- Congratulations, Graduates!
- Leaders to Watch: Stephen Frycz, City of Stamford
- Connecticut Public Works: Promotions & Announcements
- CT Pre-Apprenticeship High School Training Program
- Safety Matters: December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
- Town Crier: City of Norwalk's Social Media Campaign #TransportationTuesdays
- Innovation Station: Giving First Responders the Green Light
- Safety Matters Coffee & Conversation: Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Device Legislation (Video)
- Happy 2024 To All!
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Congratulations, Graduates! |
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On November 30, 2023, the Training and Technical Assistance (T2) Center staff, guests, and Connecticut's top transportation leaders honored 171 professionals who completed one or more of eight different certificate programs in 2023. |
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Programs Completed:
- Public Works Academy
- Road Master Program
- Road Scholar Program
- Local Traffic Authority Program
- Transportation Leadership Program
- Safety Academy
- Traffic Signal Academy
- Traffic Signal Technician Certificate Program - Level I
The T2 Center's website has been updated with graduates' names, programs, and pictures.
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Stephen Frycz, City of Stamford
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The City of Stamford is excited to announce the promotion of Stephen Frycz to Traffic Signal Operations Supervisor for the City’s Transportation, Traffic, & Parking Bureau. Stephen has been an integral part of the traffic signal team that is responsible for 211 city-owned and operated traffic signals since 2006. Stephen is responsible for the management of the Traffic Signal Division including the supervision of all technicians, the management of the Traffic Operations Center, and all traffic signal operations and construction in the City (City Projects, CTDOT Projects, and private developments). He is currently managing the construction of six new intersections and the design of six more new intersections that are funded through CMAQ. Stephen always keeps the city on the cutting edge of traffic signal technology, some of which have been adopted by the State for their signals as well. |
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Stephen not only oversees Stamford’s traffic signal infrastructure and cameras, but he also manages the camera systems at three city-owned parking garages and works closely with the City’s Department of Public Safety with the implementation of their Blue Light and license plate recognition (LPR) camera programs. In recent years the department has been dramatically transformed to address the needs of the fastest growing municipality in the State of Connecticut. The Department has upgraded nearly 40 percent of the 200+ traffic signals and has completed a city-wide traffic signal optimization with Stephen’s dedication and leadership. As the department underwent these changes, Stephen never hesitated to step up, take on more responsibility, and take part in the discussions to move the city forward. More importantly, he did all of this with a great attitude and was a model employee to his peers. Stephen has consistently embraced additional responsibility in the city as well as in our industry. He continues to seek training and education in the field and shares his experience with his peers by teaching classes with the T2 Center, where he has completed the Traffic Signal Technician Certificate Level I and Level II Programs, is a CT Traffic Signal Academy champion, and is currently part of the Transportation Leadership Program (TLP) cohort 8. In addition to his promotion, he was recently honored by Mayor Caroline Simmons at the City’s Employee Recognition Ceremony.
Stephen has over 18 years of progressively responsible experience in the industry. He serves on the boards of the Intelligent Transportation Society of Connecticut (ITS-CT) and the T2 Center’s Traffic Signal Circuit Rider (TSCR) Advisory Committee. Stephen is a graduate of the New England Institute of Technology.
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The T2 Center is excited to launch this new section to our monthly e-newsletter, Connecticut Public Works: Promotions & Announcements. Have you promoted a crew member on your team? Has your department received an accolade? Let us celebrate these successes with our CT Public Works community. Please email Regina Hackett your agency's great news and we will publish it in an upcoming newsletter.
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- Wethersfield Physical Services is proud to announce the appointment of Juan Rodriguez as the Road/Highway Supervisor. Juan has ascended through multiple positions from Park Maintainer, Road Maintainer, Heavy Equipment Operator, and now Supervisor over his 20-year career in Wethersfield.
- Congratulations to Brian Kenney, the Wethersfield Tree Supervisor/Tree Warden. Brian's effort to pursue the development of an inventory of trees in Wethersfield has been rewarded through the award of an Urban Forestry Grant through DEEP and the Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program.
