By Craig Wilkins

Like many Mn/DOT snowplow operators, Jerry Rigney from District 7’s Luverne Truck Station was out plowing on Christmas Day afternoon. A series of snowstorms hit the region during the Christmas holiday weekend and on Christmas Day, requiring widespread call-outs for operators.

Rigney’s work day ended suddenly, however, when his snowplow was struck from behind by a semitrailer while he was plowing Interstate 90 near Rushmore.

Rather than heading home at the end of his shift, Rigney found himself in the hospital being examined for possible injuries.

His initial exam showed no injuries. Rigney returned to work on Dec. 27 but felt ill midway through his shift on Dec. 28, said Randy Potts, maintenance sub-area supervisor at Worthington. He was then ordered by his physician to stay home until Jan. 11.

The semitrailer driver suffered minor injuries.

The dedication shown by Rigney and scores of other Mn/DOT and local snowplow crews did not pass unnoticed.

District offices received calls and e-mails from motorists expressing their thanks. A professional trucker from the Twin Cities, for example, e-mailed the Metro District expressing his amazement at how quickly highways were cleared.

An editorial in the Marshall Independent, “Plow drivers gave up their Christmas for safe roads,” also expressed gratitude for service performed by Willmar District maintenance crews in the Marshall area.

The newspaper noted: “Some people know in advance they are scheduled to work on Christmas or other holidays….Others are called in to work at the last moment, even though they weren’t scheduled and have to drop their holiday plans.

“That happened Tuesday with local snowplow drivers who were surprised by a heavier-than-expected snowfall and worse-than-expected road conditions. Instead of having the day off or making a quick trip for a small dusting of snow they first thought was falling, a large group ended up working full eight-hour shifts on Christmas Day to ensure roads were safe for holiday motorists.”

The editorial noted that Craig Gertsema, maintenance sub-area supervisor, and 13 of his 15 snowplows were loaded and ready to go shortly after operators were called out. It observed that Hwy 68 and Hwy 23 in the Marshall area were open and clear by 7 p.m.

“The pavement was bare, thanks to Gertsema’s 13 drivers who gave up their holiday so the rest of us could have a safe one.”

While the Independent’s comments were directed at the Marshall Truck Station crew, the observation could have applied to any part of the state that experienced snowfall on Christmas, said Steve Lund, state maintenance engineer.

“The Marshall paper said what we know—that Mn/DOT people can be expected to respond quickly and fully when circumstances demand it,” he said.

By Craig Wilkins

Motorists driving near the first runs of Mn/DOT’s new tow plow during recent storms may have thought they were seeing double.

In a sense, they were.

The plow, 26 feet in length, effectively doubles the truck’s plowing capacity.

The experimental plow rolls behind a snowplow truck until the operator engages it. Then, opening like a giant jackknife, the plow swivels into position to clear a lane or more of roadway on the truck’s right side.

The Metro District operates the tow plow on sections of Interstate 94 and I-494 between Maple Grove and Rogers northwest of Minneapolis.

Plans call for District 3 to use the plow on I-94 between Monticello and St. Michael after Metro completes its first round of field tests.

DeWayne Jones said the plow proved its worth during the frequent snowfalls before and during the holiday weekend when traffic was high and staffing low.

“The guys just loved it,” said Jones, northwest area maintenance superintendent. “We could plow four lanes with three trucks because of the added capacity.”

When operating on the two-lane sections of I-494, Jones said, the truck with the tow plow covered the roadway from the left fog line over to three feet of the right shoulder.

Jones said operators reported no mechanical problems with the new plow, including use of its auger to spread salt and other chemicals.

Jones said, however, the district will add more lighting on the plow to make it more visible to motorists and easier for operators to see the end of the plow during snow removal operations.

Use of the snowplow created one unexpected benefit, Jones said. It freed the use of one operator and snowplow truck to help remove spilled truck cargoes of flat, metal sheets during two separate incidents on I-494.

The first occurred in Eden Prairie on Dec. 26; the second occurred near Bass Lake Road in Plymouth on Dec. 27. Each took several hours to clear.

Beverly Farraher, Metro’s maintenance engineer, said she and her staff are excited about the tow plow’s debut performance.

“Our first outing with the tow plow really went well,” she said.

For more information, see Snowplow sidewinder: Experimental ‘tow plow’ packs double-fisted punch, (Newsline, Nov. 14, 2007).

By Craig Wilkins

Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, they say, but vehicle crashes do.

Cable median barriers prevented two incidents from becoming cross-median crashes at the same location just five minutes apart on Dec. 27.

The crashes occurred on a section of Interstate 94 near the Hwy 101 interchange in Rogers.

Video cameras operated by the Regional Transportation Management in Roseville recorded the crashes. In each incident, the drivers lost control of their vehicle, which hit the median barriers and then stopped without crossing into the opposite lanes.

Mn/DOT began installing the barriers in 2004.

When struck by a vehicle, the barriers’ thin strands of high-tensile steel give and “grab” errant vehicles, absorbing much of the vehicle’s energy, slowing it to a controlled stop and keeping it from veering into oncoming lanes.

