Working for Peanuts...graphic artists Kim Lanahan-Lahti (left) and Jane Greiner are painting one of 101 statues of Charles Schulz’s character Charlie Brown created to publicize various St. Paul community and business initiatives. Photo by Craig Wilkins

This summer St. Paul is hosting “Charlie Brown Around Town”—a follow-up to Snoopy’s successful tour last year. Mn/DOT is partnering with the Head Lites Corporation (a supplier of safety vests and equipment) to create a work zone champion dubbed “Mn/DOT Charlie.”

Graphic artists Jane Greiner and Kim Lanahan-Lahti, Communications and Public Relations, painted the beloved cartoon character of the late Charles Schultz as an “icon of work zone safety.”  The work was done at the Maryland Avenue truck station.  When completed, “Charlie” will be stationed at the transportation building in St. Paul in early June. He will be wearing a safety vest and hat and carrying a stop sign to remind visitors of the need for safety in highway work zones.

 “It was great fun putting a Mn/DOT spin on Charlie Brown,” reported Kim Lanahan-Lahti, “and this Charlie Brown delivers our work zone safety message.”

By Mary Meinert

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Mn/DOT and the Wisconsin DOT suspended work on the St. Croix River Crossing Project in January. Photo by Kent Barnard

Contingent on certain steps being taken by the state of Wisconsin, Mn/DOT is willing to move forward on discussions with Oak Park Heights about the St. Croix River Crossing project and schedule a public hearing on the supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg said today in a letter sent to Wisconsin Secretary of Transportation Terry Mulcahy.

Mn/DOT’s actions depend on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ acceptance of keeping the Stillwater lift bridge and the Wisconsin DOT’s willingness to guarantee whatever portion of additional mitigation is not eliminated by subsequent federal action, Tinklenberg said.

In January 2001, Mn/DOT and the Wisconsin DOT suspended work on the St. Croix River Crossing Project because of insufficient federal funding for the lift bridge mitigation alternatives; an inability of federal, state and local agencies to reach a consensus; and failure to get municipal approval.

The mitigation alternatives the two transportation departments outlined last September for the Federal Highway Administration are:

1. Relocation or removal of the lift bridge ($8.4 million in mitigation costs)

2. Conversion of the lift bridge to a pier ($19.l million in mitigation requiring about $10.7 million in new federal funding)

3. Retention of the bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists ($26.9 million in mitigation requiring $18.5 million in new federal funding).

Alternative three is the only viable option, Tinklenberg said, because the other two (removal or partial removal of the bridge) are opposed by both states’ historical preservation offices.

If the issue is not resolved by June, a new environmental review will be necessary.

View the May 23 news release or the Jan. 12 news release for more information, or contact Lucy Kender, Communications and Public Relations, 651/297-7961.

By Lucy Kender

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The Minnesota Legislature adjourned Monday at midnight as constitutionally required but left some business unfinished—including how to divvy up the state’s $27.3 billion biennial budget. Transportation’s slice of the budget pie is roughly $3.2 billion, based on the spending bills now waiting action by the Omnibus Transportation and Public Safety Conference Committee.

Until the governor calls for a special session to address tax and spending issues, state agencies are in limbo about the fate of their programs after July 1, when the new biennium begins.

Bills passed

The legislature did pass two Mn/DOT bills: one revising the procedures the department uses to obtain municipal approval of Mn/DOT construction plans on trunk highways, and one covering Mn/DOT’s housekeeping items, according to Betsy Parker, associate director, Government Relations.   

The housekeeping bill amends the work zone speed limit law, allows Mn/DOT to sell access to isolated property, repeals obsolete Transportation Regulation Board statutes, enacts trunk highway turnbacks and makes a segment of Olmsted Co. Hwy 7 part of Hwy 42, Parker said.

Bills in limbo

Still waiting legislative action in the omnibus transportation bill are:

§         Transportation funding

§         Mn/DOT’s operating budget

§         Stillwater bridge

§         Hwy 62/crosstown improvements project

§         High occupancy vehicle lane studies

§         Light rail transit

§         Commuter rail studies

Also alive in the omnibus transportation funding bill, Parker said, are measures addressing electronic bidding, the transportation revolving loan fund, leasing space on Mn/DOT telecom towers, state aid disaster accounts, winter weight increases, paying interest on loans the department receives from local government, and lease of rail bank property.

