By Mary McFarland Brooks

Greater Minnesota transit facilities, local bridge replacement and MnDOT buildings in Little Falls and Willmar are among the $53.48 million in state transportation infrastructure improvements included in the governor’s $986 million state bonding request.

Gov. Mark Dayton released his bonding proposal Jan. 15.

“My proposals will put thousands of Minnesotans to work throughout our state,” said Dayton. “This bill gives priority to projects that are ready to go. Many of them have been delayed for years and are crucial to revitalizing and improving roads, and local infrastructure.” 
                                                                                               
The legislative session begins Feb. 25.

Infrastructure investments in the governor’s proposal include:

• $30 million to upgrade local bridges
  
  
• $10 million to improve local roads
  
  
• $1.13 million to upgrade transit facilities in Greater Minnesota
  
  
• $10 million to replace obsolete highway and railroad grade crossing safety gates and warning systems
  
  
• $2 million for the Safe Routes to School program
  
  
• $400,000 for port development assistance
  
  
• $4.37 million to enhance maintenance operations at the Willmar Headquarters  
  
  
• $3.58 million for the Little Falls truck station, which will include a brine-making facility  and enhancements (space, hoists, cranes, etc.) to accommodate equipment along with new training  and office space.

In addition to state transportation infrastructure improvements, the governor is also requesting bonds for the Metropolitan Council’s projects, including:

• $10 million for arterial bus rapid transit on Snelling Avenue and West 7th Street in St. Paul
  
  
• $7 million for I-35W bus rapid transit serving Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington and Burnsville Click here to see the complete list of the governor’s 2014 bonding proposals.
  

Click here to see the complete list of the governor’s 2014 bonding proposals.

By Rich Kemp

The statewide MnSAFE initiative to reduce state employee injuries recently received a governor’s Continuous Improvement Award.

“We are on track to meet the goal to reduce our workers compensation incident rate by 25 percent,” said Todd Haglin, safety director, who represented MnDOT at the recognition ceremony in December.

MnSAFE was developed three years ago to better understand the causes of workplace injuries, develop better safety practices and educate state employees. The goal is to reduce injuries by 25 percent by 2014. That means reducing the 2011 incident rate of 6.30 (i.e., 6.3 employees out of every 100 experienced an injury that resulted in a workers compensation claim) to 4.73 by the end of 2014. Results to date indicate that MnDOT is on track to meeting that goal with a first quarter FY14 incident rate of 3.72.

MnDOT already has seen a reduction in work comp claims, meeting it's 2012 and 2013 goals.

“Our success in achieving our MnSAFE goals demonstrates MnDOT’s continued focus on safety and the diligence and effort of our hard working staff,” said Tracy Hatch, deputy commissioner, chief operating officer and chief financial officer. “Workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility. It’s gratifying to work with staff that is so committed to our mission and to ensuring we are all doing this important work as safely as possible.”
 
MnDOT has implemented several programs to help reduce injuries. The MnSAFE goals for FY14 include:

• Getting input from work groups on what they may have done or ideas they would like to try to help reduce injuries, through site/field visits from leadership and by having work groups meet with local safety committees  
  
  
• Expanding/promoting wellness and exercise programs at MnDOT
  
  
• Preventing injuries caused by slips, trips and falls through housekeeping improvements and maintenance of walking surfaces

Haglin and Amy Kockelman, workers compensation manager, have met with all of the district leadership teams to go over the FY14 MnSAFE goals and objectives.

“We are implementing an Excellence in Safety Award program in the coming weeks,” said Haglin. “It will give district/office leadership the opportunity to recognize those who demonstrate exemplary safety performance.”

The program will formally recognize work teams or work locations that have achieved a high level of safety performance by incorporating safety into their daily mode of operation. The award will be based on the calendar year and the recipients will receive an Excellence in Safety banner.

“I’m really proud of our progress and look forward to meeting and exceeding our previous goals,” said Hatch.

• MnSAFE website

By Sue Roe

Editor's note: This is the second of two articles about MnDOT’s use of salt on roadways.

