COMMUNICATION -
ADMINISTRATOR'S MESSAGE
Communications: Getting Past a Grim Stat

During these changed days since the COVID-19 emergency began, as experts we watched the change in highway traffic and sensed a couple things about roadways and the behavior of drivers: that the roads looked emptier and that motorists were driving more quickly. That combination meant an increased risk of collisions and injuries.

Of course, a back-of-the-envelope calculation or observation isn’t enough. That’s why I’m grateful to the OOTS Traffic Development and Support Division for crunching the numbers and identifying some trends – trends that worry us.

We looked at traffic volume through ADT and VMT, speed as measured by INRIX and data in the Maryland State Police’s crash database. We watched traffic volume decrease in March as the shutdown began and hit a low in April, dipping 50-60% beneath the same volume last year.

We asked ourselves, if average daily traffic is down, are collisions and injuries down, too?

Here’s a few data points to answer that question: by July 12, traffic volume decreased by 35% and collisions went down 35%. That’s as it should be, and it’s good news.

But here’s the bad news: Fatalities declined, but only by 4%. We were hoping to lose fewer lives. Far fewer lives.

Maybe what’s going on is that if drivers speed up, when they collide the injuries become far worse. We’re not sure but that’s a guess.

This deadly pattern came far too close to home on July 2, when a contract employee performing work for MDOT SHA lost his life when a vehicle entered a work zone during line-striping operations on I-70. One life lost on our roadways is too many, but it hits harder for the MDOT SHA Team when the crash is within one of our own projects and the life lost is one of our industry partners.

Here’s what you can do: Spread two important messages to the public and your loved ones:

1. Slow down
2. Move over

Slow down and protect yourselves on the road. Move over when you’re approaching a work zone or an emergency vehicle, so you don’t hurt someone.

To make the point, you can share our Facebook page , where you’ll find Move Over messages like this and work zone safety videos like the one below..

And remember to set an example. We live and breathe this stuff, as a commercial once said. We know its importance. We can show others that driving just a little bit slower will ensure that we all reach our destinations safely.

Tim Smith, P.E.
Administrator

Tim Smith

INNOVATION
SOC Rebuilding on 25th Anniversary

During its 25th anniversary, the SOC is getting a new operational center that will help staff focus on multiple collision reports occurring at the same time. Last year, MDOT Secretary Greg Slater spoke at a press conference at the SOC.

For Marylanders of a certain age, it's a blast from the past, observes CHART Systems Administrator Rick Dye. He remembers an earlier era's complaints about summertime traffic to the Eastern Shore when there were no reports to drivers about traffic volume and no emergency vehicles to clear crashes. Travelers got stuck on US 50 and they complained. The year that legendary Governor William Donald Schaeffer took office, he told then-SHA Administrator Hal Kassoff to fix it...by Memorial Day!

"I remember Mr. Kassoff telling me that as mayor of Baltimore, the new governor had earned a reputation as transformational and unconventional – he hated "same old, same old" and relished "new and different," Dye says. It seemed that his favorite saying was, "Do it now!"

As the story goes, Hal saluted smartly and replied with the governor's favorite expression, "Yes, sir, we'll get it done now."

Subsequent research made SHA officials realize that the ability to determine what's happening, provide a quick response and notify the public were the most critical things to do. CHART was born.

By 1995, it became clear that a central station was needed to monitor traffic and incidents across all the Maryland counties 24/7/365. That's when officials built the Statewide Operations Center (SOC) next to the Office of Maintenance and the Office of Traffic and Safety because they would need to collaborate, especially during winter storms.

This year marks the SOC's 25th anniversary, and at least partially in that honor, a new SOC is now being built.

The new design is meant to improve on the present center's limitations.

Says Dye, "We look like a lot of operation centers, like NASA, all facing the screens. But we're not NASA. They concentrate on a single task, launching a rocket. For us, there's always more than one event going on and our staff gets distracted. Believe it or not, we found that a better model was ESPN, a hub where one group is following basketball and another football and another baseball. They need good communications, but in their own areas."

Rebuilding the Hal Kassoff SOC is starting now and should conclude in about a year. In the meantime, SOC staff will be housed temporarily in the computer training room of Hanover's Building 4. The relocation isn't as painful as some feared because COVID-19 has already forced many to readjust, moving their operations to telecommuting.

Says Dye, "We expect to continue without a pause during this major renovation."

William Donald Schaeffer wouldn't have expected it any other way.

