1.0  Introduction

1.1.  About DDOT

Welcome to the District Department of Transportation! DDOT for short.

So, what does DDOT do? As you walk through DC, you see the work of DDOT everywhere: at the Capital Bikeshare stations, in the red Circulator buses running on their routes through the city, in the distinctive agency logo on the emergency no parking signs for moving vans and road construction, and on the streetcars running down H Street. Essentially, if it happens between the building lines, DDOT is responsible in some way - sidewalks, street trees, roadways, bus stops, street signs, signals, and more. There is of course much more that goes on behind the scenes to make DDOT function and work toward maintaining a cohesive transportation system and making DC a more vibrant, diverse, and multimodal city every day.

Mission

The District Department of Transportation’s mission is to equitably deliver a safe, sustainable and reliable multimodal transportation network for all residents and visitors of the District of Columbia.  

Vision  

The District Department of Transportation will continue to be a national leader in creating safety and mobility solutions for the existing and emerging transportation challenges within our community. We will prioritize building safer infrastructure across all 8 wards, utilize innovative technologies and strategies to reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions and expand our transit systems to connect residents to economic opportunities. 

Equity Statement 

DDOT recognizes that there are inequities in transportation policy, planning and project delivery in Washington, DC.  Deep-rooted structural injustices and inequities have contributed to the disparate access to safe, affordable and efficient transportation that provides access to economic opportunities, housing and services for communities across the District.  DDOT also acknowledges  these inequities have disproportionately and negatively impacted environmental and health outcomes in our underserved communities.  

Through our organizational framework, DDOT is committed to elevating and advancing transportation equity by evaluating our policies, planning, community engagement and project delivery, to ensure public investments in transportation justly benefit all residents, visitors and commuters.  Additionally, DDOT values how diversity within our Department helps shape the work we produce.  To that end, DDOT will continue to recruit, hire and retain a workforce that reflects the diversity of the District at all levels of the organization.  
 
DDOT recognizes its shared responsibility to acknowledge and prevent transportation inequities while explicitly upholding anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practices.  In honoring this commitment, we will continue to listen, learn and strive towards equity, inclusion and access in response to the needs of communities across the District.    

1.2.    Organization Structure

You’ll hear a lot of acronyms at DDOT, so here is a short run-down of some of the divisions within the agency and their acronyms. Our current (interim) director is Everett Lott, and you can find a copy of the most current organizational chart here. You can find all the senior staff bios here.

Project Delivery Administration

Planning and Sustainability Division (PSD): manages planning studies, development review, environmental issues, bicycle and pedestrian planning and networks, Capital Bikeshare, and dockless bike and scooter permits.

Transit Delivery Division (TDD): manages the Circulator buses and the DC Streetcar, coordinates with WMATA

Infrastructure Project Management Division (IPMD): one of the main engineering divisions, handling the design and construction of bridges and major roadway projects

Traffic Engineering and Safety Division (TESD): manages traffic signals in terms of system design and timing (maintenance of signals is in a different group)

Operations Administration

Public Space Regulations Division (PSRD): handles all things public space - from sidewalk cafes to safe accommodations and traffic control requirements for construction projects. Their main offices are down by the Waterfront metro

Urban Forestry Division (UFD): handles all of DCs street trees (and some in the parks too!)

Parking & Ground Transportation Division (PGTD): handles parking and curbside management

Traffic Operations & Safety Division (TOSD): manages the traffic management center and intelligent transportation systems, conducts traffic calming and safety studies, updates the Highway Safety Improvement Plan, and maintains signs and pavement markings

Maintenance Division (MD): manages the paving program for streets and alleys, maintains the transportation asset management plan

Talent, Strategy, & Business Administration

Administrative Services Division (ASD): Our human resources department

Resource Allocation Division (RAD): The budget people - they know where the money is and keep it flowing.

State and Regional Planning Division: Manages the state planning processes including moveDC long range transportation plan, the 6-year forward looking funding program (the STIP), funding for planning studies, coordination with the regional transportation agency (MWCOG/TPB), and the research and library functions

Davis-Bacon Division: There are requirements about wages paid on federally-funded projects, this group makes sure our contractors comply.

Performance Administration

Performance Management Division (PMD): track our key performance indicators for citywide reporting, provide support for data-driven decisionmaking efforts and data analytics expertise

GIS Division: manages our geographic data systems

IT & Innovation Division (OITD): our information technology division, which handles all the hardware and software for the agency.

