He isn’t nameless or faceless: His name is Justin and he’s my brother

By RB McKeon

April marks an important month for us as we observe National Work Zone Awareness Week, which takes place April 17-21. We use this month to remind everyone why we need your help keeping our workers – and everyone on the road – safe in work zones. As a public information officer, I share a lot of safety messages about what to do anytime you're in or approaching a work zone. But in my role, I also see first-hand what can happen when people don't follow traffic control measures of the Move Over, Slow Down law.

Sometimes when we see safety campaign graphics they represent nameless, faceless people – so I want to take a minute to introduce you to my favorite Incident Response Team Member, Justin Backes – who also happens to be the best big brother a girl could have. Fun fact: we are six weeks apart and didn't meet until we were 9 years old when my dad married his mom. We grew up like twins – same age, same grade.

Justin Backes is an Incident Response Team member for us and RB McKeon is one of our public information officers. They are siblings and Work Zone Awareness month takes on special meaning for them.

As a member of our IRT, Justin works in King County, patrolling and helping disabled vehicles and drivers in need, responding to incidents on our state highways, coordinating traffic control with emergency response crews, removing debris and much more. This often means that he is outside of his truck as drivers whiz by without a second thought; however, if you are that driver in need, he is a welcome sight as he offers his assistance and provides a safe incident response zone.

In addition to being my big brother, Justin is also a husband to his high-school sweetheart, an amazing dad of three and a veteran (hoorah!). He is a coach, loves to BBQ, spends a lot of time working in the garage, attends as many school activities for the kiddos as he can, is an avid hockey fan (but he cheers for the wrong team) and without a doubt is the first to help out when you need it.

Justin and his high school sweetheart Rachael on their wedding day

Move over, slow down

The statistics say it all – nationally there's a collision in a work zone about every 5½ minutes. Last year in Washington, 1,192 collisions were reported in a work zone or in a work zone related back up. And, since 1950, our agency has had 60 workers killed on the job, the vast majority in marked work zones.

As a PIO, I watch our traffic cameras a lot and unfortunately, I often see erratic behavior in work zones which puts everyone at risk. Most work zone crashes are preventable. The top three reasons for these collisions are following too closely, excessive speed and distracted driving and inattention. And that is why we ask that when you see orange you adjust for work zone conditions. State law requires drivers to move over one lane, if possible, whenever passing emergency crews on the highway shoulder. This law applies to more than just law enforcement and fire trucks, it also includes our Incident Response trucks, highway maintenance vehicles, tow trucks, and solid waste and utility vehicles displaying flashing lights. Even if you can't move over, you can slow down and be alert.

While many work zone awareness graphics are just words and numbers, it’s important to remember that they represent real people working on the roads.

April is the month that we focus on work zone awareness – but for people like Justin, whose office is on our roadways, the real ask is that you focus on work zone awareness every time you are behind the wheel, all year long.

• Slow Down – drive the posted speeds, they're there for your safety.
• Be Kind – our workers are out there helping to keep you safe and improve the roadways.
• Pay Attention – both to workers directing you and surrounding traffic; put down your phone when behind the wheel.
• Stay Calm– expect delays, leave early or take an alternate route if possible; no meeting or appointment is worth risking someone's life.

To some, these are just words. But to people like Justin, and to people like me who want Justin and all road workers to get home safely, they are a matter of life and death. So please take them seriously, because the people out there working to keep us all safe are more than just an orange vest and hard hat.

High School to Highways program offers chance to jump-start career

By Aisha Dayal

After more than 12 years of taking the school bus, unappetizing school lunches and awkward school dances, you are finally a high school graduate. Congrats! As graduation celebrations come to an end, the pressure to figure out what to do next sets in. College? Travel? Get a job? There are a lot of things to consider.

Meet Matt Karcher, a recent participant in our High School to Highways program. His story includes several turns on the path that led him to our agency. Matt graduated from Sehome High School in Bellingham in 2017. After high school, he attended the University of Portland for two years before taking a year off to work. It was during this gap year that Matt learned about the High School to Highways program from a family member who saw it on our weekly newsletter.

Matt Karcher went from trying to figure out what to do after high school graduation to being a maintenance lead in our Whatcom County area after going through our High School to Highways program.

He was attracted to the program because of the professional development opportunities available through the agency, including trying different maintenance roles or even exploring different paths like operations, business management or engineering. Matt was also drawn to the program because it doesn't require years of experience and looks for eager candidates who demonstrate they are ready to learn and grow on the job.

Matt started the program in August 2021 and in just six short months he completed the training by obtaining his Commercial Driver's License permit (participants have up to one year to get their CDL permit). Only 1½ years after completing the program, he was promoted in February 2023 to a highway maintenance lead technician in Whatcom County. Matt enjoys maintenance because each day is different, there is a large variety of tasks he and his team complete. One day he can be out repairing potholes on Interstate5 in the morning and after lunch, be out on State Route 11 clearing trees and brush along the highway. The work is never done and there are always new opportunities to learn.

