 |
|
|
|
Minnesota government agencies to aid hurricane survivors |
|
|
 |
|
The State Emergency Operations Center was activated Sept. 3 in response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Representatives from Mn/DOT and other state agencies are helping to staff the center, which is expected to operate around-the-clock beginning this weekend. Photo by Doug Thies |
As many as 3,000 survivors of Hurricane Katrina are expected to arrive this week at Camp Ripley while waiting for more permanent housing in Minnesota and elsewhere, according to Sonia Pitt, Mn/DOT’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management director. These evacuees have been in shelters in Texas since leaving Louisiana.
Camp Ripley, seven miles north of Little Falls, is a 53,000-acre National Guard training facility. The facility will continue its regular operations during the evacuees’ stay, including hosting Mn/DOT’s annual snowplow operator training that begins Sept. 12.
Dubbed “Operation Northern Comfort,” the state’s effort is in response to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s request that Minnesota receive up to 5,000 citizens displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The Department of Public Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is coordinating Minnesota’s effort, which includes assistance from a number of state agencies.
"This is a national tragedy and it requires a national response," Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Sept. 3 in a written statement. "Minnesota will welcome citizens displaced by the hurricane with open arms. We have already taken steps to prepare for those who need help, and across state government, we are working 24 hours a day to assist in any way possible."
Mn/DOT employees are participating in Operation Northern Comfort in a variety of ways, including helping to staff the State Emergency Operations Center and answering its hotline calls. In addition, Mn/DOT’s role includes:
- Transporting the evacuees from the airport (still to-be-determined) to Camp Ripley
- Working with local transit providers to offer on-base shuttle bus services
- Providing additional radios and electronic communications support at Camp Ripley
- Providing public information assistance onsite
- Providing critical incident stress management assistance
Roles other organizations are playing include:
- Department of Health and Department of Human Services—providing medical and mental health support staff and providing access to offsite special care facilities
- Minnesota State Patrol and other law enforcement agencies—providing law enforcement services at Camp Ripley
- State Fire Marshal—coordinating fire prevention support at Camp Ripley
- Department of Natural Resources—providing a team to support donations management and coordinating transport of goods to Camp Ripley
- American Red Cross, Salvation Army and other voluntary organizations—providing food support and registration at Camp Ripley
An emergency blood drive in the Capitol Complex on Sept. 2 netted 51 units of blood for the Hurricane Katrina effort, reported Claire Paradise, American Red Cross. Usually, they collect about 35 units, she said.
Several hotlines have been established for people seeking information:
- 651-297-1304 (Twin Cities metro area)
- 800-657-3504 (non-metro)
- 1-800-657-3822 (TTY) or 7-1-1 for those without access to a TTY machine
- 2-1-1 to volunteer your services
Other sources of information:
|
back
|
|
August project completions ease traffic flow, stress for motorists |
|
|
 |
|
Bob Williams, project manager, and Marv Kruger, chief inspector, check out a pedestrian underpass at Garden Street and Hwy 14 in New Ulm. The underpass will become part of the city’s sidewalk system. Photo by Sue Jensen |
Traffic now moves easily and quickly on Hwy 23 between Willmar and New London, thanks to the recently completed reconstruction of the highway. An official opening ceremony won’t be held until mid-September, but users of the newly rebuilt four-lane section of the highway are already celebrating its completion.
The same goes for Hwy 14 in New Ulm. Residents, commuters and long-distance travelers now travel down New Ulm’s main travel corridor with greater ease and safety. The project included installing new water mains and storm sewers as well as rebuilding a two-mile section of the highway.
Near Virginia, motorists can now negotiate the Hwy 169/ Hwy 53 interchange more safely thanks to its reconstruction. The interchange eliminates four-way stop signs and provides additional lanes on Hwy 53 and an overpass that carries the highway over the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific Railway roadbed.
In the Twin Cities metropolitan area, motorists can drive with fewer delays on I-494 due to expanding the freeway from two lanes to three between France Avenue and East Bush Lake Road in Bloomington. This is the first stage of widening I-494 to three lanes and making other improvements to increase mobility for freeway system users.
Progress made on expanding I-494 created enthusiastic and thankful responses from commuters, including Kristen Goehler, who wrote via e-mail to the Metro District:
“I just wanted to tell someone how wonderful 494 is since the expansion was completed. I work in St. Paul and live in Eden Prairie and the new expansion has literally cut 15 minutes from my drive.
