The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "California Department of Transportation" ...
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"Killer Roads"
Reporter Thomas Hargrove analyzed road segments across the United States to identify dangerous and potentially fatal flaws in the highways. He found that highway fatalities are on the rise, and the cause of these deaths is becoming more and more unclear. Some of the most dangerous roads can be found in California, Arizona and Nevada.
Tags: US Department of Transportation; Scripps Howard; Pacific Coast Highway; San Bernardino
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Cable Barriers
An investigation of median barriers in Northern California freeways found cable barriers to be ineffective in protecting drivers. Lawsuits have been filed against the state stating that the barriers are 'obsolete, outdated, inadequate and archaic'. But dozens of miles of highways are still protected by these barriers even though plans to replace the cable barriers were approved three years ago.
Tags: median barriers; accidents; freeways; highways; cable barriers; concrete barriers; California; vehicle; deaths; Department of Transportation
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Danger Zones: Hundreds have been hurt or killed on roads where the state was warned of trouble but moved slowly on fixes
"At least 375 people were injured and four killed on stretches of highway where the state was warned of danger but took as long as 11 years to make fixes, an Orange County Register investigation found. After the trouble spots first were flagged, 816 accidents happened along 16 zones Caltrans identified as its top safety priorities in Orange County - almost four times as many crashes as would be expected if the roads were fixed promptly." Includes multiple detailed infographics.
Tags: highways; accidents; traffic; traffic accidents; roads; transportation; travel; crashes; cars; safety; safety priorities; California Department of Transportation; California; danger; Caltrans
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The Bay Bridge: Where The Fault Lies
A three-day examination of how one of California's most visible and expensive public works projects foundered, and the cost to taxpayers as a result of the foul-ups.
Tags: public works projects; Bay Bridge; Loma Prieta earthquake; California Department of Transportation; Caltrans
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Hot asphalt
Los Angeles Times Magazine looks at the potential health hazards that residents of Shoshone, California, may face, if 127 California becomes the state's busiest transportation route for nuclear radioactive waste. The story reveals the concerns of local environmentalists that radioactive waste shippers are inevitably going to be in accidents. The reporter also cites property owners, who find that the converting the highway into a waste tract will have bad effect on local businesses.
Tags: Energy Department; terrorism; nuclear waste; radioactivity; radiation; trucks; transportation; plutonium
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Century Freeway: Caltrans 'Dirty Little Secret'
This story investigates the California Department of Transportation and exposed that Caltrans had put millions of dollars into "a secret rescue effort to keep a 3.5 mile section of the Century Freeway from collapsing because of underground erosion. ... Auditors now estimate that the repairs will ultimately cost $117 million and will require the construction of a treatment plant for the water that is pumped from beneath the freeway."
Tags: funding Governor Pete Wilson underground highway public works