During a recent technical exchange, Diana Gomez, deputy district director of operations at Caltrans, shared her perspectives on transportation system management and "practicing the pyramid," California's efforts to manage the transportation system from planning through operations and maintenance to improvement. Caltrans uses the concept of the System Management Pyramid to guide project prioritization and influence investment decisions. The base of the pyramid is system monitoring and evaluation, which is achieved by collecting and tracking transportation system performance measures related to safety and security, system preservation, mobility/access, reliability, and customer satisfaction at the state level.

Gomez shared best practices in dynamic lane and work zone transportation management. The Caltrans Work Zone Transportation Management System is designed to provide the ability to maintain and manage freeway operations during major work zone projects. Through dynamic lane management, Caltrans monitors traffic flow and, as queuing increases at approaches to lane closures, regulates the merge. Implementation of this program resulted in reductions in congestion, peak hour delay, and traffic accidents.

Gomez also discussed Caltrans' shut down last year of a portion of the 405 Interstate Freeway in California during a bridge project. Citizens of Los Angeles predicted doomsday or "carmageddon" on one of the busiest highways in the country. Caltrans encouraged people to cut their driving, stick close to home, and stay out of their cars whenever possible. The result was so successful that the closure resulted in fewer cars on the road and a call by some for more car-free weekends.

In addition to her post at Caltrans, Gomez is chair of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Foundation. Following her talk, she met with Volpe Human Resources experts and others to discuss SHPE's successful partnerships with the private sector, colleges and universities, and other federal agencies. She also shared best practices in the recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented groups.

Above: Diana Gomez, Deputy District Director of Operations at Caltrans. (Caltrans photo)