Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Feb. 18 presented his state budget proposal for the next two years. Under the governor's proposal, Mn/DOT will need to realign its spending priorities—with a focus on decreasing administrative and overhead costs—to achieve a budget reduction goal of $42 million per year. Graphic courtesy of Gov. Pawlenty's Web site

Note: The following is a message from Lt. Gov./Commissioner Carol Molnau to Mn/DOT employees about the governor’s budget proposals announced on Feb. 18.

Yesterday, Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced his proposed state budget for FY 2004-05. The governor’s plan asks state agencies to make improvements and changes to increase efficiency. As you know, we continue to focus on streamlining Mn/DOT, such as the organizational restructuring announced last week. But there is more work we must do to address the budget reductions outlined in the governor’s plan.

The governor asked Mn/DOT to realign its spending priorities—with a significant focus on decreasing administrative and overhead costs—to achieve a budget reduction goal of $42 million per year. There are no proposed cuts to the construction program.

Our first step is to determine how we’re going to meet this reduction without sacrificing safety and while staying on task to deliver our construction program. The division directors will begin looking at how to meet the governor’s recommendations, and then will meet with the office directors and district engineers for their input.

Mn/DOT will definitely be a part of the state’s budgetary solution. In a few weeks, we will announce a transportation investment package for Minnesota that will outline funding priorities. At that time, we will be able to release our plan to meet Mn/DOT’s budget reduction goals. Although we can only contribute minimally with general fund dollars, we will be taking a critical look at how trunk highway funds are allocated and spent.

We will continue to look at the suggestions submitted by employees and taxpayers to generate revenue, reduce costs and increase accountability. In fact, we already are implementing some of them and will continue to look at all ways to reduce spending.

Once again I must ask you to be patient during this process. It will be some time before we have answers to all your questions since the governor’s proposal is just the beginning of the budget process. During the next few months, the Legislature will consider both the governor’s proposal as well as budget proposals coming from both the House and the Senate.

I know these are times of uncertainty, but you can be certain that you are among the best employees in the state. I thank you for your hard work and dedication to the taxpayers of Minnesota.

For more information about the budget proposal, check the Governor’s Web site. And please continue to visit the Commissioner’s Web site for more information about Mn/DOT’s reorganization, cost-cutting ideas and other topics.

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This chart shows the timeframes for various elements of Mn/DOT’s highway investment planning process. The 10-Year Highway Work Plan is one element. Others are the Statewide Transportation Plan, District/Metro Division Plans and the State Transportation Improvement Program.

Beginning this month, employees who want to know the actual total costs of a construction project from start to finish can find the answer in Mn/DOT's 10-Year Highway Work Plan for 2003-12.

The new plan should give a clearer, more comprehensive picture of highway construction costs, including land acquisition, project development and contact with public and elected officials, according to Al Schenkelberg, director, Office of Investment Management

"Besides actual construction, Mn/DOT’s new 10-year highway work plan now includes such cost factors as design, right-of-way and construction engineering," Schenkelberg said. "These costs are also adjusted to reflect predicted inflation."

Schenkelberg said that the new process should help clear up confusion about actual costs by providing consistent and accurate estimates for the total costs of projects. Employees can use these figures for all documents and reports until new estimates come out each fall.

Mn/DOT is launching this new process in order to present a clearer and more comprehensive description of highway costs.

"Taxpayers, partners and legislators have not understood or appreciated the true cost of transportation," Schenkelberg said. "The new plan process should give our customers a better understanding about why projects take as long as they do, that there is much more to construction than just the construction phase. All these phases can create delays and increase costs."

Beginning with this year’s work plan, cost estimates will be used consistently by all Mn/DOT employees and in all documents until new estimates are released each fall with submission of the State Transportation Improvement Program for federal approval.

"The districts and Metro Division will now review and update all project cost estimates each year using the length, width, depth estimation process," said Bob Hofstad, OIM. "They are also responsible for documenting the reasons for changes in project cost estimates and project delivery dates. Documentation will be done through the Program and Project Management System."

The plan includes all trunk highway projects costing more than $1 million in the bridge replacement, major construction and reconstruction categories during fiscal years 2003-12. It includes three years of state highway projects programmed in the 2003-05 state transportation improvement plan and seven years of projects proposed by Mn/DOT districts and Metro Division for construction.

