The disastrous floods of 1997 caused extensive damage to the state’s highways. The floods affected several regions of the state, including the northwest where floodwaters from the Red River of the North and the Snake, Tamarac and Middle rivers covered vast stretches of land and washed out several sections of highway. On Highway 1 near Oslo in Marshall County, Dave Dalager, Bemidji District maintenance superintendent (center); Cliff Schulz, a transportation generalist at Crookston (left); and Richard Kjensrud, now retired maintenance supervisor at Thief River Falls (right) examine damage to the roadbed.

If (or when) the floodwaters rise this spring, Mn/DOT will be prepared to handle any possible impacts to the state’s transportation system, according to Bob Vasek, maintenance operations support engineer.

Staff from the Office of Maintenance and the Office of Communications and Public Relations have been meeting to lay out plans for any emergencies that may arise. Strategies include:

• Developing procedures to ensure that road condition reports are entered into MnCARS (Condition and Acquisition Reporting System) on a timely basis
• Using MnCARS reports to update the department’s road condition information telephone system and the TripUSA road condition website
• Reviewing procedural guidance for updates prior to distributing to district offices
• Updating Mn/DOT and contractor contact lists
• Alerting news media around the state as conditions change and roads close or open

The state duty officer at the Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management is available around-the-clock to coordinate assistance. If flooding is severe, DEM will activate the Statewide Emergency Operations Center. Once activated, the center is open 24 hours-a-day and staffed with employees from many different state agencies. The center was activated in the spring of 1997 when wide-spread flooding wreaked havoc on many communities across the state. It was last used to deal with potential Y2K-related emergencies over New Year’s weekend 1999.

In addition to giving accurate and timely information to the public, Mn/DOT provides many other resources to assist in natural disasters. Under Vasek’s direction, Mn/DOT’s Office of Maintenance coordinates inter-district and interagency transfer of equipment and resources to hard-hit areas.

The Office of Maintenance, in coordination with the Office of Investment Management, State Aid, DEM and the Federal Highway Administration, also provides assistance to district offices on federal disaster assistance programs. Road closures, sandbagging roadways and debris cleanup are among the activities necessary in flooded areas. Coordination meetings and disaster drills are held on a regular basis to keep state agencies up-to-speed with disaster planning and emergency preparedness. District maintenance staff also repair most of the damage done to the Interstate and trunk highway systems caused by floods. Sites suffering greater damage may use contractors for repairs and cleanup, he said.

For more information, contact Bob Vasek at 651/297-5113. You can link to the National Weather Service’s site to see the latest flooding forecasts.

By Kent Barnard

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Just weeks after breaking ground for the Hiawatha light rail transit line in Minneapolis, state and Metropolitan Council officials were in federal court on March 8 to ensure the project continues on track.

Mn/DOT, the State of Minnesota and the Metropolitan Council want the court to enforce Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg’s order that Xcel Energy relocate—at its own expense—the electric utility lines that lie beneath 5^th Street in downtown Minneapolis along the planned LRT route.

The government’s action came after Xcel filed a lawsuit Feb. 16 requesting reimbursement for the cost of relocating the utility lines, estimated to be about $18 million.

Historically, utility companies have been allowed to use public rights-of-way at no charge, with the understanding that if the land were needed for a public project, the utility companies relocate at their expense.

The state’s counterclaim also asks that Xcel be required to post a $330 million bond—the equivalent amount of federal funds that could be lost because of Xcel’s actions.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Hiawatha LRT line were held Jan. 17. The 11.6-mile route will stretch from downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America in Bloomington. The project is scheduled for completion in 2004.

For more information, see the March 8 LRT news release, view the LRT page on Mn/DOT’s Web site, or contact Mary McFarland, Communications and Public Relations, 651/284-4035.

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Materials from the Commissioner’s Forum are available to employees. Videotapes of the commissioner’s remarks will be available for viewing at staff meetings. Contact Mn/DOT’s library for a copy. Watch Mn/DOT Newsline for an announcement when the questions (and answers) from the forum are posted.

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Chris McMahon, senior research analyst, reported the results of the survey at the Commissioner’s Forum on March 7. In January, Mn/DOT market researchers met individually with transportation committee members in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate, asking them what they thought Mn/DOT was doing well at and how it could improve.

Mn/DOT could be less bureaucratic and communicate better with legislators—such as providing more understandable information that doesn’t conflict with previous information sent from the department, according to the findings. Committee members also would like to see information provided more proactively (e.g., notify them earlier when changes occur, provide them with more "unfiltered" information), McMahon said.

Committee members also recommended that Mn/DOT seek more public involvement in projects earlier in the planning process, and anticipate and communicate earlier any potential negative impacts of projects on communities.

