Member of KYTC Muhlenberg County Crew to Represent State at Regional Roadeo

KYTC NEWS RELEASE

A member of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Muhlenberg County Highway Maintenance Crew will be representing Kentucky in the Southeast Regional Roadeo Event hosted  by the Georgia Department of Transportation in Savanah, GA, this week.

Steven Osteen, an 8 year KYTC employee, will join 12 other equipment operators from around the Commonwealth to compete with transportation employees from 10 southeastern states.  Osteen won the Kentucky Roadeo competition in the motor grader division.

KYTC Division of Equipment Director Rick Durham says this is the fourteenth year for the Southeastern Regional Equipment Operators’ Safety Conference.  The competition includes a day of safety classes.

“We’re pleased to have Steven Osteen representing us in the regional competition.  Like our state event, the aim of regional Roadeo is to provide safety training and promote skill advancement for heavy equipment operators,” Durham said.  “Our prime goal is to increase safety awareness in and around work zones.”

For his part, Steven Osteen is more than happy to be representing his county, KYTC District 2, and other KYTC employees.  He’s not sure what to expect at the southeast regional, but he says a big part of being successful is enjoying what you do.

“I enjoy my work.  Everybody gets along on the crew.  I like working with equipment.  My favorite time of year is snow and ice season because there’s always a challenge,” Osteen said.

As much as his training, Osteen thinks attitude will help him go far in the completion.

“We’re fortunate that the competition involves a lot of the same skills that we use every day out here on the road.  You have to be safety-minded when you’re working around traffic, and you have to know the equipment you’re operating,” Osteen said.  “For the motor grader, you have to be able to operate by touch.  You have to run things without looking at your hands.”

Osteen worked in Caldwell County and Ohio County before joining the Muhlenberg County crew about 4 years ago.  He follows in the footsteps of his father, a former KYTC supervisor.

The southeast regional event includes equipment operators from North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, West Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi, and Kentucky.  The main completion takes place on Thursday, September 8th.

090616 Steven Osteen

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