Runner should be all aboutthe people in the ministry, including yourwork, your life milestones and achieve-ments and your contributions to yourcommunities.

I’d like to encourage everyone to startthinking about contributions for the next

issue. The Road Runner’s content de-pends completely on your contributions.

If you have any suggestions, stories,photos, original cartoons, poems or justwant to chat about the Road Runner, don’thesitate to give me a phone call or sendan e-mail.

— Cindi Trowbridge

Seeing ThroughSeeing ThroughSeeing ThroughSeeing ThroughSeeing Throughthe Eyes of Othersthe Eyes of Othersthe Eyes of Othersthe Eyes of Othersthe Eyes of Others

We sometimes see the dance inothers when they don’t see it inthemselves.

Just as they see the dance in uswhen we are still blind to it.

Each of us has the power to turnon the lights for the other.

— Barry Oshry

Road Runner Fall 2003

6

At the same time as we got the call from Dan saying he hadmissed his plane, we got a call from the people setting up the

room to say one of the medals was missing.

When the minister arrived she immediately no-ticed there were five plaques and four medals.

We explained that one of the medals hadgone missing. As we were adjusting thetables to make it easier to hand the plaquesand medals to the minister, we discoveredthe missing medal under the table.

At the same time, the photographer tookone of the plaques to get a close up picture.

When the Minister walked by again she dida double take as she saw there were now five med-

als but only four plaques!

REMINDER: Don’t forget to submit your nominationsfor the next Deputy Minister’s Recognition Awards by January31, 2004. Information can be found at: http://gww.th.gov.bc.ca/Content/RecognitionAward/recognitionaward.asp

Missed plane, missing medal highlightMissed plane, missing medal highlightMissed plane, missing medal highlightMissed plane, missing medal highlightMissed plane, missing medal highlightKamloops Recognition Awards eventKamloops Recognition Awards eventKamloops Recognition Awards eventKamloops Recognition Awards eventKamloops Recognition Awards eventSubmitted by Norm Parkes, A/Regional Manager,Engineering

On May 20, Minister of Transportation JudithReid and Deputy Minister Dan Doyle were topresent Deputy Minister’s Recognition Awardsto five recipients.

The ceremony was scheduled for 4:30p.m. At 3 p.m. we got a call from Dan Doyleadvising that he had missed his plane andwouldn’t make it to Kamloops until 6:30 p.m.

We scrambled a little, found an alternatespeaker and moved forward with the presen-tations on time.

During her opening comments, the ministerasked people to come up with their best “Dan missedthe plane” joke.

It was suggested that while it may be a career-limiting movefor staff to send these jokes directly to Dan, if they sent themto her she would be sure to pass them on.

For the past several years, theCanadian Avalanche Association(CAA) has recognized outstandingcontributions by its members andsupporting agencies by awardingthe Kokanee Glacier SummitAwards.

These awards are handed outat the CAA’s Annual GeneralMeeting each year in Penticton.

For the winter of 2002/03, therecipient of one of those awards,the Benefactor Award, was theMinistry of Transportation, in rec-ognition of its support to the Ca-nadian Avalanche Industry by pub-lishing and printing 63 issues ofthe Avalanche News over the past24 years.

This has been an arrangement

Ministry receives CAA recognitionMinistry receives CAA recognitionMinistry receives CAA recognitionMinistry receives CAA recognitionMinistry receives CAA recognition

Mike Boissonneault, Avalanche Programs Manager, with DanDoyle, Deputy Minister

supported by previous avalancheprogram managers Geoff Freerand Jack Bennetto.

The ministry was also recog-nized for its involvement in host-ing the recent International SnowScience Workshop that attractedover 600 participants from over 20countries around the world.

Current Avalanche ProgramsManager Mike Boissonneault ac-cepted the Benefactor Award onbehalf of the ministry and hassince passed it on to Deputy Min-ister Dan Doyle.

Mike was also recognized as theProfessional Member of the yearfor his work in developing explo-sive avalanche control proceduresand lesson plans.

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Submitted by Deborah Miller, Man-ager, Land Survey & Tenure

The transfer of 47 hectares along theVancouver Island High-way Project (VIHP) thissummer to Ducks Un-limited Canada (DUC) ishelping ducks and fishwhile cutting red tape.