All projects in the 10-year work plan are now shown by District/Area Transportation Partnership, trunk highway, project description, program category, construction fiscal year, design estimate, right-of-way estimate, year of construction estimate, construction engineering estimate and total cost of project. The state fiscal year refers to the year that project construction is expected to begin.

The year of construction costs in the work plan are computed by taking the current project cost in 2002 and applying an inflation factor. For projects in state fiscal years 2003 through 2005, right-of-way costs are included for each project. For projects in fiscal years 2006-12, a description of the anticipated extent of right-of-way for each project is provided. Design and right-of-way costs typically occur before a project is constructed. Construction engineering costs occur as the project moves through construction. Total project costs are shown for only those projects programmed in the STIP since right-of-way cost estimates are included in the costs of those projects.

The 10-Year Highway Work Plan for 2003-12 is now posted on iHUB at http://ihub.dot.state.mn.us/tenyearplan. The site includes tools for communicating the new cost estimating and reporting process in your office or district. For more information, contact Bob Hofstad at 651/296-8519.

By Donna Lindberg

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This living snow fence uses standing rows of cornstalks to help keep Hwy 212 drift-free east of Glencoe. Photo by Neil Kveberg

It was plant life against the weather last week when wet, heavy snowfall hit western Minnesota Feb. 11. The plant life helped Mn/DOT score a significant victory as a 2,500- foot long living snow fence near the highways kept blowing and drifting snow from advancing past the fog line along Hwy 212 east of Glencoe.

This scenario occurred in dozens of other locations as well, and provided a demonstration of the value of snow fences. Some snow fences consist of rows of cornstalks left standing after the harvest. Others are rows of trees, shrubs and grasses planted along the state’s highways.

And one week later, when fierce winds raked the state again, snow fences diminished the blowing snow that often reduced visibility to less than a quarter of a mile, according to maintenance crews around the state. (See the Feb. 5 Mn/DOT Newsline article.) The rows of vegetation disrupted the wind’s flow, causing air currents to drop the snow before it reached the roadway, or hampered visibility.

This winter Mn/DOT contracted with 45 landowners to leave cornstalks standing as living snow fences, said Dan Gullickson, living snow fence coordinator, Environmental Services. Keeping drifts off the roads, he said, increases safety for motorists and reduces the time and equipment Mn/DOT maintenance crews need to keep roads open.

The cost savings can be significant, he said, adding that a benefit cost ratio of $17 to $1 can reduce crashes as well as the costs for labor, equipment and materials. Clearer roads also limit travel delays for commercial vehicle operators, emergency service providers and the driving public.

"Planting snow fences in partnership with farmers provides a low-cost and very effective method for Mn/DOT to maintain safety and mobility on the state’s roads," Gullickson said.

By Craig Wilkins

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With the recent articles in the Star Tribune and the newly formed Mn/DOT Contract Management Team, consultant contracts have garnered several headlines. Consultant usage is not new, however; consultants have helped to deliver projects for a number of years, especially with tight deadlines attached to the Legislature’s one-time-only funding bill in 2000.

"In order to meet the deadline, we turned to consultants," said Dick Stehr, division director, Engineering Standards. "We couldn't hire and train the additional workforce in time."

Stehr said that hiring consultants offered a temporary solution without inflating Mn/DOT’s workforce. Mn/DOT is staffed to deliver $400 million in transportation projects, he said, but the additional one-time-only legislative funding—which came with a June 30, 2003 deadline—meant doubling project delivery capability.

According to Stehr, 90 percent of Mn/DOT consultant agreements contribute directly to program delivery. Mn/DOT used consultants for approximately 16 percent of its work prior to the one-time funding, he said, adding that this is less than many other states. He cited a 1998 survey that shows 45 percent of the other states use consultants for more than 50 percent of their engineering work.

Minnesota’s usage is on the low end, Stehr said, because Mn/DOT has chosen to retain technical staff and use their skills.

There are, however, some issues with using consultants, Stehr said. Pressure to deliver projects faster sometimes conflicts with the methodical process used to select and hire consultants. The scope of a given project may change, he said, thanks to discoveries during a project’s development phase. In addition, Stehr said, amendments might inflate initial contracts, but many amendments involve extra time with no extra costs.

