Lynchburg - The Voice - Fall 2022 Edition

Lynchburg District | Fall 2022
The Voice
Amherst | Appomattox | Buckingham | Campbell | Charlotte | Cumberland | Halifax | Nelson | Pittsylvania | Prince Edward
ASCE GIVES BEST PROJECT
AWARD FOR WORK ON
ROUTE 29 AIRPORT BRIDGE
Lynchburg’s major bridge replacement project on Route 29
North near the Lynchburg Regional Airport has been recognized
by Virginia’s American Society of Civil Engineers. The group
gave its “Best Engineering Project Award: Government” to
VDOT’s Lynchburg District for the work to build a new bridge
and tear down the old one. The work has been challenging for
several reasons.
Chris Winstead, P.E., Lynchburg District Engineer, accepted the Best
Project Award from ASCE in October
“The maintenance of traffic is a challenge,” said Terry Meadows,
District Construction Engineer. “It’s probably our most heavily
traveled corridor in the district. We have north of 30,000 vehicles
per day that travel on that stretch of roadway.”
Cont. on page 3
TWO NEW AHQS
MEAN BETTER
SERVICE IN
CAMPBELL AND
BUCKINGHAM
COUNTIES
See pages 2 & 3
DIVERSITY DAY / OPEN HOUSE
Blue skies. Sunshine. The smell of great food. The sounds of laughter and lively conversation
Those were the hallmarks of Diversity Day, 2022.
Hundreds were on hand for the event, the first in three years after the Covid-19 pandemic
knocked out the prior two years’ in-person events.
Continued on pages 6 & 7

A LIFELONG DREAM
Lindsey S. Hodges named Halifax Residency Administrator
Early in life, Lindsey S. Hodges, PE,
knew she what she wanted to be when
she grew up.
“From the 5th Grade, I wanted to be a
civil engineer,” Hodges said. “And I’ve
never wavered from that.”
Hodges remembers family trips to the
beach and how fascinated she was with
the roads and bridges being built in North
Carolina. The self-named “construction
geek” used to track their progress from
one year to the next.
Her determination led her to a Civil and
Environmental Engineering degree from
Virginia Tech, then to several different
positions at VDOT, beginning as a Land
Development Engineer in the Salem
District.
From there, she took a position with the
SWRO Specialty Services Group doing
traffic signal design.
“I took that position to learn more and
broaden my background,” Hodges said.
In 2017, she passed her Professional
Engineering exam and the following year,
she became the Senior Engineer Project
Manager for Traffic Engineering in
Lynchburg.
In 2020, she transitioned to an Area
Construction Engineer role… and on
September 10, the announcement came
that Hodges is the new Halifax Resident
Engineer.
“They’ve all been really good stepping
stones,” said Hodges. “The steps I’ve
taken, I think, have really put me in line to
be where I am today. I have enjoyed every
moment of being here.”
“I truly think I’m one of those people that
bleeds orange!” she said with a laugh.
Now, as she familiarizes herself with the
Halifax Residency and the communities
she’s now serving, she has some “thank
yous” to pass along – to friends and
co-workers, but above all, to her mom and
dad.
“I have the best parents in the world,” said
Hodges. “They’ve never wavered from me
and they’ve supported anything that I’ve
needed to do or wanted to do and have
had my back on all of it.”
TWO NEW AHQS MEAN BETTER SERVICE
IN CAMPBELL AND BUCKINGHAM COUNTIES
Chief Deputy Commissioner Cathy Mcghee visited the new Buckingham Area Headquarters on October 13, 10 days after crews
started reporting there. The new facility replaces the old Andersonville AHQ and a sub AHQ called Manteo.
pg 2
Pictured left to right: James Johnston, Raymond Motley,
Cathy Mcghee, Scott Frederick
Pictured left to right: Chris Winstead, James Johnston,
Raymond Motley, Cathy Mcghee, Scott Frederick

