Between Two Shovels with Derek Minnema

Derek Minnema
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Between Two Shovels is an executive-level transportation podcast on turning policy and funding into reality hosted by the Capital SouthEast Connector JPA in California. Senior guests include DOTs, counties, cities, contractors, engineering firms, trucking, and supply chains—including Illinois RTBA, Texas DOT, and Caltrans. California contractors, union laborers, supply chain advisors, and the California Trucking Association share candid lessons. Expect practical, accountable insight on cost, schedule, risk, and delivery that safeguards public dollars and improves mobility.

  1. Sep 27

    A Civil Engineer on 50 Years of Sacramento Growth, CEQA, and the Capital SouthEast Connector

    A subdivision in the region once got approved in a single night. Today, Folsom's development south of Highway 50 went from planning in 2005 to a groundbreaking in 2017. By Jim's estimate, something like 250,000 more housing units are in the regional pipeline. Jim Ray, a civil engineer in his 50th year with MacKay & Somps Civil Engineers, joined me on Between Two Shovels to talk about how the California Environmental Quality Act changed development, the seven-year Water Forum negotiation over American River water, and where the region's growth is headed next. Thank you, Jim, for bringing 50 years of perspective, going back to when the Capital SouthEast Connector was still a bypass idea called the Beltway. How long did your last project take to get from planning to shovels in the ground? Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and fifty years in the industry 01:42 Growing up with a father who shaped Sacramento's transportation system 06:20 What goes into master planning a large development 08:39 How CEQA changed development timelines and costs 10:56 The regional habitat conservation plan and Folsom's south of 50 project 17:38 Decades of leadership with the Building Industry Association 18:09 The seven year negotiation behind the Water Forum agreement 27:56 250,000 housing units and where they are concentrated 30:03 Why infrastructure often comes after development, not before 31:42 The challenge of infill development in the urban core 35:57 A project that did not survive neighborhood opposition 43:51 Advice for young engineers entering the profession Guest: Jim Ray, Former Principal and President, MacKay & Somps Civil Engineers, Inc. Hear from government and public sector leaders, transportation executives, funding decision makers, development managers, and more who are shaping our industry. Watch more of the Between Two Shovels show and subscribe to our Connector JPA project updates email list at connectorjpa.com/between-two-shovels Between Two Shovels is produced by the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and explores transportation policy, engineering, and project delivery through conversations with industry leaders. Title: A Civil Engineer on 50 Years of Sacramento Growth, CEQA, and the Capital SouthEast Connector #BetweenTwoShovels #CivilEngineering #LandDevelopment #SacramentoRegion #CapitalSouthEastConnector

  2. Sep 25

    Between Two Shovels Ep.30: Mariah Ray - On-Demand Autonomous Vehicles on Dedicated Guideway

    Mariah Ray, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Glydways, breaks down Automated Transit Networks and how on-demand, autonomous public transit is getting built, regulated, and paid for. The conversation covers the Glydcar and its dedicated guideway, the 50-year-old Morgantown PRT system it builds on, project procurement across the San José Airport Connector and a 28-mile East Contra Costa network, and per-mile construction costs that run a fraction of traditional heavy rail. Timestamps:  0:00 - Meet Mariah Ray and Glydways  0:27 - What an Automated Transit Network Actually Is  2:06 - Origin Story and the Morgantown PRT Roots  3:29 - Inside the Glydcar: Purpose-Built, Battery Electric, Autonomous  5:24 - Offline Stations and Hailing a Ride Point to Point  6:32 - Test Tracks in Concord and Richmond  7:58 - Who Buys This? How Transit Systems Get Procured  8:36 - Three Projects and the Unit Economics Problem in Transit  12:08 - VTA Roots and the Bay Area's Transit Gaps  12:43 - Regulatory Navigation: GDOT, FTA Oversight, and the CPUC  14:28 - Cost to the Rider and Cost to Build, Per Mile  17:35 - Why Point to Point Beats Moving People in Big Batches  19:02 - ADA Access, Level Boarding, and Riding With Dignity  21:13 - A Tool in the Toolkit: Rethinking How Transit Gets Funded Glydways is deploying its first public system in South Metro Atlanta, with California projects underway in San José and East Contra Costa County. The pitch is not to replace heavy rail but to fill the gap between bus and train, using smaller autonomous vehicles on narrow guideway at a cost per mile that puts stalled corridors back in play. Hear from government and public sector leaders, transportation executives, funding decision makers, development managers, and more who are shaping our industry. Watch more of the Between Two Shovels show and subscribe to our Connector JPA project updates email list at connectorjpa.com/between-two-shovels Between Two Shovels is produced by the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and explores transportation policy, engineering, and project delivery through conversations with industry leaders. #PublicTransit #AutomatedTransitNetwork #Glydways #TransportationInfrastructure #TransitFunding #AutonomousVehicles