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CT Pre-Apprenticeship High School Training Program |
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Need an extra set of hands for your city or town’s Department of Public Works? Let the CT Pre-Apprenticeship High School Training Program (CTPAHSTP) help connect you with a pool of great candidates. The Pre-Apprenticeship Program is funded by the CT Department of Transportation. The program identifies meaningful work opportunities for the students they serve. Public Works Departments are great training grounds for graduates of the Pre-Apprenticeship Program. |
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Currently, the program is offered at the following high schools:
- Ellis Tech in Killingly
- Cheney Tech in Manchester
- Eli Whitney in Hamden
- Bullard Havens in Bridgeport
- Platt Tech in Milford
- Manchester High School
Additional programs are in the development stage with students from public and private high schools.
Students will work for you during their shop cycle, instead of attending school. Reimbursement of student wages up to $15 per hour for 160 hours may be available to your agency.
To learn more, visit www.CTPAHSTP.com, under the “Employment Opportunities” tab.
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December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month |
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As the holiday season is in full swing, it is important to remember that driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is not a risk worth taking. In 2021, the lastest year for which data is available, over 13,000 people died in preventable alcohol-impaired crashes and December of that year experienced a 15-year high of over 1,000 alcohol-impaired fatalities. As Connecticut and the nation deal with a rising number of fatal crashes, we all need to do everything we can to keep our roadways safe. So how can you help this holiday season?
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You can also plan ahead when you know you will be celebrating this season. Make arrangements for a ride, whether using a designated driver or a ride-share service, before you begin your celebration. If you are attending an event somewhere you can stay overnight, plan to do so. Additionally, if you see someone about to make the dangerous decision to drive under the influence, step in and offer to help. Let’s all make responsible choices and have a wonderful and safe holiday season! |
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For more information on the Safety Circuit Rider Program, our equipment loan program, or assistance with local road safety, contact Melissa Evans or Jason Hughes.
Resources:
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City of Norwalk's Social Media Campaign #TransportationTuesdays |
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The City of Norwalk has launched a social media campaign, Transportation Tuesdays, on their Instagram account. The City's Instagram account has over 9,000 followers! Every Tuesday the City features a transportation topic and includes the hashtag #TransportationTuesdays. They highlight a wide range of transportation topics from spotlighting the City's Hospital Hill Village District Safety Enhancement Project to providing safe driving tips for their residents. This is a great resource for the City's residents and followers to educate and inform the public of all the happenings going on in the Transportation, Mobility, and Parking Department.
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Check out their Instagram account today (and don't forget to follow them), City of Norwalk, CT. |
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Giving First Responders the Green Light |
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Emergency Vehicle Preemption Speeds TIM Response
About 6 million police-reported vehicle crashes occur every year in the United States, impacting safety and system operations. Each crash places responders and motorists at risk of secondary crashes while causing delays that impact travel and freight movement. Next-Generation Traffic Incident Management (NextGen TIM) technologies help responders clear the road faster, reducing their exposure to traffic and restoring normal traffic flow sooner.
During Every Day Counts round 7 (EDC-7), NextGen TIM is promoting life-saving innovations such as advanced warning technologies, debris removal systems, emergency vehicle lighting and markings, unmanned aerial systems for TIM, and advancements in emergency vehicle preemption (EVP).
EVP improves incident responder safety and response time by changing traffic signals to green for an approaching response vehicle. Upon receiving a visual, audible, radio, or global positioning system (GPS) signal that a vehicle in emergency response mode is approaching, signal systems and controllers preempt the timing plans and give preference to the appropriate intersection approach. EVP has been around for several years but is gaining attention with new technologies that are making it more reliable, more cost-effective, and less cumbersome to manage.
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Safety Matters Coffee & Conversation: Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Device Legislation (Video) |
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A conversation with Joe Ouellette, Executive Director of the Office of the State Traffic Administration (OSTA) discussing the new Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Device (ATESD) legislation and soon-to-be-released guidelines for municipalities. |
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Along with our Facebook page, the T2 Center now has an Instagram page! Click on the icons below to like the T2 Center on Facebook and follow the T2 Center on Instagram! |
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If you have any ideas or suggestions for future Connecticut Crossroads topics, please feel free to email the designer Regina Hackett at [email protected]
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