ASCE GIVES BEST PROJECT
AWARD FOR WORK ON
ROUTE 29 AIRPORT BRIDGE continued
In addition, Norfolk Southern uses the railroad tracks that run beneath the
bridge – a lot. And those tracks come through at an odd angle, which
requires a much longer span between columns than a typical bridge
construction would utilize.
All of that requires plenty of coordination with the railroad - and the careful
placement of piers to support the structure.
“Working over the railroad is always a big challenge. It’s heavily traveled.
Amtrak trains run on it as well, so track time is limited. We work over the
tracks when the railroad tells us we can work over the tracks,” Meadows
said.
“There’s definitely trust and it goes both ways. If we have five hours of track
time and we tell them ‘yeah, we can get this operation done in five hours,’
they are trusting us to make it happen, to not hold up the train traffic. It’s a
challenge to take advantage of these windows of time we have to work
over the tracks, especially in the early stages of the project, constructing
the piers down in the hole right next to the tracks. We are really working
close to those tracks. That’s when it’s really challenging because you have
a lot more exposure down there to the trains coming through and there’s a
lot of ‘get in and get out’ as those windows of time open and close.”
The project is vital, Meadows said, because the existing bridge is fracture
critical meaning there is no redundancy to take on the load if the steel
girder underneath were to crack or break. VDOT has been working to
replace fracture critical bridges and the new design will have a different
span configuration with backup supports in place.
Meadows is grateful for the VDOT employees and the contractor, English
Construction for their approach and efficiency. He agrees that the ASCE
award is confirmation of a job well done.
Virginia ASCE gave its Best Engineering Project Award to
VDOT's Lynchburg District for the Route 29 Airport Bridge
Replacement
“So much of the work, especially in the early stages, is
building the foundation for the piers. You don’t see it
unless you were to stop and look over the edge of the
existing bridge. There’s quite a bit going on down there.
We had some setbacks early on. The bridge designer had
to do some redesign based on the actual conditions. We
granted English Construction a time extension, but even
with all that has happened, English has done a great job
mitigating those delays. They’ve really made up a lot of
ground. There’s still a very good possibility that they will
finish the project by the original completion date.”
That date is in May of 2023, but traffic will move to the new
bridge much earlier, in December of 2022. At that point,
demolition of the old bridge will begin.
“It’s exciting to get recognized by the local chapter of
ASCE, the community, folks we don’t always interact
with,” said Meadows. “They’re obviously noticing what
we’re doing.”
The new Marysville AHQ became operational on November 14. It combines the Gladys and Yellow Branch AHQs. Both
facilities are significant upgrades from the older buildings, leading to more efficient service for their areas.
pg 3

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SHEP
MILLER, OTHER DIGNITARIES CELEBRATE
COMPLETION OF THE KINGSVILLE
ROUNDABOUT IN PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY
It was all smiles at the ribbon-cutting for the Kingsville Roundabout project on Route 15
at Route 133 (Kingsville Road). On Monday, October 31, Virginia Secretary of
Transportation Shep Miller was among many distinguished guests on hand to officially
celebrate the project, which will improve safety and allow traffic to move through the
area more efficiently.
In addition to Secretary Miller, Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) member
Bert Dodson; Virginia Senator Mark Peake, (R) 22nd District; Delegate Thomas C.
Wright, Jr., (R), 61st District; Prince Edward County Administrator Doug Stanley; Prince
Edward County Board of Supervisors Chair Dr. Odessa Pride, and Prince Edward
County District 1 Supervisor Dr. Peter Gur attended and helped to cut the ribbon.
Route 15 carries roughly 12,000 vehicles per day and roundabouts have been proven
a safe option for intersections, often safer even than those controlled with traffic
signals.
“Roundabouts have many positive attributes,” said Scott Frederick, Farmville Residency
Engineer. “It's common to hear people say that they are safer and more efficient or
that they typically cost less than other intersections. Something that you don't hear
much is that roundabouts still function normally during power outages.”
Prince Edward County submitted a request for the project through SMART SCALE in
2019. Total cost of the project is roughly $2.8 Million.
Early completion of the project would not have been possible without VDOT’s dedicated
employees, the project contractor - Virginia Carolina Paving, and the project’s
inspector – NXL.
pg 4

36 YEARS LATER,
HE “WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING.”
Walter Lewis looking forward to well-earned retirement
When Walter Lewis talks about his career at VDOT, he does it with a smile.
“My VDOT experience has been great over the years,” Lewis said. “It gave me a
lot of opportunities to deal with the public, hand-in-hand, different contractors
over the years. You get to meet a lot of different people. Every day, there’s
something different. It’s just been great.”
After three years in the U.S. Army, Lewis started at VDOT in Location and
Design. Nearly three years later, he jumped at the chance to take an Inspector
Trainee position, which allowed him to spend more time outdoors.
“Inside just wasn’t for me,” said Lewis.
Walter Lewis in front of his favorite project, Snowden Bridge
He later moved into a Senior Inspector role and never looked back, seemingly
enjoying every minute.
“No regrets at all. I made the right choice. It’s a job that I love to do and couldn’t
ask for anything better.”
Over the years, he’s worked on many projects, including the Route 210 Connector
in Amherst County, a bridge over the Rockfish River in Nelson County, the
Odd Fellows Road project in Lynchburg, and his favorite – Snowden Bridge at
the Amherst/Bedford County line.
Now it’s time to move on, though Lewis says he will miss the people he’s worked
with over the years. He points out, he could have retired years earlier. He just
enjoyed the work he was doing too much to do so.
“When you find something you like, stick with it,” Lewis said.
Lewis will officially retire on July 1, 2023.
pg 5

