Flooding causes closures of more than a dozen roads

Widespread heavy rain pelted several regions of Minnesota June 19-20, dropping 9 inches in the Duluth area alone and causing major flooding and washed out roads, while restricting air travel in and around Duluth as of Wednesday afternoon.

The Minnesota State Patrol and MnDOT District 1/Duluth crews closed more than a dozen roads at different locations in the district, including Interstate 35 in Duluth and between Carlton and Mahtowa, as well as portions of Hwy 2, Hwy 23, Hwy 33, Hwy 53, Hwy 61, Hwy 65, Hwy73, Hwy 200 and Hwy 210. Motorists were being advised on Wednesday not to travel in the area until conditions improve and MnDOT crews could make progress in recovering the roadways.

The flooding also caused the partial evacuation in the town of Thomson and in the Fond du Lac neighborhood of Duluth, as well as the closure of three state parks.

The governor declared a state of emergency in several counties in northeastern Minnesota as well as Dakota County in the southern Twin Cities Metro area and Rice and Goodhue counties in District 6/Rochester.

MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel and Public Safety Commissioner Mona Dohman were scheduled to accompany the governor to Duluth on Thursday, June 21. They will meet with city officials as well as with Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Chip Cravaack to determine how best to assist the community.  

For more photos and coverage of the floods in and around Duluth, visit MnDOT's Facebook page. For updated road information, call 511 or visit www.511mn.org.

By Libby Schultz

Construction of the Hwy 53 safety and preservation project near Cotton is in full swing and right on schedule to be completed in late August.

The project includes construction of a reduced conflict intersection, which improves safety by eliminating some of the most dangerous movements on four-lane divided highways—crossing four lanes of high-speed traffic and turning left across oncoming traffic.

The Hwy 53 project is one of a select few that include a reduced conflict intersection, and is the “first pre-cast deck panel project in Minnesota,” according to Andy Johnson, District 1 project manager. “Hopefully, the pre-cast deck panels will reduce the amount of time spent on bridge construction.”

The reduced conflict intersection in Cotton is designed to reduce the chance of a crash. When compared to a typical four-lane intersection, which has 42 conflict points, a reduced conflict intersection only has 24 conflict points. 

“District 1 residents believe the reduced conflict intersection will reduce crashes here,” Johnson said.

In addition to the reduced conflict intersection, the $34.5 million project will replace the Paleface River Bridge and resurface four miles of pavement on northbound Hwy 53.

Upon completion in late August, the project will improve pedestrian accessibility and safety throughout the area.

For more information about the Hwy 53 project in Cotton, visit www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/projects/Hwy53paleface/index.html.

Employees are invited to attend the latest Commissioner’s Reading Corner discussion Wednesday, July 11, at 1:30 p.m., in the MnDOT Library at Central Office.

Serge Phillips, Federal Relations manager, will lead a discussion of “Too Big to Know: Rethinking Knowledge Now That the Facts Aren't the Facts, Experts Are Everywhere, and the Smartest Person in the Room Is the Room,” by David Weinberger.

Employees also can participate virtually via Adobe Connect and should log in as a guest no earlier than 1:15 p.m. All employees are encouraged to attend, even if they have not yet read the book, according to Qin Tang, MnDOT librarian.

This will be the seventh CRC event of the 2012 season.

For more information on the Commissioner’s Reading Corner, visit ihub/readingcorner. Employees with questions can contact Qin Tang at 651-366-3784.

An interview featuring Phillips’ reaction to the latest book will be available soon at ihub.dot.state.mn.us/readingcorner/interviews.html.

By Jessica Wiens

Employees across the state may take part in a new effort called Employee Resource Groups.

ERGs often consist of traditionally underrepresented people and their allies who meet to support each other and MnDOT. An ally is someone who supports a group other than one’s own—in terms of racial identity, sexual orientation and gender—and works toward respectful, equitable relationships in the workplace.

“ERGs are not a new concept, but they are new to MnDOT,” said Sue Mulvihill, Diversity Council chair and division director for Employee and Corporate Services.

They may form based on position at MnDOT, veteran status, sexual orientation, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religion, creed, age, gender and other areas. They may not form based on common interests or activities, politics or other belief systems that do not align with MnDOT's strategic vision.

“The great thing about ERGs is that anyone can join if they support the group’s mission and goals,” said Nelrae Succio, District 6 engineer and champion for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer ERG, known as Queers and Allies. “Providing this opportunity to employees is proven in both the public and private sectors to engage employees in their workplace and increase productivity.” 

Each ERG must develop a work plan that includes purpose, goals, strategies and activities that align with MnDOT’s strategic vision. The Affirmative Action Office approves each ERG’s work plan before the group may officially form.

Another existing ERG called FUEL–Fully Utilizing Employees without Labeling–provides education for employees with and without disabilities that fosters mutual understanding.

“We all face a certain level of discomfort in relating to people with differing abilities,” said Meredith Biddle, Affirmative Action Office and FUEL chair. “The group works to create an authentic and comfortable environment where open dialogue about disability issues occurs regularly.”  