Using salt to melt snow and ice from slippery roads is an effective method MnDOT uses to achieve safe winter driving conditions. Rock salt, or sodium chloride, is the most efficient chemical to clear roads above 15 degrees, but when it mixes with melted snow and ice and runs off roadways, it can cause harm to soil, water, trees and vegetation, animals and fish.

"MnDOT is aware that materials placed on roadways can have an environmental impact," said Tara Carson, Office of Environmental Stewardship. "Our drivers use salt as carefully as possible to minimize environmental damage."
 
Carson’s office works closely with maintenance to understand the effects of salt and other de-icing chemicals.

“Our role is to help our crews understand the materials they use to ensure effective and efficient snow removal operations,” said Kathleen Schaefer, who provides training to snowplow drivers.

Best management practices routinely used often minimize the use of salt while achieving the same performance. One example is treating salt with a pre-wetting agent, such as salt brine or magnesium chloride, so it adheres to pavement, reducing the amount of salt bouncing off the roads and impacting the environment. Cost savings are also realized with pre-wetting because less salt is needed to get results.

Trucks are equipped with controls that adjust the application rates according to the truck’s speed and temperature sensors that help operators determine the correct amount of salt to apply. Equipment is also calibrated to ensure accurate and efficient application of granular and liquid materials.

Many trucks are also being outfitted with Maintenance Decision Support System technology which will provide operators with suggested application rates for the current and forecasted conditions. The technology also ensures appropriate applications of materials, which reduces costs and environmental impacts while still maintaining a high level of service.

Salt storage is another environmental concern that MnDOT handles proactively. Best management practices include storing salt piles under cover to prevent mixing with storm water runoff and sweeping up stray salt after deliveries and winter events. Every salt load delivered to the storage sites is tested to meet quality control standards regarding moisture content and impurities.

MnDOT is participating in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Twin Cities Metro Area Chloride Project, which studies the causes and effects of chloride contamination to surface waters and explores ways to address chloride impairments to water resources.

MnDOT is also participating in a Minnesota State University study on the performance of different salt alternatives. Several de-icing products are being field-tested with the goal of developing a temperature-based cost model for comparing the ice melt capacity of de-icing compounds. Maintenance supervisors can use the model to guide preseason purchasing and select the most effective product for a specific winter event.

Minnesota is the lead state in a 26-state Clear Roads pooled fund project that studies ways to improve winter maintenance practices and equipment in order to save agencies money, improve safety and increase efficiency. In addition, Clear Roads just released findings from research on the toxicity of different salt alternatives.

"There is no magic bullet on salt alternatives," said Tom Peters, research and training engineer who was technical liaison for the Minnesota State University study. “We strive for more effective and efficient use of all types of snow and ice treatments on our roadways as we operate under a higher expectation to balance our safety, environmental and budgetary priorities. Over the years we’ve done a better job of putting just what’s necessary on the roads.”

By Bob Filipczak, Social Media coordinator

A couple of weeks ago we posted some dramatic footage of a crash, caught by the cameras at the Regional Transportation Management Center, on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The vehicle went off the I-694 bridge over I-35E and landed in the holding pond. The driver came away from the crash with non-serious injuries, and if you’ve seen the video, it’s darn-near miraculous she did.

One of the gifts we get from social media is the ability to quantify how much exposure our message got. In this case, our message was essentially “be careful out there,” and the numbers are:

• Twitter = 24,000 people saw the post  and 45 people/organizations retweeted it
• YouTube= 272,000 people viewed the video
• Facebook= 887,296 people saw the post and 7,001 people shared the post with their friends. We added about 1,000 new followers in a week and 505 people liked the video while 366 people commented on it.

It was the most successful day that MnDOT has had on social media. We got twice as many shares on Facebook than our most popular post up to that point. On YouTube, in one week, so this one video more than doubled viewership of all our videos during the past four years.

Of course, it’s not just about the numbers. But as we build audience, and learn what works on social media, we are finding that social media gives us opportunities to take our messages, our stories, our accomplishments as an agency directly to the public. Then, they can help us spread the word.