Ducks UnlimitedCanada works on behalfof the waterfowl re-source throughout North America toconserve key wintering, breeding and mi-gration habitats. They support over 400wildlife species in Canada.

Six properties valued at $700,000 weresecured by the VIHP as part of a negoti-ated environmental protection plan whichpartially mitigated the impacts resultingfrom highway construction and use of thenew facility.

DUC will manage the properties inpartnership with The Nature Trust ofB.C. and will receive matching funds forthe value of the properties from the U.S.parent organization to acquire additionalwetlands and estuaries in coastal B.C.Each property has a covenant in place to

A VIHP environmental legacyA VIHP environmental legacyA VIHP environmental legacyA VIHP environmental legacyA VIHP environmental legacyensure that they are used in perpetuity asenvironmental mitigation areas.

In addition to providing wetlands forducks and other water-fowl, these propertiesalso contain fish habitat.

DUC will be respon-sible for all costs associ-ated with maintenance ofthese special areas.

The direct transfer ofthe properties to Ducks Unlimited at anominal fee of $1 instead of transferringthem first to the Ministry of Water, Landand Air Protection is a streamlined ap-proach and reduces administration for allinvolved.

On July 18, a ceremony was held on-site at Morrison Creek to celebrate andofficially recognize the property transfer.

Gregg Singer accepted a DUC awardon behalf of the VIHP properties staffand Sean Wong, Ministry of Transporta-tion Environmental Officer.

It is inscribed: “Ducks UnlimitedCanada and the Pacific Estuary Conser-vation Program partners gratefully ac-knowledge the donation of lands by the

Ministry of Transportation to be con-served for the wildlife and people of Brit-ish Columbia in perpetuity. July 18, 2003.”

Gregg Singer with award presented by DucksUnlimited Canada

Submitted by Mike Oliver, ChiefGeotechnical, Materials and Pave-ment Engineer

I have had the privilege to work on anOrganisation for Economic Co-operationand Development committee on the de-velopment of long-life pavements. Manythanks go out the ministry’s executive andto Transport Canada for providing thefunds. The committee membership wasinternational and the work provided a fan-tastic opportunity to look at the pavingmaterials and methods employed by manyother countries.

OECD sponsors work on long-life pavementOECD sponsors work on long-life pavementOECD sponsors work on long-life pavementOECD sponsors work on long-life pavementOECD sponsors work on long-life pavementMy assignment on this working com-

mittee involved determination of world-wide paving practices with associatedcosts and economics. To this end, I de-veloped, distributed and analyzed a ques-tionnaire that was sent to many countriesto provide the basis for an economic com-parative analysis between the more expen-sive, high-technology pavement materialsand conventional materials.

Of interest, it was found that stonemastic pavements, coarse gap graded ag-gregate with a mastic or matrix of min-eral filler and fibres (with little or no sand),

are the pavements of choice in the OECDmember countries in Europe and in theNordic countries. Open-graded frictioncourse pavements are widely used in ur-ban settings in many countries, primarilyfor noise reduction benefits.

Superpave and conventional dense-graded pavements are used primarily inNorth America, with Superpave ap-proaching the gradation and propertiesof stone mastic pavements. The conven-tional dense-graded pavements, althoughless expensive, are being used but are not

Continued on page 8

Road Runner Fall 2003

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considered the pavement of choice forhigh-traffic facilities.

Also of interest was the finding thatthe pavements in the United States andin Europe are significantly thicker thanthe pavements used in Canada, particu-larly those used inBritish Columbia.

The economicsof using thicker grav-els with thinner as-phalts was of benefitto our highway bud-gets in the past andhas served us well.We can do this mainlybecause we have theadvantage of goodgravel deposits inrelatively close proximity to projects, al-though gravel is becoming more difficultand more costly to obtain. Gravels inother countries are becoming very expen-sive and in relative terms we still have agood situation here.

The study also involved the new orhigh-technology pavements used mainlyon bridge decks. These more expensivepavements consist of epoxies or polymersor even more elaborate materials. In Brit-ish Columbia, we have used epoxy asphalton the Lions Gate Bridge and polymer-modified asphalts on the Port MannBridge and on small demonstrationprojects. When compared to conven-tional asphalts, these pavements shouldlast longer, and therefore the maintenanceand rehabilitation requirements would bereduced.