MODERNIZATION
An App for That – COVID-19 Screening at MDOT SHA

Before coming to an MDOT facility, you can access the COVID app on your PC, tablet, or mobile phone. Special Assistant to the Administrator's Office Leonora Conti brought up the app on her cell phone.

When completing a facility entry screening for COVID-19 at MDOT SHA facilities, a screener completes a brief paper questionnaire and forwards it to the Office of Homeland Security & Occupational Safety (OHSOS). Multiply one paper by all the workers, consultants, and visitors to MDOT SHA facilities and soon you're piling up a large stack in OHSOS. The COVID-19 paper screening fits perfectly into the MDOT SHA paperless model.

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) was asked to work closely with OHSOS, the Office of Administration (OOA) and the MDOT SHA COVID Task Force to implement a paperless solution for MDOT SHA statewide, says Deputy Director Karen Keller. A COVID-19 Screening application was initially developed by MDOT MTA and shared with all Transportation Business Units (TBUs), to customize and implement according to each agency's specific needs. The screening application is for all employees, consultants, contractors and visitors.

At the direction of the Maryland Department of Budget and Management (DBM), building screening protocols have been implemented by all Maryland State agencies that own and operate facilities across the State to reduce the risk of COVID-19 contamination and transmission in our facilities. Everyone who enters a State facility will be asked the same questions, which must be answered truthfully to help protect us all.

Here's how it works: When reporting to an MDOT SHA facility, she explains, you open https://apps.roads.maryland.gov/SHACOVID19/ on your mobile phone, PC or laptop; select your destination; and answer Yes/No questions about your possible exposure to COVID-19. If you are not able to complete the COVID-19 screening online prior to your arrival at an MDOT SHA facility, the screener at the building will facilitate your online screening. She says, "You receive a green message on your screen and a 'green email' if cleared to enter our buildings. You just show it to the screener when you arrive."

Individuals who answer "YES" to any question on the Screening Questionnaire OR refuse to participate in the screening process will be denied access to the facility. You receive a "red message" and cannot enter an MDOT SHA facility until cleared by the SHA COVID-19 team and Dr. Becraft.

The app is now in effect for ALL individuals entering MDOT SHA Hanover, Headquarters, District 4 Office and CHART ITS Division facilities. An announcement about all other facilities' adoption of the app will be made soon.

CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Maintenance, Housekeeping Secret COVID-19 Warriors

Frontline workers fight COVID at 707 every day. Maintenance staff include (top row) Victor Henson, Michael Burnside, (bottom row) Lorenzo Johnson and Omar Greene. Housekeeping staff include (L-R) Kevin Brown, Denise Dillard, the much beloved "Mr. Wayne" Poston, and George Chisholm.

Sometimes the customers are our own employees. As critical MDOT SHA staff report to their desks in the 707 and 211 buildings, and as others contemplate returning, quietly and importantly a group of workers is making an extra effort to ensure that we are protected from COVID-19.

Every day, maintenance and housekeeping team members staff the front lines, in person, doing regular and special tasks that reduce the chance of infection.

"They're keeping the buildings safe," says Operations and Facilities Services Manager Donna Dean.

Maintenance is restructuring cubicles in the 211 building to socially distance staffers. They're reducing the potential for the HVAC system to spread COVID-19 by cleaning vents and replacing filters. They have installed touchless soap dispensers, touchless faucets in all the bathrooms and hand sanitizers stations in all lobbies. Finally, they are regularly inspecting restrooms, elevators, and corridors for broken lights and other potential hazards.

Kudos to Skilled Trade Specialist Lorenzo Johnson who suggested the innovative idea of installing the touchless dispensers and faucets.

Housecleaning staff from Alliance, Inc., under the supervision of Wayne Polston – the much beloved "Mr. Wayne" – increased wiping down bathroom sinks, toilets, walls and doors, and other high-touch areas where infection can be spread.

"They clean other 'high-touch areas' repeatedly throughout the day," says Donna Dean.

The housecleaning crew zeroes in on elevators, wiping down buttons and controls twice or more daily. You can see them cleaning copiers and fax machines, which are also potential hot spots.

Across MDOT SHA, in every district and shop, maintenance and housekeeping crews make an extra effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Quietly, they are fighting the war that lets the rest of Team MDOT SHA maintain its essential role keeping transportation accessible, reliable and safe for our customers.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

MDOT SHA is now producing a larger number of videos for the public than ever before. The videos emphasize safety and new highway features, including the newly opened J-turn on US 15.