The design build bill—which would allow Mn/DOT to create a single contract for both the design and the construction of highway projects—appears dead in the House, Parker said. However, the Senate version of the bill may be resuscitated by the conference committee in the omnibus transportation-funding bill, she added.

By Chris Joyce

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When the U.S. House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit met today to hear solutions to highway congestion, a familiar voice articulated Minnesota’s efforts in this area.

Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg represented both the state and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials board of directors before the congressional subcommittee on May 23.

“In Minnesota, our identified funding needs over the next 20 years to maintain current levels of mobility and congestion are three times what will be available under existing funding programs,” the commissioner said.

“None of us can reasonably expect that all of the capacity improvements necessary to secure our future mobility can be achieved solely through additional construction,” he said. "Some of that new capacity will have to be achieved through increased efficiencies in and better management of what we already have.”

Noting the recent Texas Transportation Institute study that showed the Twin Cities area had the second fastest rate of congestion growth in the country, the commissioner highlighted Mn/DOT’s use of advanced technologies to improve the state’s transportation system.

Some of the technologies Mn/DOT is using to increase capacity, safety, efficiency and convenience are:

§         Ramp meters in the Twin Cities

§         Statewide system of road weather information sensors

§         Automated bridge de-icing systems

§        Portable traffic management systems 

§         Automatic vehicle location and computer-aided dispatching systems

§         Advanced traveler information systems

§         Commercial vehicle information systems network

The application of advanced technologies can improve movement through urban corridors by an estimated 15 percent or more—without adding right of way or disrupting neighborhoods. “That improved efficiency can mean the difference between mobility and gridlock,” the commissioner said.

Click here to view the full text of the commissioner’s testimony.

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Early census results signal population changes on highway signs, but more refined data available next year will be the basis for transportation decision-making for the future, according to Mn/DOT staff.

A group of the department’s planners met May 21 to discuss preliminary census results. Abby McKenzie, director of economic analysis, Investment Management, said the early results are limited to population, ethnic and race data. Significant trends in these areas, she said, include growth in urban areas, continuing population decline in the far western tier of the of the state, the degree of growth in the minority population, and metro area growth, particularly in the outer ring suburbs.

“The most surprising trend is the central cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis grew by 5.5 percent and 3.9 percent respectively, reversing a fifty year trend of declining population, “ McKenzie notes.    

Declining populations in rural counties pose challenges, McKenzie says.  Twenty-five counties lost population between 1990 and 2000. Fourteen counties have population densities under 10 persons per square mile, according to Minnesota Planning. 

Another surprise is the rate of growth in minority population, McKenzie said. Total minority population rose from 6.3 percent in 1990 to 11.8 percent in 2000, according to Minnesota Planning.  

“This challenges our customer focus; we need to understand these new customers and find out about their expectations for our transportation system,” McKenzie said.

Additional census data will be released regularly over the next 18 months, culminating with the long form results in September 2002. The long census form is given to a random sample of citizens. One in six urban residents and about half of rural residents complete the long form.                         

Liz Hartmann, research analysis specialist, Investment Management, says four questions in the long form relate specifically to transportation—work location, mode of transportation to work, commute times, and the number of household vehicles.

Implications for transportation

Altering road signs along state and interstate highways to reflect population changes are one of the short-term census effects. This work is part of the department’s regular maintenance budget.

Metro Division estimates 407 sign replacements will cost $165,000, said Harris Baker, metro signing and striping engineer.

“These signs are 10 years old so they need to be replaced anyway,” he said. 

According to Rebecca Arndt, District 7 public affairs coordinator, the district’s sign replacement cost will be approximately  $41,000.  Sandy East, District 8 public affairs coordinator, estimates her district will spend $46,000.

In the transit area, the census data raise no immediate red flags.

