An estimated 35,000 people attended a memorial service Sept. 16 at the State Capitol to honor the people killed or missing in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. The Transportation Building is in the background. Photo by Gary Andrist

Tighter security in the aftermath of the terrorist bombings in New York and Washington, D.C., is leading to changes in the state’s transportation system. Mn/DOT representatives said new security measures are being implemented and will change the way Minnesotans do business and travel by air, water, rail and roadway.

Aviation
One big change—screening all passengers and baggage at smaller airports feeding the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport—was being implemented even before the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Perimeter fences at airports will be improved and patrolled with more care," according to Ray Rought, Aeronautics director. One question is how much extra security will cost and who will pay for it, he said. Right now, airlines are responsible for screening baggage and passengers.

The Office of Aeronautics has fielded media questions about aviation security at Minnesota’s 139 publicly owned airports across the state, said Dan McDowell, Aeronautics public affairs coordinator.

"The Federal Aviation Administration is responsible for security at the commercial air service airports in the state," he told several television and radio reporters last week. "Airports are fenced and gates locked in accordance with FAA requirements. Airlines are responsible for security personnel and security checkpoint equipment." The FAA is responsible for licensing and certification of all pilots. McDowell said there are about 17,000 licensed pilots in Minnesota.

In addition, McDowell said, there are 70 businesses that provide flight instruction classes in Minnesota. Pilot candidates must pass a written, oral and flight test to get a license. The state does not regulate or monitor the flight instruction businesses or businesses that rent airplanes. He said that although on-site airport businesses providing services to pilots and aircraft are not required to check pilots’ licenses, most do so. However, baggage is generally not checked.

Waterways
New security measures are being implemented on federal waterways as a direct result of the attacks, according to Dick Lambert, Ports and Waterways director. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has closed the locks and dams to visitors as a preventative measure. They have also increased verification of personnel for crew changes by requiring photo identification.

The Coast Guard is stepping up security of terminals handling hazardous materials. Guard members are also taking a closer look at foreign ships by increasing inspection of all overseas shipping vessels that arrive at American seaports and Great Lakes ports including those in Duluth.

Lambert said that so far waterway freight has not been affected by recent events. But, he added, "It’s too soon to tell whether new security policies will be required."

One young attendee listens to music at the Sept. 16 "Minnesota Remembers" memorial program. Photo by Gary Andrist

Light rail security
Mary McFarland, Mn/DOT communications liaison for the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit project, said that even before the terrorist attacks, plans were in place to strictly maintain security 24 hours a day during construction of LRT.

She said the LRT will stop at two airport stations—one near the Humphrey terminal and one near the Lindbergh terminal at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport. The Lindbergh Station will be underground, and tests have been done to assure that the rail tunnel can withstand potential explosions and prevent the collapses of overhead runways and parking ramps.

Bob Vockrodt, Mn/DOT planner for the Hiawatha Project Office, said Minnesota will provide surveillance 24 hours a day with two sets of monitors: one for operations and one for safety and security. This is similar to what is being done for the light rail transit system in St. Louis.

"This way," Vockrodt said, "we’ll have not one but two pairs of eyes surveying the same monitors. This will ensure double security. If one misses something, chances are the other will pick it up."

Ray Viall, Mn/DOT’s HPO construction safety oversight manager, has been developing security plans as part of the project Fire/Life Safety Committee. Working with him are representatives from Hennepin County, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the Minneapolis Airports Commission and area police and fire departments.

"We’ve had long discussions about the project and tunnel security during construction, for which the MAC police and the contractor will be responsible. After revenue start up, the public’s safety will be of the highest priority," Viall said. "Safety and security plans and status of operations will be reviewed and enhanced as conditions warrant." The 11.6-mile LRT line is scheduled to begin partial operation in late 2003 with full operation beginning by late 2004.

Kinder, gentler roadways?
As federal and state authorities continue to investigate and respond to the terrorist attacks, Minnesotans could see further changes in transportation. Mike Mauren of the Traffic Management Center said several commuters in the Twin Cities reported one welcome change during the current crisis. Travelers told Mauren that as Minnesota and the nation mourns, it appeared that, at least temporarily, fellow drivers were slowing down and driving with a little more courtesy and patience.

