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Matt Lampa is the lead civil engineer on a 34-mile regional expressway. In this episode of Between Two Shovels, we walk through what it actually takes to design, fund, and deliver a corridor-level infrastructure project from inside a small public agency.
The conversation covers Matt's path from baseball to civil engineering, the difference between working as a consultant versus managing one, how design standards like stopping sight distance and clear recovery zones directly affect safety, why phased implementation is the only realistic approach on a project of this scale, and what three segments currently in final design means for the region.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome Back and Episode Introduction
00:49 Matt's Background and Path to Civil Engineering
01:16 Majoring in Baseball and the Counselor's Challenge
02:38 Graduating from Sac State and First Job at Psomas
03:10 Land Development to Transportation Engineering
04:47 How Land Development Experience Applies Today
05:32 Baseball Lessons and the Discipline of Engineering
07:14 Leading a 34-Mile Corridor: What the Role Actually Looks Like
08:45 Consultant vs. Agency: What Changes When You Cross the Table
10:19 Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Federal Coordination
10:52 Design Standards for a Modern Expressway
11:55 Design Speed, Right of Way Width and What Makes an Expressway Different
13:08 Geometry, Stopping Sight Distance and Clear Recovery Zones
14:34 Why It Has Nothing to Do With Your Car
15:22 Poor Geometry, Accidents and Fatalities on Existing Segments
16:38 Caltrans Involvement and Local Assistance
18:38 How Caltrans Districts Work and What District 3 Covers
20:00 Phased Implementation, Logical Termini and Independent Utility
23:02 Maximizing Funding and Minimizing Throwaway Work
24:10 Three Guiding Principles: Safety, Funding, Environmental Impact
25:46 Project Update: Grant Line, White Rock and Cosumnes Road
27:04 What Matt Wants the Public to Know
28:31 Over $200 Million in Capital Assets in the Ground
29:29 What Derek Is Working On Right Now
30:32 Public Engagement Through Long Form Interviews
Subscribe to Between Two Shovels for conversations with the people building, funding, and planning infrastructure across California and beyond.
Between Two Shovels is produced by the Capital SouthEast Connector Joint Powers Authority and explores transportation policy, engineering, and project delivery through conversations with industry leaders.
Guest: Matt Lampa, Lead Civil Engineer, Capital SouthEast Connector JPA