“Ridership is more about the maturity of the system, rather than demographics,” said John Tocho, assistant director, Transit. He said transit programs in greater Minnesota are designed in partnership with customers and tailored to the needs of the community. Moreover, Mn/DOT regional transit planners track demographic changes that might necessitate changes in service level or delivery in their regions.  

Interregional corridors probably won’t be affected by the census figures, according to Al Pint, corridor manager for program delivery.

“We have not reviewed the census data yet to see what, if any, impact the new data will have on any of the IRC studies. However, the 1999 IRC studies generally were based on 1998 population and business/job information, so we don't think that the 2000 census data will have a significant impact,” Pint said. 

As other census information is released, McKenzie will meet with planners to discuss their implications for transportation.

Contact Abby McKenzie at 651/296-6094 or Liz Hartmann at 651/205-4425 for more information. Also, visit these Web sites:

§         http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet , an interactive Website, to search for census data

§         http://www.mcs.com/~berwyned/census/ to track data and political issues with a transportation focus. 

By Sue Stein

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Jim Swanson was named the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers "Engineer of the Year" on May 18. Photo by Dave Gonzalez

Jim Swanson, assistant commissioner for Program Delivery and assistant chief engineer, added another award to his growing list on May 18 when the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers named him "Engineer of the Year" at an awards banquet in the Twin Cities.

MSPE presents this award annually to the "engineer who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement and improvement of the engineering profession, public welfare, and service to mankind."

Swanson's previous awards include the Bill Yoerg Quality Award and six merit awards for construction excellence on several Twin Cities construction projects, including projects on I-35E, I-94 and Hwy 61.

Swanson has worked for Mn/DOT since 1968, beginning in District 9 (now part of Metro Division) as a highway technician, project engineer construction, and resident engineer construction. While in District 9, he supervised several high profile projects including the Hwy 149 High Bridge in St. Paul and the I-494 River Bridge over the Mississippi River.

Swanson transferred to District 7 in 1987 as assistant district engineer; he was named its district engineer in 1993. Swanson assumed his present post in 1999.

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Beverly Kelley and Ken Buckeye participated in the annual B-BOP Day celebration at the Capitol on May 17. Photo by Craig Wilkins

Scores of Capitol area employees traveled to work May 17 by bike, bus, carpool and on foot to join the annual observation of B-BOP (Bike, Bus or Pool) Day. Their efforts were rewarded with coffee, fruit and rolls and an opportunity to check out a high-mileage gas-electric hybrid car, a new van and other exhibits.

The 2001 B-BOP Day also marked the event’s 10th anniversary of promoting alternatives to using single-occupant vehicles for commuting. Alternatives include using bus transit, carpools, vanpools, walking, biking and telecommuting to alleviate congestion and reduce demand on the state’s transportation system.

Rochester's B-BOP celebration included a prize drawing for a trip for two by train to Montana. Photo by Brian Jergenson

This year’s celebration included top state officials, including Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg, biking from the Governor’s Mansion to the Capitol, an organized set of bike rides in Rochester and promotional events that will be held by private and public employers. Tinklenberg and Donna Allan, director, Office of Transit, were among the people who spoke at the event.

At Rochester, the B-BOP Day celebration included several guided bike rides and a prize drawing for registered B-BOPpers. Top prize, donated by corporate sponsors, was a trip for two by train to Montana.

For more information and photos of B-BOP day, see the B-BOP Web site.

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The AASHTO Web site features a state success weekly on its home page.

Mn/DOT’s success in reducing the number of people killed in vehicle/ train crashes at railroad crossings is a featured success story on the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials Web site this week.

AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The AASHTO Web site features a state success story weekly on its home page. In addition to viewing Mn/DOT’s feature, visit the site to learn about preservation of prairie and "at-risk" species in Colorado, an earthquake-monitoring freeway in California, innovative financing in South Carolina, and more. 

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“The times, they are a’changin,’” indeed. Today’s state map looks quite different from 30 years ago. What will it look like 30 years from now—especially if Mn/DOT were to make certain changes that one reader asks about: converting some highways to freeways over the next 30 years?

Want to know what the map of the future looks like? Visit our Question of the Week intranet site to find out.

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