Although the opening of the final segment of the new Hwy 212 between Hwy 41 in Chaska and existing Hwy 212 in Carver officially will happen July 14, state and local officials, private sector representatives and area residents July 1 got a head start on celebrating the completion of the long-awaited project.

The ceremonies opened, however, on a solemn note as the group observed a moment of silence in honor of a contractor foreman who was killed on the job in May when an SUV struck him while he held a stop sign so equipment could cross the highway.

Many on hand weren't even born when planning first began on the project in the 1950s. It wasn't until August 2005 that construction on the design-build project began in earnest, with the first segment opening in late 2006. The second segment opened in December 2007, and the final segment of mainline new Hwy 212 will open July 14. The last interchange at County Road 147 will open in mid-August.

“Partnering carried the day for us,” said Commissioner Tom Sorel, one of several speakers at the event.

The new Hwy 212 includes:

• 11.8 miles of four-lane freeway
• Eight miles of bus shoulder lanes
• Two park-and-ride lots with 950 parking spaces
• 28 bridges
• Seven interchanges

The new highway (currently signed as Hwy 312) will shorten the average commute by as much as 15 minutes, based on travel time runs completed recently between Hwy 212 and Prairie Center Drive in Eden Prairie and Hwy 212 and County Road 147 in Carver.

For more information about the project, see http://projects.dot.state.mn.us/zrc/212/index.html.

Deputy Commissioner Khani Sahebjam and State Bridge Engineer Dan Dorgan testified before a joint legislative committee on June 24 in response to a report issued in May.

The two responded to a number of recommendations as well as corrected or clarified other statements in the Gray Plant Mooty report to the Joint Committee to Investigate the I-35W Bridge Collapse.

Commissioner Tom Sorel also sent a letter on June 19 to the committee co-chairs, outlining Mn/DOT’s position on many of the points raised in the report.

“The Department of Transportation strongly shares the committee’s goals that Minnesota bridges be safe and strong, and that the state make the necessary investments and changes to the department’s processes to maintain Minnesota’s transportation infrastructure,” he wrote.

He added that the National Transportation Safety Board investigation, which is expected to be completed later this year, and any subsequent Federal Highway Administration policy changes, “will be the definitive reports on the I-35W Bridge for state transportation agencies.”

Links to more information can be found on Mn/DOT’s Web site:

• Commissioner Sorel’s letter to legislative leaders (June 19, 2008)
• Statement to the Joint Committee to Investigate the I-35W Bridge Collapse
  (May 21, 2008)
• Statement from the Governor's office (May 21, 2008)
• Joint Committee Report (May 21, 2008)

Michael Farrell, a bridge worker at Eden Prairie, died June 16 from injuries sustained during a motorcycle crash in South Dakota.

He was 56.

Farrell started his Mn/DOT career in 1990 as a transportation generalist at the Fort Snelling truck station. In 1998, he became a bridge worker assigned to the Maplewood truck station.

Farrell later transferred to the Eden Prairie truck station.

A Marshall native, Farrell lived in Apple Valley. His survivors include three sons.

Carl Budde, a radio communications specialist at Bemidji, died May 11 of heart failure.

He was 53.

Budde was born in Minneapolis, graduated high school in Austin and earned a degree in electronics repair at Brown Institute.

He joined Mn/DOT in 1988 as part of the Office of Electronic Communications.

“Carl will be remembered for his love of friends and family and pride in his American Indian heritage,” said Karen Bedeau, District 2 public affairs coordinator.

Budde was preceded in death by his partner, Mari Jo French. His survivors include his parents, three daughters, a sister and three brothers.

A national center that focuses on reducing traffic fatalities in rural areas opened June 30 at the University of Minnesota.

The information clearinghouse was announced during a Minneapolis visit this week by Thomas Barrett, deputy secretary of the U.S. DOT.

Barrett said the center’s primary goal is to lower the number of fatal crashes each year on the nation’s highways. The average toll is more than 40,000 deaths per year.

About two-thirds of those deaths occur in rural areas, he said.

Safety officials said the toll is higher in rural areas because motorists drive at higher speeds, have a higher incidence of drunk driving and lower seat belt use rates than drivers in more urbanized areas.

“That figure and the reasons cited fit Minnesota very well,” said Bernie Arseneau, Traffic, Safety and Operations director.

