General
Legacy ID
21
Lessons for New Drivers: Tips for Safely Navigating Curves
RwD crashes account for 87 percent of curve-related fatal crashes. While the majority of these involve vehicles leaving the roadway and striking roadside objects such as trees and guardrail, about 10 percent of them are head-on crashes where vehicles wander across the center line of a curve and...
Bridge Named for Oklahoma Disaster Victim
by Ken Seiler, Ron Carricker, and Kitty Bowman
In a very fitting tribute to one of their deceased coworkers, representatives of the Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas Divisions gathered together at the interchange of U.S. highways 385 and 87 to dedicate a new interchange bridge to Mark Bolte, one of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. Coincidentally, before he was killed, Mark had approved the design schematics for this bridge.
It happened on November 9, as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) dedicated the US 385 and US 87 Interchange Bridge in Hartley County, Texas as the Mark Bolte Bridge. Mark was an FHWA engineer in the Texas Division Office from 1991 to 1995. His life was cut tragically short in the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building on April 19, 1995. Mark had just begun his newest assignment there.
The ceremony was attended by State and local officials, TxDOT employees, FHWA staff from the Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas Division Offices, contractors, local residents of the panhandle, Mark's parents Joyce and Don Bolte and his brother Matt.
Mark Tomlinson, TxDOT Amarillo District Engineer, led the event, saying that it was Mark's people skills that contributed to the smooth progress and approval of the project. Tom Rains, FHWA Arkansas Division Office, who recruited Mark, spoke about how he kept up with Mark during his training program and further assignments, and read a poem relating to the significance of Mark's accomplishments during his short career. Lubin Quinones, FHWA Oklahoma Division Office who was accompanied by two of the survivors from the tragedy, thanked the TxDOT for the extra effort in dedicating the bridge to Mark. Ken Seiler, FHWA Texas Division Office, in his remarks, stated that TxDOT could have continued on with their business after the pain of the tragedy, but instead decided to make an extra effort in honoring Mark.
Mark's family was presented letters from Governor George W. Bush, Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater, and FHWA Administrator Ken Wykle, expressing the high esteem in which Mark was held by his friends and co-workers.
In addition to the bridge, a plaque located in a roadside picnic area along US 87, north of Hartley, will serve as lasting memorial to Mark.
| The inscription on the plaque reads: MARK BOLTE BRIDGE DEDICATED 1999 |
| The following Poem was written by his mother, Joyce Bolte, while awaiting word on his status. It has been incorporated into the bronze plaque mounted permanently on the bridge. |
| Our Common Bond By Joyce Bolte Our hearts share the same loss, Our hurt feels the same as yours. We know you wonder when peace will come And will we ever be carefree again. The one thing you can be assured of Is that we all have one strong common bond. The day that our loved ones left us They did not go alone. They were called by God for a reason One that He alone knows. He must have needed some good engineers To build new "streets of gold." God chose us all for a reason, He knows we trust Him so. He knew they would do their heavenly work And still keep watch over us below |
The above article appeared in the January 2000 edition of "FHWA News", a publication produced by and for FHWA Employees.
Memorial Grove Decorated with Lights for the Holidays
December 1999
In memory of the FHWA folks who lost their lives in the line of duty during the Oklahoma City bomb explosion in April 1995, FHWA's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center employees decorated the grove of 11 redbud trees with lights for the holiday season. The grove was planted in October of 1995 in a memorial service led by then-FHWA Administrator Rodney Slater.
The above article appeared in the January 2000 edition of "FHWA News", a publication produced by and for FHWA Employees.
We Remember: FHWA Oklahoma City Memorial Page
In the autumn of
1995, the Federal Highway
Administration planted 11 redbud
trees on this site to commemorate
the lives of 11 FHWA family members.
Our colleagues and 157 others died
when a terrorist's bomb destroyed
the Alfred P. Murrah Building in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on
April 19, 1995. These trees are
a living tribute to these
dedicated public
servants.
Lucio Aleman, Jr.
Mark A. Bolte
Michael J. Carrillo
Larry J. Jones
James K. Martin
Jerry L. Parker
Michelle A. Reeder
Rick L. Tomlin
Johnny A. Wade
Ronota A. Woodbridge
John A. Youngblood
 Lucio Aleman, Jr. |  Mark A. Bolte |  Michael J. Carrillo |  Larry J. Jones |
 James K. Martin |  Jerry L. Parker |  Michelle A.Reeder |  Rick L. Tomlin |
 Johnny A. Wade |  Ronota A. Woodbridge |  John A. Youngblood |
April 19, 1995. It should have been an ordinary day.
9:02 a.m. Our country and our lives changed forever. The Federal Highway Administration family remembers our loved ones and their families. Most especially, we honor those whose strength and commitment were undeterred in their continued service to the American People.
WE REMEMBER
April 19th marks the anniversary of a painful moment in our history. On that date in 1995, we lost 11 valued employees. Please take a moment for silent reflection on April 19th at 9:02 a.m., Central Daylight Time, to think of those we lost, those who survived, and those who continue to serve our partners and customers in Oklahoma. Also, please keep their families and other loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.
One way we can continue to support the families of the employees we lost is through the Federal Employee Education and Assistance (FEEA) Department of Transportation (DOT)/Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)/Oklahoma City (OKC) Memorial and Scholarship Fund. If you are interested in making a contribution, you can make your check payable to FEEA DOT/FHWA/FMCSA-OKC Memorial Fund and send it to:
Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund
3333 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Suite 300
Lakewood, CO 80227
The fund was established specifically for the FHWA and FMCSA employees and their families. There is an advisory board consisting of the DOT, FHWA, and FMCSA employees that prioritizes and directs financial assistance to the areas of greatest need. Funds sent to FEEA are used to help pay the college costs of the FHWA and FMCSA children who lost a parent in the bombing.
Thank you for continuing to remember and honor those individuals who were lost and the strength and perseverance of those they left behind. We will always remember.
Bridge Named for Oklahoma Disaster Victim, November 1999
Memorial Grove Decorated with Lights for the Holidays, December 1999
Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund
Oklahoma City National Memorial
The Oklahoma redbud grove is located at the FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia.
To learn more about the memorial tree grove, read "A Living Memorial", Public Roads On-Line, Winter 1996.
Firing Thomas H. MacDonald-Twice
by
Richard F. Weingroff
The Firing: #1
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