Maintenance workers from the Marshall Region clear debris following a powerful explosion in the city of Lake Wilson. Photo by Craig Gertsema

Craig Gertsema, an emergency medical technician, was among the first to arrive in Lake Wilson shortly after 11 p.m. on Jan. 13 after a powerful explosion destroyed the city’s fire station and caused extensive damage to nearby homes and businesses.

Gertsema, a senior transportation generalist at Willmar/District 8’s Slayton Truck Station, also serves as an EMT with the Murray County ambulance service.

After a house-to-house search determined there were no injuries, Gertsema went back to the fire station, called his supervisor, George Bowman, and then returned to Lake Wilson with Bowman to help law enforcement agencies set up traffic barricades along Hwy 91.

The next morning, Gertsema traveled once again to Lake Wilson to work with other Marshall Region employees and Murray County maintenance crews to clear debris blown onto the highway by the blast.

Lake Wilson is located at the intersection of Hwy 91 and Hwy 30 in Murray County, about 35 miles southwest of Marshall.

Mn/DOT maintenance crews from the region’s Marshall, Ivanhoe, Lake Benton, Pipestone, Slayton and Tracy truck stations helped clear debris and reopen the highway and city streets to traffic. The Mankato District also supported the recovery effort by loaning a self-propelled broom to District 8 crews.

Observers said impact from the blast was felt as far as 25 miles away. Gov. Tim Pawlenty visited the site on Jan. 14 to demonstrate support for the community of about 300 people.

Gertsema said the devastation was the worst he has seen in his nearly seven years as an EMT.

Responding to emergencies is commonplace for district maintenance forces, including District 8. The district has supported several recovery operations following floods, tornadoes and major snowstorms that have struck the region in recent years, said Sandy East, district public affairs coordinator.

By Craig Wilkins

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty has proclaimed Jan. 26-30 "State Employee Appreciation Week." In recognition of the week I would love to be able to speak with each of you, but it would just be logistically impossible. I do not, however, want to miss the opportunity to express my appreciation.

While it may be difficult to demonstrate to each one of you how much I appreciate what you do for Mn/DOT and the state, let me give it a try.

I appreciate it when:

• You get up in the middle of the night to face the cold and plow our roads
• You design a road improvement to make travel safer
• You help protect Minnesota’s natural resources
• You talk with concerned citizens
• You complete payroll transactions
• You write a news release to help educate Minnesotans about transportation
• You work with our partners and stakeholders
• You greet the visitors at the front desk with a smile
• You try new ideas like design-build
• You incorporate all modes of transportation into the discussion
• You look for internal savings and efficiencies
• You testify before a legislative committee
• You handle schedules and correspondence
• You keep our information technology on the cutting edge
• You help us comply with contracting laws
• You interview with a news reporter
• You review plans to make sure they are correct
• You involve the public in our decision-making processes
• You work with counties and cities
• You help us plan for the long term
• You develop methods to make the roads safer
• You train your fellow employees in new techniques
• You use your engineering expertise to keep Mn/DOT a transportation leader
• You work compassionately with citizens when acquiring their land
• You compile facts, numbers and reports

This list would need to be much longer for me to express my appreciation to each of you—your contributions to this state are endless.

This past year was an historic year of activity, performance and accomplishment for Mn/DOT and I want to emphasize to all 5,000 of you that you have delivered exceptional service and value to Minnesota taxpayers. For that I thank you.

Next week there will be a variety of activities in the various offices and districts to show appreciation; I hope you will be able to participate. Even though the week has been designated appreciation week, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t appreciate each other throughout the year. Take the time to say thank you whenever you can—it’s easy and reaps many rewards.

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Funding for the Northstar corridor commuter rail line is one of the top items on Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s $85.5 million wish list for transportation, according to the capital bonding proposal he announced Jan. 13.

In addition to $37.5 million for the Northstar commuter rail, the governor's proposal includes $38 million for local roads and bridges as well as $10 million for the Cedar Avenue busway.

Adopted in even-numbered years, capital budgets fund projects that include the acquisition of land and the construction and repair of state agency buildings, facilities, parks and trails. Capital budgets also cover grants to local governments for repair and construction of schools, parks and bridges.