  3. Sep 25

    Why Construction Materials Cost So Much in California

    Prices go up. Then the same policymakers who drove those costs go on television promising to bring them down. This conversation traces the price of rock, sand, gravel, asphalt, and concrete back to a mix of energy costs, regulation, and local opposition that pushes production out of the state entirely. When California's largest cement plant in the north shut down, the market lost a major local supplier and had to start importing instead, which drove costs up for the entire region. Import the material and the state gets to claim cleaner air on paper, even while increasing the overall carbon footprint by shipping it in on diesel barges. Distance plays its own role too. Add 25 miles to a project's transport route and the cost of the material itself can nearly double, even though the raw rock is not expensive on its own. The bigger point here is about balance. Materials, mobility, and land use decisions all connect, and when short term policy wins take priority over long term planning, the cost eventually lands on the next generation trying to build in this state. Link below. Guest: Robert Duggan, President and CEO of the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association Hear from government and public sector leaders, transportation executives, funding decision makers, development managers, and more who are shaping our industry. Watch more of the Between Two Shovels show and subscribe to our Connector JPA project updates email list at connectorjpa.com/between-two-shovels Between Two Shovels is produced by the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and explores transportation policy, engineering, and project delivery through conversations with industry leaders. Title: Why Construction Materials Cost So Much in California #ConstructionMaterials #California #Infrastructure #SupplyChain #BetweenTwoShovels

  4. Aug 31

    Between Two Shovels Ep.29: Joe Cruz - SB 1, High-Speed Rail, and the Funding Cliff

    This episode goes deep with Joe Cruz, Vice Chair of the California Transportation Commission and Executive Director of the California State Council of Laborers. From his start on the campaign trail to representing 75,000 workers statewide, Joe shares the real story behind SB1, the political battle over Prop 6, and how high speed rail almost never made it onto the ballot. Joe also opens up about the mentors who shaped his career, the advice he'd give to young professionals trying to break into the industry, and why funding infrastructure in California keeps getting harder every year. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:19 Growing up in Sacramento and getting his start in politics 04:43 How he landed a seat on the California Transportation Commission 08:42 The real story behind SB1, Prop 6, and the fight to pass a gas tax 12:36 Running an organization of 75,000 workers and creating paths to the middle class 15:24 Funding challenges facing the California Transportation Commission 17:57 What California needs from the next federal infrastructure bill 20:02 The mentors behind his career, including Willie Brown 22:44 His advice for young professionals coming up in the industry 25:03 The untold story of how high speed rail almost didn't happen 28:39 Final thoughts and who to invite on next Watch the full conversation to hear how California's infrastructure gets built, funded, and fought for behind the scenes. Hear from government/public sector leaders, transportation executives, funding decision-makers, development managers, & more that are shaping our industry. Watch more of the Between Two Shovels show and Subscribe to our Connector JPA project updates email list at : https://www.connectorjpa.com/between-two-shovels Between Two Shovels is produced by the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and explores transportation policy, engineering, and project delivery through conversations with industry leaders.

