The California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, prepares roadways for winter months year-round during good weather conditions.

The work that is performed makes roadways safe for the traveling public.

Some of the operations that Caltrans Maintenance staff performs, especially in mountain regions, are vital such as drain cleaning and repair, rock scaling and repairs to pavement, signs and guardrail.

“One of the crucial items of work is rock scaling,” says Brian Hinman, a Caltrans senior transportation engineer in charge of the Caltrans Rock Scaling Program.

Hinman said that “closing roadways to perform rock scaling keeps motorists safe during winter months when rock fall is more active.”

Hinman is also one of the engineers who trains Caltrans Maintenance staff throughout the state to perform the scaling operations.

The safety of the traveling public is Caltrans’ number one priority and crews are working around the clock to keep roadways safe no matter what season it is.