Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg (left) and U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar were two of the partners who signed an agreement on March 26 creating a new transportation research lab at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Mn/DOT will partner with the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the Center for Transportation Studies to open a new transportation research lab at UMD, Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg announced March 26.

Called the Northland Advanced Transportation Systems Research Laboratory, the new research center will focus on winter transportation systems and the transportation needs of small urban areas, he said Monday at a press conference in Duluth.

"Mn/DOT places a high priority on innovation with our Moving Minnesota initiatives," Tinklenberg said. "In addition to helping support the development of laboratories at UMD, we can provide a real-world laboratory with our transportation system."

Some of the projects envisioned for the research lab include testing pavement sensors in cold weather conditions and researching on-demand fleet routing systems for snowplow operations.

Also attending the press conference were U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, long-time transportation advocate who helped get federal funds for the lab, UMD Chancellor Kathryn Martin, and other university representatives.

Duluth District Engineer Mike Robinson said, "The research done at the new facility will benefit all motorists by making our roads safer. My staff and I are committed to working closely with UMD to conduct research and test new technologies and strategies."

The research lab is estimated to cost $3.7 million, and will be built at a Mn/DOT weigh scale site on southbound I-35 near Carlton, said Roberta Dwyer, consultant program project manager, Duluth district. This will allow for testing of devices both on an actual roadway and on a controlled track, she noted.

The lab is expected to be ready by late summer 2001.

In related news, Mn/DOT last week approved 16 new research projects for fiscal year 2002, many of which include partnering with CTS. Watch Mn/DOT Newsline for more information about these projects.

For more information about the new transportation research lab, contact Roberta Dwyer at 218/723-4960, ext. 3504.

By Chris Joyce
Photo by Maureen Talarico

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Improvements to the I-35W/Highway 62 Crosstown Commons area in Minneapolis would be delayed if any of the three bills approved by a House committee this week passes the full Legislature, said Dick Stehr, Metro Division engineer.

The House Transportation Policy Committee gave the green light to the bills on March 27. The proposed measures would delay improvements to I-35W/Highway 62 for varying reasons, but would require Mn/DOT to do additional work before construction could begin.

If delayed, the project, which is scheduled to begin this August, could lose $4.4 million in federal money targeted for it. This stretch of road carries approximately 250,000 vehicles per day and has an accident rate nearly three times that of the rest of the metro interstate system.

The bills were referred to the House Transportation Finance Committee for further action.

For more information about this and other legislative issues affecting Mn/DOT, contact Joe Hudak at 651/297-5149, click on Mn/DOT’s weekly legislative summary or check out its Government Relations Web site.

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The number of persons killed in vehicle/train crashes at railroad crossings declined from 11 in 1999 to 4 in 2000, according to Al Vogel, director, Office of Freight, Railroads and Waterways.

In addition, the total number of vehicle/train crashes declined from 93 in 1999 to 83 last year. Non-fatal injuries also dropped. There were 52 injuries reported in 1999 while 37 injuries were reported last year.

In 1998, there were a total of 105 such crashes. Eight of those incidents resulted in nine fatalities.

"We are encouraged by the decrease in crashes and fatalities," Vogel said, "but we still have a long way to go to eliminate them. We must increase our efforts and the public must increase its alertness and get over its need to take chances with oncoming trains at rail crossings."

Vogel said the overall drop in crashes and the decrease in fatalities may stem from the department’s increased efforts to improve railroad crossing safety during the past decade.

Mn/DOT’s efforts include, he said, a comprehensive effort to improve roadway marking and signing at crossings, the installation of more automated signals with lights, bells and gates. They also include the department’s work with the railroads to improve crossing safety throughout the entire length of major rail corridors and joint efforts with the Minnesota Safety Council and the railroads to increase public awareness about rail crossing safety.

For more information, check out the Office of Freight, Railroads and Waterways Web site, or contact Tim Spencer, Office of Freight, Railroads and Waterways, 651/296-2849.

By Craig Wilkins

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Incorporating customer needs into planning has become more than a "mantra" for Mn/DOT planners.

One recent example is the Interregional Corridor Planning–Transit Workshop held March 22 in Chaska. At this workshop, Mn/DOT planners and facilitators met with transit managers from around the state. Their goal was to identify transit needs and issues on corridors funded by last year’s Moving Minnesota legislation, according to Al Pint, Mn/DOT interregional corridor manager for Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and northern Metro Division.

Transit providers such as Minnesota Valley Transit and St. Cloud Metro Transit sat down in breakout workgroups with project managers from the Metropolitan Council and six Mn/DOT districts/divisions. Facilitators for each workgroup helped the 37 attendees to sift through data, needs and concerns to identify major issues that should be addressed in planning improvements for each corridor.

