By Stephany Osuji, Office of Customer Relations

A few hundred spectators gathered along Interstate 35E in St. Paul Aug. 18 to watch as crews slowly transported the Maryland Avenue Bridge, which had been built off-site just west of I-35E, to its final destination over the freeway.

It took workers more than 12 hours to put the bridge, which was in 1,300-ton sections, into place using a Self-Propelled Modular Transporter—a platform vehicle with 352 wheels that can be individually controlled in order to evenly distribute weight and maintain accurate steering. Each wheel can be moved 360 degrees. The innovative transport method is a first of its kind to be used in Minnesota.    

By using this technology, MnDOT shaved about two months from road closures in St. Paul and created a safer work zone for both construction crews and motorists, according to Commissioner Tom Sorel.

“As an agency, our vision is to be a global leader in transportation. Using innovative construction methods such as this technology supports our vision and displays our commitment to innovation,” Sorel said. “This technology is just one example of the many ways we are looking to be innovative and creative in creating a safe, efficient and sustainable transportation system in our state.”

To learn more about the Maryland Avenue Bridge and other I-35E projects, visit www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/35estpaul/maryland.html.

David Dahlberg, District 3 Maintenance, is now eligible for the state vacation donation program, which allows employees to donate up to 40 hours of vacation per fiscal year for approved recipients who have exhausted their sick and vacation leave due to injury or illness.

Dahlberg, a MnDOT employee since 1981, was involved in a motorcycle crash last June that left him with a traumatic brain injury, several rib fractures and spinal injuries that required surgery. He also is undergoing a lengthy antibiotic treatment for an infection that developed in the hospital.

To donate vacation hours, go to the Employee Self Service Web site and click “Other Payroll” and then “Leave Donations.” The site also allows employees to view a list of all state employees eligible for the program and enroll as a recipient.

Related information:

Employees who want to influence MnDOT’s strategic objectives, broaden skills for interacting with partners and stakeholders, and be recognized for their leadership skills and abilities in developing other employees have an opportunity to participate in MnDOT’s Leadership Development Program’s “Pool C.” The application deadline for the program is Sept. 14.

Part of a three-track leadership program that launched in May, Pool C is intended for employees who typically have formal leadership experience, such as in managing people, projects and resources, according to Linda Draze, leadership development project manager. There currently are 31 employees in Pool C.

Pool C participants are required to complete a 360 assessment and be a mentor to a participant in Pool A or Pool B, the other two leadership development tracks. The application and further information for Pool C is available at: http://ihub.dot.state.mn.us/leadership/.

More than 250 employees already are participating in Pool A and Pool B. Pool A employees typically are just beginning their leadership journey, and may aspire to have more influence over their work or work unit. Pool B is composed of employees who have experience using leadership skills in a more formal capacity, either by supervising or managing staff, budgets or resources, or who have had experience as project managers. Pool A and Pool B are not accepting new applicants at this time.

Contact Linda Draze at 651-366-5251 or linda.draze@state.mn.us for more information. 

See also New leadership development program opens for all employees (MnDOT Newsline, April 11, 2012).

By Susan Walto, Office of Financial Management

It’s been one year since the implementation of the StateWide Integrated Financial Tools, the state of Minnesota’s financial and procurement system.

The SWIFT system had a rocky start due to the state government shutdown in July 2011 and the end to the biennium. Employees returning from the shutdown were forced to quickly remember what they learned in training so they could order and pay for services and products.

MnDOT employees are responsible for several SWIFT milestones and accomplishments over the past year:

• The department has billed more than $622 million dollars through the Federal billing function of SWIFT.
• More than 130,000 payment vouchers have been entered into the new system.
• With more than 90 percent of state assets, MnDOT succeeded in converting fixed asset financial data.
• MnDOT was the sole agency to initially implement the inventory module.
• More than 700 employees have a total of more than 16,000 security role assignments.
• Sourcing events, grants, contracts, projects and purchase orders are entered on most days.

SWIFT has had its growing pains, according to Bill Roen, TranSWIFT project director.

“Employees and vendors have been forced to learn new ways of accessing information and have faced challenges in using the system,” Roen said.

Many of the system’s quirks and errors have been identified and documented by MnDOT employees.

“Our employees have led the effort to identify needs in the system and inconsistencies in data,” Roen said. “They’ve helped not only MnDOT, but other state agencies and vendors, too.”

Roen said the implementation of SWIFT is still ongoing. Much of the procurement functionality was deferred until Fiscal Year 2013 and most of that functionality will be implemented over four months, starting in September. Employees will expand their use of SWIFT in the areas of Catalog Management, eProcurement, Pcards, Supplier Contracts and Strategic Sourcing.

By Qin Tang

The June/July 2012 edition of New Library Materials is now available at www.dot.state.mn.us/library/newlibmat.html.

Check out this issue or stop by the library to learn more about the awards it has received as the result of the remodeling and the “moving knowledge” campaign in 2010, including the American Library Association’s 2012 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award.

Archived editions of New Library Materials are available at www.dot.state.mn.us/library/recacq-archive.html.

New Library Materials is a compilation of new titles and other resources added to the library collection during the previous month. If you would like to be added to the distribution list, please contact Pam Gonzalez at 651-366-3749.

For other information requests, contact the library at 651-366-3791 or email library.dot@state.mn.us. Employees also can send requests via the “Ask a Librarian” webpage at www.dot.state.mn.us/library/asklibrarian.html.

By Mary McFarland Brooks

The Office of Civil Rights recently received the Excellence in Program Administration award from the Federal Highway Administration for its efforts in establishing the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Workforce Collaborative program. The award recognizes MnDOT’s Collaborative model and its success in improving and strengthening the state’s external civil rights program.

The department created the DBE and Workforce Collaborative in 2008 as a way to encourage dialogue between various stakeholders in the construction industry.

“The collaborative acts as a change agent to improve diversity in roadway projects, both from a workforce and small businesses perspective,” said Commissioner Tom Sorel. “The collaborative mission is to ensure that participation in the transportation industry reflects the demographics of Minnesota and the communities we serve.”

In 2009, the collaborative was assigned a full-time project manager position, which is currently filled by Abe Hassan.

“Working together in the collaborative to identify stakeholder needs and together looking for sustainable solutions has forged mutually beneficial relationships,” Hassan said.

Membership in the collaborative includes several representatives from the construction industry:

• Contractors
• Union and non-union workforce and contractors
• Employment and business advocates
• Job training providers
• Disadvantaged business contractors
• Communities of color
• Women in the building trades 
• The Federal Highway Administration
• Workforce developers and community training programs
• Veterans
• MnDOT employees

For more information on the collaborative, visit www.dot.state.mn.us/civilrights/collaborative.html.