The newsletter provides updates on various ODOT District 2 activities, including: - Promoting safety messaging to drivers, especially in work zones. - Implementing a new behavior-based safety program. - Previewing the large construction season, with nearly $450M in projects. - Announcing funding approval for preliminary engineering of two new I-475 interchanges. - Discussing salt procurement strategies due to high prices and a focus on smart salt methods. - Highlighting several ODOT employees who coach local youth sports teams. - Thanking the community for support of their annual Santa project. - Recognizing new hires and promotions within the district.

1. Williams - Fulton - Henry - Lucas - Wood - Ottawa - Sandusky - Seneca
Northwest
NEWS
Follow us on:
Changing Culture through
Educational Opportunities
New opportunities are promoting
safety
Highway Management - Salt
A closer look into our salt and
smart salt methods
Governor
John Kasich
ODOT Director
Jerry Wray
D2 Deputy Director
Todd Audet
Welcome to the District Two online newsletter. Click on the photos below to view a story,
scroll down or print the entire document for a hard copy.
Page 6 & 7
Page 5
ODOT Coaches
Our ODOT employees give back
as coaches for local teams
Contributing Editors
Todd Audet, Dennis Charvat, Michael Gramza, Dave Harvey, Layth Istefan, Nancy Kohn, Tina Perkins,
Theresa Pollick, Cathy Puntieri, and Kim Roessner
Don’t be that driver
A message from our Deputy
Director
Page 1
Interchange Design Funding
Two new interchanges on I-475
recieve TRAC funding
Thank You District Two
A collection of letters from our
Santa Project family and more
notes of appreciation
Page 9 & 10
Page 8
Page 4
Personnel News
Find out who’s new and more in
this edition
2015 Construction Season
A look ahead to new projects
for the upcoming season
Page 3
Page 2

2. 1
As we head into the final weeks of winter, I am sure each one of our plow operators have seen
the traveling public take dangerous risks driving near our plows. A recent video from the Missouri
Department of Transportation catches a driver weaving between tandem plows. [link]
This is perfect example of our safety message for this year: Don’t be that driver.
You may have seen or heard our efforts on local media, to encourage the public to not be “that driver.”
As we make the transition to our largest construction season in District Two history, we will continue
this message.
Recent crash statistics from our I-75 work zone show an increase in accidents. Most can be
attributed to drivers speeding, driving too close or being distracted. Bottom line, they were being that
driver.
For the sake of our workers, our contractors and the traveling public’s safety, we feel it is extremely
important to continue to remind the public to pay attention to the road, especially in our ever
expanding construction zones.
We do realize, we can’t always stop others from becoming “that driver”. That’s where as ODOT
employees it’s so important that you make the decision, each time you turn on the ignition to focus on
the only thing we need to do when we are behind the wheel: DRIVE.
I appreciate all of the efforts you have made working in this year’s harsh cold weather, and will close
with a simple request: don’t be that driver.
Don’t be That Driver
Todd Audet
[Above: That Driver caught on video moving between tandem plows.]

3. 2
In 2014, we met our District Critical Success Factor (CSF) goal of reducing our recordable workplace
injuries by 20% and just missed meeting the CSF Statewide goal. Great job to everyone for helping
us reach those numbers. Because of the heavy winter last year, our accident numbers did not fare
as well. So, to improve all of our accident and injury numbers this year, Todd Audet, District Deputy
Director has approved the implementation of a Behavior Based Safety Program. According to the
National Safety Council, 85-98% of accidents can be traced back to unsafe acts or behaviors.
Behavior Based Safety is a process that helps employees identify and choose a safe behavior
over an unsafe one. Safety in the work place is a combination of three measurable components:
the person, their environment and their behavior. Only when all three elements are combined can
workplace accidents be eliminated.
Implementation of Behavior Based Safety Program includes:
• A Safety Performance Improvement Plan for repeat preventable accident/injury employees
• Tied to employee evaluation process
• A focus on employee training, education and e-Learning
• Manager mentoring of employee in work processes
• Quality assessment and assurance from the Safety office
• Offer safety incentives to employees that are productive and safe
The Safety Incentive Program when approved by the Department of Administrative Services (DAS),
will consist of gift cards and/or awards that can be awarded to employees semi-annually. To qualify for
the awards employees must remain accident & injury free for 6 months, complete an online quarterly
safety e-learning with quiz, watch a monthly safety video and complete monthly safety talks with
assessments.
Changing Culture through Educational Opportunities
Dave Harvey
SomeFacebookFeedback

