NNSA Field Office Manager Ted Wyka Reveals Plans To Improve Driver Safety Near Los Alamos National Laboratory

NNSA Los Alamos Field Office Manager Ted Wyka

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

NNSA Field Office Manager Ted Wyka emphasized during the March 19 Los Alamos County Council work session that Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has a “strong safety culture.”

“Safety is always my primary concern,” he added.

As a result, and in response to complaints regarding drivers on the road to and from the laboratory, near misses for vehicular crashes, vehicle accidents and a fatality that occurred earlier this month, Wyka said the NNSA Field Office is spearheading an initiative to improve driver safety in and around LANL.

“My primary objective is to significantly improve overall driver perception and safety in and around the Los Alamos area,” he said.

Concrete solutions are being investigated to achieve this, Wyka said, and the NNSA Field Office plans to join the laboratory to install speed enforcement photo cameras along the truck route on LANL property. Wyka said the hope is that the cameras will be operational within the next few months. Other areas on LANL property are being assessed to determine if more cameras need to be installed. To make that determination, he said historical and pre-existing data on driving speeds, car crashes, citizen complaints and enforcement activities are being reviewed.

Moreover, Wyka said collaboration will occur with the Los Alamos Police Department to create a more effective speed enforcement program. Additional safety initiatives also will be explored with the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

Due to the ongoing nature of the issue as well as its complexity, Wyka said support, input and recommendations will be elicited from all entities involved: Los Alamos County, the police department, the surrounding Pueblos, state and federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service.

The increase in hiring at the laboratory has made an impact on housing and traffic, he said. This is being dealt with in several ways.

“To meet the housing and traffic challenges brought about by an increase in personnel over recent years, (LANL Deputy Director of Operations) Kelly Beierschmitt … and his team adopted several strategies to ease the stress of LANL’s growth, which includes remote work, offsite office facilities … alternative work schedules as well as bus transportation opportunities,” Wyka said. “These solutions are helping ease congestion at the site. on the roads and provide a more appealing work environment as we continue to hire within our organizations.”

“In the past year we focused on finding ways to better manage traffic flow to and from the laboratory,” he added. “I mentioned remote work and work from offsite facilities … in addition, East Jemez Road intersection is near completion. Later this spring the contractor will return for about a week to apply a topcoat and final striping to the road. Since the improvements of this intersection, the flow of traffic … has substantially improved. We also implemented a pilot project for buses to pick up employees from a bus stop in Pojoaque for transport to the lab. We are considering expanding this pilot …”

Regarding the initiative to improve driver safety, Wyka said there will be more information coming and the County will be updated on it.

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