Rail tracks have returned to downtown Minneapolis after more than 50 years as crews lay the first tracks for the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit line. Photo by Josh Collins

Passenger rail tracks returned to downtown Minneapolis last week after an absence of nearly 50 years. That’s when light rail construction crews laid the first sections of track at the Portland Avenue-Fifth Street intersection for the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit project. During the next few weeks, more rail line will be installed as crews move west-by-northwest down Fifth Street to Hennepin Avenue.

Streetcars crisscrossed the Twin Cities and the downtown area until 1954, when the system was dismantled. The recent resurgence of light rail generates a great deal of public curiosity and excitement, said Josh Collins, Mn/DOT community outreach specialist, Hiawatha Project Office.

"Walk the nine blocks of downtown at lunchtime where we’re building and you’re sure to find dozens of people watching the progress," said Collins. "This work has people talking. It’s amazing to see how excited people are about this project."

The tracks for light rail in the downtown area will be embedded in concrete to allow vehicles and pedestrians to cross at intersections easily.

The rest of the 11.6-mile long corridor is now a buzz of activity, Collins said.

For more than a year, private utility companies have been relocating facilities to prepare for LRT on Fifth Street in downtown; this work is almost complete. South of downtown, crews have placed track from 11th Avenue to the bridge at Lake Street. Right now, the design/build project is 48 percent complete. By the end of the year, both the Lake Street Bridge and the Crosstown (Hwy 62) bridges will be complete. Track will run from the Nicollet Mall all the way to 50th Street in south Minneapolis.

This last streetcar ran on the last section of track in downtown Minneapolis in 1954. Photo courtesy of the Minneapolis Public Library

The 2002 construction season will also see 12 of the 17 stations take shape.

Work continues at the same time on the LRT operations and maintenance facility at Cedar Avenue just south of I-94. In addition, construction crews are on schedule to turn the building over to Metro Transit during the first week of October. Activity continues at the airport, where crews are digging the second tunnel underneath the landing field. Crews completed the first tunnel in April and expect to complete the second tunnel this fall.

LRT service will begin between the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis and Fort Snelling in late 2003. In 2004, service will begin to the airport, Mall of America and warehouse district.

"We are in the middle of the most significant construction season for this project," said Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg. "The signs are all around us; the public can clearly see that light-rail transit is becoming a reality."

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Mankato District Engineer Jon Huseby addresses participants in Gibbon during the signing of an agreement by state and federal officials to widen support for the living snow fence program. By Rebecca Arndt

State and federal government officials announced Tuesday the expansion of the living snow fence program during ceremonies held in Gibbon, Minn., the site of a two-year-old living snow fence on Hwy 19.

The program pays farmers and other landowners for designating part of their land for living snow fences under the Conservation Reserve Program, part of the 2002 Farm Bill.

The new agreement links Mn/DOT, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Since 1998, Mn/DOT has worked with landowners to promote the program, encouraging them to plant living snow fences along state highway locations that are problem areas.

"Farmers can now receive payments under the Conservation Reserve Program as well as support from Mn/DOT for living snow fences which save lives, money and time by keeping highways open for travelers," said Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg. "Besides being aesthetically pleasing, they are an environmentally sound solution for making transportation safer and more efficient during Minnesota winters," he added.

Living snow fences use trees and shrubs located 150 feet to 300 feet from the highway to trap blowing snow before it can collect in ditches or on the roadway. Shrubs such as dogwood and lilacs are common choices for this type of program.

Dan Gullickson, program coordinator, Environmental Services, said that the site in Gibbon shows how living snow fences can be incorporated into farming operations.

"This stretch of Hwy 19 near Gibbon has closed a number of times in the winter, but the living snow fence should keep the highway open in the future," he said. "We are identifying problem sections of state highways that are frequently closed due to blowing and drifting snow. Our goal is to work with our partners and encourage landowners to plant living snow fences."

Scientific research supports the creation of living snow fences.

"Recent winter field studies have shown that living snow fences can be a highly effective method of controlling blowing and drifting snow on Minnesota roads and highways," said Dr. Mark Seeley, a University of Minnesota climatologist.