The economic comparison was basedon life-cycle costing and included initialcosts, maintenance costs and strategiesand also road-user costs. The overall con-clusions were that the new high-technol-ogy pavements have good potential foruse in new construction on high-trafficfacilities. Even though these pavementsare expensive, with consideration of road-user costs and reduced long-term main-

tenance, they can be considered economi-cally viable.

The following is a brief backgroundfor the project. The asphalt cement sup-pliers have provided, for years and years,a reasonable and quality asphalt product.However, at the same time, the industry

has not changed sig-nificantly and has notbeen overly commit-ted to provide re-search and invest-ment in new or bet-ter products.

Meanwhile, thecontinued growth ofroad traffic and thecontinued demandby the public for bet-ter value for money

places growing pressures on road agen-cies to come up with new solutions. Atthe same time, the costs of the disrup-tion and congestion during road closureson high-volume roads have become un-acceptably high, thus enhancing the needfor long-life road infrastructures.

What is clear is that there is a need tos t i m u l a t ethe develop-ment ofeven mored u r a b l epave m e n ttypes and,not surpris-ingly, indus-try has sofar not un-dertaken this challenge to any significantextent.

Based on this background, the projecthas been initiated. It can be viewed as achallenge to both industry and road agen-cies to begin work on new pavement ma-terials that can meet the future demandsof heavy traffic. Longer-life pavement-wearing courses are seen as a significantcontribution to reduce the costs of fu-ture maintenance and to reduce overall

traffic disruption.

Today, pavements with bitumen orcement binders dominate the market.They function well in a wide range of traf-fic and climate conditions and have fewenvironmental disadvantages. Althoughquality products are available, most pave-ments exhibit shortcomings in terms oflong-term durability, repair requirementsand road-user qualities.

It is well known that various types ofsynthetic binders, alone or as modifiersto conventional binders, may offer verydurable, low noise, wear-resistant pave-ments. These pavements provide goodprotection of the underlying structure andcan be constructed with minimum disrup-tion to traffic. Such materials have so faralmost exclusively been used on bridges,where the higher initial costs are easilyjustified by the benefits of longer life andbetter protection of the structure. How-ever, with such characteristics, these pave-ment materials can be considered for themuch wider application for use on heavilytravelled highways.

Currently, industry-based research isfocused on the traditional binder materi-

als, partiallybecause ofcosts of ad-v a n c e dbinders andpartially be-cause roada g e n c i e sshow littleinclinationto accept

higher initial pavement costs. Therefore,it does not appear likely that the industryon its own initiative will push for innova-tion. This situation perhaps may changeif the analyses show that the propertiesof alternative binders, when total servicelife is considered, can attract a very largeand increasing market.

I have been very happy to contributeand provide a British Columbian perspec-tive for Phase I of this project.

(Continued from page 7)

All pavements are not created equalAll pavements are not created equalAll pavements are not created equalAll pavements are not created equalAll pavements are not created equal

Mike Oliver

The “Rollable Road,” a prefabricated wearing course used in theNetherlands

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9

After 32 years of public service, TerryWalton retired as South Coast Region’sProject Director at the end of August.

On September 11, a luncheon washeld in Terry’s honour at the Eagle CreekGolf Course on Burnaby Mountain.

It was attended by 104 of Terry’s col-leagues, family and friends.

Many of us appreciated the thank younote that Terry sent to everyone:

I’d like to thank everyone who cameto my luncheon, signed my retirementbook or contributed to my retirement gift.

I am really enjoying the golf clubs andhat. Who knows, they might even im-prove my game now that I have time towork on it!

Those of you who were at the lun-cheon will already know that I was

touched by the contributions you all madeto a wonderful day for me and my family.

I am proud to have been a part of theMinistry of Transportation and very luckyto have spent all thirty-two years of myworking life with the ministry.

The ministry has gone through majorchanges over my career, some of themdifficult at the time but it has always ral-lied and gone on to greater things.

I’m confident that the ministry willrally once again and continue to be a greatplace to work that offers a high level ofjob satisfaction through seeing what is ac-complished but also is an environmentwhere people truly care for and enjoyworking with each other. I wish you luckin the future and will always think fondlyof my time with you.