4. 3
The 2015 Construction season is fast approaching and District Two is preparing to administer another
record breaking amount of construction work. We’ll see close to $450M worth of projects underway
this season, topping out the 2014 season total of roughly $250M
With seventeen carryover construction projects from 2014 and seventy-one new projects to be sold
this year, all departments will be challenged to work together to find new and improved ways to
administer these contracts. Below are some of the ways our construction department will tackle this
high performance work load:
Staff Placement
The Area Engineers continue to work out staffing details. With the
Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA) contract under
negotiation, much remains unknown regarding any revisions to the
HT series. The construction department hopes to have the details
finalized within the next two months. As these details are worked
out, updates on assignments will be passed down from managers.
Staff Development
Succession planning and cross-training will lead to more
development opportunities for everyone. All are encouraged to seek
open opportunities for advancement.
Outreach
With the additional work load, you may see more of the project engineers in the spotlight this year as
they undertake on camera interviews on our District Two YouTube channel and assisting with media
interviews. Getting ODOT’s construction story out to the traveling public is critical to its success.
Here’s to a safe and exciting construction season for everyone.
2015 Construction Season
Dennis Charvat
[Above: Highlights for the upcoming season include two major new
projects on I-75 in Toledo from the I-75/475 split in Toledo to the I-75/I-280
split. Work will also pick up this summer at CentralAvenue and I-475 as
we construct a new Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI).]
[Above: Bridge projects that will take
place this season include building a
new SR 109 bridge over the Maumee
River in Henry County,]

5. 4
In December, the Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) approved funding for the
preliminary engineering to take place for two new interchanges on I-475. One is at US20A and
the other is proposed at Dorr St. These two interchanges were determined to be necessary
improvements as shown in the 2007 I-475 study performed by Jacobs Engineering. These
interchanges are currently on the TMACOG long
range planning document. Both interchanges
were presented to TRAC by the Lucas County
Transportation Improvement District (TID). The
TID was able to bring together funding partners to
address fifty percent of the total costs of the project.
The US20A/I-475 interchange will enhance
the access to I-475 from a growing economic
development area including the Toledo Express
Airport. The estimated construction cost is $19M
with the TID agreeing to fund 50% of the total project
costs. The local partners include Lucas County,
City of Maumee, City of Toledo, Lucas County Port
Authority and Monclova Township.
The second interchange, Dorr St./I-475, will improve
safety and reduce congestion along the Central
Avenue and Airport Hwy (SR2) corridors. This will also create a main entrance to the University of
Toledo. The limits of the improvement along Dorr St. will be from McCord Rd. to Holland Sylvania.
Fifty percent of the total project costs of $12M are to be funded with $6M of local funds from the
following contributing partners: Lucas County, Springfield Township and the University of Toledo.
The interchanges cannot be constructed until the capacity of I-475 is increased by widening the
mainline to three lanes in each direction. The design for the widening of I-475 from the Maumee
River to US 20 is currently being performed by the District Two Design section with Julie Fahy taking
the lead as the Project Manager. The widening cannot go forward until construction funding is
provided by TRAC. Although the project has scored very high on the TRAC list it is unknown as to
when the funding will be designated for the construction. Stay Tuned.
For more information on TRAC, click here [link]
TRAC Approves Interchange Design Funding
Mike Gramza
[Above: Amap of the proposed interchanges]
PraisefromTwitter

