Photo by David Gonzalez

By Craig Wilkins

Work is now under way to remove damaged sections and rebuild the salt storage building at the Metro District’s Plymouth truck station.  

The building’s steel truss and Teflon panel roof canopy suffered extensive damage during a fierce May 23 windstorm, said Dick Post, facilities program director, Office of Maintenance.

No injuries resulted from the incident.

Post estimates it will cost about $250,000 to repair the facility. Costs include purchasing tarpaulins to cover the exposed salt piles, demolishing and removing damaged sections and constructing a new roof canopy.

The contractor’s warrantee does not cover the damage because wind speeds exceeded 90 miles an hour, the wind speed limit specified in the contract with the builder.

The facility was built in 1992. It measures 110 feet by 160 feet and can hold about 12,000 tons of salt.

By Craig WIlkins

It was kind of like moving a sofa—a very large sofa over a wide river.

In less than four hours, Duluth/District 1 staff and a contractor moved a 350-ton truss bridge span 40 feet down the Kawishiwi River to make way for a new bridge on Hwy 1 on new alignment at the same location.

Building a new bridge is part of the district’s five-mile reconstruction of Hwy 1 in Lake County.

Chuck Saline, project supervisor, Duluth , said the move was a carefully planned one.

The 165-foot span was jacked up eight inches, then placed on heavy-duty roller platforms that carried each of four weight-bearing assemblies.

Saline described the arrangement as a “super roller skate.”

The crew then used winches to pull the span over metal plates supported by the old pier caps and temporary pilings onto new abutments constructed for the temporary bridge.

The move went as planned and was done in about four hours.

Saline said the crew had worked with the same contractor on a similar project three years ago which allayed some of their concern about moving the huge span.

The old structure, an overhead truss bridge built in 1936, will carry traffic Hwy 1 between Ely and Isabella until the new bridge is completed this fall.

Saline said keeping the river crossing open eliminated what would have been a 29-mile detour.

The new bridge will cost about $1.26 million.

Tom Schmitz, a Central Office inventory control supervisor, died June 2 after a long illness. He was 67.  

Funeral services were held June 6 in South St. Paul.  

Schmitz is survived by a son, two grandchildren and by two brothers and two sisters. He was preceded in death by his wife, Inez Schmitz, and a brother.

Several Mn/DOT employees recalled Schmitz, who began his career with Mn/DOT in 1962, and his quiet way of getting things done.

“Tom always had an easy smile and was always ready to help someone in any way he could to make your job a little easier,” said Bob Rickert, Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations. “He will be missed greatly by all who knew him.”

“I have worked with Tom for quite some time now. What a pleasant yet memorable person he was who always had kind things to say and was always eager to assist you in any way possible. I will deeply miss him and wish his family peace during a time like this,” wrote Orlanda Klinkhammer, Office of Civil Rights, on the funeral home’s memorial Web site.

Ed Clarke, Human Resources and Administration, Schmitz’s long-time associate and friend, said, “Tom's family called Mn/DOT Tom’s ‘second family.’ He loved his job and loved being here.  

“He had strong opinions about many things, but he was always polite and respectful.   Tom always contributed to our staff meetings and he was always on board with the idea of good customer service and value for the taxpayers.

“One of my proudest moments as Tom’s manager was the year the inventory center had the highest accuracy percentage in the department.

“Tom loved his family and often expressed concern for the well-being of others and their families.”

Clarke said he will present Schmitz’s recently earned 45-year service award to his family.

“We have missed him for the weeks he has been away and we will miss him for a long time to come,” Clarke said.

By Kay Korsgaard

Commuters and others can now sign up to receive e-mail updates about major construction projects.

The e-mails supplement Mn/DOT’s existing arsenal of ways (including Mn/DOT’s Web site, news releases and public meetings) to communicate with the public about projects that may affect their travels.

In the past, a commuter looking for information about traffic impacts from a construction project would need to visit Mn/DOT’s Web site or hope to find news about the project through the news media—newspapers, radio or TV. Now all they need to do is open their e-mail, giving the department a faster and more direct connection with its customers.

Currently, customers can sign up for updates on three Twin Cities metro area projects (Crosstown, Unweave the Weave and Hwy 36 in North St. Paul ) and one District 3 project (Hwy 210 in Brainerd). Individuals can subscribe—and unsubscribe—with just a few computer strokes.