— Terry Walton

A fond farewell for Terry WaltonA fond farewell for Terry WaltonA fond farewell for Terry WaltonA fond farewell for Terry WaltonA fond farewell for Terry Walton

Terry with his wife, daughters and friend (above),and with Dan Doyle, Deputy Minister (top).

Over the summer the ministry had 13 Youth Employment Program (YEP) stu-dents working in Field Services in a variety of different positions throughout theprovince. YEP provides employment opportunities for students in the public ser-vice and at the same time they gain practical work experience. YEP students areindividuals who have been enrolled in full-time studies at an accredited educationalintuition within the six months of hiring. Here is what just some of those studentshad to say about working for the ministry over the summer.

Those hard workin’ and hard learnin’ YEPs...Those hard workin’ and hard learnin’ YEPs...Those hard workin’ and hard learnin’ YEPs...Those hard workin’ and hard learnin’ YEPs...Those hard workin’ and hard learnin’ YEPs...

Paul Bourdon is 22 years old and hascompleted his second year of Civil Engi-neering at UBC.

This astute young man has been avaluable asset to the Field Services crew,having performed various duties through-out some paving projects.

His work experience has included be-ing trained for lab testing duties, core drill-ing, project data collection, road inspec-tor for a hot-in-place recycling project andvarious office duties.

His engineering interests lies withtransportation, bridge structures, water

resources and hydrology. Paul has enjoyedhis work experience with the Ministry andlooks forward to the rest of the season.

Paul Bourdon

Lowell Constable - I am a secondyear Civil Engineering student who hadthe opportunity this summer to join sur-vey crews on jobs in both Fort St. John(Taylor Hill) and Terrace (Lava Lake). Iwas new to the construction field, and mylearning curve was extremely steep, par-ticularly during the first couple of months.I found the men and women on the crews

Continued on page 10

Lowell Constable

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extremely helpful and candid when itcame to sharing knowledge. The practi-cal experience gained by a student im-mersed in a construction atmosphere isinvaluable to budding engineers and canonly broaden the abilities of that studentto envision future designs. I am gratefulfor the experience I had this summer. TheMinistry could attract more engineeringstudents into working subsequent termsby including more interaction with pro-fessional engineers into the YEP pro-gram, and more opportunities for the stu-dent to apply engineering knowledge.

Today’s summer students to becomeToday’s summer students to becomeToday’s summer students to becomeToday’s summer students to becomeToday’s summer students to becometomorrow’s transportation expertstomorrow’s transportation expertstomorrow’s transportation expertstomorrow’s transportation expertstomorrow’s transportation experts(Continued from page 9)

My name is Steffen Gerlach, and thisis the first time I’ve worked for the min-istry.

Prior to this job I knew little aboutthe paving process and the responsibili-ties of the ministry, but over the summerthis changed. I worked in Vanderhoof,then went to Smithers and was latermoved to Dawson Creek. So I got to seequite a bit of B.C. I did a variety of workincluding marking centerline, testingcrusher aggregate, taking measurements,testing for asphalt content, checking com-paction, office work, taking pictures andsurveying. I enjoyed working for field ser-vices very much and feel it was good ex-perience personally and professionally.

Steffen Gerlach

Mark Soneff - As a summer studentwith the Ministry of Transportation, Ihave learned an enormous amount aboutpaving and how the government under-takes its quality assurance. From gainingexperience in the asphalt lab finding den-sities, gradations and AC contents, orknowing how to interpret the contract andthe 502/515 appendix, even for tasks assimple as chaining the highway, I was al-ways able to learn. The field services crewI worked with was extremely knowledge-able and would easily explain material Ididn’t understand.

Mark Soneff

Marie-Eve Pomerleau worked withBrian Twiname’s Field Services pavingcrew in the Terrace area. Marie-Eve has

Marie-Eve Pomerleau

assisted Brian Barnes in the lab and trans-ported samples from our various jobs. Shewas able to see most of the northwest,including Kitimat, Terrace, Meziadin andthe Nass Valley. Marie-Eve has been in-volved in aggregate production, conven-tional paving and hot-in-place recycling.

