By Craig Wilkins

When researchers and traffic engineers talk about gap selection, they’re not talking about shopping for chinos at the mall.

What they are talking about is safety at “through-stop” divided highway intersections in the state’s more rural areas.

The gap in question is an open interval between approaching vehicles on the mainline when motorists on the cross street can enter the roadway safely.

The “through-stop” intersections pose the most risk because drivers must cross traffic moving in one direction, stop in the median and then blend into the traffic flowing in the other direction, said Michael Schweyen, traffic engineer with District 6/Rochester.

“Too often, drivers fail to judge the speed and distance of approaching vehicles accurately or they fail to see them at all,” Schweyen said. “Or they fail to yield properly or to stop after they enter the median.”

Serious crashes may result, often causing life-changing injuries or deaths.

Multi-agency approach

In order to reduce crash frequency and improve safety, Mn/DOT works with several other states, counties, the U. S. DOT and the University of Minnesota to test electronic signs and other methods to alert drivers when vehicles approach an intersection, said Ginny Crowson, Office of External Partnering director, the project’s former manager.

Crowson said that in 2006, for example, 56 of Minnesota’s 494 traffic deaths occurred at through-stop intersections.

The test installation is located where Goodhue County Road 9 crosses Hwy 52 seven miles south of Cannon Falls.

The signs are now in the pilot testing stage, Crowson said.

Initial testing includes employees from District 6 and Goodhue County driving the Safe Plow on Hwy 52 and area residents driving a sedan through the intersection. This allows researchers to analyze drivers’ response to the signs.

Both vehicles use on-board sensors and computers to collect and analyze data.

How the system will work

Crowson expects the system to be operational next year for long-term field testing.

When that happens, a driver heading east on the county road will encounter stop signs at Hwy 52.

The driver will then see the new electronic sign which will indicate if there are vehicles approaching on Hwy 52 and whether there is an adequate gap to cross.

“Future installations of this system at other intersections will depend upon the success of this test,” Schweyen said.

There are more than 3,900 through-stop intersections in Minnesota.

“This project represents research on crash-avoidance systems and reaching a national consensus for addressing rural intersection safety,” Crowson said.

“The project also supports the state’s Toward Zero Deaths campaign vision and goals,” she said.

Initial steps to dismantle and remove the Hwy 23 DeSoto bridge in St. Cloud began Aug. 25 as crews moved their equipment into place, erected safety fencing and closed an adjacent city street.

District 3 officials expect the demolition work will take about two months to complete.

Crews will remove railings and lighting from the bridge deck, then remove the deck section by section.

Construction of the new bridge will continue during the winter months.

District officials expect to have substructure piers in place for the new bridge by May 2009 in order to begin placement of steel truss beams, said Judy Jacobs, district public affairs coordinator.

The bridge will be opened to four lanes of traffic by November 2009, Jacobs said.

The structure will be fully completed by June 2010 with the addition of bike and pedestrian lanes, landscaping and other amenities.

The bridge was ordered to be removed and replaced with a new structure in March after inspections showed distorted gusset plates on the 51-year-old structure.

The discovery of the bent five-foot by-eight-foot gusset plates (metal plates used to reinforce bridge joints) came while state bridge inspectors were conducting a field check as a follow-up to an engineering review of the original design plans in January.

The additional reviews stem from a Federal Highway Administration advisory on gusset plates to all state transportation agencies.

Lunda Construction of Black River Falls, Wis., is the prime contractor for this $12.2 million dollar demolition and construction project.

When the Republican National Convention gets into full swing in St. Paul on Sept. 1, Mn/DOT staff will monitor and report traffic situations related to the event.

The convention ends Sept. 4.

In addition to its normal reporting, the Regional Transportation Management Center in Roseville will provide continuous updates to the State Emergency Operations Center in St. Paul.

The center plans to compile daily reports on traffic congestion, incidents and transit schedules and routes affected by the convention.

In addition, Mn/DOT’s Web site will provide transportation-related news as well. It is found at: www.dot.state.mn.us on the upper right corner of the page under State Fair information.

Traffic information will also be available via the 511 Travel Information Service. Call 511 or visit the Web site at www.511mn.org.

Mn/DOT, other agencies and the city of St. Paul are taking measures to improve traffic and security that may affect employees in the Capitol complex.

Mn/DOT will close two freeway ramps leading to downtown St. Paul at 6 p.m. on Aug. 29. They are the northbound ramp from Interstate 35E to Kellogg Blvd. and the ramp from eastbound Interstate 94 to Fifth Street.

Only delegate buses and other official vehicles will be allowed to use those ramps.

In the Capitol area, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. will be closed between John Ireland Blvd. and Cedar Street. The street will be filled with concessionaires selling food, political memorabilia and other items.

Officers from Capitol Security and the Minnesota State Patrol will have an increased presence on the Capitol grounds, office buildings and parking lots.

Each building in the Capitol area will have only one designated public entrance.

More information about changes in parking, security and building access is available at:
www.finance.state.mn.us/rnc.

By Craig Wilkins

A visitor’s gaze easily finds a half-dozen or so postcards displayed on the countertop near Cindy Syria’s desk in the District 1 headquarters building in Duluth.

Turn them over and you’ll find them addressed to “Cindy and Friends” or “Cindy and Crew” or something similar.

Look a little further and you’ll find five neatly kept volumes of postcards sent from employees when they travel for business, military service or vacations.

Sharing and keeping memories of employees’ trips is one way that Syria helps strengthen the fiber that connects district employees’ sense of belonging and well-being.  

Syria has been contributing to that since joining Mn/DOT at Duluth in 1977.

She served as secretary to district staff members and worked in the communications and training sections. Now Syria works in administrative support.

Syria has earned a reputation for her resourcefulness, flexibility, energy, humor and overall competence honed during her 31 years with the agency.

So, how did you acquire this reputation anyway?

I’m the oldest of five kids. Our mother worked part-time and our dad was an engineer with the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range railroad, so I was often in charge of caring for my brothers and sisters.

That taught me responsibility and helped develop my work ethic as well. I also learned to figure out a lot of things on my own.

You’ve been at District 1 for a long time, what’s changed since your first years of employment?

Most everything. We’ve had a number of district engineers with differing management styles and, of course, rapid changes in technology.

We went from using carbon paper, erasers and typewriter correction fluid to one day having no typewriters at all. When I first worked with John Bray in communications, I’d type news releases, fold them, stuff them in envelopes and put them in the mail.

Then we switched to computers; a click of the mouse and poof!--the release was gone.

And we now we have a much wider span of generations. We have Gen X and Gen Y employees whose values and work styles often differ from those of us Baby Boomers. We all manage to get along, though.  

And what has changed most with you since the beginning of your Mn/DOT career?

I’m a sponge; I like to keep on learning. I’ve been here for 31 years, so I’ve learned a lot about how things work, how they fit together and what needs to be done.  I know a lot of stuff so people can call on me to do a lot of things.

And what do you find that has remained fairly constant?

We all get along together pretty well. We pay attention to that every day—it’s very important.