Tag: department of transportation

  • Blast from the Past: Bridge Goes Boom

    Proof that bridgetending can be extremely random.

  • Now is NOT the Time to Panic, Seattle.

    Breathe. We’ll survive.

  • Gender-Specific Jobs? Pffft.

    It happened again this morning. I was leaving the bridgetender house at the end of the shift, wearing my extremely unattractive uniform and safety vest, and someone drove by and looked at me in shock. Fashion police? I doubt it. For some reason some people don’t expect women to be bridgetenders, as if it takes…

  • The Road Kill Crew

    I don’t know if this is still the case, but when I worked for the Department of Transportation more than a decade ago, there was one crew in this very large metropolis of mine that dedicated the bulk of their time to riding around and scraping dead animals off the highways. We called them the…

  • Mother Nature Trumps the River Goddess Every Time

    It can be a heady experience being a bridgetender. After all, you are operating a piece of equipment that can weigh several million pounds if you work on one of the larger bridges. You also control the flow of marine, vehicular and pedestrian traffic. You can make people very late for work. If a boater…

  • Why I Fail to Thrive in a Bureaucracy

    I have never been one to suffer fools gladly. I suppose that actually sums it up. I could stop this blog entry right here. And it’s not the first time I’ve addressed this subject. See also my entry entitled How to Give HORRIBLE Customer Service. So I don’t suppose I really need to go there…

  • Bridge Goes Boom

    One of my coworkers reminded me of an incident that occurred a few years ago on our drawbridge. I can’t believe I had forgotten about it. It was very bizarre. Makes me wonder what else I’ve forgotten. Hmmm… Anyway, two workmen from the Department of Transportation were leaving the bridge after doing some repairs when…