“No more jamming up at Hwy 100 and Normandale Boulevard. It’s another half an hour a day that I get back in my life and I can't thank you enough!”
Near New Prague, the Metro District recently completed building one of the state’s first roundabouts at the Hwy 13 and Scott County Road 2 interchange. The roundabout design eliminates left-hand turns, a frequent source of crashes, and encourages slower speeds that give drivers added reaction time.
 |
A construction crew uses a team of backhoes to complete the new roundabout at the new Hwy 13/Scott County Road 2 interchange near New Prague. Photo by Ken Johnson |
In addition, the Metro District recently constructed a new bridge on Hwy 8 in Center City that uses pre-fabricated concrete deck slabs that allow builders to more easily ensure quality standards are met and to speed the overall bridge building process.
These project completions occurred before the traditional round of ribbon-cuttings, speeches and offerings of coffee and cookies that mark the end of the construction season in late fall and early winter.
The number of projects completed in August is relatively small compared with the total number that Mn/DOT will finish this year. However, each one marks progress toward department goals to improve safety and capacity on the state’s 12,000-mile trunk highway system.
“All of the recently completed projects, from overlays to improved signal systems to the large, complex ones, contribute to Mn/DOT goal of providing highway system users a safe and predictable trip,” said Bob Winter, District Operations division director.
By Craig Wilkins
Inspector urges ‘civic spirit’ award for Hwy 14 project in New Ulm
“We won the public relations battle down here,” said Marv Kruger, chief inspector for the Hwy 14 reconstruction project in New Ulm.
However, there really was no battle—nor was there need for one.
A constant communications loop conducted by Kruger, project manager Bob Williams, the contractor, city officials and the chamber of commerce kept the community informed about the project’s progress.
The working group held weekly public meetings, issued frequent progress reports via area news media and strove to minimize disruptions to businesses, pedestrians and drivers.
“We had a lot of face-to-face contact, too,” Kruger said. “It’s hard not to have that when you’re working about 50 feet from a guy’s business.”
Kruger said the project is the best he’s worked on in terms of relations with the public.
“There should be a ‘civic spirit’ award for this project just like we have for the best asphalt or concrete paving,” he said.
|
|
back
|
|
Duluth/District 1 appoints Mike Tardy, Duane Hill to new positions |
|
|
Duluth/District 1 appointed Mike Tardy as its new assistant district engineer for program delivery. Tardy succeeds Russ Kauzlaric who died suddenly on July 5 following a heart attack.
Tardy’s appointment begins Sept 21. He currently serves as Duluth’s assistant district engineer for maintenance, traffic engineering and bridges.
The district also announced the appointment of Duane Hill of Bemidji/District 2 to succeed Tardy. Hill now serves District 2 as its design engineer.
Tardy joined Mn/DOT in 1992 with his appointment as the District 3’s state aid engineer. Before joining Mn/DOT, Tardy served as the Cook County engineer and as a bridge design and construction engineer with the California DOT in San Francisco and Sacramento.
A Duluth native, Tardy graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Tardy held several engineering and management posts until he was appointed to his current position in 1999.
Hill joined Mn/DOT at Duluth in 1991 after serving in engineering positions with the U. S. Public Health Service. He transferred to the Bemidji District in 1998.
Hill is a Bemidji native and graduated from North Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1988. Hill’s new position at District 1 also begins Sept. 21.
|
back
|
|
FAA recognizes Office of Aeronautics for helping improve aviation safety |
|
|
 |
|
Receiving the FAA award, from left, are Wayne Petersen, aviation representative, Rick Braunig, aviation representative, Ray Rought, Aeronautics director, Frank Del Gandio FAA, and Larry Myking, Aviation Operations manager. Photo by Dan McDowell |
On Aug. 18, the Federal Aviation Administration presented awards to Mn/DOT, the Minneapolis Flight Standards District Office and the Minnesota State Patrol to recognize their education efforts in helping significantly to reduce aviation accidents and fatalities within the Minneapolis Flight Standards District.
There was a 24 percent reduction in accidents from FY 2003 (47 accidents) to FY 2004 (36 accidents), resulting in a 50 percent reduction in fatalities during that time period, from 28 fatalities in FY 2003 to 14 fatalities in FY 2004.