6. 5
With Salt pricing soaring this year, an alternative had to be
found. District 2, 1 and three counties in District 7 did not
get any good salt bids. So, Central office went back to work
looking for salt for these areas. In the end, we ended up
with a price of $105.25 per ton, which was a savings from
the original bids, but a lot higher than what we paid last year.
Salt arrived on three barges at the Toledo docks. You may
wonder why our salt is brown this year. This salt is from
Morocco. It is mined out of the desert. It looks a lot like
sand in color. However, it does perform like salt we have
had in the past.
Also new this year is the salt request process. ODOT counties contact Kim Roessner with their
tonnage needed. Kim contacts haulers on Mondays. The haulers have one week to get all salt
orders delivered. There are six hauling companies on our contract. Kim contacts the lowest bidder
to provide the needed hauls for the week. If they are unavailable, she works thru the list. The salt
on the dock is going to District 2, 1 and 7. Besides ODOT needing salt, local entities have a need.
ODOT is currently selling salt to them. They are either picking it up at our facilities or Kim is having it
hauled directly to them.
ODOT continues to use smart salt strategies when using this commodity. We are the leader in Snow
and Ice methods, we continue to partner with communities and schools to learn how to use salt in a
way that will allow it to work to its highest potential. Brine use is growing within ODOT and we are
sharing it with more and more local entities.
We started with over 76,000 tons of salt on the docks. We are down to approximately 32,000 tons.
We are a little over half way thru the pile and half way thru the winter. Will winter outlast the salt? We
will see!
Highway Management - Salt
Kim Roessner
[Above: Salt is being loaded into a plow truck. ]

7. 6
ODOT Coaches
Your Name: Ryan Nuhfer
Title at ODOT: Survey
Operations Manager
Team I coach for: Oak Harbor
High School Diving
Number of years coaching
experience: 5 years as Oak
Harbor Coach, also Coached
Port Clinton High School for 4
years
Why I coach: “I coach Diving
because I was a diver in High
school and College, and
enjoy teaching the student
athletes, the proper aspects of
athleticism, sportsmanship, and
competitive spirit, for them to
be successful in their future life
experiences.”
Name: Phil Senn
Title at ODOT: Project Engineer
Team I coach for: Evergreen High School Wrestling
Number of years coaching experience: 7
Why I coach: “I love the sport of wrestling and enjoy sharing my time, knowledge, and experience
with the athletes.”
Name: Craig Vogl
Title at ODOT: Highway Technician 2
Team I coach for: Multiple Teams
Number of years coaching experience: 15 years coaching experience, 7 years coaching high school
baseball and 5 years coaching 14u travel softball, and also 3yrs coaching 6th and 7th grade football.
Why I coach: “. I coach because, I enjoy teaching kids and also to see the thrill on a kids face when
they accomplish a goal that they had set early in the season. I take pride in being a positive role
model and also someone the kids look up to.”
Name: Jim Saul
Title at ODOT: Highway Technician 2
Team I coach for: Edgerton Junior High football team (Head Coach)
Number of years coaching experience: 13 years
Why I coach: I started coaching to help fill a shortage of staff. Once I started it got in my blood and
I’ve been with it ever since. The thing I enjoy most is working with young men and helping to grow
them into better atheletes and students of the community.
[Above: Ryan Nufer with members of his team, The Oak Harbor High
school Diving Team]
Our employees here at ODOT do amazing work here as well as in their communities. Below we have
featured a few of our employees who give back by coaching local teams.
Nancy Kohn