The Department of Public Safety reports there were 323 cross-median crashes from 2004 until 2006 that led to 36 deaths and 44 serious injuries.

DPS investigators report, however, that they have seen no fatalities on roads where the cable barriers are in use.

Dave Engstrom, state traffic safety engineer, Traffic Safety and Operations, said before the cable barriers were installed on I-94 between Rogers and Maple Grove, five fatal cross-median crashes occurred there from 2001 until 2003.

Mn/DOT has installed the barriers on 36 miles of highway in the Metro, Rochester and Baxter districts and plans to install them on 53 more miles of state highways in 2008.

The cable barriers, he said, demonstrate they are an effective way to prevent crashes that often have tragic results.

“Cable median barriers are an important tool we can use to prevent fatalities and serious-injury crashes on the state’s high-speed, divided highways,” Engstrom said.

By Craig Wilkins

Sheila Hatchell, formerly a librarian with the Minnesota History Center, will direct Mn/DOT’s Library in St. Paul.

Hatchell succeeds Jerry Baldwin, who served in the post until his recent retirement.

During her tenure with the MHS, Hatchell served as manager of cataloging and document processing.

Hatchell began her career as a librarian in 1986 when she joined the staff of the Mn/DOT Library. She worked at the library until 1999 when she accepted a position with the Minnesota History Center.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a bachelor’s degree in music, Hatchell earned a master’s degree in library science from Dominican University in River Forest, Ill.

In her new position, Hatchell will represent Mn/DOT in the Transportation Division of the national Special Libraries Association.

She will also represent the department as a member of the Midwest Transportation Knowledge Network, a group that fosters collaboration among the region’s libraries to better serve agency staff.

Hatchell said she plans to continue the library’s leadership role in information technology and customer service.

Her plans also include visiting district offices to hear library users’ needs and concerns and to increase awareness of the library and its services.

Hatchell may be reached at 651/366-3733 and by GroupWise. The library’s Web address is http://www.dot.state.mn.us/library/.

By Craig Wilkins

Rob Swiers, an official with the Red River Valley Hospice, stopped by the District 4 holiday party to have lunch, greet people and accept a check for $1,340 in donations for the hospice program.  

This is the 13th year district employees raised funds for the hospice. This year’s contribution raised total cash donations to nearly $10,000.

Trudy Kordosky, project engineer, serves on the district’s Hospice Committee.

“This is the season to give,” she said. “We combine our fundraising for the hospice with our holiday lunch so we can purchase employees’ donations, many of them handmade, eat lunch together and share the spirit of the season.”

In St. Paul, the Office of Construction and Innovative Contracting held a silent auction that raised $1,293 for Second Harvest, a regional food shelf support program. The Hiway Federal Credit Union matched the proceeds, raising the total donation to $2,586.

Mary Muntean and Sue Stein, project coordinators, said proceeds from the event have increased steadily since it began in 2003.

“Several employees give generously to increase our take and many people from other offices contributed auction items,” Stein said. “We’re thinking of expanding the project building-wide next year to increase our donations.”

A food drive in the Central Office netted 600 pounds of food and $570 in cash donations that were shared with three charitable organizations.

Diane Clark, Human Resources and Administration, said results of the food drive are very gratifying.

“I can’t begin to thank everyone for making this possible,” she said. “This is the best we’ve ever done. I applaud the people at Mn/DOT for reaching out to those in need.”

Throughout the department, employees found the time, will and energy to help needy people in their communities.

In Rochester, District 6 employees and staff from the State Patrol donated toys and $1,000 in cash to the annual Toys for Tots campaign.

Campaign coordinator Paul Bissen, Construction Office manager, notes this is the seventh year the district has supported the campaign.

Mankato District employees donated cash to support the families of Mike LaDuke and Dave Ivers, district employees now on active military duty in Iraq .

At Bemidji , AFSCME Local 637 members organized a silent auction to benefit area charities. Their efforts raised $325 in contributions.

District 3 employees held fundraising and other events in Baxter and St. Cloud. Efforts at Baxter included a soup lunch that raised more than $200 for an area food shelf.

At Baxter, the district’s Hiwayan Club members raised more than $400 from a raffle to support the area’s Toys for Kids campaign.

Led by Mark Renn and Becky Vernier, the St. Cloud office collected more than 100 toys and $800 donated to Toys for Tots.

Jenny Seelen, district public affairs coordinator, said this is the first year St. Cloud participated in the toy drive.

Seelen said about 130 employees also shared the spirit of the holiday season at a lunch prepared by their fellow employees.

At Willmar, the district’s Hiwayan Club holiday campaign netted 250 pounds of food which was given to the Willmar Area Food Shelf.

“The Hiwayan Club is an active group that organizes many activities for employees,” said District Engineer Dave Trooien. “Our management team supports this group; we are thankful to have such dedicated employees who plan events that are fun, charitable, develop camaraderie and help relieve stress for employees.”