Mn/DOT’s Office of Aeronautics has long been a partner in providing safety seminars for pilots, mechanics and others who rely on aviation education to improve safety. The department’s sponsorship of pilot and mechanic seminars, seaplane, commercial, sport aviation conferences, technical bulletins and Web site information have played roles in promoting aviation safety.
“We could not be as effective in aviation accident investigation and reduction of aviation accidents without the support and partnership that has been received from these two key state agencies,” said Kathleen Thompson, Flight Standards District Office manager. “These partnerships have allowed the MSP FSDO to effectively manage and reduce the number of aircraft accidents and fatalities significantly over the past three years.”
The award was accepted by Ray Rought, Aeronautics director, with Larry Myking, Aviation Operations manager, and Rick Braunig and Wayne Petersen, aviation representatives.
|
back
|
|
Russian officials explore rural highway development plans with Mn/DOT, Blue Earth County officials |
|
|
 |
|
From left, Greg Ous, Mankato’s assistant district engineer for project development, explains an asphalt quality testing system to Stepan Tyapugin and Alexander Salnikov in the materials testing lab at the Mankato District headquarters. Alex Chernyaev, senior engineer, is at far right. Photo by Rebecca Arndt
|
Officials from the Russian state of Marii El visited Minnesota Sept. 6-8 to continue exploring ways U.S. technology and management practices can benefit the region.
Officials from Mn/DOT visited Marii El, a mainly rural area in the Upper Volga region, last year.
The Federal Highway Administration supports relationships that involve the states and Russian oblasts, or states. Active partnerships include, for example, Pennsylvania and Nizhny Novgorod and Maine and Arkhangelsk.
During their visit to Minnesota, the top transportation officials in Marii El met with Mn/DOT officials and industry leaders to map further cooperation in areas such as road weather information systems, pavement diagnostic methods and cost-effective steps to develop the state’s rural road network.
Alexander Salnikov, director of the state enterprise of Marii El, and his deputy, Stepan Tyapugin, represented their state.
The visitors met with the commissioner’s staff, toured the Wakota Bridge construction site and met in Mankato with officials and staff from District 7 and Blue Earth County to further their discussion on rural highway system development.
By Craig Wilkins
|
back
|
|
Districts receive citizens’ compliments |
|
|
Lynn Eaton, Bemidji/District 2 transportation engineer, shares this e-mail he received Sept. 2 from a driver on Hwy 2 from Bagley to Fosston:
Having recently traversed the USA from Maine to the west coast and returned (8,500 miles), I think I can say that the stretch of Highway 2 from Bagley to Fosston is THE BEST in the USA! It has all the earmarks of first rate construction: design, materials, maintenance and appearance.
My compliments to all!
Dick B.
South Portland, Maine
And Rochester/District 6 received this comment card from a visitor to Mn/DOT’s State Fair booth. The employee referred to is Dale Yost, a transportation generalist from the Albert Lea truck station.
In July, I and an 84-year-old friend were traveling to Omaha via I-35. I (driver) had a flat tire near Albert Lea. This was during the legislative shutdown—in minutes a Mn/DOT employee was there to assist us. He changed our tire and sent us on our way. He was so wonderful! I’m ashamed to say I do not have his name, but he was a 34-year employee in that area. He has my prayers forever!
Maureen G.
Cambridge, Minn.
|
back
|
|
Bemidji’s Rich Kane probes gravel pile gently to save the turtles |
|
|
 |
|
To read about Bemidji/District 2's turtle hatchlings, see the August 2005 issue of the District 2 newsletter. Photo courtesy of District 2 |
While summertime moviegoers trekked to see “March of the Penguins,” Bemidji/District 2 employees took in a tale of survival right in their own sunny backyard.
Rather than focus on the travails of Antarctic emperor penguins, Bemidji staff watched as 40 snapping turtle hatchlings emerged from a pile of gravel where their mother laid her eggs.
To learn how Rich Kane of the materials testing lab and other employees helped the hatchlings survive, check out the current issue of the “District 2 Bemidji/Crookston News” at http://ihub.d2.dot.state.mn.us/newsletter/.
To read newsletters from other districts, click on the district number at the top of iHUB and select “District News.”
|
back
|
|
|
|