Day
GREAT FUN AND A GREAT MESSAGE – AFTER A TWO-YEAR HIATUS
pg 6

LYNCHBURG DISTRICT DIVERSITY DAY OPEN HOUSE
This time around, the remnants of Hurricane Ian
threatened to do the same, but the weather
stayed nice, aside from occasional strong winds,
and the event went ahead largely as planned.
Attendees had plenty of activities to choose
from. Among them – a basketball challenge,
cornhole games, Wii games, a motor grader
simulator, demonstrations from the Department
of Wildlife Resources, and vendors of all stripes
on hand to answer questions.
For many, the highlight of the day was the guest
speaker, Lt. Col. Lenmuel Terry of Virginia State
Police. Lt. Col. Terry spoke of the importance of
organizations more closely representing the
diversity of the communities they serve. He
noted the diversity he sees at VDOT, but also
said opportunities exist to go further.
“How many times have you walked into a place
and you don’t see anybody who looks like you?”
Terry asked. “Sometimes, you take note of that.
And sometimes you can probably tell that
someone doesn’t see someone that looks like
them. When I look around here, I see the
diversification I’m talking about. But can we do
better? Obviously, we can.”
“When I walked through the academy, he was like a light
to see. He was a great person to talk to and I always
looked to see him when I was at the academy,” Walker said.
“He was a fantastic leader. He taught the state police
manual cover to cover and we all went through it under
his leadership.”
Other speakers included Commonwealth Transportation
Board Member Bert Dodson, and District Engineer Chris
Winstead, who thanked the members of the Diversity and
Morale committees for putting the event together and
spoke of the importance of such gatherings.
“I’m committed. Every chance we have to pull something
like this together on an
annual basis, that’s
what I want to do,”
Winstead said. “Our
employees are our
most important asset
and so it’s very
important to do this.”
Then, it was time for
food, fun, and fellowship.
Troy Walker, Senior Engineer/Project Manager,
was honored to introduce Terry, who was his
captain when Walker was a Trooper Trainee in
the VSP.
pg 7

DARLENE COWART SETTLING
INTO HER NEW ROLE
She’s “hectic but happy” while getting up to speed as
HR Benefits Administrator
Darlene Cowart knows it’s not easy
to keep track of all the benefits you
have as a member of the VDOT
family. She’s been cramming to get
up to speed so that when you have
questions - she’ll have the
answers you need.
“It’s just a lot of information to
digest and a lot of different
systems to learn. I’ve been taking
stuff home, too, just to get more
familiar with it all,” Cowart said.
You may think reading through all
that paperwork -- about various
benefit programs, onboarding new
employees, health and life
insurance options and more --
would be not only challenging, but
boring. Cowart says, for her, it’s
anything but.
“I enjoy it, actually. I enjoy reading
about insurance and retirement.
VRS, to me, is fascinating. It’s a
great benefit to the employees.”
And she really enjoys giving employees the information they need – especially for their post-work
years.
“The biggest accomplishment for me is to help them feel comfortable with knowing what they
have in retirement,” she said. “And to me, I’m at a success point when I feel confident that they
understand what their retirement is, the package, what they have when they retire.”
Her message to younger VDOT employees is to start planning for retirement now – and make an
appointment to meet with her if you have any questions.
“Build it up. You can retire so much earlier if you get started at a younger age.”
Cowart was born in Campbell County and grew up on her family’s farm. Her husband Mike is a
county deputy. The couple owns a miniature Schnauzer named Hokie. She previously worked for
the county, as well, with her last role being HR Benefits Coordinator there.
Now she with us, at VDOT, and happy.
“Everyone has been so welcoming and warm,” she said. “I really appreciate that.”
If you have questions about your benefits, reach out to Darlene at 434-215-8142 or darlene.cowart@vdot.virginia.gov
to set up an appointment.
NEAR
CONSTANT
CHANGE
How Lynchburg’s Signal Team
is using technology to lead
the way to safer roads
To say the Lynchburg District’s
Signal Team is a busy bunch
would seem a huge understatement.
Just four employees cover
all 10 counties – plus Bedford
County out of the Salem District.
And when a traffic signal goes
down, one or more of these four
workers will be on the road - no
matter the time, no matter the
weather - to fix it.
“You can work your eight hours
here and then be running calls
half the night and be back here
at seven the next morning,” said
Team Leader James Holt. “But I
love it. You gotta love it to do it.”
Holt’s been doing it for 34 years
and in that time, he’s seen and
taken advantage of huge
advancements in technology to
make our roads safer.
Holt said: “When I came here, it
was light bulbs and the controller
had a red dial, a yellow dial,
and a green dial and it had
contacts in it. And when it got
stuck, you pulled the contact
out, cleaned it with an emery
cloth, and stuck it back in.”
Now, he points out, computers
and communications systems
have made the process very
different.
pg 8