Under the governor’s proposal, the Northstar commuter rail line would connect downtown Minneapolis to communities along a 40-mile stretch to Big Lake, using existing rail lines for the most part.

"The fast-growing corridor between Minneapolis and St. Cloud needs congestion relief and more commuter options," Pawlenty said. "This project will help."

The governor's plan includes an initial $37.5 million state investment for the Northstar Commuter Rail to be matched by $37.5 million in local funding. The total cost of the project is estimated to be at least $265 million, of which the federal government will pay half.

In July 2003, Pawlenty asked the Federal Transit Authority to conduct an independent analysis of the Northstar Commuter Rail to determine the plan's cost effectiveness. Since then, the corridor has undergone substantial changes in order to meet FTA requirements.

Also included in the governor’s transportation bonding proposal is $10 million for the Cedar Avenue busway, which will go from the Mall of America in Bloomington to Lakeville in the southern Twin Cities metropolitan area. The money will pay for preliminary engineering and environmental assessments, short-term improvements on Cedar Avenue and construction of a park-and-ride on Cedar Avenue and Hwy 13.

In addition, Pawlenty is recommending $28 million be used for bridge replacements in Greater Minnesota. The money would leverage $40 million in federal and local funds to replace approximately 170 deficient bridges throughout the state. The proposal also includes $10 million for road improvement projects of state and regional significance.

For more information, see:

• Governor’s Web site, http://www.governor.state.mn.us/

• Northstar commuter rail, http://www.northstarrail.org/

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Mn/DOT’s efforts to improve work zone safety efforts drew praise from Bernie Wagenblast, editor of the online "Transportation Communications Newsletter," and from the Federal Highway Administration.

The FHWA’s recognition was printed in its December 2003 issue of its online newsletter.

The newsletter cited Mn/DOT’s study to find safer, more effective ways for traffic to merge before entering work zones and its work zone safety recognition program.

The offices of Construction and Traffic, Security and Operations conduct the recognition program to encourage innovation in work zone safety in order to better protect highway workers and the traveling public.

The program honors resident and project engineers, inspectors, safety coordinators and contractors for their work to improve safety in work zones.

In recent years, awards have been presented that recognize effective communication among Mn/DOT, contractor and community members, innovative use of technology and timing of projects to minimize conflict with highway travel.

Mn/DOT started its statewide recognition program in 1989.

The FHWA’s current newsletter honors the state of Oregon for its work zone safety program. The newsletter can be accessed at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/index.asp.

By Craig Wilkins

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Bill Finnegan, heavy equipment mechanic, displays the grease bank he developed to make lubricating snowplows easier and faster. Photo Kelvin Smith

Winter can chill just about anything, but not the determination of Mankato Maintenance Area employees to improve snowplowing operations.

For example, using the innovative "grease bank" enables mechanics and plow drivers to lubricate hard-to-reach fittings on snowplows more easily and more quickly than usual.

The device, fabricated by Bill Finnegan, a heavy equipment mechanic at Mankato, makes it easy to apply lubricants to dozens of hard-to-reach grease fittings on snowplows.

The grease banks use hoses to pump lubricants to 75 or more fittings on each snowplow.

The grease banks allow operators to reach all of the fittings without having to crawl under the truck with a grease gun. They speed the process and help ensure that some fittings aren’t overlooked in order to save time during a snowstorm. Finnegan said using the banks cuts the service time needed from about 45 minutes to less than 10.

Ensuring that proper lubrication is done also extends the service life of the equipment, particularly the underbody plows that bear stress from the truck’s weight and movement as they scrape ice and snow from the road surface.

The grease bank stems from an idea proposed by Finnegan and funded by the Maintenance Operations Research Unit. Finnegan, who grew up on a farm near Austin, adapted the idea from devices used for farm machinery.

A Mankato crew uses a trailer equipped with a crash cushion and an anti-icing spray bar to prevent ice build-up on a district highway.

First tried two years ago, the grease bank is now installed on all of the maintenance area’s snowplows. John Tarnowski, maintenance research project manager, said the device’s success led to its specification for new snowplows.

Out on the road, Mankato maintenance crews are testing a new anti-icing chemical to determine its effectiveness.