  5. Aug 4

    Between Two Shovels Ep.28: Kiana Valentine - California's $200 Billion Transportation Funding Crisis

    Kiana Valentine is Executive Director of Transportation California, a labor and management coalition founded in the 1990s that brings together building trades organizations, heavy civil contractors, equipment providers, and material suppliers around one mission: securing sustainable funding for the state's multimodal transportation system. She has spent more than twenty years in transportation policy, starting in the California State Legislature on environmental policy, then at the California State Association of Counties working land use and transportation on behalf of all 58 counties. Her organization commissioned the independent study that narrowed more than thirty gas tax replacement options down to three viable paths.In this episode of Between Two Shovels, we sit down with Kiana for a direct conversation about how California pays for its roads and why that model is running out. The shortfall exceeding $200 billion over the next ten years. Why SB1 generated $54 billion and still did not close the gap. How improved fuel efficiency became a funding problem without becoming a policy failure. Why zero emission vehicles paying a fraction into the system is a fairness question rather than an argument against them. The three paths forward, and why the one that sounded simplest turned out to be the hardest to implement. What suspending the gas tax would actually save a driver. How SB 743 made the Golden 1 Center possible. Why State Route 99 still drops from three lanes to two roughly eight times across the corridor. And how a Southern California managed lane project ended up with a mitigation bill larger than the project itself, without adding an inch of new pavement.Chapters : 00:00 Introduction 00:47 Transportation California: a labor and management coalition 02:00 Environmental policy, land use, and how the two connect 04:00 The shortfall, and how California got here 04:45 SB1 and the question of what it actually solved 06:52 Better mileage, smaller funding base 08:28 Electric vehicle adoption and the fairness question 13:00 Thirty options narrowed to seven 15:02 Taxing electricity and hydrogen 15:52 Replacing the gas tax with a road user charge 16:30 The mixed model 18:00 Why a kilowatt hour tax is harder than it sounds 20:32 Suspending the gas tax, and what drivers would actually save 22:49 Jobs, projects, and deferred maintenance 24:13 Vehicle miles traveled 25:32 SB 743, CEQA, and the Golden 1 Center 28:00 State Route 99 and the lane drops 29:16 When mitigation costs more than the project 32:30 What California has to get right nextHear from government/public sector leaders, transportation executives, funding decision-makers, development managers, & more that are shaping our industry.Watch more of the Between Two Shovels show and Subscribe to our Connector JPA project updates email list at : https://www.connectorjpa.com/between-two-shovelsBetween Two Shovels is produced by the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and explores transportation policy, engineering, and project delivery through conversations with industry leaders.

  6. Jul 21

    Between Two Shovels Ep.27: Clifton Taylor - The Real Economics of Land Development

    Clifton Taylor is President of Taylor Builders, a company he and his wife founded eight and a half years ago. Since then they have delivered over 10,000 housing units across Northern California and built roughly $750 million in infrastructure improvements. He is also past chair of the North State Building Industry Association and co-owner of the Lincoln Potters, a collegiate wood bat baseball team in downtown Lincoln. In this episode of Between Two Shovels, we sit down with Clifton for an honest conversation about what land development actually looks like in Northern California right now. The real math behind housing affordability. Why public pensions are demanding the highest returns in real estate. How rural roads in Placer County became de facto regional highways. Why specialty infrastructure timelines have stretched to 24 months. What is taking shape at Placer One. And why Sacramento, Placer, and Yolo need to start thinking about transportation funding as a regional problem, not a county-by-county one. Chapters: 0:00 Placer County Growth: Housing, Rural Roads, Public Pensions & NorCal's First Surf Lagoon 10:30 Placer County's Rural Roads Are Becoming Highways: Threatening Safety and Housing Growth 13:45 Why Specialized Infrastructure Projects Now Take 24 Months to Build in California 15:30 Is Sacramento Losing to the Bay Area? A Homebuilder's Honest Answer 19:30 Why Transportation Infrastructure and Land Use Planning Are Critical to Placer One's Growth 27:00 Placer County Development Boom: Placer One Homes, Sac State Campus & Surf Lagoon 29:00 Why Sacramento, Placer and Yolo Need a Regional Transportation Funding Strategy Guest: Clifton Taylor, President at Taylor Builders Between Two Shovels is produced by the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and explores transportation policy, engineering, and project delivery through conversations with industry leaders. Title: Between Two Shovels Ep.27: Clifton Taylor - The Real Economics of Land Development