Mn/DOT recently decentralized the contract function and now other Mn/DOT offices and districts do more of the contract process, including hiring consultants, Stehr said. Mn/DOT hires consultants for several reasons, including:

• Aerial photography
• Bridge design
• Bridge steel fabrication
• Contaminated properties
• Preliminary and final design
• Photogrammetric mapping
• Materials drilling and testing
• Noise analysis and appraisals

Mn/DOT uses consultants for all aerial photography and contaminated properties, Stehr said, adding that percentages vary from five percent to 70 percent in the other areas. He said Mn/DOT is also improving compliance with contract procedures through classes taught by consultant services professionals and in the Project Management Academy.

"Employees need to know that it's a misdemeanor to violate the law, so we want to make every effort to ensure they know what the process requires," Stehr said.

Lt. Gov./Commissioner Molnau and Commissioner of Administration Brian Lamb are heading up the new Mn/DOT Contract Management Team. The team’s charge is to recommend changes by March 31 to improve contract procedures. Stehr, a team member, said that he believes that the outcome will be a contracting process that strikes the right balance between accountability and flexibility.

The bottom line, Stehr said, is that Mn/DOT needs to ensure that taxpayers are receiving good value for their money.

By Sue Stein

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High traffic volumes on this stretch of I-494 made it a high priority for Cedar Truck Station crews to repair this damaged guardrail (despite equipment breakdowns and subzero temperatures) before the next morning’s rush hour. Photo by David Gonzalez

As strong winds blew snow across the state and sent the windchill to 12-degrees below zero on Jan. 28, highway maintenance crews went to battle against the elements. They all returned safely from their labors, but some of the machines used by Metro Division maintenance crews did not.

Several vehicles and pieces of equipment broke down in the subzero temperatures, but Metro Division Cedar Ave. Truck Station crews nonetheless managed a critical repair within less than 24 hours: a damaged guardrail on heavily traveled I-494 on the eastern side of the borders between Richfield and Bloomington south of Minneapolis.

The saga began, as do so many stories in Mn/DOT, with a traffic crash and a rapid response by maintenance crews. This one began around 10:30 a.m. when a semi-trailer jackknifed into the median barrier near Portland Avenue, taking out 825 feet of guardrail. The Cedar Avenue Truck Station day shift responded quickly and the night shift reported to work early as well.

Despite cold-related breakdowns by vehicles and equipment, the Cedar Avenue day and night crews still completed the repair overnight, restoring the guardrail before the next morning rush hour.

The work wasn’t easy. Two loaders and a skidsteer broke down. Three lifting cables snapped as well. The crews went through 36 carbide auger bits, 12 chop saw blades, four hammer handles and 12 pairs of gloves in 12 hours.

The day shift handled the first stage, clearing and cleaning up the freeway, which normally carries more than 130,000-plus cars a day.

After they finished, the Cedar Avenue shop’s night shift reported for work two hours early to gather supplies and equipment for repairing the damaged section of guardrail. Night crew members worked without breaks for the next 12 hours, removing and replacing 56 guardrail posts originally set in concrete and frozen clay.

By 6:30 a.m., all lanes reopened to traffic, just in time for the morning’s heavy commuter traffic. Jim Michael, central region maintenance superintendent, had high praise for everyone involved.

"Both the day and night crews at the Cedar Avenue shop did a fantastic job coordinating and completing the guardrail repair in less than 24 hours, under winter conditions that were obviously less than perfect," he said.

Metro Newsline (editor: Kent Barnard, Metro Division Communications Office) covered this event in their February 10 edition as well. For more information about this and other district and Metro activities, visit their online district newsletters from the links on the blue sidebar. Click on the newsletter links on the blue sidebar on the main Newsline Web page or follow these links:

• Bemidji/District 2: http://ihub.d2.dot.state.mn.us/newsletter/
• Brainerd/District 3: http://ihub.d3.dot.state.mn.us/newsletter/
• Rochester/District 6: http://ihub.d6.dot.state.mn.us/newsletter/
• Mankato/District 7: http://ihub.d7.dot.state.mn.us/connection7/Connection7.html
• Willmar/District 8: http://ihub.d8.dot.state.mn.us/newsletter/
• Metro Division: http://ihub.metro.dot.state.mn.us/newsletter/

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Gardening near the downtown Minneapolis skyscrapers doesn’t seem to disturb this gardener. Many Korean immigrants gardening near Hiawatha Ave. raise crops to support their families, but their work’s aesthetic value recently earned an environmental award. Hiawatha Project Office staff photo

During warmer weather, an avid farming and gardening community thrives in an unusual spot: between heavily traveled I-94 next to downtown Minneapolis and right of way for the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit project.