Attendees brought to the workshop information such as:

• The population base they serve and the service levels they currently deliver;
• The growth they anticipate in service needs and population for three target dates: 2005, 2010 and 2020;
• The future facilities they anticipate needing, such as park and ride lots, garages, bus shoulder lanes, and transfer facilities (where customers transfer from one mode of transportation to another); and
• Recommendations they have for facilities that can be shared among agencies and transportation modes.

"The workshop was a huge success," said Pint. "It provided the initial opportunity for the transit providers to provide input into the IRC management plans and to identify the key issues along the corridors."

For more information, contact Al Pint at 651/282-6298. In addition, check out Mn/DOT’s Web site to learn about the interregional corridors funded by last year’s Moving Minnesota legislation. See also the Greater Minnesota Transit Plan.

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Governing magazine interviewed Woody Woodruff, Mankato district highway maintenance supervisor, about Mn/DOT's performance management process.

Mn/DOT’s performance management process recently received national attention, reports Cathy Walz, Mn/DOT training manager, Office of Human Resources.

Woody Woodruff, Mankato district highway maintenance supervisor, was interviewed for a Governing magazine article about job performance reviews. The article appeared in the magazine’s March 2001 issue.

"It’s good to have a system that relates to all employees within the agency, " Woodruff told Mn/DOT Newsline. Besides having good technical skills, Woodruff said that employees need to treat one another with respect and get along with co-workers and customers. He believes Mn/DOT’s new performance management process takes those factors into consideration. Woodruff uses the process to talk with the more than two dozen employees he supervises and finds the process promotes dialogue with his employees.

Mn/DOT unveiled its new performance management process in October 1998, focusing on individual competencies, Walz said. Technical skills are one component of any job; leadership, people management and organizational knowledge are some of the other competencies. The new system provides supervisors with a framework to discuss goals and performance with employees. It has helped move the traditional yearly performance appraisal to a broader discussion between supervisors and their employees to clarify expectations, she said.

Walz noted that the Mn/DOT performance management process has been highlighted in several articles, including the Harvard Business Review.

For more information, click on the Governing article or on Mn/DOT’s performance management Web site, or contact Cathy Walz at 651/296-3101.

By Sue Stein
Photo by Rebecca Arndt

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News is just a click away with online clippings.

Daily newspaper clippings from the Minneapolis StarTribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press are now available on the department’s intranet, compliments of the Mn/DOT Information Center.

The Information Center staff searches the two daily papers for transportation-related articles including news stories, letters-to-the-editor and editorials. The articles are then scanned and posted on Mn/DOT’s internal Web site every Monday–Friday morning.

"The newspaper clipping service is nothing new but the online format is," notes Cathy Sullivan, Information Center manager. "Until now the clippings were copied and distributed to a limited number of managers and public affairs coordinators. This new technology makes the information available to all employees with intranet access."

It also saves paper. The staff clips an average of five to six articles every day. With a printed distribution of more than 80 employees, the clipping service uses four or five thousand sheets of paper in a week.

The articles are posted as PDF (Portable Document Format) files, which allow users to select specific text or search within documents for key words. An index is created for each day, allowing users to quickly scan the day’s news and select any stories they would like to read.

Check out the online clippings at on the Office of Communications and Public Relations’ Web site. Note: to access the clippings, you will need to use Adobe Acrobat software. If you need help with the program, contact your local information technology support staff.

By Kay Korsgaard

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Volunteers are needed to help plan the Women’s Transportation Seminar National Conference, which will be held May 15-17, 2002 in Minneapolis.

WTS is seeking volunteers for the following conference planning committees: arrangements, budget and finance, exhibits, fundraising, hospitality, programs, protocol, publications, publicity, registration and technical tours, according to Deanna Keltner, Office of Investment Management and president of the local WTS chapter.

Men and women can take advantage of this opportunity to promote transportation by joining WTS and working on the conference. Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg is a member of WTS, and Margo LaBau, chief of staff, last year was named "Woman of the Year" by the local WTS chapter.

For more information about WTS, contact Keltner at 651/297-5122 or at deanna.keltner@dot.state.mn.us. For conference information, contact Laurie McGinnis, conference chair, at 612/625-3019 or at mcgin001@cts.umn.edu.

By Sue Stein

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Whether it’s a business issue or interpersonal communication, it helps to have a common understanding of what words mean to the user and the listener—especially when using "buzzwords."

Many of Mn/DOT’s buzzwords are specific to transportation or to the organization. Others come from the computer world, business, sports, and so on. Sometimes these buzzwords transfer easily; sometimes they don’t, depending upon an individual’s unique perspective and background.

In this week’s Question of the Week, a reader asks for Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg’s definition of a word that Mn/DOT uses often these days—"customer."

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