As the Southwest Region’s Assistant Independent Assurance Inspector, Cyrena Osmanberg’s job at WSDOT is much more than a lengthy title. She gets the opportunity to interact with so many different people” and describes her work as “quality assurance,” which includes working with, qualifying and helping to train field inspectors in Materials Testing and Field Inspection.
Originally from Woodland, Washington, Cyrena earned her degree in Engineering from Oxnard College in California. She served in the U.S. Navy and was an Engineering Aid for six years, doing work “very similar…to what I do now. In the Navy we were actually doing the work, so it was quality control, whereas WSDOT contracts the work, so it is quality assurance.”
Part of that quality assurance includes testing materials, and Cyrena helps run a program with more than 130 people who test contractor-supplied materials such as concrete, asphalt and aggregate. “We make sure contractors are giving us what we’re paying for. We have specs and we check to make sure material is meeting that spec,” says Cyrena. “If it doesn’t, WSDOT doesn’t pay for it.”
Even she has been surprised by the amount of preparation and work that goes into road construction: “There’s a lot more that goes into roads than even I knew before I took this job.” Now she’s testing the testers and making sure WSDOT’s money is well-spent.
Cyrena has been out on nearly all the projects under construction in the region and stays busy making sure everyone is prepared and informed. Current projects that have really caught her attention include the SR 502 Interchange and Rush Road to 13th Street projects. Big projects like these are often challenging, and Cyrena likes being there for people out in the field and watching projects take shape.
Outside of work, Cyrena spends time with friends and family and enjoys traveling, spending time with her animals and playing sports. In the summer, she plays softball and played for WSDOT’s “Rosemere” team last year. In the winter, it’s skiing. She hasn’t been up on the slopes yet this season, but looks forward to it soon.
Cyrena says her job “changes every day” and the variety of work keeps her on her toes.
She enjoys her work with WSDOT and was glad to find a field in which she had so much experience: “I was able to use a lot of what I already knew from the military and it transferred over well.” She’s a valuable addition to WSDOT and we’re glad to have her knowledge and skills on board!
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