The Lynchburg District Signal Team from Left to Right: David Dorr, Troy Miller, James Holt, Gary Mountcastle
“We have a central software system now
that’s statewide and it’s tied to all our
controllers that are online, which enables
me to connect to the controller and look
at them just like I’m in the cabinet, and
see what’s running.”
Impressive, but it still doesn’t necessarily
prevent a trip at 3 a.m. to fix a malfunctioning
signal, be it just down the road or
a 90-minute drive away.
“We’ll never reset a light remotely,” Holt
said. “Now, if there’s a detector stuck or a
camera not picking something up, those
we can do from our house. We can also
adjust the timing of a signal light that
way.”
And the technology “hits” have keep on
coming - from video detection systems in
the early 2000s that read traffic and
change signal lights accordingly; to
walkways that use thermal sensors to
determine if someone is crossing the
street; to traffic cameras that can rotate
360-degrees and offer a clear image,
even when zoomed in substantially; to an
advanced fog detection system on the
Monacan Bridge in Amherst County.
“We have sensors all through the bridge
and it shoots a beam of red light to those
sensors,” said Holt. “And if there’s
enough fog to block that beam of light, it
automatically sets off beacons above a
sign that reads ‘Low Visibility Ahead.’”
In fact, the Lynchburg District’s signal
team has been a leader across the
Commonwealth in many different areas.
Holt rattled off the list of improvements
over the years:
• All mast arms – no more signal lights
hanging from wires.
• All LED lights which last 15 years or
more and save a lot of money on
electricity. “Some of these lights don’t
even meet the monthly requirement to
generate a bill.”
• Reflective back plates on all traffic
lights for brighter signals.
• All T-S 2 Model Cabinets (an upgrade
from the old T-S 1 units) meaning no
more need for hard-wiring. “Now, it’s all
done through keystrokes.”
And Lynchburg’s team took over Bedford
County sometime in the late 80s/early
90s, as Route 221 was growing rapidly
and VDOT needed a quicker response
than Salem’s team, an hour’s drive away,
could accomplish.
But Holt gives credit to signal team
members throughout the Commonwealth.
“It doesn’t matter what district they are in,”
he said. “I can call a signal team member
and they will answer. We all communicate
and help each other out as much as we
can.”
All of the changes have been focused
primarily on making roads safer, but also
on improving traffic flow and saving
taxpayer dollars.
Holt is certain more change is on the way.
When it gets here, he knows his team will
be ready.
“We do an awful lot with just four people.”
pg 9

Colder weather means heating (and re-heating) the air we breathe
And that can lead to many health problems - and damage
During the winter months, it is all too easy for
indoor air to become extremely dry. Every pass
through our furnace or heat pump adds warmth
to our air, but removes moisture. In fact, during
the winter months, the air in our homes can be
significantly drier than a desert!
Experts say the ideal humidity level is between 30
and 50 percent. In the Sahara Desert, the level is
typically around 25%. That’s dry, but the average
home can easily see humidity levels drop as low
as 13 percent. And that’s a problem because dry
air is often overlooked.
What’s more, drier air can actually cause structural damage to your home,
especially to anything made of wood – framing, floors, doors, and more. And
we all know how painful a zap of static electricity can be.
Your best defense is to measure the humidity level in your home and add
moisture into the air when it gets too dry. A whole house humidifier is a good
option, but smaller, plug-in humidifiers can help, too – at home and in the
office.
Also: use lip balms, skin moisturizers, a nasal spritz or neti pot for irritated
nasal passages. Drink lots of water and take shorter, cooler showers.
Knowing the dangers of dry air and keeping humidity at the right levels can go
a long way toward better, healthier living.
Here’s a list of some of the conditions that can be
exacerbated by low humidity levels:
Asthma
Bronchitis
Other Respiratory Ailments
Sore Throat
Nosebleeds
Eye irritation
Dry Skin (Dermatitis)
Dehydration
Risk of Infection
Dry air can even cause higher stress levels. In a
2020 study, researchers monitored the heart
rates and stress levels of workers in four
separate buildings – each with varying levels of
air humidity. They found that those in the
buildings with drier air had heart rates that
indicated a stress response. Those workers also
reported getting poorer sleep.
pg 10