"University of Minnesota climate research has shown that since pioneer settlement, most areas of the state are witnessing an increase in annual snowfall. In this context, it is imperative that some consideration be given to using living snow fences," he added.

Check out the living snow fence Web site at www.livingsnowfence.dot.state.mn.us for more information.

By Sue Stein

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Several offices will move from the Kelly Inn in St. Paul to the Transportation Building to achieve optimal use of state-owned facilities and reduce building lease costs. Mn/DOT will terminate the lease and vacate the Kelly Inn by Aug. 15.

Other changes include converting Conference Room G-13 into office space. In addition to cutting costs, the moves will also improve communication among various offices by grouping similar functions in their new locations.

The moves will affect 36 employees currently located on the ninth floor of the Kelly Inn and save about $351,000 in costs for the lease that was to run until June 2004.

Office moves that become effective Aug. 15 include:

• Office of Electronic Communications, currently at the Kelly Inn, will be relocated to the first floor of the Central Office building

• Office of Environmental Services, currently located on the 6th floor of the Central Office building, will be relocated to the 7th floor

• Office of Technical Support, currently located on the 7th floor of the Central Office building, will be relocated to the 6th floor

• Office of Freight, Rail and Waterways, currently at the Kelly Inn, will be relocated to the 7th floor, and a small group to the 6th floor, of the Central Office building

• Office of Passenger Rail will remain on the 7th floor of the Central Office building

• Part of the Office of Research on the first floor of the Central Office building will be relocated to the Mn/DOT Library area on the same floor

• Conference Room G-13 will be converted to include five workstations. This space will be available for use by employees assigned to special projects, temporary or emergency employees and those employees who may require shared space. The latter group includes Seeds employees, employees on rotation assignments and employees reporting only once or twice a week to the Central Office building.

"Significant savings will be realized by terminating the lease with the Kelly Inn," said Doug Weiszhaar, deputy commissioner. "However, I recognize that this decision will cause some inconvenience in order to accomplish the resulting office moves, especially within the limited time available. Some supervisors and managers affected by the Kelly Inn moves may be required to move into non-private office spaces until the completion of the second phase of change management."

Weiszhaar said every effort will be made throughout this project to minimize the effects of moves and disruptions, employ existing standards for office space requirements and consolidate the offices by location where possible.

Mail stops will remain the same for employees moving into the Transportation Building and phone numbers will stay the same for most employees affected by the moves.

"Because we are working within a very limited timeframe, I encourage you to be as cooperative as possible with the Facility Management staff in order to ensure the successful implementation of this relocation effort," said Weiszhaar.

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This new Hwy 61 bridge over Gooseberry Falls integrates the highway with the falls and Gooseberry Falls State Park. Photo by Neil Kveberg

Mn/DOT’s CSD Steering Committee honored eight state projects and a workshop that exemplify context-sensitive design principles in project development.

The Federal Highway Administration chose Minnesota and four other states to lead development of CSD practices and training that can be shared with other states and agencies.

The recognition honors one effort by each district and the Metro Division and cites the Hwy 61 North Shore corridor that earned the "All-American Road" designation among national scenic byways for its first daVinci Award.

Named for Renaissance artist, designer and engineer Leonardo daVinci, the award cites excellence in design that harmonizes with the project’s natural, social, environmental and cultural environments.

The scenic North Shore Hwy 61 corridor from Two Harbors to Grand Portage earned the honor for its successful balance of transportation, environmental and community values and for its objectives to link trade centers and connect tourists and residents to the region’s natural and recreational assets while enhancing its unique qualities and driving experience, said Scott Bradley, principal landscape architect, Program Support.

"It’s our intent to provide annual recognition for the most noteworthy district and Metro Division successes in applying CSD principles to projects that contribute to design excellence and ‘Moving Minnesota’ safely and efficiently in with the natural, economic and cultural environment," Bradley said.