Crews are using an anti-icing product that mixes calcium chloride, brine and Anderson’s Additive, an anti-corrosive chemical. It will be monitored to determine how it performs under a variety of weather and road conditions, said Gary Martinson, Mankato area maintenance superintendent.

To improve safety when crews apply liquid anti-icing chemicals, Mankato staff also installed a tank and spray bar on a unit with a truck-mounted crash attenuator.

The attenuator provides a greater margin of safety for motorists and operators in the event of a crash by absorbing the impact’s force. The truck also carries an arrow and message boards to alert drivers about the anti-icing operation.

Randy Glaser, a transportation generalist at Mankato, initiated using the attenuator. Glaser also leads converting a 6,000-gallon semi-trailer water tanker for high-speed anti-icing use.

When the tanker gets a new diesel-powered pump and other modifications, it will support anti-icing efforts on high-traffic routes such as Hwy 169 and Hwy 14 in the Mankato area.

Glaser, a 17-year employee, said the cooperative spirit at the Mankato shop encourages him and others to find new ways to do things.

"When we have fewer people," he said, "we have to keep working better and working smarter."

Martinson said other innovations, including an automated cone setter, are in various stages of development.

"There’s some amazing technology in use out there," he said. "Working with MORE has really paid off for us."

By Craig Wilkins

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Expanded transit service in the city of Albert Lea started in July with the selection of a new service provider and the addition of two new buses.

Cedar Valley Services, which also provides transit services for the elderly and people with disabilities in the city, operates the newly designated Albert Lea Transit system, said Jean Meyer, transit planner with Rochester/District 6.

The system will provide both regular route and dial-a-ride service Monday through Fridays with three wheelchair-lift equipped buses.

Funding for the services will come from fares, a 20 percent match from local governments and a $162,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration. Meyer said additional funds come from donations and subscriptions from employers to ensure bus service includes their locations.

Meyer said the new service will help meet growing transit needs in the city of 18,000 in southern Minnesota’s Freeborn County.

By Craig Wilkins

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The focus at the Mn/ROAD facility on I-94 shifted from the roadway to the heavens the evening of Jan. 8 when students from the St. Michael-Albertville Middle School displayed science projects along the perimeter of the low-volume test track loop.

Testing was halted to allow students to set up their displays about the earth, its moon, the sun and other bodies in the solar system. Students used the building at Mn/ROAD to show their work as well.

The displays were arrayed along the 1.1-mile test track in distances relative to their positions with each other in space.

Teachers, parents and about 150 students strolled between the stations during the event known as the "Solar System Walk."

The test site’s distance from the core of the Twin Cities metro area also helped students view the stars and planets after dark. Students whose work focused on Saturn could look up and see the planet that night as they discussed their project with visitors, said Paul Keranen, research operations engineer, Office of Materials.

"The kids had a great time and also learned a lot," wrote science teacher Ann-Marie Foucalt to Ben Worel, Mn/ROAD operations engineer. "We are fortunate to have great people like all of you who are willing to go out of their way to help young people."

Keranen said the event provided a convenient setting to display students’ work and an opportunity for the staff at Mn/ROAD to interact with area community members.

Mn/ROAD, more formally known as the Minnesota Road Research Program, uses the low-volume track and a 3.5-mile section of westbound I-94 near St. Michael to test several highway pavement designs under actual traffic and weather conditions.

The facility opened in 1994.

By Craig Wilkins

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The Minnesota History Center’s new exhibit, "Going Places: The Mystique of Mobility," opened Jan. 17. Staff from Mn/DOT and other transportation-related organizations contributed to the exhibit. Photo by Dave Gonzalez

Looking for a stroll through Minnesota’s transportation history? Then the Minnesota History Center’s new exhibit, "Going Places: The Mystique of Mobility," might be right for you.

The exhibit, which opened Jan. 17, runs through 2009. It uses photos, videos, maps and postcards to trace how American passion for mobility has shaped Minnesota. Representatives from Mn/DOT and other transportation-related organizations worked with the history center staff to develop the exhibit.

Hours of the exhibit are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Visitors can view the exhibit free of charge. The History Center is located at 345 Kellogg Blvd., about four blocks south of the state Capitol.

For more information, see the Jan. 7, 2004 Mn/DOT Newsline or the History Center Web site.

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