Within the first three weeks of making the lists available, more than 580 people had signed up for one or more lists—and within two hours of sending out an update on the Crosstown project, more than 40 percent of those subscribers had opened the e-mail. A few days later nearly 70 percent of recipients had opened the e-mail.  

“On Thursday, May 24, we hosted a public information session on the Crosstown Commons project and more than half of the 400 attendees took the opportunity to sign up for e-mail notification on the spot,” said Judy Melander, Metro District communications director.  

“This is a great new service that will speed up how quickly and cost-efficiently we can communicate to the public, our partners and officials.”

Cathy Clark, District 3 public affairs coordinator, is trying the service to update people about a project on Hwy 210.

“It’s another tool that we are trying in the district to see if it helps us get information out in another format,” Clark said. “The public is looking for an increased amount of information on demand. This kind of automated tool helps provide this information to people who are electronically savvy and helps us provide better customer service.”

To sign up for lists, visit Mn/DOT’s home page at www.mndot.gov and click on the orange “GET PROJECT EMAILS” button.

By Lisa Yang

Employees can now view maps, software and tools, spatial data and other geographic information systems services on a new statewide GIS Web site that integrates data and features from the Central Office and Metro District Web sites.

“It’s easier to maintain and easier for users to navigate,” said Eric Marquardt, GIS support specialist, Office of Decision Support. “Users won’t be looking at two different sites and getting conflicting information.”

GIS is a computer-based tool for mapping, storing, analyzing and manipulating events and information of things existing on Earth, such as roads, lakes and highway ramps.

Some examples include construction projects maps and the interactive basemap located on the external Web site.

Marquardt said a few new maps have been added to the Web site, including the statewide county and city engineers’ maps.

To view the new Web site, visit Mn/DOT GIS.

By Kevin Gutknecht

Todd Kramascz, operations supervisor at the Regional Transportation Management Center, recently was recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice for actions he took with the AMBER Alert system that led to the safe return of an abducted child.

The AMBER Alert system is used to warn motorists that a child has been abducted. The RTMC places messages on the changeable message signs around the Twin Cities metro area with information about vehicles reportedly carrying an abducted child.

Messages are also carried on the state’s 511 traveler information Web site and phone system and on changeable message signs along Interstate 94 northwest of the Twin Cities. Motorists who encounter the vehicle can call 911 and report its location to the local authorities.

On Feb. 11, 2007, a 14-year-old girl was taken from her home by her noncustodial father, who had been convicted of sexual molestation and was prohibited from having unsupervised contact with his daughter. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which oversees the AMBER Alert system in Minnesota, determined that an alert should be activated.

“I got the call about 10:15 p.m.,” said Kramascz, who activates the changeable message signs for AMBER Alerts. “I headed into the RTMC and had the messages up about 10:45 p.m., so they ran through most of the night.”  

The standard procedure is to run the AMBER Alert until the child is found or for five hours, he said. So the message came off the signs at about 3:45 a.m. on Feb. 12.

Early in the morning, Kramascz checked with the State Patrol on the status of the missing child.

“She still hadn’t been found,” he said. “I had this feeling that we should do more.”  

He decided to reactivate all of the Minneapolis-St. Paul highway signs at 6:15 a.m. for the morning rush hour.

A motorist saw the AMBER alert that morning, and recognized the vehicle as one he had purchased the night before from a man and child. They said they were taking a bus to their next destination. The motorist contacted authorities and the child and suspect were located at a bus stop near the Mall of America several hours later.

“We do a pretty good job of sticking to the rules about use of the overhead signs,” Kramascz said. “During rush hour, those signs can distract drivers. We are careful with the information we display. But I knew there were drivers out in the rush hour that may not have seen the signs in the middle of the night and were not aware of the AMBER Alert.”

The Department of Justice awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., was part of a National Missing Children's Day commemoration. Eleven awards were issued to various law enforcement agencies, citizens and groups that have either worked with, used or supported the AMBER Alert program.

According to the Department of Justice, AMBER Alerts have saved the lives of more than 329 children since the program began in 1996. In 2001, only four states had statewide AMBER Alert plans. In 2005, there were statewide AMBER Alert plans in all 50 states and efforts are taking place to develop the program in Canada and Mexico.

Besides the BCA, the state’s AMBER Alert team includes Mn/DOT and the State Patrol. Kramascz said that the news media are also important partners in alerting the public about the AMBER messages.

Each workday, Greg Husmann gets up at 5 a.m., goes for a brisk walk with his wife, Faith Husmann, then hits the door at the Dresbach truck station by 6 a.m. with his high-energy presence.