District and Metro Division projects and initiatives honored include:

Duluth/District 1

The Piedmont Avenue project in Duluth incorporated input from citizens’ task force to choose a design theme. The project includes a pedestrian underpass and two bridges connecting two neighborhoods and incorporating historic themes and detailing in Lincoln Park along the Skyline Drive into rebuilding Hwy 53 in the city. Rerouting Piedmont Avenue under the Skyline Parkway and over Miller Creek will enhance the parkway by removing Hwy 53 traffic and allow future expansion for bike and pedestrian trails along Miller Creek.

Bemidji/District 2

Recognized by the Federal Highway Administration for design excellence, the redesigned Hwy 197 corridor through Bemidji combines more efficient traffic movement with improved safety, access to businesses, aesthetics and respect for cultural resources. The project’s successful blend of engineering and aesthetics earned the FHWA’s Environmental Excellence Award for Livable Communities in 2001.

Brainerd/District 3

The new seven-mile section of Hwy 371 skirts the western edge of Brainerd, reducing traffic congestion in the city and providing an attractive, well-designed route that will eventually extend the Paul Bunyan trail through Baxter and connect with Crow Wing State Park. The 371 bridge over the Mississippi River exemplifies CSD with its use of native materials and depictions of native plants and wildlife.

A decorative column at an entrance of the new Hwy 371 bridge near Baxter commemorates the area’s flora and fauna. Photo by Neil Kveberg

Detroit Lakes/District 4

Hwy 29 (Third Avenue) in Alexandria represents cooperation between businesses and government agencies to develop an access management plan along the route (and the parallel Second Avenue) to accommodate utility improvements and business access during construction. The project also includes paving an abandoned railroad grade for a multi-use state trail. An adjacent park area will be developed as a trailhead and future location of Big Ole, the city’s landmark Viking statute, and the Kensington Runestone.

Rochester/District 6

A Hwy 61 corridor-specific workshop earned recognition as a model for promoting CSD principles and considerations among stakeholders along the highway between Red Wing and Wabasha. The workshop’s goals included reaching stakeholder concurrence with CSD principles and to begin resolution of conflicts among competing priorities and values.

Mankato/District 7

Construction of a new road alignment on Hwy 22 between Mankato and St. Peter enhances community goals such as linkage and mobility while increasing access for pedestrians and cyclists via coordination with area trail systems and improved access on bridges between Kasota and St. Peter. Bridge-end pedestals and plazas and other structural elements resemble the Kasota limestone quarried in the area to reflect its regional significance.

The project used an external project advisory committee and a technical advisory committee coupled with extensive public participation to resolve issues and create "buy-in" for the design process.

A computer visualization compares existing conditions on Hwy 23 at Manitoba Avenue in Spicer with proposed design changes and amenities. Illustration courtesy of Willmar/District 8

Willmar/District 8

The district’s plan for rebuilding an 11-mile section of Hwy 23 to four lanes between Willmar and New London and through the city of Spicer earned recognition for its strong efforts to balance safety and mobility with community and environmental objectives. The project includes extensive public participation to protect the corridor, including the city of Spicer and nearby Green Lake.

Roadway landscapes will reinforce a sense of place and identity in Spicer and stringent measures are followed to minimize runoff and other impacts to Green Lake under the guidance of the project’s water quality advisory committee.

Design elements include using form liners to simulate native field stone for bridge abutments, retaining walls and other structures, and saving as many valued trees and plantings as feasible while creating a more natural looking edge to vegetation clearing limits in the area of rolling hillsides, wetlands and lakes.

Metro Division

Rebuilding Hwy 100 in Golden Valley, Crystal, Robbinsdale and Brooklyn Center received recognition for reflecting the original corridor’s design through the design detailing of bridges, structures and landscaping. The highway, once considered the western suburban "beltway," was built during the 1930s through the federal Works Progress Administration that hired unemployed people to build public facilities during the Great Depression.

The project used a comprehensive aesthetic design process and a design guide that incorporated wide participation by the public, governments and other stakeholders.

By Craig Wilkins

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A new state law requires posting speed limit signs in work zones such as these. Photo by David Gonzalez

The Minnesota Legislature made several changes in laws related to work zone safety during its 2001 session that now affect both motorists and highway workers.