8. 7
ODOT Coaches (Continued)
Name: Kim Roessner
Title at ODOT: Transportation Administrator
Team I coach for: Upward Basketball
Number of years coaching experience: 9 years
A sentence about why I coach: “It is all about the kids.”
Name: Andrew J. Beaverson
Title at ODOT: Highway Technician 2
Team I coach for: Bowling Green High School Baseball, Assistant Varsity
Number of years coaching experience: 5 years
Why I coach: “Coaching allows me to stay a part of the game of Baseball. The thrill of playing is just
as exciting as the thrill of coaching young minds. To see a kid grow as a Student athlete is a great
experience and keeps me going as a coach.”
Name: Craig Vogl
Title at ODOT: Highway Technician 3
Team I coach for: The Northwood Rangerettes Softball
Number of years coaching experience: 4 years
Why I coach: “I wanted to coach because I love to teach kids things, but I didn’t realize how much I
would learn in the process. It truly was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life”
Name: Christopher Waterfield
Title at ODOT: District Traffic Engineer
Team I coach for: Findlay Soccer Club U13 Girls
Number of years coaching experience: 21
Why I coach: “I coach because it is both fun and rewarding. I enjoy giving back to the sport that gave
so much to me when I was growing up. I enjoy helping others develop their soccer-specific technical
and tactical abilities, as well as developing resilience, determination, teamwork, sacrifice and
leadership. I was blessed with some excellent mentors in my soccer career, and I aspire to provide
the same to my players.”
[Above: Christopher Waterfield with his Girls Soccer team]

9. 8
Thank You’s
Dear ODOT,
I want to thank you for taking such good care of the highways and roads in our area. You all
have done a spectacular job.
I am from Michigan & now live in Perrysburg but I was always in the Toledo Area.
Michigan could learn from Ohio. Their care is sub par, to say the least.
Thank You!
Brad & Linda Strouse
Above is one of the many thank you notes we recieved following our Santa Project.
To view more click the following link. [link]

10. 9
Personnel news
Hired
Joseph O’Donnell
Hired as Surveyor in
Survey/P&E on 1/12/15
Wesley Foor
Hired as a College
Intern in Transportation
Engineering on 1/12/15
Kim Hoover
Hired as a College
Intern in Transportation
Engineering on 1/12/15
Levi Post
Hired as a Highway
Technician 1 in Ottawa
County on 1/26/15
Anthony Stout
Hired as a Highway
Technician 1 in Ottawa
County garage on 1/11/15
Clark Warfel
Hired as a Highway
Technician 1 in Northwood
on 1/11/15
Slayman Sallock
Hired as a Highway
Technician 1 in Northwood
on 1/11/15
Andrew Kohler
Hired as a college intern
in Planning & Engineering
on 1/12/15
Christian Smith
Hired as a College Intern
in Planning & Engineering
on 1/12/15
Christina Onyskiw
Hired as a College Intern
in Planning & Engineering
on 1/12/15
Hillary Serem
Hired as a College Intern
in Construction on 1/20/15
Nathan Copi
Hired as a College
Intern in Construction on
12/29/14
Jonathan Comes
Hired as a Highway
Technician 1 in Wood
County on 12/28/14
Jason Kingseed
& wife Natasha welcomed daughter
Kali on 11/27/14
Births
Natina Ariss
& husband Wally welcomed
daughter Hayden on 2/16/15

11. 10
Personnel news
Please submit any comments or story ideas to the Public Information Department!
Promoted
Richard Knauss
Promoted to a Highway Tech 2 at the
Northwood Garage on 11/30/14
Melissa Stratmann
to a Fiscal Specialist 1 in Finance
on 12/28/14
Nicholas Proudfoot
Promoted to to a Highway Tech 2 at
the Henry County Garage on 11/30/14
Mark Elchert
Promoted to a Highway Tech 2 at the
Seneca County Garage on 11/30/14
Zach Wertz
Promoted to a Highway Tech 2 at the
Wood County Garage on 11/30/14
Pam Shanks
Promoted a HCM Manager in Human
Resources on 12/14/14
Retired
James Wammes
Retired from the Sandusky County
garage after 22 plus years of service
on 12/31/14
Richard Musshel
Retired from the Henry County garage
after 22 years of service on 1/30/15
Marcia Benner
Retired from the Human Resources
department after 30 years of service
on 1/30/15
Brock Harder
Promoted to a Highway Tech 2 at the
Ottawa County Garage on 11/30/14
Raul Reyna
Promoted to a Highway Tech 2 at
the Sandusky County Garage on
11/30/14
Ryan McClure
Promoted to anAuto Mechanic 2 at
the Wood County Garage on 11/30/14