Customer Service Clearinghouse Division: this is DDOT's call center

Innovation & Research Division: this is where Research is housed! 

External Affairs 

Public Information Division (PID): our communications team, who also run DDOT's social media

Community Engagement Division: runs interference between the agency, the public, and our elected officials and helps make sure the agency is responsive to the public.

Policy and Legislative Division (PLAD): advises on and promulgates the regulations that allow DDOT to do its work, also a key partner in working with elected officials and the Mayor's office

Office of the Director

Equity and Inclusion Division (EID): handles all civil rights programs and supports equity in all that DDOT does

Safety & Security Division: risk management for the agency

2.0 Important Contacts

2.1. DDOT Research Program

Katie Crabb (Librarian)

Phone: 202.478.9122 (while on remote work, 904.687.5178)

Email: Kathleen.Crabb@dc.gov

Desk: in the Library in the center of the 5th floor, near the elevators

Drew Pflaumer (Research Program Administrator)

Phone: office - 202.934.3654

Email: Drew.Pflaumer@dc.gov

Desk: on the 8th floor next to room 842

2.2. Howard University

Dr. Nadir Yilmaz (Howard University)

Richa Lamsal (Howard University):

2.3. When and who to ask for help

You probably feel like you are asking your manager a lot of questions: this is okay! This is expected! But there are cases when you need to get help from others.

If you have issues with:

1. Your project (or being pulled off for other work): start with your manager, then go to Katie or Stephanie
2. Paychecks: If you are not paid on time, contact Katie and Melissa ASAP. If Katie is out, please contact Stephanie. Otherwise, there might be a delay in your payment. You should receive a payment notification on Wednesday/Thursday and then your payments by direct deposit every other Friday. If you do not see your payment processed by Friday morning, let us know.  Also let us know if you are underpaid or overpaid and by how much
3. People…
   1. Your manager: go to Katie or Drew
   2. Coworkers other than your manager: start with your manager, then go to Katie or Drew
   3. Dr. Yilmaz : go to Katie or Drew
   4.  Katie or Drew: go to your manager or Dr. Yilmaz

We want you to have a good experience here at DDOT, so please let us know if things are not working! You can also make note in the weekly reporting form if you are having issues - Katie and Stephanie monitor that form.

How to find us:

DDOT: We take all forms of contact! Find Katie and Drew (and most DDOT staff) on Teams chat, by email, or by phone.

3.0 Intern Expectations

3.1.  Intern Expectations

• Produce a product from your summer or semester research – a memo, a report, a tool, or something similar
• Be prepared to give a presentation on your work at the end of the summer--this will be a poster session where all interns will have the chance to present their work to the wider agency (in the case of remote internships, interns will make a video rather than a poster. Please see our section on remote internships for more).
• Don’t be afraid ask questions or speak up about what you are interested in – this is a learning experience for you!
• You can spend some time working on other things, but you still need to finish your primary project(s)

3.2.  Monthly Progress Reports

Once a month you will fill out a progress report detailing your accomplishments and future goals. Your manager will sign this report. Take this opportunity to reflect on your work and direct the work for the coming month. The reports should also include a note if you anticipate missing substantial time in the upcoming month. Once the report has been signed by your manager, you will complete the intake form at https://www.cognitoforms.com/HUTRC/ddothuinternmonthlyprogressreport and upload the file. A template for the progress reported is included in a Word document at the end of the manual. 

3.3.  Reported Time/Payroll

Interns are paid by stipend – the same amount every two weeks. Payment should arrive in your bank account on Friday morning of a payday.

You should check-in each week to let us know you are here and generally how many hours you are working using this form. Your manager is also expected to check in using the same form.

You will be paid a set stipend but you may not end up working your standard hours each week all summer/semester. You will be asked to make up time not worked for vacations or other manager-agreed-upon leave in the following month. If you are aware of substantial amounts of time (more than 10% of your typical work time - so more than 16 hours in a month during the summer or 8 hours in a month during the semester) that you will not work during the month, note this in your monthly report so that your stipend may be adjusted. If the time is not made up by the end of the summer/semester, your final payment may be adjusted.

• You do not need to make up hours missed due to national holidays (like July 4th) or administrative closings at the office.

You should sign up for Direct Deposit, but make sure to check and see if the paycheck has hit your account on the applicable Friday morning. If not, report the issue to Melissa and Katie ASAP. Sometimes if there are issues with direct deposit you may receive a paper check.