By Pat Lund and Sue Stein

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Editor’s note: This is one in a series of articles Mn/DOT Newsline is publishing looking back on the department’s first 25 years—remembering the people, issues and cultural forces that have shaped the agency and the milestones Mn/DOT has achieved.

The society in which Mn/DOT operates has undergone substantial change since the agency’s birth in 1976. Educational levels and career expectations rose.

From left to right: Will Dalman, Dave Pederson and Dan Busch at work in 1978 were part of a rather homogenous workforce.

Baby boomers and women entered the workforce in record numbers. Minority group members knocked on the doors as well.

Mn/DOT was born in this landscape, and from the very start, the faces in its workforce began to change in some areas. Some parts of the agency saw very little change; others saw overnight differences—including Mn/DOT’s top-staff.

Headline news
Newspaper headlines in 1976 and 1977 chronicled Mn/DOT’s changing management team, often rather bluntly. For example:

"Department puts its lobbying in woman’s hands: For the first time, the state Transportation Department, formerly known as the Department of Highways, will send a woman to do what was known as a man’s job on Capitol Hill. She is Ellen Temple, the department’s assistant commissioner for government and community relations." (St. Paul Dispatch, Dec. 10, 1976)

The next day, the Minneapolis Tribune reported that the appointment of Mn/DOT’s first official communications director had been blocked because equal employment opportunity guidelines had not been followed. A few weeks later, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Patricia McKinney, a black woman, had been hired for that job amid charges of "reverse bias."

From the very start, Mn/DOT had women and minorities in top management. Mn/DOT’s first black woman manager, Sherri Alston, was appointed assistant commissioner for Mn/DOT’s public transportation division in December, 1976.

The bottom line—how Mn/DOT’s faces changed
The ‘bottom line’ varies considerably from one part of the agency to another. Assessments also depend on what factors you look at: gender, race, ethnic background, age group, education, career skills, bargaining unit, or reasons for working here.

According to Rich Peterson, assistant director, Human Resources, "The total number of employees has remained relatively constant, but the mix has changed. We are trying to mirror the community we serve."

Expanding on this, Mike Garza, Equal Employment Opportunity/Contract Management director, said: "Change may not be apparent in some units, but take a 100-member cross section of Mn/DOT and you will see more women, more people of color, more generations, more career types—in all occupations and at all levels of the organization."

Mn/DOT’s workforce—the early years
Despite the headlines, the vast majority of Mn/DOT’s workforce was more homogenous. The Department of Employee Relations’ 1987 Biennial Work Force Report reported that Mn/DOT had 4,911 employees in 1976. Only 5 percent of these employees worked outside of construction, maintenance, engineering services, planning or design. Most were white, male and more than 25 years of age.

Mn/DOT’s total size has hovered around 5,200 employees—plus or minus a few hundred—ever since, but the career mix has indeed changed. Mn/DOT has hired more than 250 computer professionals, along with another 250 people in communications, graphic design, training, safety and wellness.

The mix of genders and races/ethnic groups has also changed over time. Mn/DOT has experienced a slow, steady increase in women employees (but not of women managers) since 1985. Minority employment doubled, but the number of employees with self-reported disabilities fluctuated and even went down.

What the numbers say
Compare these statistics from Mn/DOT Human Resources:

1985
5,160 employees. Men: 85.5 percent. Women: 14.7 percent. Minorities: 3.6 percent. People with disabilities: 8.9 percent.

1990
5,478 employees. Men: 84.8 percent. Women: 15.6 percent. Minorities: 4.1 percent. People with disabilities: 6.7 percent.

1995
5,127 employees. Men: 81.4 percent. Women: 18.7 percent. Minorities: 5.4 percent. People with disabilities: 5.9 percent.

2001
5,637 employees. Men: 77.9 percent. Women: 22.3 percent. Minorities: 7.3 percent. People with disabilities: 6.6 percent.

Many eyes go over data such as this, including staff from EEO/Contract Management and Human Resources, along with departmental and local diversity task forces and management teams.

The consensus opinion: when it comes to matching the diversity within the country, the state and each Mn/DOT district, the agency has made some progress but still needs to do more.

Gary Simon, Mn/DOT recruitment team leader, provided statistics that showed that Mn/DOT is still significantly behind both Minnesota’s percentages of minority and women workers, and even further behind the country’s as a whole.

"The percentages (of diversity employees) may differ from district to district, and from one bargaining unit to another," explained Garza. "But these statistics represent years of recruiting effort, with Mn/DOT trying to embrace change."

