Tom Sorel will resign his post as MnDOT commissioner to become the President and CEO of AAA Minneapolis. Sorel, who has served as commissioner since April 2008, will leave MnDOT Nov. 30.

“Tom Sorel has served the state of Minnesota with excellence, and I thank him for his dedicated public service to the people of Minnesota,” said Gov. Mark Dayton. “Tom’s strong leadership, depth of knowledge, and decades of experience will serve him well in his new venture. I wish him well as he takes on this new role.”

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve the citizens of Minnesota as MnDOT Commissioner for the past four years,” said Sorel, who made his announcement Nov. 1. “MnDOT is a great organization supported by exemplary public servants, whom I will miss tremendously. My thanks go to Gov. Dayton, who reappointed me as commissioner, and the legislative transportation committees that confirmed me. As I move into the next phase of my life’s journey, I will always cherish my time serving as MnDOT commissioner.”

The governor appointed Deputy Commissioner/Chief Engineer Bernie Arseneau to serve as acting commissioner. Arseneau has served the agency for nearly 30 years in a variety of roles, including Policy, Safety & Strategic Initiatives Division director; Office of Traffic Safety and Operations director, as well as state traffic engineer, area maintenance engineer, and tort claims and traffic standards engineer.

The final lawsuit pending from the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge settled Nov. 13, more than five years after the 40-year-old bridge fell into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

Jacobs Engineering Group agreed in October to pay the state of Minnesota $8.9 million, thus ending all litigation related to the bridge collapse. MnDOT received the final payment this week. Monies from the settlement will go into the state general fund to recoup the cost of a compensation fund the Legislature established in 2008 for survivors and families of the 13 people who died in the Aug. 1, 2007 incident.

“The collapse of the I-35W bridge was a terrible tragedy for Minnesota,” said Commissioner Tom Sorel. “While we will never forget the loss it created, we are glad to see the litigation around the collapse come to an end.”

The state previously settled lawsuits with two contractors that had performed work on the bridge. In 2009 MnDOT settled for $1 million with PCI Contractors, which was doing work on the bridge at the time of the collapse. In 2010, the state settled for $5 million with the URS Corporation, which had done inspection work on the bridge. These funds also were deposited into the state general fund.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation determined that a flaw in the bridge's design was a primary cause of the collapse, compounded by heavy loads of materials and equipment on the bridge. Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates, Inc., was the original designer of the bridge. Jacobs Engineering later acquired Sverdrup’s successor company.    

By Jessica Wiens

MnDOT is seeking participants for a new planning rotation program that will send additional support to three district offices—District 3, District 7 and Metro. All MnDOT employees who want to gain exposure in district planning may apply.

Rotation positions will work under the district planning director for six months. Participants can choose from part-time or full-time rotations, with some accommodations for teleworking. Program organizers will select participants by the end of November, and rotations will begin in December or January.

“This first go-around is a starting point, and we expect to offer more opportunities in the future,” said Tim Henkel, Modal Planning & Program Management Division director and program champion. 
   
Participants’ home offices will cover half of their salary, and the visiting office will cover the other half. Program funds will pay for additional costs, including meals, lodging and travel.

“We want to provide our planners with a broad variety of planning experiences within the agency,” Henkel said. “Gaining a better understanding of how the agency functions will not only help each of them to do their job better but, in the long run, will lead to greater collaboration among our functional areas.”

Program experiences include interacting with local and regional partners, developing the four-year State Transportation Improvement Program and the 10-year Highway Investment Plan, participating in the project scoping process, working with Toward Zero Deaths and other safety initiatives, and being exposed to the Area Transportation Partnership process.

Contact Katie Caskey to receive an application or get more information.

Applications are due Wednesday, Nov. 21, to Mark Nelson and must include a resume, letter of recommendation and answers to two questions. Supervisor and office director approval is required.

By Libby Schultz

Nick Lindgren, District 1/Duluth transportation specialist, died suddenly Nov. 1, from cardiac arrest.

“Nick always brought energy and enthusiasm to his work at MnDOT. He was always willing to take on the difficult tasks, and he had a unique ability to make it enjoyable for everyone involved,” said Kevin Rohling, Lindgren’s supervisor.

Lindgren started at MnDOT in 1999 as a transportation generalist at Oakdale Construction Surveys. He transferred to Grand Rapids Construction as an inspector in 2000, where he also helped with design, and snow and ice events. In 2004, Lindgren was promoted to transportation generalist senior, and in 2010, became a chief inspector and lead designer.