In 2001, the Legislature defined that a work zone exists only when workers are present at the site. This changes, for example, how construction projects and other work zones are signed. For example, "Fines Double" signs are now required to be placed on top of speed limit signs when workers are present and to be removed when they are not.

In addition, the law requires posting signs denoting the specified lower speed limit in the work zone.

The law also increases the maximum allowable speed limit in a highway work zone to be 15 miles an hour slower than the posted speed on divided highways. This means, for example, that the new speed limit in a 70 miles per hour zone would be 55 miles per hour in a work zone.

However, the speed limit in work zones on two-lane roadways remains a maximum of 40 miles per hour.

"The changes in the law will allow us to continue Moving Minnesota while maintaining the safety of workers and the traveling public," said Dan Brannan, an engineering specialist with the Office of Traffic Engineering.

In order to raise awareness of the need for greater work zone safety, Mn/DOT continues its intense work zone safety message this spring and summer. Messages conveyed via billboards, radio announcements and other media encourage motorists to use extra caution in work zone for their safety and that of highway workers.

By Mary Meinert

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Finnish exchange worker Johanna Mäkinen takes notes as Mike Mauren of the Traffic Management Center talks about his experiences in broadcasting road conditions on Twin Cities metro highways. Photo by Teresa Callies

Johanna Mäkinen and Anna Schirokoff are two young professionals whose careers and interests in transportation have taken them to different parts of the world. Mäkinen has spent the last academic year studying in Budapest, Hungary; Schirokoff’s research in intelligent transportation systems has taken her to Seoul, South Korea, and Sydney, Australia, for conferences.

This summer both are visiting Minnesota through Mn/DOT’s exchange program with the Finnish National Road Administration.

Mäkinen is originally from Forssa, city of 20,000, just northwest of Helsinki. She is currently working on a master’s degree in industrial economy from Tampere University of Technology.

"I didn’t know what to do after high school, and I was interested in everything – especially the economy. At university I took courses in everything from environmental protection to quality management to project management. Everything fits together nicely," she said. Mäkinen’s master’s thesis will be done in conjunction with work she will do with the Finnish National Road Administration.

While at Mn/DOT, she is researching the economic impacts of traveler information on logistics and freight movement.

Schirokoff, who has a master’s degree in traffic and transportation engineering, is a research scientist with the Technical Research Centre of Finland near Helsinki. She has worked on research projects that examine the effects of variable speed limits and variable road lighting on driver behavior. During her time with Mn/DOT she is learning everything she can about intelligent transportation systems, particularly incident management.

Both women have attended meetings such as the recent American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official’s on intelligent transportation engineering. They will exchange ideas and expertise with transportation professionals at the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota.

Later this month they’ll visit the Bemidji District for meetings related to traffic engineering operations in northern Minnesota.

They recently spent a week at the Traffic Management Center learning about traffic operations as well as incident management. To gain first-hand experience, both women went on early morning ride-alongs with Highway Helper staff, observed rush hour activity in the control room and learned about traffic management operations practices.

"The week at TMC fit in perfectly with my research," Schirokoff said. "I am studying different methods of incident management around the world."

The amount of traffic in the Twin Cities and the number of freeways here surprised both visitors. Helsinki and the surrounding area have about one million people, they note. They added that Helsinki is laid out like the spokes of a wheel with major freeways going around the city but not into the city center. Helsinki also has comprehensive mass transit modes such as trams, buses and trains.

Glen Carlson, assistant division engineer, Metro Traffic Engineering, reflected on their visit. "It’s mutually beneficial when transportation professionals from other countries spend time with us because they can learn about our programs and policies. We can also exchange information with them and learn about policies and procedures in Finland."

"There’s a definite value in professional exchange opportunities with other countries," added Ginny Crowson, coordinator of Mn/DOT’s Advanced Traveler Information Systems and the 511 program.

"Visitors not only learn about our approaches to transportation challenges here, but we also get the chance to learn about different approaches to the same challenges," she added. "While Anna and Johanna are learning about incident management and logistics in Minnesota, they’re also sharing with us the challenges they face in Finland with these same issues."

By Teresa Callies, Traffic Management Center

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