"When I first came here, they hadn’t hired anyone in 13 years, women didn’t work in the field, and there were no women maintenance workers. Now, in the engineering area, we’ve hired two more women, and there’s at least one woman in each maintenance area." – Roberta Dwyer, consultant program project manager, District 1

Where the changes occurred—and still need to change
Garza has compared district employment statistics with their population data from the 2000 census. This helps provide district-specific benchmarks, with each district drawing from the local workforce pool.

"We want the districts to match their communities," he said. "It was really an eye opener to visit the districts and see the efforts they are making to recruit a more diverse workforce. People are trying to do the right thing."

The EEO office also tracks employment statistics by bargaining unit and type of work. These numbers show where sometimes-innovative recruiting methods (such as the highway maintenance worker trainee programs) have made an impact, and where more still needs to be tried.

Retirements and transfers—the new wave
American workers are not staying as long at the same jobs as they did in the past. But Mn/DOT has another huge problem: its workforce is now reaching retirement age in record numbers.

"We’re seeing a lot of highly experienced talent eligible for retirement in the next few years," Peterson said. "Historically, employees would work five years longer after reaching retirement age. Now they’re working three years longer, then leaving. Experienced talent is going out the door sooner after they become eligible for retirement."

This has implications on employee roles and training, according to Theresa Johnson, assistant staffing manager, Human Resources. "Knowledge transfer has become critical," she said, citing Mn/DOT managers’ growing usage of both retirees and employees who are approaching retirement as mentors to pass on knowledge they’ve gained.

Hiring practices have also changed, Johnson commented. She cited an insight from Brenda Wrobel, District 8 administrative manager, who observed that "Historically, Mn/DOT has filled gaps with what they currently had as opposed to what they needed, now and into the future."

Recruiting the new faces of Mn/DOT
Not only is the workforce becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, it’s aging as well. DOER reports that "The Minnesota labor force will see significant increases in the older populations and slight declines in the younger generations entering the workforce." This makes it harder to attract new talent to replace retirees.

Another complicating factor, Simon said, is that fewer young people are looking at transportation careers.

"The groups that feed our applicant pool (schools, etc.) have shrunk," added Peterson. "We’ve found we have to tap into the high schools and even grade schools to nurture the talent that we need." This includes school outreach programs such as Seeds and TRAC.

Changing workforce, changing ways of work
Nonetheless, new generations are entering the workforce, bringing new supervisory needs as well. "For the first time, we’re seeing four generations in the workforce at the same time," Peterson said, "and it adds complexity to the way we manage people and the way we manage work."

"The needs of job candidates have changed significantly," he said, adding that "To be the ‘employer of choice,’ to attract and retain good employees, we’re now promoting work/life balance programs."

Peterson listed some of those "life balance issues" that have generated new initiatives: "telecommuting, flex schedules, family medical leave act, wellness and fitness issues. It all enhances our ability to attract and retain talent," he said.

"I’m happy to see changing attitudes towards office assistants and our work, with development of more career paths. I think it’s very important that we be thought of as a vital part of the team." - Darlene Lazer, executive assistant to the division director, Metro Division (photo by Kent Barnard)

Garza said he also believes that quality of life combined with distance learning and increased job opportunities could reverse the ‘brain drain’ that has historically drawn many of the young and the educated from Greater Minnesota to the urban areas.

"The ‘brain drain’ doesn’t want to leave Greater Minnesota," Garza said. "They’d like to stay where they are and get their education and jobs in the areas were they grew up."

With so much evolution taking place, what’s the bottom line?

"I think the message people need to hear," said Garza, "is that we’re doing things in every district to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. The message remains strong from upper management: we’re paying attention to the distribution of our workforce because it is good business—and it helps us to better serve our communities."

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Nelrae Succio will become the transportation assistant division director for Program Delivery, on Oct. 8.

Nelrae Succio has been appointed transportation assistant division director for Program Delivery, announced Jim Swanson, assistant commissioner, Program Delivery Group. She begins her new assignment Oct. 8.

In her new position, Succio will provide executive leadership and management direction to the seven greater Minnesota districts, focusing on the management of department, group and division programs and on the resources required to deliver them.