“Seventy percent of fatal crashes in our state take place in rural areas,” he said.

Creation of the clearinghouse reflects progress made on highway safety by state and local governments, law enforcement agencies and the Center for Transportation Studies and the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota .

For more information, go to http://www.ruralsafety.umn.edu and click on rural highway safety clearinghouse.

By Craig Wilkins

There was the Rumble in the Jungle, then the Thrilla in Manila —now 30-plus years later there’s the Battle of the Battle Lake Crabapple.

That’s battle as in Battle Lake, Minn., and battle as in the struggle to save a red splendor crabapple tree threatened by its very own roots.

Yes, it happens.

The crabapple was in the grip of stem-encircling roots that could have choked the very life from the tree planted along Hwy 78 about 15 years ago. Untreated, the tree would have died within two or three years.

Enter Paul Walvatne, native son and a Mn/DOT forester with Environmental Services.  

Walvatne was in his home town to lead volunteers who planted trees, shrubs and flowers along the roads that lead into the Otter Tail County community.  

The beautification event was one of more than 300 done via Mn/DOT’s Community Landscaping Partnership Program. This year’s planting was the third done in Battle Lake along Hwy 78 and Hwy 210.

The crabapple was part of the first landscaping partnership project in Battle Lake in 1994.

The tree’s root problem was observed by agriculture students at Battle Lake High School who were installing rodent guards on trees planted.

They found that some roots had followed grooves in the guards along the ground line instead of digging into the soil.  

The veteran forester confirmed their finding, dug away a layer of soil and neatly severed the potentially fatal roots with a sharp wood chisel.

“We’ve been doing these partnerships all over Minnesota, from Warroad to Rollingtone, since the early 1990s,” Walvatne said.

“It’s rewarding to follow up on our earlier projects, even if it means having to do some radical tree surgery on-location.”

Curious about the nitty-gritty of the most recent legislative session?

A summary of the session and links to the legislation itself are now posted on the Government Affairs Web site. The summary is divided into two sections: a list of new laws that affect Mn/DOT and a description of each new law and its effective date.  

Contact Erik Rudeen, Government Affairs, at 651/366-4823 to obtain a copy of the law or to receive further information.

• 2008 legislative summary (internal link)
• Legislative Web site

By Nick Carpenter

Employees struggling with the concept of full-time retirement are turning to the state’s Post Retirement Option Program as a way to make the transition.

The program allows eligible retirees to work for the state part-time (up to 60 hours per pay period and 1,044 hours annually) for up to five years after retirement, and collect full annuity with no annual Minnesota State Retirement System earnings cap.

Since its start in late 2005, the PRO program has seen a steady increase in members and potential applicants.

“We have the most PROs of all the state agencies,” said Barb Kochevar, personnel representative.

One of Mn/DOT’s PRO members is Diane Gould, a senior engineer specialist in the State Aid for Local Transportation Division. Gould said she enjoys the part-time work and extra time off.

“You get the best of both worlds,” Gould said. “This way, I was able to ease into retirement.”

Rollie Wagner, a transportation operations supervisor in District 6, liked the concept of less work, but wasn’t ready to give up the financial benefits.

“The extra income is very helpful with so many costs of daily life increasing,” Wagner said.

Along with the continued earnings, members are eligible for either partial employer-paid insurance contribution or contribution to the Health Care Savings Plan administered by MSRS.

Mn/DOT also benefits from the ability to retain experienced workers and use them as valuable resources, according to Kochevar. PRO members provide multiple years of knowledge, and are able to transfer that knowledge through mentoring and training.

It’s a win-win situation according to Ray Viall, a rail construction safety oversight specialist with the Metro District.

“I get satisfaction in seeing contractors building our transportation system without interruptions and extra cost from accidents,” Viall said, adding that the state benefits from the expertise he’s developed during 35 years of public service.

To be eligible for the PRO program, applicants must have been in a civil service position on or after July 1, 2005 and worked a minimum of 1,044 hours per year in a position covered by a pension plan during the five years immediately preceding retirement.

For more information about the PRO program, district employees can contact their local Human Resources staff, while Central Office employees can call Barb Kochevar at 651/366-3383 or Mary Stohr at 651/234-7428.