  7. Jul 6

    Between Two Shovels Ep.26: James Corless - Why Sacramento Must Think Like One Region

    James Corless has spent nine years as Executive Director of SACOG, the regional planning agency for the greater six-county Sacramento area. Before that he was in Washington D.C. fighting to keep federal infrastructure funding alive through the Tea Party era. In this episode of Between Two Shovels, Derek Minnema sits down with James for a wide-ranging conversation about what regional planning actually takes. How MPOs work and why they were created. What it took to build consensus across 28 cities and counties. How Green Means Go went from a $100 million regional idea to a $600 million statewide program. What the upcoming federal transportation reauthorization means for Sacramento. And why James believes midsize regions like Sacramento are about to carry the next 50 years in America. Chapters: 0:00 What Is a Metropolitan Planning Organization? How MPOs Coordinate Regional Transportation 3:32 The Fear That Got Infrastructure Into the State of the Union5:20 How 70,000 Deficient Bridges Shaped America's Infrastructure Funding Debate 12:00 Inside SACOG's Sacramento Blueprint: Infrastructure, Housing & Regional Growth Challenges 18:00 How Regional Planning Builds Consensus Across 28 Cities and Counties Through Listening 28:00 Sacramento Housing Crisis: Green Means Go, Infill Development & Infrastructure Funding 55:00 Sacramento Region on the Rise: Midsize Cities, Housing & Transportation Future Between Two Shovels is produced by the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and explores transportation policy, engineering, and project delivery through conversations with industry leaders. Guest: James Corless, Executive Director at SACOG Title: Between Two Shovels Ep.26: James Corless - Why Sacramento Must Think Like One Region

  8. Jun 23

    Between Two Shovels Ep.25: Nancy Miller - The Truth About California High-Speed Rail

    California high-speed rail has been called a train to nowhere and a budget disaster. Nancy Miller, Vice Chair of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, has heard every version of that argument. She has also been on the board since 2017, guiding the project through lawsuits, funding gaps, route changes, and two very different presidential administrations.In this episode of Between Two Shovels, Derek Minnema sits down with Nancy for one of the most candid conversations about this project you will find anywhere. How the authority is structured, why costs have climbed since 2008, what 19 lawsuits actually did to the timeline, and what the real plan is to get this thing finished. Chapters:0:00 Trailer0:28 Answering the Biggest Criticism of California High-Speed Rail11:08 California High-Speed Rail Is Preparing to Lay Its First 119 Miles of Track12:25 The Real Reason California High-Speed Rail Got So Expensive12:25 Why California High-Speed Rail Costs Rose: Bonds, Lawsuits, Steel and Labor18:20 How California Plans to Actually Finish High-Speed Rail39:30 California High-Speed Rail: A Futurist Vision for the Region Between Two Shovels is produced by the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and explores transportation policy, engineering, and project delivery through conversations with industry leaders. Guest: Nancy Miller, Vice Chair at California High-Speed Rail AuthorityTitle: Between Two Shovels Ep.25: Nancy Miller - The Truth About California High-Speed Rail

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Between Two Shovels is an executive-level transportation podcast on turning policy and funding into reality hosted by the Capital SouthEast Connector JPA in California. Senior guests include DOTs, counties, cities, contractors, engineering firms, trucking, and supply chains—including Illinois RTBA, Texas DOT, and Caltrans. California contractors, union laborers, supply chain advisors, and the California Trucking Association share candid lessons. Expect practical, accountable insight on cost, schedule, risk, and delivery that safeguards public dollars and improves mobility.

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