Operation Safe Driver Week Set for July 7-13

Summer is in full swing here in Florida. The sun is shining and the roads are as active as ever. In addition to the everyday rush-hour bustle, there is an increase in drivers on the road due to young locals being on summer break and visitors making the most of one of the world’s top vacation destinations while school is out.

With more drivers on Central Florida roadways, Operation Safe Driver Week arrives just in time. This year’s focus is reckless, careless, and dangerous driving. From July 7-13, law enforcement officers will be particularly vigilant for motorists engaged in unsafe driving behaviors, including speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, and not buckling up. Drivers will be pulled over and issued a citation or warning for such offenses.

During Operation Safe Driver Week, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) asks motorists to take the time to reflect on their driving habits and keep in mind that reckless driving can result in fines, loss of license, jail time, injury, or the ultimate consequence — loss of life. This loss could be your own, friends and family, or an innocent driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist.

All reckless driving is preventable. There is no excuse for speeding. Drivers should plan ahead and leave on time. Drivers can avoid distractions by setting up directions on their phone before hitting the road and using a hands-free system.

If there is any possibility of becoming under the influence at your destination, drivers should arrange alternative transportation or determine a safe place to stay until they are sober. Drowsy driving can be as dangerous as driving under the influence. When too tired to drive, find a place to rest before getting behind the wheel or find another safe way home. FDOT urges all motorists to buckle up. Wearing seat belts saves lives, and it’s the law.

Law enforcement’s amplified efforts during Operation Safe Driver Week help discourage reckless driving and provide an opportunity to educate drivers on the consequences of reckless behaviors.

FDOT asks all drivers to avoid bad decisions that can create dangerous or even deadly situations for others. For more information on Operation Safe Driver Week, visit cvsa.org/programs/operation-safe-driver/operation-safe-driver-week/.

Stormwater Ponds Act as Filters for Highway Runoff

Floridians are no strangers to precipitation. Florida’s rainy season typically runs from late May to early October, which on average sees between 5 to 10 inches of rainfall per month from frequent afternoon thunderstorms in the state’s humid subtropical climate.

Rain is often responsible for roadway runoff that contains oil, grease, and sediment and can lead to both flooding and pollution of nearby water features. Engineers tasked with addressing roadway runoff frequently employ stormwater ponds.

Stormwater ponds are designed to collect the overflow of roadway runoff and allow pollutants to settle at the bottom, leaving only the clean water at the top of the pond to return into nearby lakes, rivers, or groundwater. The use of stormwater ponds is proven to be effective at preventing pollutants from getting into natural bodies of water and causing negative impacts on local ecosystems.

The Sand Lake Road (State Road 482) and Interstate 4 (I-4) interchange project is constructing new stormwater ponds near a new loop ramp that will move westbound traffic from Sand Lake Road to Turkey Lake Road. Their locations were selected after engineers conducted geo-technical investigations to understand the ground elevation, water table, and soil makeup under the roadway.

The next time you drive by a humble roadway stormwater pond, take a moment to appreciate the important work they perform in keeping our waterways clean!

To learn more about the Sand Lake Road and I-4 interchange project, visit i4beyond.com/SandLake.

Employee Spotlight: Kaitlin Bueno, CIP Coping/Junction Slab Foreman

Crews working on I-4 Beyond the Ultimate projects navigate challenges every day as they complete the large-scale roadway improvements. Kaitlin Bueno, a bridge foreman, is contributing to this transformation of Interstate 4 (I-4) for all Central Florida travelers.

Bueno works on the I-4 and Daryl Carter Parkway improvement project as part of I-4 Beyond the Ultimate, but prior to her construction career, she was in a much different line of work.

“I started off in retail, and retail just wasn’t making ends meet for me at the time,” she said. “I wanted to get somewhere that I could make a future for myself, because retail wasn’t it.”

Bueno's father and older brother both worked in construction on surveying teams, and she said that their support helped ease her career transition.

For Bueno, taking on this new challenge meant starting off in dirt crews, working her way up to mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall construction, and eventually fulfilling her role as a bridge foreman. She works with a team focused on ensuring key parts of the bridge, such as overhangs, are correctly formed and installed. Bueno meets with her team each day to make sure her coworkers have the equipment they need to get their assignments done efficiently.

After working as an MSE wall foreman for two years, Bueno has been a bridge foreman for about a year. She has six years of overall construction experience. Her communication and planning skills have helped in her development along the way. As a foreman, she is always looking ahead — a week ahead, to be exact — to plan schedules and address her team’s needs. She said building relationships with the contractor and superintendents is important for anyone working in the field.

A construction work zone is a place where teamwork and consistent communication are needed. Bueno is adept at working with others and said it is important that she continues to be a voice that other foremen on the job can turn to if they need help, and she can go to them when she needs help as well.

“The other foremen that I work with will call me and say ‘Hey, you’ve done this more than I have, I need some advice, I need your help,’” she said. “I’ll do the same thing, vice versa. Being able to have somebody to talk to and keep you going is really what you need out here.”

At the I-4 and Daryl Carter Parkway project, construction crews are working to convert the existing overpass into a new interchange, and while the project goes on, Bueno’s message for anyone who wants to work in the field is simple: your hard work will make a difference.

“If it’s something that you want to do, or something that you want to try, give it everything you have,” Bueno said. “People do notice the hard work. If you want to work somewhere that you can see your progress and you thrive off that progress, (construction work is) definitely something that you should try.”

For more information on the I-4 and Daryl Carter Parkway project, visit I-4 at Daryl Carter Parkway Interim Interchange | I-4 Beyond (i4beyond.com).