Lindgren was in the United States Navy for four years and served in Desert Storm as a plane captain for the VF111 Sundowners. After serving in the Navy, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Bemidji State University.

“Nick was someone you would want on your team in any situation,” said Rohling.

Lindgren’s survivors include his wife, Karen; children, Kail and Makena; his mother, Marcie; brothers, Rick and Andy; sister, Linda; and many other relatives and friends.

Lindgren was an outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping.

“What is most memorable about Nick is his dedication to family and his ability to make you smile at any time,” said Rohling.

By Jessica Wiens

When winter weather hits, MnDOT plows are on the roads. But the process of getting new plows ready for use is a big task. Several employees at MnDOT’s Central Shop at Fort Snelling in St. Paul—including more than 10 heavy equipment mechanics—coordinate the effort for all districts across the state. MnDOT ordered 48 trucks in FY 2013 and 56 trucks in FY 2012.

The process begins in the spring and summer, when districts each decide what equipment to purchase with the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. On average, tandem—or double rear-axle—trucks cost $210,000 and single-axle trucks cost $170,000.
 
District shop supervisors/fleet managers then coordinate with Randy Cameron at Central Shop to order their trucks. In fact, Cameron goes through 11 pages of options for each truck to customize each cab and framework—known as the cab/chassis.

The local dealer works with a manufacturer, currently International, to build the cab and chassis in Texas. How quickly those get built greatly depends on the truck economy. According to Cameron, it could take anywhere from a few months to one to two years.

Cameron estimates that about 20,000 parts go into just the truck chassis.    

“Assembling one of these truck chassis is like a car assembly line, except it’s much slower,” said Bob Ellingsworth, fleet manager. “The manufacturer may only assemble one or two trucks a day.”

In addition, the manufacturer punches anywhere from 70-90 extra holes into the truck frame so that MnDOT can add extra components, including the front plow, wing plow and underbody plow.

While MnDOT waits for the chassis to come in, Central Shop coordinates other parts of the truck, including the first aid kits, hydraulic hoses and fire extinguishers. Additional parts to customize the plow come from a partnership with MINNCOR Industries, a business through the Department of Corrections that employs prisoners.
                                                                                                                                       
Before the entire order arrives, the manufacturer sends one or two pilot trucks for MnDOT to inspect and ensure everything is correct for the larger order. Inspectors usually find small changes and tweaks for the full order.

After the full order begins, the manufacturer sends trucks to the dealer in Minnesota, who does an inspection and then sends them to MnDOT’s Central Shop. This is when the trucks get customized to become snowplows.

Work for MnDOT is split into two phases. Phase 1 includes installing the basic electrical system and removing the fuel tank, battery box and seats before installing other hardware and rerouting air and fuel lines. All Phase 1 work takes about 60 hours of labor per truck. 

Then the truck goes back to a vendor, who installs the box, hoist and hydraulics system. That takes about 40-50 hours of labor per truck.

Phase 2 at MnDOT includes installing the sander, wing plow and MDSS system, finishing electrical work and adding lighting. This takes about 80 hours of labor per truck.

Once all of this is complete, districts send employees to pick up their truck. Heavy equipment mechanics in the districts also may do some work to further customize the truck for their district.

Steve Lund, state maintenance engineer, recognizes how difficult it can be for districts to wait more than a year for a truck.

“We are trying a few new methods to shorten the process and get more trucks to the districts faster,” Lund said.

By Libby Schultz

MnDOT received a Commuter Choice Award in the Organization category from Metro Transit and the region’s Transportation Management Organizations for its support of bicycle commuting this year.

“The public sees what MnDOT does to support and promote bicycling throughout the state,” said Tim Mitchell, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator.

Some of the initiatives this year include helping to expand Nice Ride into St. Paul. The expansion encourages MnDOT employees to bike to meetings at other state agencies. The Capitol Bike/Walk in May featured a short ride from MnDOT to nearby state agencies to demonstrate the best routes.

Another initiative is a MnDOT bike club in St. Paul. The club meets monthly to help strengthen the community of bicyclists in the office and serves as a resource to share ideas and encourage other bicyclists.

“So many people at MnDOT have done things to support bicycling, including top leadership,” said Mitchell. “It isn’t just one champion leading the way.”

To learn more about the Commuter Choice Awards, visit metrotransit.org/commuter-choice-awards.aspx.