Chris Lee - During my work term inthe youth employment program -YEP, Ihave learned the aspects of the qualityassurance program in relation to con-struction and the responsibility of thecontractor. Also, I have learned the ba-sics of contract writing, estimating quan-tities required for future contracts andcriteria for bonus/penalties for end prod-uct specification reports. The YEP wasan excellent program that gave me addi-tional experience in civil engineering.

Chris Lee

Continued on page 11

Tosh M. Nagasaka

Tosh M. Nagasaka - I have spentthe summer on Brad Rikley’s paving crew

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in Dawson Creek. The first six weekswhere spent nailing centerline, which con-sisted of nailing approximately 2500 nailsinto the highway over about 50 km. I wasalso given a chance to run the transit onseveral occasions. The last six weeks Ihave spent in the lab. I have done about100 vacuum saturations, at least a dozenburns, dozens of wash tests and poundeddozens of briquettes. When time has per-mitted Wayne McCarvill has shown mearound the job sites, which have includedroad build-up, hot in place recycle, crush-ing, and top lift. I have learned a lot thissummer about the responsibilities of theMinistry of Transportation and the typeof work that Ministry employees do. Itis an opportunity that I have appreciated.

Bruce McClintock, a YEP studentin the Courtenay area, worked in the of-fice and on the Highway 19 Elk Falls toRoberts Lake shoulder project. Bruce wasborn and raised in the Comox Valley, andhe’s attending the University of Albertain Edmonton.

Youth Employment Program (cont’d)Youth Employment Program (cont’d)Youth Employment Program (cont’d)Youth Employment Program (cont’d)Youth Employment Program (cont’d)(Continued from page 10)

Bruce McClintock

Submitted by Jen McConnachie, FortGeorge District

Like many motorists at large, prior tothree months ago I was not consciouslyaware of the significance of the manystructures spanning British Columbianwaterways. To me they were simply a partof the road, helping me to get to my des-tination.

As an environmental scientist, I wasmindful of potential ecological issues, butother concerns eluded me.

We cross over and under bridges dur-ing the mundane commute to work or onadventures to the great outdoors (hope-fully the latter more than the former),naive to the possibility of corrosion, deckwear or even structural failure.

Yet there are certain people out therewho invest a great deal of time and en-ergy to ensure safe travels, and they dothis by hanging out in a bucket all day.

The public may unknowingly takethem for granted, but Rees Davidson andMike Rutledge, the operators of thebridge truck, or the Snooper series 260-

B, that travels province-wide visiting a variety ofstructures, are essentialto the bridge inspectionteam. These guys spendthe majority of the yeartravelling from bridge tobridge ensuring thesafety of road-boundBritish Columbians.

As a member of theFort George DistrictYouth Employment Program, I was veryexcited to climb into the bucket and de-scend below the decks of several bridgesin the area.

I was the envy of many Ministry ofTransportation staff here, and it isrumoured that another YEP even beggedto come along. With Mike at the helmand Rees’ watchful eye above us, I wasable to witness the process of bridge in-spection first-hand.

Like a curious child, I attempted toadopt the lingo of structural components,mitigation strategies and key areas ofpotential deterioration. My intrigue was

evident, and I tried to absorb as muchinformation as I could, but the most im-portant take-home message was that thesefellas deserve considerable respect.

Rees, Mike and the Snooper truck doa job that saves lives, the environment,and the road network-a large responsibil-ity that they accept without question.

So, next time you are travelling andyour path crosses a bridge, think aboutwhat your trip would be like if somethingwent terribly wrong. Then be thankfulthat we have guys like Rees and Mike onour side looking out for us from the van-tage point of the Snooper’s bucket.

A drop in the bucketA drop in the bucketA drop in the bucketA drop in the bucketA drop in the bucket

The Ministry of Transportation Snooper truck in the process ofinspecting the Stuart Bridge near Fort St. James. In the bucket areChris Thornhill, Mike Rutledge, and Jen McConnachie.

Submitted by Julian Malinsky, DistrictBusiness Manager, Thompson-Nicola District

I recently received a Masters of Busi-ness Administration (MBA) degree fromAthabasca University’s Centre for Inno-vative Management. A friend planted theMBA seed 20 years ago, but unfortunatelybad timing and work were barriers at thetime.