By Shannon Fiecke, Research Services & Library

From his desk overlooking the State Capitol, Jim Byerly fields questions every day about Minnesota’s transportation system. How many passengers depart Minnesota airports each year? How many cars are registered in each Minnesota county? What was the past alignment of a highway? Or, as someone asked a couple years ago: What information is out there on smog-eating concrete?

“That’s pretty typical of when people come to us – what does the world know about this subject,” Byerly said.

Byerly is one of five librarians who collect, organize and manage a wide collection of current and historical reports, books and publications in the MnDOT library, which is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on the first-floor of the Transportation Building.

“We always get questions regarding infrastructure – bridges, roads and right of way,” said Byerly, who started here in 1994. “We may not have all the answers, but we can usually find a source that does.”

A scientist by training, who has always worked for specialty libraries, Byerly enjoys the challenge of finding answers to obscure questions.
 
Outside of work, he likes to explore the natural world. A North St. Paul resident, Byerly is an avid hiker and downhill skier and enjoys landscape photography while traveling the country, evidenced by the collection of photographs in his cubicle. 

“I never get tired of two places: Hawaii and Yellowstone National Park,” he said.

What services does the library provide and what are your responsibilities?
The library offers reference assistance, document delivery, interlibrary loan, journal routing and Wi-Fi. We also publish a monthly e-newsletter called New Library Materials, which highlights newly acquired resources. Because we have a small staff, I’m involved in all of these functions except journal routing, which is almost entirely handled by Pam Gonzalez. 

Most of my time is spent providing reference and research services to customers. Responding to reference requests can run the gamut from looking up facts in printed material - yes, we still use printed resources- or online, to performing an in-depth literature search in multiple databases. Sometimes customers are looking for data, which we may reformat in a more meaningful way. I also manage the library website and electronic resources, such as online journals and databases.

What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a new set of pages for the library website. I also have a couple of reference requests that I’m researching, one on Complete Streets and one related to bituminous pavements.

What’s the oddest request you’ve received?
We were asked for information on regulations related to the transportation of a deceased individual. I was also asked the other day about the Federal Communication Commission’s use of radio waves for mind control!

What might surprise people to know about librarians?
I have a master’s degree in library and information science. That’s right, I had to get a graduate degree to do this kind of work.

What do you like most about your job?
I’m always learning something new, whether it’s about a new subject or a new way of solving a transportation-related problem. MnDOT employees are always pushing the envelope to do things better, faster and cheaper. They’re just not willing to keep doing things the same old way. That gives us the challenge of identifying and finding the information MnDOT needs to continue to do it better.

How did you become a transportation research librarian?
I studied biology in college and worked in a laboratory. After being introduced to librarianship, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in library science. After graduating, I worked in special libraries at engineering companies and a medical device manufacturer. I think that my extensive education and knowledge in the sciences gives me an increased depth of knowledge that I rely on in my work at MnDOT.

What’s been your favorite project?  
Working on the many redesigns of the library website. We put up our first website in 1994. I taught myself HTML coding. It was very rudimentary, but it’s been constantly improved since that time.

Do you or a co-worker have an interesting job to share with readers? Click here to send us your ideas, and we’ll contact you for more information.

Recent employee profiles:

• Meet Dan Flatgard, GIS jack-of-all-trades
• Ken Rodgers helps employees with disability issues
• Jim Brandt has inside track on rail safety

By Rich Kemp

The New Year brings resolutions to work out more and lose weight. MnDOT has many resources to help you reach your goals.

You can start with the Wellness page on the iHUB website. This page has health and wellness information with tips to help you quit smoking and get better sleep.

MnSTEP, a stretching program, is one of MnDOT's tools for reducing workplace injuries across the agency. Whether working at your desk or in the field, your body can benefit from stretching and employees are encouraged to participate to the best of their ability.

You can work out in a gym or at a workout room in Central Office and some of the districts. Wellness committees organize fitness challenges and other activities to keep people active.