4.0 The Library

4.1. How We Can Help

The library is here to help if you are looking for books or research relevant to your project (or even if you just need a quiet place to read). Need to look for a study or other materials? Just come in and ask! We also have our EOS Library Catalog where you can search for items from your desk and explore our collections (some PDFs are directly available for download!) We can also help out if you need an extra hand with research on the web. Interested in DDOT/Transportation history? Check out our DDOT Back in Time photo site, where we are digitizing and adding data to our historical photos for online access.

4.2. What We Have

The library has a varied collection of items covering transportation and DC history. Our general collection holds things such as DDOT location and environmental studies, USDOT and Federal Highway publications, AASHTO, ITE, and TRB publications, and engineering manuals, among other relevant items. Our historical collection dates back as far as the late 1800s and contains a great deal of DC transportation history. Our reference collection houses copies of our most used items (for example, the Trip Generation and the Highway Capacity Manual) as well as full print copies of the DC code and the DC Municipal Regulations. Our multimedia collection holds a small variety of DVDs as well as PDF copies of studies stored in the catalog. Our archival collection showcases historical documents and photos from the early 1900s onward. We also have a small collection of maps.

4.3. Can I Check Things Out?

Absolutely! Library items circulate for 6 weeks, and if you need more time just let the Librarian know, and you can renew the item. Just come by with your DDOT ID so we can add you to our patron list and you can check out the item you need.

5.0 Various FAQs and Useful Details

All FAQs about the office will be updated once staff return to in-person work and we have settled into our new offices at 250 M St SE sometime in 2020.

5.1.  Breakroom Use

Feel absolutely free to use the breakrooms on your floors! You can eat lunch, put things in the refrigerators (which also dispense water), use the microwave, or make coffee/tea. Each floor is different about what is shared, so ask coworkers about the details for your room.

5.2.   ID Badges

While you’re working at DDOT you’ll be required to carry an ID badge. 

If you have visitors to the building, have them sign-in at the front desk 

5.3. Technology

5.3.1.  Reserve a conference room

This can be done through your Outlook email. While scheduling a meeting (not an appointment) you can go to "scheduling assistant" and hit "add room" and then select the conference room you wish to reserve. The Hub rooms (-03 on each floor) have the big interactive screens. Those are all listed toward the end of the DDOT room list (Hub-703, for example).

5.3.2.   Phones

To dial out on DDOT landlines, dial 9 and your number. If the area code is local (DMV area) you can just dial 9+(area code) and number. If it is outside the local area, you will need to dial 9, 1, then the number; you will hear a beep, then enter the access code, which is 573610.

5.3.3.   IT Help

If you have an issue with your computer, your Outlook email, or other IT concerns, you can put in a Help Center Ticket. You'll need to login like you do to your DDOT computer (usually first initial last name and your network password). The “new ticket” option is the first option on the left hand side under “service requests.”

5.3.4.   Outlook basics + how to see/share calendars

All of your DDOT emails will come through Microsoft Outlook, with an address that usually goes your.name@dc.gov, sometimes with a number or middle initial if there is someone with the same first and last name. You can see other people's calendars to know availability two primary ways: 

1. Create a new meeting and after entering the names of people you want to meet with in the "Required" line, click on "Scheduling Assistant" on the ribbon. You'll then be able to see free/available (and sometimes meeting information, depending on people's calendar settings). You can then schedule a meeting, or close the meeting without saving if you just wanted to see if someone had time blocked off.
2. Add other people's calendars to your view - this is most useful for people you collaborate with regularly. Click "Add Calendar" in the calendar view and select "From Address Book...". The list is best searched by last name, first name.

If you need help, the Outlook Support Site is a great resource.

5.3.5.   DDOT Wiki

This is the DDOT Wiki, built on the Atlassian Confluence tool. We are slowly pushing more and more groups to build out their presence on the Wiki - you'll see some groups (Research, GIS) have lots of information, others are still building up their documentation. You are welcome to add a subpage under Intern Projects: A History with your specific project and documentation. The Research Project page template can be a good starting point!

There is a DD space that has lots of information about data sources at DDOT - look here when you are wondering what data DDOT has.

5.3.6.   Microsoft Teams

This is DDOT's primary meeting and instant messaging program. Most activity happens in the Chat feature (like direct messages), though there is some use of the Teams feature (with channels, similar to other virtual collaboration platforms).