Athabasca University specializes inlong-distance education. Their MBA pro-gram is offered via the Internet, in a vir-tual classroom setting provided on state-

Continued on page 12

Julian MalinskyJulian MalinskyJulian MalinskyJulian MalinskyJulian Malinskyearns MBA on-lineearns MBA on-lineearns MBA on-lineearns MBA on-lineearns MBA on-line

Road Runner Fall 2003

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of-the-art, specially-designed Lotus soft-ware. The quality of learning in this on-line method was much superior to the tra-ditional “brick & mortar” environment.An Advanced Graduate Diploma in Man-agement and MBA degree were attainedwithin three years while working full-time.

Courses included everything fromstrategic marketing and human resourcemanagement to public consultation andpublic sector management.

I also attended two weekend schools,in Calgary and Edmonton, and one sum-mer school in the United Kingdom atCranfield University, one hour north ofLondon. The school included lectures atthe university and several businesses anda lecture in the London Parliament Build-ing by a member of Parliament on theUK & the European Union.

My finalproject disserta-tion was on theMinistry of Trans-portation SignShop Business,which includedseveral surveysand interviews.Thank you tothose who pro-vided the neces-sary input.

The three-year program was a signifi-cant commitment, including 30 to 40hours of studies per week and high tu-ition and travel costs. My wife Gail’s sup-port was critical.

The diversity of professors and stu-dents added to the uniqueness of thelearning experience. Two or three pro-

fessors delivered each course, and theycame from universities across Canada andthe United States.

Class sizes ranged from 20 to 40 stu-dents, including managers and profession-als from various organizations, back-grounds and locations around the world,such as Russia, the U.S. and Hong Kong.

The courses integrated group assign-ments, which promoted teamwork and acollaborative approach to problem solv-ing and decision-making.

My goal was to expand my horizonsand experience a new challenge. Happily,the course exceeded all my expectationsand remains one of my life’s highlights.

Program information is available atwww.athabascau.ca/mba/. Feel free toe-mail or call me at 250 314-6130 if youhave any questions.

Malinsky: MBA course exceeded all expectationsMalinsky: MBA course exceeded all expectationsMalinsky: MBA course exceeded all expectationsMalinsky: MBA course exceeded all expectationsMalinsky: MBA course exceeded all expectations

Julian Malinsky

Doug Wright, area manager forCampbell River, reports that he contin-ues to try kicking the gravel habit and hasapplied 2.5 kilometres of graded aggre-gate seal on the Tahsis Road.

The road serves as the only access tothe community of Tahsis, has grades ofup to 20 per cent and is used by 120-tonneloaded logging trucks.

To meet the challenges of the extremerainy weather on the West Coast ofVancouver Island and the heavy loads, anew twist was tried to some old tech-niques.

The new twist was the application ofCSS 1, a cationic prime, over sections sta-bilized with magnesium chloride.

In this exercise the CSS 1 was utilizedto penetrate, seal, strengthen and providea bonding surface for the subsequent ap-plication of HF 150 P.

Ludvik Mazuk was retained to providetechnical expertise and document stabili-

New twist meets Tahsis Road challengeNew twist meets Tahsis Road challengeNew twist meets Tahsis Road challengeNew twist meets Tahsis Road challengeNew twist meets Tahsis Road challenge

zation of this and other hard surfacingefforts on the Tahsis Road.

Ludvik looks well, and even thoughhe no longer works directly for the min-istry, he still retains a keen interest in sur-facing techniques.

Generally, the work went well. Dougreports that the application of CSS 1 as aprime for chip seal did present a few in-process curves that could have been

avoided with a little experience.

With the application of CSS 1, costsfor the work increased by about 10 percent.

For Doug, this project was not justanother job; it was a reflection of Minis-try of Transportation Service Plan val-ues in that it served community goals, wascost effective, pursued excellence and uti-lized a little innovation.

A sand cover applied over the CSS1 permits singlelane traffic. Shades Tanker Services appliesbottom lift Class A graded aggregate seal.

CSS1 (above) applied over magnesium chloridestabilization. Application was a mixture of 0.5 litresCSS1 and 0.6 litres water per square metre.

(Continued from page 11)