PAINTED PLOWS
Great job on this plow by Lauren Balint’s 4th
and 5th grade art students at Temperance
Elementary School in Amherst! (above)
Kelli Seagle’s art class at Appomattox
Middle School painted this plow for the
holidays. Well done, class! (right)
EMPLOYEE UPDATES
Welcome to Our New Lynchburg District Employees!
August 10 - November 25, 2022
Jeffrey Wilson, TO II, Timberlake AHQ
Russell Eanes, TO II, Cumberland AHQ
Amanda Cox, Program Admin Spec III, L & D
Daniel Sims, TO II, Traffic
Franklin Chambers, TO II, Amherst AHQ
Shepard Hudson, Constr. Inspector Senior, Lynchburg District
Mark Gilbert, Roadside Coordinator, Lynchburg District
Jeremy L. Mays, TO II, Bryant AHQ
Gabriel A. Hazelwood, TO II, Chatham Bridge Crew
Larry R. Hawker, TO II, Kentuck AHQ
Lisa M. Tinsley, AOS III, Materials
Matthew O. Brumfield, TO II, Chatham Bridge Crew
Micah K. Marquis, TO II, District Wide Bridge Crew
Steven L. Rantz, Equip. Service & Repair Tech I, District Shop
Randy L. Byram, TO II, Brosville AHQ
Terry D. Ragsdale, TO II, Timberlake AHQ
Donald R. Watson, TO II, Mt. Airy
William Whetzel, TO II, Hampden Sydney
Darlene Palmer, AOS III Fiscal
William Sweat, TO II, Madison Heights AHQ
Heather McGuire, Financial Services Spec I
Kayvon Amos, TO II, Buckingham AHQ
Christopher F. Green, Engineer Tech III, Survey
A Fond Farewell to Our Recent Retirees
Jeffrey Milton
Robert Reid
Frank Lampkin
Clayton Evans
pg 11

Lynchburg District Engineer Chris Winstead, PE with members of the Lynchburg District Executive Team at a one-day training retreat at Wintergreen Resort in October
Driving home from a meeting in Richmond in the cold rain recently reminded me of the value of your work. From clipped shoulders, clear signs
and cleaned pipe & ditches to trimmed trees & needed pavement markings, smooth pavement to well designed & installed guardrail and safe
structures to clearly marked work zones and well planned and designed roads and intersections - my quality of life as a traveler was preserved. I
safely arrived home through the wet darkness to a bunch of smiling faces and hugs. What you do and what you enable is priceless. What you
did for me, you do for yourselves & your own families along with hundreds of thousands of customers across our district 24/7/365. Please take a
moment to let that goodness sink in.
Thank you!
What you do is not only take care of a huge infrastructure network and the people who traverse it but you also take care of each other… whether
through continued focus upon employee safety, excellent internal customer service, or through all of the many facets of services like Communications,
Fiscal, HR support, Purchasing, Facilities, IT and Inventory. The list goes on.
Every one of us fits into our VDOT Mission and has value. As a result we all have a purpose larger than ourselves. And I believe each of you has
intrinsic value and is worthy of dignity regardless of momentary performance and regardless of role. The goal is never perfection but we are
always learning and growing incrementally toward excellence together. Much of life’s circumstances are outside of our control. However,
circumstances can never remove our ability to choose our response.
As we move into this Christmas/New Years and holiday season, may we choose to focus upon who and what we are grateful for. Take time this
season to spend with family and friends. I’m praying for good weather so that we can all take a breather. As we come back to 2023, let’s
continue to look after each other and grow the quality of life across our district together through our VDOT Mission, Shared Values, and Ethics.
(https://tinyurl.com/2p9s7z2t)
Sincerely,
Chris Winstead
GRATEFUL FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR OF SERVICE
We want to hear from you!
Help bring forward the stories that you want to hear.
Call or email to share your ideas at:
(434) 856-8176 or len.stevens@vdot.virginia.gov
VDOT is on Social Media.
Stay up to date with the latest news by following our social
media accounts. Check us out on FaceBook and Twitter!
VDOT Lynchburg District
@VaDOTLynchburg
pg 10
Lynchburg District | Fall 2022