Maintenance lead Matt Karcher goes over plans with his crew before a job on SR 11 in Whatcom County

When starting the program, Matt was surprised about the hands-on and fast-paced learning environment, and how quickly he was thrown into the mix. He was out in the field on his third day helping with lane closures on the highway and picking up litter. He challenged himself to take initiative and learn different aspects of the job to learn and grow. It helps that Matt has been surrounded by experienced teammates who foster a supportive environment for training and learning. His team is always pushing each other to do better work and get more done.

From High School to Highways to meeting the Governor

Matt's passion and quick promotions with our agency caught the eye of our Human Resources leadership and he was asked to do a presentation to Governor Inslee as part of a Public Performance Review presentation allowing state agencies to share their efforts in workforce development. On March 22, he found himself sharing his story of how the High School to Highways program gave him a chance to start a career and grow into more responsibility while developing skills that could present him with even more opportunities. He said it was an honor to represent the agency and talk about the program.

Matt encourages other young adults to join the High School to Highways program to get their foot in the door where they can learn, grow and develop. He said this is a good, inclusive opportunity for people who might face financial barriers in their next steps after high school. Tuition assistance is another great benefit and Matt has taken advantage of that as well as he is pursuing a degree in Business Administration at Central Washington University.

Maintenance lead Matt Karcher (center) meets with Governor Inslee and Earl Key, Senior Director of Transportation Equity, after Matt told the Governor about his experience with the High School to Highways program.

So, are you interested?

Matt's story is one of many successes the High School to Highways program has had and we're excited to keep offering it to young adults as a way to dive straight into an exciting and rewarding career.

The program started in 2020 and is open to recent graduates aged 18-23 to join maintenance teams across the state. This isn't an internship; this is a full-time job with full benefits, salary and growth opportunities within the agency.

Matt Karcher and his team clear brush and debris on SR 11 in Bellingham

People who apply and are selected for an interview are then hired into a maintenance role with one of the six regions across the state. Participants in the program can expect to gain on-the-job training, crucial maintenance experience and obtain necessary credentials while being paired with a mentor or coach in the program.

People can apply through the link here. The deadline to apply is May 1.

April’s Work Zone Safety campaign highlights everyone’s role in keeping workers safe

By Madison Sehlke

When Clinton Holtcamp's work phone rings at 2 in the morning, an unnerving feeling hits him. The first thing that runs through his mind as a maintenance supervisor is, “Is my crew okay?” He holds his breath until he hears the answer. Usually, the news isn’t good – there might be a delay in their work or an issue with equipment – but hopefully it’s not tragic. As a maintenance supervisor in our Mount Vernon area, Clinton knows all too well the dangers he and his crews face on our roads every day. His crews have had to dodge vehicles barreling into work zones. Friends and co-workers of his have been hurt, some badly, when drivers crashed into their work site.

April is Work Zone Awareness Month. Throughout the month we will be sharing stories from our crews where they’ll talk about their experiences with work zone incidents, and we’ll remind the public what they can do to help keep road crews safe. Statewide, we average more than 100 vehicles or workers struck by drivers in work zones every year. The number of combined fatal or serious injury work zone crashes on our state roads increased 20.5% from 2021 to 2022, even though the number of total work zone crashes decreased by 12.5%. This is trending the wrong way.

Maintenance supervisor Clint Holtcamp takes a call from a crew member out in the field. Every time his phone rings, he knows there’s a chance a crew member has been involved in a work zone collision.

Not long after joining the WSDOT communications team, I learned what Clint meant when he talked about dangers our road crews face. At 5:45 a.m. on a dark November morning during my first on-call shift as a communicator, I received word from our Traffic Management Center that a member of our Incident Response Team assisting a stalled vehicle on the shoulder of I-90 near Issaquah had been struck by a driver moving too fast for conditions, lost control and hit our co-worker. A gut-wrenching call to receive no matter the time of day. Fortunately, our crew member made it out alive but it wouldn’t have taken much for this to have ended very differently. The more I talk with my colleagues who work along the roads, the more I’ve learned that many of them have been struck or had a close call or know someone who has been has been injured while working on our highways. People like Bobby Edwards.

Treat road workers like members of your family

Imagine you are planting tulips in your garden in your front yard alongside your family. Suddenly, a car plows through your front yard and you look up and see three of your family members flying through the air after being hit. This is what a work zone collision feels like, according to Bobby, another of our maintenance supervisors. Our crews become like family, and they have families. Their work matters, their safety matters, and their lives matters.

“Celebrities like attention and publicity, maintenance crews do not want attention,” he said. “We just want to do the work safely and to go home.”

Maintenance assistant superintendent Bobby Edwards has been with our agency for 17 years. In that time he’s handled innumerable instances of co-workers being involved in work zone incidents.