The African American ERG also is in the process of officially forming.

ERG members spend about two hours per month during work time on ERG efforts, with supervisor approval. All ERGs are statewide groups.

ERGs are part of MnDOT’s larger goal and commitment to be an inclusive workplace. They also can assist with professional development, recruitment, retention and partnering with community groups and organizations.

Women’s Transportation Seminar Minnesota is hosting a brown bag event July 10 aimed at helping employees build their networking skills. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. in Conference Room C at the MnDOT Water’s Edge Building in Roseville.

A marketing representative from SRF Consulting Group Inc. will be on hand to facilitate a network-building exercise to help employees sharpen their skills.

By Qin Tang

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

The edition features information about the MnDOT Library’s new part-time librarian Marilee Tuite, who also works part time at the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies.

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. Employees who would like to be added to the distribution list should 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 Libby Schultz

Minnesota has 54 Class 1 safety rest areas, and even more small rest areas and waysides near scenic overlooks/historical markers. Rob Williams, MnDOT’s safety rest area program manager, collaboratively manages all of them with Central Office and district staff.

“The benefits of safety rest areas are much broader than highway safety,” Williams said. “Safety rest areas support freight movements, promote state and regional tourism and they serve as Minnesota’s and MnDOT’s ambassador to visitors.”

Williams has been with the department for more than 13 years, spending the past eight in his current role as safety rest area program manager.

How is your job rewarding?

My job allows me the opportunity to work with a diverse, dedicated and talented group of people to accomplish day-to-day tasks and long-range planning work. I continue to be amazed at the quality of folks I get to work with in the districts and in Central Office.

Has anything particularly interesting or strange happened at a rest stop?

In the summer of 2009, BlueCross BlueShield hosted an event at a couple rest areas over the Labor Day weekend. The event was part of the unique Do campaign. It involved setting up electronic dance machines at two rest areas. Stopping motorists were encouraged to get their “groove on” and dance to promote health and exercise, and also to ward off driver fatigue. The event was a success and I was happy we supported it.

Have you been to every rest area in the state? Which is your favorite?

I have been to all 54 of our Class 1 safety rest areas, travel information centers and welcome center partnerships. Our Class 1 facilities are what most people consider rest areas, but we have smaller rest areas with more primitive vault toilet restrooms and even smaller waysides that do not offer restroom facilities. These are at scenic overlooks, historical markers or adjacent to rivers, lakes or state parks. I have been to many, but I haven’t managed to see all of the smaller facilities.

I have many favorites and they are my favorites for different reasons. To the dismay of many with whom I work, my favorite is the Straight River safety rest area on northbound I-35 south of Owatonna. Though the building is in poor condition, the architecture truly captures the era in which it was built. The building’s bold geometric shapes along with the “mod” painting and lettering on its exterior announce its mid-1970s origins.

What do you find most satisfying about designing a rest area?

The most rewarding part is the collaboration with project stakeholders. Though it can be demanding, it proves well worth it in the end. In many cases, we have external project partners that we involve in the design process. These have included representatives from cities, tribes, chambers and other state departments like the Minnesota State Patrol and Department of Natural Resources.

How do you decide where to build a new rest area?

We focus our investment recommendations for locations on the Safety Rest Area Service Network. The network includes interstate highways, Minnesota interregional corridors and a few popular summer travel routes with rest areas approximately 50 miles apart.

Over the past decade our focus has been mostly on preserving our current rest areas. In recent years, we have been exploring different spacing intervals, unique partnership opportunities and an electronic customer feedback system, as well as resurrecting the idea of a rest area sponsorship and advertising program.

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Recent employee profiles:

• On the job: Praveena Pidaparthi keeps up with passenger rail trends
• On the job: Kathy Vesely explains aviation planning
• On the job: ARMER radio system keeps Keith Holmstrom busy in 2012

Check out these recent updates to MnDOT’s websites and social media channels:

Video Services request form

Video Services web request form is now available on iHUB.

Employees can fill out a short web form and request to have video-related work done such as:

• Producing or recording an event or webcast
• Transferring VHS tapes to DVD
• Converting digital video files into a different format
• Editing an existing MnDOT video
• Capturing or copying a video

Employees also can request to check out a camera or other equipment from the Video Services team.
For more information, visit http://ihub/video-services/.

Mobile rest areas website

People traveling throughout the state can now find rest areas via their Smart Phone by visiting the new mobile-friendly rest areas website.

Travelers not sure if they want to stop at a particular rest area can preview the amenities, see whether it has accessible restrooms or a pet exercise area for their pooch, and even view pictures of the facilities.

To see the website, visit www.mndot.gov/restareas/.

St. Croix Crossing extradosed bridge video

The department recently created a video that explains some of the thinking behind the decision to use an extradosed bridge design for the St. Croix Crossing.

Jon Chiglo, St. Croix River Crossing project manager, explains both the engineering and aesthetics of this type of bridge. The video is available on MnDOT’s YouTube Video Channel.