Despite pointing out several areas in which Mn/DOT could improve, 71 percent of the legislators surveyed believe the department is performing "very or somewhat well" as an agency, McMahon said.

Based on the results of the survey, Mn/DOT is now drafting action steps to address the areas it needs to improve upon.

For more information about the legislative survey, contact Chris McMahon, 651/284-3243.

To learn more about transportation-related legislation, click on Mn/DOT’s weekly legislative summary or check out its Government Relations Web site. For more information about legislative issues, contact Joe Hudak, legislative assistant, at 651/297-5149.

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A fatal crash in 1997 involving a dump truck traveling from a Mn/DOT construction site prompted the department to look for ways to reduce crashes involving construction vehicles in Mn/DOT construction work zones.

In the succeeding years, Mn/DOT and its partners in the construction and safety industries have instituted a number of programs with the goal of improving safety through targeted enforcement, safety training seminars and safety awareness campaigns, said Ted Coulianos, communications and training supervisor, Office of Motor Carrier Services.

These measures include:

• Targeted vehicle safety inspections around many Mn/DOT project sites by State Patrol commercial vehicle inspection teams
• Training classes on construction industry safety regulations given by the Office of Motor Carrier Services
• A new training curriculum jointly developed in 1999 by Mn/DOT, the Minnesota Highway Safety Center, the State Patrol, the Minnesota Asphalt Pavers Association and the Minnesota Trucking Association. (Seventeen classes have been held with 500 truck operators attending.)

This year will see a 40 percent increase in program participation, with five levels of training available, Coulianos said. Classes are held from late November through March during the off-season for the construction industry. Training topics include an overview of regulations, hands-on vehicle inspection procedures, behind-the-wheel vehicle dynamics, techniques for securing loads and proper transportation of hazardous materials.

"Our goal is to have every operator of a construction vehicle operating on Minnesota roadways go through a CTOT instruction and receive certification," Coulianos said.

Proof of certification is carried in the vehicle and is presented to the State Patrol during roadside inspections at the construction work zones. Unless the State Patrol sees an obvious violation, a CTOT-certified operator likely will be waved through inspection. CTOT offers enhanced safety for motorists on the roadways, lower insurance rates for trucking operators, driver recognition and advancement possibilities and a coordinated training partnership between state agencies.

"The partnership of industry and industry regulators makes this an exceptional training opportunity. It has been well received by our drivers," reports Rick Maursetter, safety director for Duininck Brothers Construction.

For more information on the CTOT training program, contact the Office of Motor Carrier Services at 651/405-6060. For more information about Mn/DOT’s work zone safety program, contact Mary Meinert, 651/297-5868.

By Mary Meinert

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Joanne Wagner

Joanne Wagner, an attorney with 15 years’ service in the private sector, was appointed as director of the Office of Contract Management. She succeeds Mary Helbach who resigned.

Wagner holds a law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Minnesota. A St. Paul native, Wagner lives in Roseville.

Wagner’s office is in Room 361 of the Transportation Building. She may be reached at 651/215-0446, MS 130.

Photo by Craig Wilkins

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Jim Harris, IRM, a participant in the Reading Buddies program, checks out a Mn/DOT snowplow near the Capitol with his reading buddy, Mike Hang.

Students from Franklin Elementary School in St. Paul and their adult reading partners from eight state agencies varied their routine one day to eat pizza, visit the Capitol and explore a Mn/DOT snowplow.

The students and adults are part of the Reading Buddies program, which matches a state employee with a student for weekly sessions. The mentors read aloud to children in the first through fourth grades.

Program coordinator Janet Berryhill of the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance notes there are 250 employees enrolled in the program designed to improve the students’ reading and listening skills. This is the program’s fourth year, she said. Reading Buddies will expand to include fifth graders next year, she adds.

Jim Harris, Information Resource Management, one of the Mn/DOT employees in the program, said it’s rewarding to work with the students and participate in the progress they make in language skill development, especially those for whom English is a second language.

Harris’ buddy is Mike Hang, a fourth-grader at Franklin.

"We get nice feedback from the kids, including handmade Valentines," Harris said. "Every time I go there Mike’s face lights up when he gets out of class. It’s a nice relationship. I hope I’m helping my buddy learn more English."

Story and photo by Craig Wilkins

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How has the workload for Mn/DOT employees "in the trenches" been affected by the Moving Minnesota funds the department received in 2000 to provide advantages for transit, open bottlenecks and improve interregional corridors? One Mn/DOT employee indirectly provides one piece of the answer by asking this week’s Question of the Week.

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