Our extended work family lives by a “Safety first” motto. Safety is paramount at our agency – whether it’s the safety of our crews, our contractors, first responders or the traveling public. Because of the increase in work zone related incidents, we have been working with our partners to make some changes in how and when we work. These changes may include:

• Bundling multiple jobs into one to reduce the number of times our crews are exposed to traffic. For example, if we have a guardrail repair scheduled, we may also repair pavement or do litter/graffiti cleanup within the same work zone.
• Creating a larger work zone. This may include taking an extra lane or lengthening the work zone to create a larger buffer.
• Using additional safety equipment, such as temporary rumble strips or zipper barriers.
• Doing more daytime work, when visibility is better and there are typically fewer major collisions.

You may have already seen some of these changes in action, while others, such as supporting legislation to create safer work zones, can take longer to implement.

A look at the trends in work zone crashes

Plan ahead and pay attention

So what would Clint like the public to know about keeping road workers safe?

“Pay attention to the change in traffic patterns to avoid wrecks, especially when crews are out working during peak times with high traffic volumes,” he said.

Change can be hard and any shifts in a traffic pattern can sometimes be stressful. Try to stay looped in to upcoming road work and follow detour signs.

“Plan multiple alternate routes and learn different ways to get home,” Clint said. “We tend to see some crazy stuff happen at road closures. People don’t give themselves enough time and then they make poor judgements and get angry with us when we prevent them for being in an area where they aren’t supposed to be while we are working.”

Clint, Bobby, and our crews aren’t the only ones at risk in work zones; almost 95% of people injured in work zone crashes are drivers, their passengers or nearby pedestrians. Most work zone collisions are avoidable. According to the Washington State Patrol, the top three reasons for work zone collisions in 2022 were following too closely, excessive speed and inattention/distracted driving.

What can you do to support worker safety? We ask all drivers near work zones to:

• Slow Down – drive the posted speeds, they’re there for your safety.
• Be Kind – our workers are helping to keep you safe and improve the roadways.
• Pay Attention – both to workers directing you and surrounding traffic.
• Stay Calm – expect delays, leave early or take an alternate route if possible; no meeting or appointment is worth risking someone’s life.

Every worker has a life outside their job – they are parents, spouses, siblings, neighbors and friends. Their jobs often require them to work on busy highways, improving and maintaining our infrastructure. We want them to return home safely to their families at the end of each shift.

Despite the injuries, trauma, risks and near misses, they work hard to keep our roads safe. Our IRT driver who was hit during my first on-call shift wasn’t looking for accolades for helping out a stalled vehicle, he was just looking forward to feeling better and getting home. It’s up to us to make help by avoiding distractions like checking our phone, flossing teeth, applying mascara or driving just a little too tired. Every time you get behind the wheel remember to prepare, send a little gratitude for the workers and crews along the road and do what you can to help them go home safely.

We’ll observe National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 17-21) and you’ll see us participate in Go Orange Day on April 19. We invite you to follow us on social media where we will feature our crews and staff throughout the month as well as those of our partners who also play an important role in work zone awareness.

Maintenance worker in right place at right time saves stranded driver

By Summer Derrey

Jerry Bennett was on a routine patrol on State Route 410 a few miles west of Whistlin’ Jack Lodge near Chinook Pass when he spotted some trees down. Noticeable, but not completely out of the ordinary this time of year up there. Jerry pushed the trees off the shoulder using the plow on his truck then hopped out to toss the remaining debris safely away from the road. But then a normal day turned decidedly abnormal, and Jerry was the right man in the right place at the right time.

First, he noticed a car buried in the forest off the highway. Then he heard a woman yelling for help. Jerry climbed down the hill and found the woman wet, cold and with some minor injuries. Traveling the night before in the dark, in the rain and sleepy, the woman missed her turn to US 12 headed to Randle. Instead, she continued onto SR 410 and crashed despite seven signs advising the road is closed 40 miles ahead. This highway closes every winter due to heavy snow and avalanche danger. With no cell phone service up there, the woman was stranded overnight hoping someone might drive by. Luckily, Jerry did.

Maintenance worker Jerry Bennett came across this car crashed near Chinook Pass and rescued the driver who had been stranded overnight.

Jerry escorted the woman safely to his truck, turned up the heater and radioed for help. Medical aid soon arrived along with the Washington State Patrol and Jerry and a trooper checked the area to make sure there were no other passengers around the vehicle.

Jerry’s actions likely saved that woman’s life and we are so glad and proud he was in the right place at the right time.

The driver who crashed near Chinook Pass missed her turn to US 12 and instead headed up toward the closed section of SR 410.

It’s also a great reminder to be sure you and your vehicle are prepared in case of emergencies. Especially if you’re traveling in remote areas or over mountain passes where cell service may be spotty and no help nearby, it’s vital to have extra food/drinks, warm clothes and blankets, medication and anything else you may need. It can make all the difference until someone like Jerry arrives to help.