In District 8, the Wellness Committee is promoting an Inches Loss challenge during the first few months of 2014.

“We try to promote health and wellness,” said Gary Grahn, District 8/Willmar transportation materials supervisor and Wellness Committee member. “As part of the challenge, we sponsor activities during breaks.”

Mark Fiers volunteers as the fitness center coordinator at the Central Office. “I like the satisfaction of helping people stay fit in the workplace,” said Fiers.

“Around CO we help sponsor the State Capitol Bike/Walk and Health Fair event,” said Jarvis Keys, Greater Minnesota Rideshare coordinator and Wellness Committee member. “We have also promoted weight loss programs and Brown Bags on health and wellness.”

However, you don’t just have to go to the gym to burn calories. There are all kinds of different ways to get moving. Here are how many calories you burn doing different exercises:

• Light exercise = 4 calories/minute
  Walking – can walk during lunch or a break
  Gardening
  Golf
  
  
• Moderate exercise = 7 calories/minute
  Biking – many employees bike to work
  Swimming
  Downhill skiing
  
  
• Hard exercise = 10 calories/minute
  Weight-training
  Basketball
  Kick boxing

Being active doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be fun! Here are a few ways to exercise without… well… exercising:

• Go dancing
• Play with your kids
• Work in your garden
• Play golf

Outdoor recreation can help you follow through on your New Year’s resolution to be more active, even in Minnesota. With a little planning you can make it happen. If you enjoy the social aspect of working out with others, choose winter hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, skating, broom hockey, or biking - yes, even in the winter! Being active with others adds to the fun, serves as a support group and helps you stick to it.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has a winter activities guide on it's website to give you some ideas for winter activities and where to go. Your county website may also list winter actives in your local area.

“My goal is to forget the word exercise,” said Linda Feltes, Minnesota Management and Budget program manager- worksite wellness. “I love to go outside and play—walk, sled and ski. All of a sudden, winter gets shorter.”

The state of Minnesota also has employee health programs available for employees:

• Staywell - State employees have access to free Staywell health coaching programs to support your pursuit of a healthy vital life. Through the StayWell Online website, you can access tools, news and resources to help you along your journey towards good health. Learn about the latest findings in health and wellness and create a plan specific to your health needs and goals.
  
  
• LifeMatters – Employee assistance program that offers assistance with emotional well-being, relationships, financial, health, legal and workplace advice. Enter STMN1 into the sign-in box.

Sticking to a plan isn’t always easy; the trick is to be your own coach. Try some of these activities to help make your schedule more routine. You’re twice as likely to stick to it if it becomes a habit.

• Choose exercises you like
• Set realistic goals
• Schedule it
• Reward your progress

Good luck and remember to have fun while you’re getting your exercise.

MnDOT’s Utility Agreements and Permits website was recently updated in tandem with the revised MnDOT Utility Accommodation on Trunk Highway Right of Way Policy and MnDOT Utility Accommodation and Coordination Manual.

The new policy, which the Federal Highway Administration requires of all states to receive federal dollars, consists of both a policy document and a utility accommodation section, which lists the technical requirements, and is now incorporated in the Utility Accommodation and Coordination Manual. Key changes include a restructuring for greater ease of use of use, added definition of technical issues, and an emphasis on the close relationship between the accommodation guidance in the policy documents and the permit.

You can find the updated policy, manual and other resources to support successful utility accommodation, coordination and project delivery at www.mndot.gov/utility/.

New Library Materials is now available at www.dot.state.mn.us/library/newlibmat.html.

This issue highlights the MnDOT Library's Valuation/Return on Investment study findings that were recently published in an eight-page report. 

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, contact pamela.m.gonzalez@state.mn.us.

Previous editions of New Library Materials are archived and available at www.dot.state.mn.us/library/recacq-archive.html. For other information requests, contact the Library at 651-366-3791 or e-mail library.dot@state.mn.us, or send requests via the “Ask a Librarian” Web page at www.dot.state.mn.us/library/asklibrarian.html.