That's the spot where members of the Korean community tend to their plots of vegetables and flowers in the Korean Peace Garden during Minnesota's growing season.

The gardens serve as an important cultural landmark for the local Korean community, but they serve an aesthetic function as well. The plots are like an oasis in the desert amid the downtown skyline, concrete roads, rumbling highway traffic and tunes from the nearby eateries and bars.

In recognition of the Korean Peace Garden's value, the City of Minneapolis and the U of M Design Institute honored the LRT Project last month with a coveted Committee on Urban Environment Award. The CUE Award recognizes significant achievement in urban design and aesthetic excellence for projects that build community and bring a high quality of life to Minneapolis.

Mn/DOT and the Metropolitan Council play host to the Peace Garden, which is wedged between I-94 and Cedar Avenue adjacent to the LRT Maintenance Facility on land owned by the Metropolitan Council and Mn/DOT. The Hiawatha Project Office relocated the Korean Gardens from their previous location along Hiawatha Avenue when ground broke on LRT, thus creating a "win-win" situation for both LRT and the community.

By Joshua Collins

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Accepting this bridge quality construction award are (from left): Wayne Murphy AGC; Liz Benjamin, resident engineer, Metro Division; Joe Forpahl, supervisor, Metro Division; and Dan Dorgan, State Bridge Engineer. The bridge they constructed is at Hwy 100 and 36th Ave. N. in Crystal just west of Minneapolis. Photo by Paul Kivisto

The high quality of bridge construction around the state in the past two years has sparked the beginning of a new annual Bridge Construction Awards program to recognize quality efforts. On Jan. 30 Mn/DOT and the Association of General Contractors jointly presented awards at the 2002 Bridge Construction Awards.

A ratings panel evaluated nine projects submitted in three categories based on bridge construction cost. The evaluation criteria included quality of material, overall workmanship, project complexity, and innovations made during the project.

The winners were:

Bridges costing less than $1.5 million—Hwy 7 bridge off-ramp over a trolley line in Excelsior west of Minneapolis; Mn/DOT Metro Division staff: Mark Panek, resident engineer; Steve Barrett, project engineer; Jon Erickson, chief bridge inspector; Contractor: Edward Kraemer and Sons, Inc.

Bridges costing between $1.5 million and $8 million—The bridge at Hwy 100 and 36th Avenue North in Crystal west of Minneapolis; Mn/DOT Metro Division staff: Liz Benjamin, resident engineer; Joe Forpahl, project supervisor; Larry Lehrke, chief bridge inspector; Contractor: Edward Kraemer and Sons, Inc.

Accepting awards are (from left): Wayne Murphy (AGC rep); Mark Panek, resident engineer; Tom Villar, project supervisor; a representative from Johnson Bros., Inc., the contractor; Mark Mueske, chief bridge inspector; and Dan Dorgan (Mn/DOT State Bridge Engineer). Photo by Paul Kivisto

Bridges costing more than $8 million—Penn Avenue Bridge across Hwy 494 between Richfield and Bloomington south of Minneapolis; Mn/DOT Metro Division staff: Mark Panek, resident engineer; Tom Villar, project supervisor; Mark Mueske, chief bridge inspector; Contractor: Johnson Bros. Inc.

Mn/DOT’s Office of Bridges and Structures also recognized two other projects built by non-AGC contractors and will present these awards separately at a later date. These winning projects are: he list is as follows:

Bridges costing less than $1.5 million—Hwy 87 over the Crow Wing Chain of Lakes near Park Rapids in northwestern Minnesota; Mn/DOT Bemidji/District 2 staff: Todd Vanasek, resident engineer; Roger Bachmann, project supervisor; Larry Randall, chief bridge inspector; Contractor: Redstone Construction.

Bridges costing between $1.5 million and $8 million—Hwy 371 under Hwy 371 Business Connection Bridge in Brainerd in eastern Minnesota; Mn/DOT Brainerd/District 3 staff: Kevin Kosobud, resident engineer; Paul Koening, project supervisor; Tim Nielsen, chief bridge inspector; Contractor: Redstone Construction

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