From Ada to Zumbrota, from the smallest (Kinbrae City, population 10) to the largest (Minneapolis, population 429,954), each Minnesota city along a MnDOT roadway has at least one sign with a population number that needs to be updated after a U.S. census.

MnDOT crews started changing more than 2,300 of these signs this spring, with work continuing into this summer. Depending on how old it is, a sign might get a new number plaque or be replaced entirely.

Updating numbers on these signs is a multi-step process involving several departments:

• District traffic offices get updated population numbers from the Minnesota State Demographic Center
• MnDOT staff members order new signs (or updated number plaques) from the State Sign Shop
• The State Sign Shop makes the new signs/plaques
• The sign shop sends them back out to district sign crews
• The sign crews do the actual sign changeover. The amount of time this takes can vary depending on crew workloads.

Population signs make up a small fraction of the 400,000 sign panels that MnDOT owns across the state. These aluminum signs are lighter and less prone to rust than their steel forbearers, and their coatings are specially designed to withstand years of ultraviolet light from the sun.

The average sign lasts about 15 years, said Josie Tayse, state sign engineer. Vehicle hits can also impact sign service life.

Even after it is taken down, though, a sign can live more than once. “If they have faded but the aluminum is still in good shape, we can strip off the sheeting — the film with letters and colors — and reuse a sign,” said Brad Lechtenberg, state striping coordinator and Sign Shop manager.

Cities can also choose to have their population number updated sooner than every 10 years if they are willing to pay for it. Some Minnesota cities do updates every five years. MnDOT requires an updated population number from an official source for this to happen.

These numbers are more than digits on a piece of metal. They sometimes tell part of the story of whatever city they are in.

“I know a lot of people are very proud of their city’s number, especially in the smaller cities,” Tayse said.

Lechtenberg agreed, adding that population signs are one of the most-requested signs from members of the public (after Hwy 61 sign requests from Bob Dylan fans everywhere).

“It’s hometown ownership,” he said.

After serving in various senior leadership roles for MnDOT over the last several years, Jean Wallace will be stepping into the role of interim deputy commissioner and chief engineer, starting June 22.

Most recently, Wallace assisted in leading the Modal Planning and Program Management Division, which is responsible for overseeing capital programming, asset management, statewide planning, research and the modal offices of MnDOT. She has held this position since August 2013, and she has been with MnDOT since November 2008. Prior to joining MnDOT, she worked with the Federal Highway Administration for more than 14 years in various roles including federal aid assignments in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Minnesota; construction assignments in Mississippi and the Yukon Territory of Canada and a special assignment in FHWA’s International Programs Office in Washington, D.C.

Wallace has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota and completed graduate studies in civil engineering with an emphasis in pavement design and materials, also at the University of Minnesota. She is a licensed civil engineer in Minnesota. She also has a master’s certificate in project management from the George Washington University and is a certified Project Management Professional from the Project Management Institute.

Wallace is native of Minnesota. She currently resides in Woodbury with her husband and daughter.

She will continue to provide leadership to the Modal Planning and Program Management Division, until a new director is identified to replace Assistant Commissioner Tim Henkel, who is retiring on July 5.

More than 500 Minnesotans took a ride on two pieces of Toward Zero Deaths’ interactive equipment at this year’s Twin Cities Auto Show in May: the seat belt convincer and the seat belt persuader. This was the first time that TZD stakeholders were given complimentary space at the nine-day auto show to talk with attendees about traffic safety topics and highlight reasons why seat-belt use is so important while traveling in a vehicle.

“The equipment puts the emphasis on buckling up every time you get into the vehicle, whether as the driver or as a passenger, and in every seating position, whether in the front seat or the back seat,” said Tara Helm, West Metro TZD regional coordinator. “Wearing a seat belt is the simplest action you can take to prevent injury or death when traveling on roadways.”

“A lot of parents with teens, who are close to getting their driver’s license, wanted them to experience the equipment,” said Helm. “Even though the convincer is set for an impact of 10 miles per hour, it definitely shows the importance of wearing a seat belt.”

Seat Belt Convincer

The seat belt convincer simulates a very low speed crash. Riders safely experience how their seat belt keeps them secure and in-place inside the vehicle.

“Many people are surprised by how intense the jolt of the ‘crash’ feels when traveling at that speed,” said Scot Edgeworth, East Metro TZD regional coordinator. “One rider thought the convincer was going sixty miles per hour. He was very surprised to learn how seat belts protect you even at 10 miles per hour.”

Some attendees at the car show shared with volunteers that they don’t always wear their seat belt. Some of the excuses included: “I’m just driving through town at low speeds,” “It’ll wrinkle my shirt,” “I’m not traveling very far’” or simply “I forget to put it on.”

Seat belt persuader

The seat belt persuader lets people experience how a seat belt protects them when going through a rollover crash. The equipment rotates a person around at one mile per hour, while wearing a harness. When riders briefly dangle upside-down, they can feel that the only thing keeping them in place is the seat belt.

“The equipment gets your attention and proves how effective it is to wear a seat belt,” said Helm.

After the demonstration, riders were asked about what they thought would happen if they didn’t have their seat belt on. One man admitted that if he didn’t have his seat belt on, while traveling on the interstate at higher speeds, he’d likely be ejected – resulting in never seeing his daughter again. He then told his partner that he needs to start wearing his seat belt every time he gets in their car.

The complementary booth was staffed by nearly 30 TZD volunteers from MnDOT Metro District, Office of Traffic Engineering, the Metro TZD Regional Steering Committee, Metro TZD county coalition members and the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety and Alcohol & Gambling Enforcement Division.

Both pieces of equipment are available for use at public events. To learn more about reserving the seat belt convincer or seat belt persuader to demonstrate how important it is to buckle up in a vehicle, contact Scot Edgeworth at scot.edgeworth@state.mn.us or Tara Helm at tara.helm@state.mn.us.

By Joseph Palmersheim

MnDOT employees can attend a June 23 webinar to learn more about a new manual about including wildlife collision concerns into DOT planning processes.

The manual stems from a five-year Pooled Fund Study project called “Wildlife Vehicle Collision Reduction and Habitat Connectivity.” The Nevada Department of Transportation led the effort. Ten state DOTs, the Federal Highway Administration and several branches of the Canadian government also participated.

The manual is one of the larger deliverable items from this study project, said Christopher E. Smith, wildlife ecologist. It’s an opportunity to incorporate wildlife-vehicle collision concerns into the planning process, and highlight several case studies where this has been done well.

Case studies include:

• The Wildlife Program of the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and wildlife protection on British Columbia highways
• The Montana DOT’s work with  citizens, agencies and tribal nations to reduce wildlife-vehicle conflicts
• The Colorado DOT and Colorado Parks and Wildlife developing a more comprehensive approach to assist in evaluating potential wildlife-highway mitigation projects
• The Vermont DOT’s staff training and seminars on habitat connectivity as an important consideration in the development of transportation projects

“This manual takes these experiences and makes a framework that other entities, like MnDOT, can use without starting from scratch,” Smith said. “It’s about getting people to think about these things earlier in our processes.”

Animals included in the report run the gamut from salamanders to grizzly bears. No matter the creature, wildlife-vehicle collisions are bad news for everyone involved.

“First, there’s the safety aspect,” Smith said. “Deer-vehicle collisions are common in Minnesota, and we’re one of the top ten states for that. Second, road mortality is one of the leading causes of population decline for some endangered species. Our agency’s vision calls for promoting transportation that maximizes the health of people, the environment, and our economy. Being good environmental stewards is important.”

The webinar meets at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 23. No registration is required. Here is the link for the webinar.