Succio has served as the transportation district engineer in Rochester since July 1998. Before moving to Rochester, she was the assistant district engineer in Willmar for field operations and construction. She also has served as manager of the Minnesota Road Research Program and worked in the Brainerd District in areas such as hydraulics, design and construction. She has worked for Mn/DOT since 1982.

A native of Chisholm, Succio holds degrees in music education from Concordia College-Moorhead, and civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She also earned a master's degree in management of technology from the University of Minnesota.

Succio will have offices in Room 428 of the Transportation Building in St. Paul and in the Rochester area. Her phone number will be 651/296-8047.

Michael Ginnaty has been appointed District 4’s assistant district engineer for planning and programming, announced Lee H. Berget, transportation district engineer in Detroit Lakes. His appointment took effect Sept. 12.

Ginnaty, a 1984 graduate of the University of Minnesota, began his Mn/DOT career in 1990. He has served as District 4 bridge engineer, design engineer and, most recently, as a project manager.

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The new state bike map for eastern Minnesota was illustrated by Paula Gustafson.

Autumn is in the air and fall colors are due to arrive soon to refresh and enchant weary souls. And, on this Thursday, Sept. 20—right on cue—Mn/DOT will unveil a tool for experiencing this refreshment up close and personal: the first new bike maps since 1990.

Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg will kick off the unveiling event at 12:30 p.m. at the Rice Street entrance (1st floor) of the Transportation Building. Michael Doyle, who chairs the State Bicycle Advisory Committee, will also speak briefly. Attendees can learn bicycling and bike maintenance tips from avid bicyclists from both Mn/DOT and from Erik’s Bike Shop, snack on fresh apples, and pick up bike maps.

This year, Mn/DOT has printed two bike maps: one for eastern Minnesota and another for western Minnesota. Both maps end at the outer perimeters of the Twin Cities metropolitan area and can be obtained from Mn/DOT’s Map and Manual Sales unit at 651/296-2216. The Twin Cities area maps are available from the Metropolitan Council Data Center in downtown St. Paul. To order by phone, call 651/602-1140.

A valuable new feature of the new maps is "functional information about the volume of traffic on the road, or whether the road is paved or has wide shoulders," according to Bob Works, transportation planning manager, Environmental Services.

Project manager Mark Fiers compiled the information for the maps, which features cover artwork by Mn/DOT artist Paula Gustafson.

"The maps are a beautiful invitation to people to get out on the road on a bike," Works said. "The maps are a really attractive tool to help people figure out where they can enter the biking world."

Front page illustration: cover art for the new state bike map for western Minnesota illustrated by Paula Gustafson.

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Visitors to Mn/DOT’s Moving Minnesota exhibit at the State Fair this year had ample opportunities to share their feedback about transportation in general and Mn/DOT projects in particular. Here’s a rundown on what we heard.

You have a voice at Mn/DOT!
Fairgoers were asked to voice their opinions or ask questions about transportation. Three hundred and thirteen visitors accepted our offer and filled out comment cards. Many were concerned about specific Mn/DOT projects. Others had strong opinions on light rail, commuter rail, transit, ramp meters and HOV lanes.

The 164 folks who requested a reply will be getting one. Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg sent an initial letter thanking visitors for their questions and comments; Mn/DOT staff will follow up with letters, phone calls or E-mails addressing particular questions or concerns. According to Shannon Beaudin Klein, Communications and Public Relations director, "This is a great opportunity for us to hear directly from our customers and to get the Moving Minnesota message out to them."

Favorite transportation spots
For the first time this year, we asked visitors to list their favorite transportation sites around the state. Categories included state highways, bridges, airports, bikeways, transit systems, railroad, walking trails and waterways.

Admittedly, this is anecdotal information and not a scientific survey. However, it does highlight some of the great transportation spots around the state. One hundred and seventy visitors listed their favorite spots—you may be surprised by some of the responses. Click here to view the results on the Web site.

Moving Minnesota "get-together"
Perhaps the fair’s biggest influence is the direct interaction with our customers. "Not only does coming to our exhibit benefit visitors, but our volunteers gain a sense of pride for what they do at Mn/DOT," says Daneeka Marshall-Oquendo, State Fair volunteer coordinator. Personal contact with the more than 84,000 visitors to the Mn/DOT exhibit means a better understanding of transportation issues, their effect on everyone and Mn/DOT’s role as a transportation leader, she said.

By Sue Stein

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