His Mn/DOT career began in 1971 in Dresbach after completing military service during the Vietnam War.

In 1978, Husmann was appointed supervisor at the La Crescent sub-area, which includes truck stations at Caledonia, Houston and La Crescent. Before his permanent appointment, he served as a maintenance worker and temporary supervisor.

The region poses some unique challenges for Husmann and his staff, including highways that crisscross the hilly bluff country of southeastern Minnesota and roads frequently plagued by floods from the region’s fast-running rivers. His crews also maintain a section of Interstate 90.    

Winters in the La Crescent sub-area tend to be a bit milder than other regions of the state, but ice storms are generally more frequent and severe.

Husmann’s career spans 35 years, a period in which he has experienced many changes.

What’s different between your rookie year with Mn/DOT and now?

Everything. For example during my first years, we had two guys in a snowplow truck. I was often the second guy, which meant I was the person who got out to shovel sand and salt from the bed of the plow truck.

We have fewer people now, but we have much better equipment and methods for snow removal and other kinds of work.

What has remained constant?

Our commitment to provide quality service to the public. Also, each employee’s willingness to adapt to or initiate better ways to do things. And there’s our sense of responsibility and pride in what we do.

It’s also still important for us to inform the public about what we’re doing, when we’re going to do it and why. In other words, being accountable for what we do. Sometimes we can get a little paranoid about working with the news media, but we need to remember that we need reporters to get our message across about traffic, safety and other issues.

We continue our emphasis on safety with regular training and talks about specific incidents or situations.

What is your management style?

Managing this sub-area is pretty easy because all of our people are smart, think and want to be there. I should know, I’ve hired most of them. Basically, it’s creating trust and respect.

When I ask employees to do a task, I value their knowledge and experience. Together, we decide how to do it or whether we can do it at all.

The crew at Caledonia became a self-directed work team long before we started using the term around here. Crew members there meet every day and decide what tasks are most needed to support our sub-area’s goals and mission.

When problems arise, I find the best way to deal with them is right away—and directly. That way, the problem doesn’t get in the way of other things and resolving it may even help us learn something.

What keeps you working year after year without losing your enthusiasm?

 I’m proud of the work we do providing a valuable public service. We have a box full of letters from the public thanking us for what we do; that’s quite a motivator. And I get a lot of my energy from working with the sub-area crew, other district staff and from frequent contacts with the public.

The people in our sub-area get along well, respect others and do a great job. They are good people. All of that helps get me here and ready to go each morning. I’m grateful for that.  

This is one in a series of articles featuring Mn/DOT employees on-the-job. Do you or a co-worker have an interesting job to share with readers? Click here to send us your ideas, and we’ll contact you for more information.

Recent on-the-job profiles:

• Julie Bottolfson puts safety into focus
• The art of politics and government
• “Snooping” for trouble

Continued support for the Minnesota wing of the Civil Air Patrol earned recognition for Mn/DOT’s Office of Aeronautics and director Ray Rought.

The award included Rought’s receiving a framed print depicting CAP activities in Minnesota and nationally.

Lt. Col. Michael Pederson, United States Air Force, presented the award during the wing’s annual meeting.

Pederson serves as commander of the USAF/CAP’s North Central Liaison Region.

By Donna Lindberg

An eight-mile section of Hwy 61 between Wabasha and Kellogg in District 6 received a 2006 Perpetual Pavement Award from the Asphalt Pavement Alliance for overall pavement structure stability.

“Mn/DOT is honored to accept this national Perpetual Pavement Award for the fifth year in a row,” said Keith Shannon, director, Office of Materials. “These awards demonstrate Mn/DOT's historical commitment to maintaining smooth pavements on Minnesota highways with cost-effective overlay treatments. Less maintenance on this road has meant less disruption for motorists who depend on it.”

The award is given for highways with pavement at least 35 years old that demonstrate the qualities expected from long-life asphalt pavements: excellence in design, quality in construction and value to the traveling public.  

Construction on the award-winning segment of Hwy 61 began in 1969.

“The methodology used during the road’s construction in 1969 was innovative and now has become an accepted standard,” said Nelrae Succio, District 6 transportation engineer. “This is an important tourism route along the Mississippi River that is also used for shipment of goods to ports in Winona and Red Wing. The roadway’s long pavement life has benefited many.”

For more information, see Asphalt Pavement Alliance 2006 Perpetual Pavement Awards.