The DOT POD

NYSDOT - The DOT POD
  • 4.8 (28)
  • GOVERNMENT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
The DOT POD

The DOT POD will give listeners a peek behind the curtain at the New York State Department of Transportation. With interviews and infrastructure updates, we provide the stories behind the agency that keeps you moving.

  1. MAR 11

    Newly Formed NYSDOT Women's Group

    The women of DOT represent an extraordinary collective of dedicated professionals who thrive in a field that has long been viewed as predominantly male. In honor of Women's History Month, we are highlighting a newly formed Women's Group in DOT's Long Island office that is dedicated to uplifting and empowering the women who are making significant contributions to DOT and the transportation sector. In this episode, Josh and Anya are joined by Nancy Kamel and Deborah Rivera to discuss the group's origins and how it is nurturing a vibrant community of women centered around mentorship, advocacy, and collaboration. For more information about the women's group or how to start your own, contact Nancy: nancy.kamel@dot.ny.gov.

    30 min

  2. FEB 25

    Cultural Resources

    As DOT works to rebuild and enhance our vast transportation network, we're often reminded that our state has a rich history far older than our modern infrastructure. Sometimes our projects reveal what life was like hundreds, even thousands of years ago and on this episode of The DOT POD we dig into the kind of discoveries that are being made as w shape our transportation system. Josh and Anya are joined by Sean Higgins and Kyle Sommerville who are both with DOTs Office of Environment to shed some light on how the Department is preserving cultural heritage and artifacts amid our goals for modernization and progress. Click to see the interactive story map: Enduring Connections

    30 min

  3. FEB 11

    Carolyn Ryan & the Office of Sustainability

    In June of 2019, New York signed into the law the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) to help address climate change. This was furthered by Governor Hochul's Executive Order 22: which directs state agencies to adopt a sustainability and decarbonization program. On this episode of The DOT POD, we welcome in someone who is helping to lead the charge, New York State Department of Transportation's Assistant Commissioner for Sustainability, Carolyn Ryan. Josh and Anya had a chance to talk with Carolyn about her office, and the critical role they play in helping to achieve New York State's lofty climate goals.

    29 min

  4. JAN 28

    Can You Dig It - DOT Drillers

    While we don't often think of what goes on under our feet, the drillers of DOT's Geotechnical Engineering Bureau are tasked with exactly what makes up the ground beneath us. On any given project, drillers will take core samples, allowing engineers to create a soil profile and select the most appropriate foundation type for the structure being analyzed. On this episode of The DOT POD, Josh and Anya welcome in two members of the Geotechnical Engineering Bureau, Steve Heiser and Ernie Holmberg, to find out more about this crucial work that often goes unnoticed.

    29 min

  5. JAN 14

    64 Years at DOT and Counting...Ed Donovan Joins The DOT POD

    In 1960, Ed Donovan joined what is now the New York State Department of Transportation, and 64 years later, he is still at it, serving as an Engineer in Charge on Long Island. Josh and Anya traveled to Long Island to meet with Ed and talk about his history, his longevity, and his wealth of knowledge, built over 60 years at the Department. In this episode, Ed discusses working on extended and constructing the Long Island Expressway, his first job with DOT, and how things have changed over the course of nearly six and half decades of transportation.

    27 min

  6. 12/31/2024

    Bascule Bridges - NYSDOT and Drawbridges

    In this episode of The DOT POD, Josh and Anya are on location in Hauppauge, NY on Long Island to talk about bascule bridges - what they are, how they work, and how we maintain them. There are five bascule bridges, essentially drawbridges, on Long Island that are owned and operated by New York State DOT. We sat down with a couple of employees who work with these bridges daily. Mitch Rippe is a bridge repair supervisor and Paul Barnes is a bridge operator. They shed light on what it takes to operate and maintain these bridges, some of which are over 90 years old, and how the DOT is working tirelessly to keep New Yorkers safe and connected.

    28 min

  7. 12/17/2024

    Snow & Ice Season

    Though the weather outside is frightful, the hardworking men and women of the New York State Department of Transportation are out there ensuring the roads throughout the state are safe to drive on. In this edition of The DOT POD, hosts Josh and Anya welcome in two employees who are on the front lines of this seasonal battle; Kevin Kelsey, a Maintenance Supervisor 2 in the Southern Tier, and Mike Kraeger, a Bridge Maintenance Supervisor in the Mohawk Valley. From Nor'easters to lake effect snow, Kevin and Mike discuss what its like to be a part of DOT's snow-fighting force and take us through the challenges that come with dealing with our New York winters.

    28 min

  8. 12/03/2024

    Maine Department of Transportation Joins the DOT POD

    Last month, New York State Department of Transportation's Office of Traffic Safety & Mobility welcomed their counterparts from Maine DOT to learn from each other in through peer exchange experiences. Josh and Anya welcome back Becky Gibson-Schott, Director of Transportation Systems Management and Operations in the Office of Traffic Safety and Mobility for NYSDOT, and Colby Fortier-Brown, an Assistant State Traffic Engineer for Maine DOT. They discuss the value of this type of peer exchange and how this kind of knowledge-sharing of innovative ideas and technology plays a huge role in our vast transportation systems throughout the US. They also discuss the some of the exciting things that are being worked on to help shape the future of the transportation field.

    29 min
See All (37)

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

The DOT POD will give listeners a peek behind the curtain at the New York State Department of Transportation. With interviews and infrastructure updates, we provide the stories behind the agency that keeps you moving.

Information

  • Creator
    NYSDOT - The DOT POD
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © NYSDOT - The DOT POD
  • Show Website
    The DOT POD

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