Between Two Shovels Ep.15: Will Kempton - 52 Years in Transportation, First Local Tax, to Caltrans

Will Kempton shares five decades of transportation infrastructure experience, from creating California's first local sales tax measure to leading Caltrans through historic emergency responses. This conversation covers the origins of self-help counties, lessons from the MacArthur Maze collapse, and what it takes to build unanimity for major infrastructure projects.KEY MOMENTS:0:00 Introduction and 52 years in transportation 2:56 From Caltrans to Santa Clara County's first sales tax measure 9:38 Origins of self-help counties in California 12:57 Running Caltrans under Governor Schwarzenegger 15:58 The MacArthur Maze collapse emergency response 19:53 How Caltrans rebuilt a highway in 26 days 21:57 The Bay Bridge closure that beat the deadline 27:11 Corvettes and transportation connections 30:34 Why Sacramento County transportation measures keep failing 35:30 Advice for building the Capital SouthEast Connector 39:42 Building public trust through visible accountability42:44 What Sacramento really needs for transportation 44:11 The unanimity strategy that delivered projects fastWill Kempton's career spans the development of California's transportation funding mechanisms and major infrastructure delivery. His insights on community engagement, emergency response, and building regional consensus offer valuable lessons for transportation agencies navigating today's funding challenges.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.Title: Between Two Shovels Ep.15: Will Kempton - 52 Years in Transportation, First Local Tax, to Caltrans