Copyrighted. Rights are owned by Caltrans Library & History Center. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Description
ME (Gene) Cornelius joined the Division of Highways in 1948 as a Junior Civil Engineer in District 11. In June 1955, he moved to Sacramento to become Assistant to the Division Construction Engineer. He produced training filmstrips on construction inspection and became Assistant Project Engineer for the Westside Freeway. In 1964, he transferred to the Programs and Budget Department where he developed a plan for cash and resources forecasting and management. In his final years with Caltrans, he worked in the Maintenance and the Equipment Divisions. He retired December 1980. Mr. Cornelius, at the request of acting Department of Transportation Historian, Mr. C.R. (Bob) Krieger did an autobiography preserved on audiotape and print transcription of his experience with working for the California Division of Highways and Public Works and later Caltrans. One of the key projects he worked on was the task force for the West Side Freeway in 1958. This project included Interstate Route 5 near Wheeler Ridge south of Bakersfield to Sacramento. The project also included the southwesterly segment to Interstate 580 to the Altamont Pass and Interstate 205 from Altamont Pass west of Tracy to Interstate 5 east of Tracy. When interstate funding became available, John Vickery, the Planning Engineer for the Division of Highways, secured the endorsement from the California Highway Commission and developed the task force to build it. Cornelius, as a task force member worked on planning the new West Side Freeway, plotted the route through land that had no roads, and his autobiography goes into this in detail. The task force disbanded in 1963. The West Side Freeway is still in use every day by people who live and visit California. His next work assignment was with the Programs and Budget Department where he developed a plan for cash and resources forecasting and development. This process was used until the First Governor Brown Administration. The autobiography then details some of the legislation and events around the formation of Caltrans. In his final assignment he was Chief of Office of Engineering Services.
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
