Employee Spotlight: Wayne Champion Maintenance of Traffic Superintendent & Manager of Temporary Concrete Barrier Walls
Temporary concrete-barrier walls are among the most noticeable and numerous items on the I-4 Ultimate improvement project and among the most important ones, too.
Visible nearly everywhere along the 21-mile project, the movable concrete barriers are essential to safety and construction progress. About 28,000 barrier wall segments, or more than 350,000 linear feet, have been deployed across the project to help keep motorists and workers safe.
The job of keeping up with the transport, placement, and condition of each of the 28,000 concrete segments, typically about 12 feet long and 5,200 pounds, falls to Wayne Champion, Maintenance of Traffic Superintendent.
It's a big challenge. Indeed, if all the concrete barrier segments, each weighing as much as a midsize SUV, were placed end to end, they would stretch more than 65 miles, which is greater than the distance from downtown Orlando to Daytona Beach.
“There are a lot of details in what I do, but I have the unique opportunity to work both in the office and out in the field, so it is truly the best of both worlds,” Champion said.
Champion, who grew up in Wildwood, Florida, said he feels honored to work on such a huge project that will improve safety and mobility for so many people in the region he still calls home.
“I am proud to be part of something that is going to be amazing in the end,” he said.
He also feels the responsibility to make sure all safety procedures are in place during the many lane shifts, which often require the moving of concrete barriers to protect both motorists and workers and keep traffic flowing.
Champion enjoys working with the wide array of people he meets while working with different parts of the I-4 Ultimate team.
“I respect them very much and have learned a lot from them,” he said.
When not working, Champion enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, and going on cruises.
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