You will be added to an Intern "Team" along with your manager(s). This Intern Manual is linked as a tab in the General channel of the intern teams. You are welcome to create a channel for your project if that is helpful! The weekly reminder to fill out the check-in form will come via this channel.

You may also be added to the team for whatever division or team you are in, or for specific projects. Some divisions and groups use their channels more than others.

5.3.7.   Shared Files: OneDrive, Shared Drives (e.g. H Drive), and other ways

Talk to your manager about how the team you are working with manages its shared files. Many programs use DDOT's shared drives, but these are only available when on the DDOT network (so in the office or on VPN).

OneDrive is the other primary means of sharing files. Much of the agency learned to use this system only during 2020, so how systematically and effectively it is used varies.

• • You can pin files and folders shared with your to your OneDrive - this can really help keep track of things shared with you. This feature only works from a web browser, not your file explorer OneDrive connection

Make sure that any files you are creating are stored somewhere they can be accessed by your manager - ideally while you are working on them, but definitely before you leave!

6.0 Exit Procedures

When starting your internship:

• Set an estimated end date.

At your monthly check-in July (or your penultimate month at DDOT):

• Discuss and finalize your end date.
• Establish a plan to make up any hours missed 
• Set a date and time to meet with your manager for a debrief and exit interview.

After your monthly check-in:

• Include your end date in your monthly report to Howard.
• Email Research and Howard University to inform them of your end date.
• Confirm your hours worked with Research and share your plan to make up hours missed (and if you are unable to do so, please let us know how many hours you're missing)

Before your final day:

• Save any project files in an accessible location and share with your manager.
• Share any final presentation material (posters, presentations, videos) with Research.
• Don’t forget any personal effects that you may have in your cube space.
• Complete the exit survey.

On your last day:

• Return your badge.
• Feel free to stop by and say good bye to the Research team.

7.0 Remote Internships 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, DDOT instituted virtual internships from summer 2020-summer 2021, dependent on local conditions. In the event of any future virtual internships, the below rules will also apply.

Remote Work Location & Hours 

• You may do remote work from any location, as long as it has been approved by your manager and Research (international locations would be difficult and may be discussed on a case by case basis) 
• If your remote work location changes, please alert your manager and Katie in Research
• Summer interns are expected to work full-time (40 hours a week) 
• Semester interns are expected to work between 10-20 hours a week, as agreed upon at the start of the semester.
• Talk with your manager about what hours they would prefer you to be available online (if you are in a different time zone, discuss what may work best for both of you).

Check-Ins 

• Interns should meet with/report work to their managers as requested (this is especially important while working virtually). We are strongly encouraging managers to consider a weekly check-in; you can also set something regular up to make sure you can keep in touch.
• Interns should fill out this linked Google form to check-in weekly and report any issues that are non-urgent

Technology 

• If you do not have a working computer or a computer that can't run the software you need, you may request a laptop.
• You will be given login credentials that should work across all DDOT programs (Teams, Outlook, etc.) These credentials will include your email and a password 
  • Your email will be  firstname.lastname@ddot.dc.gov but sometimes when logging in you may need to input it as firstintiallastname@ddot.dc.gov or just firstinitiallastname, along with your password
• Personal computers being used for virtual work should have the capability to:
  • Maintain a reliable internet connection 
  • Run Microsoft Teams (almost all of our meetings our conducted via Teams)
  • Run Microsoft Outlook and the Microsoft Office Suite (ideally as programs, but can use Office Online if needed)
• ArcGIS is a common program needed for projects. You can access ArcGIS Pro via DDOT's license.

End of Summer Project

• At the end of the summer, each intern is expected to create a video giving an overview of the project(s) they worked on
  • If you did more than one project and one is more suited, you may choose that project
  • Your video should be approximately 5 minutes and should include PowerPoint slides or other media
  • Videos can be recorded on Teams or the program of  your choosing
  • Videos will be converted to YouTube format by our comms team, and uploaded for public viewing 

8.0 Important Links and Files

Policy Compendium: a collection of policies and frequently asked questions related to DDOT, arranged by subject

Library Catalog: search the library’s collections here!

DDOT Intranet: DDOT’s internal site - only accessible when you are on a DC government network (wifi or wired) or connected via VPN

DDOT External Site: DDOT’s main public website

DDOT Back in Time: The DDOT Library’s online archive of historical photos