This beehive barbecue pit in Graeser Park in Robbinsdale is one of the few original structures remaining from wayside rests along historic Hwy 100. It was built during the 1930s by stonemason John Schulte of Minneapolis. Each stone was cut by hand from a wooden pattern. The design and high quality of craftsmanship of the stove is one reason Hwy 100 is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Photo by Craig Wilkins

A documentary recalling the creation during the 1930s of Hwy 100 and its famous "Lilac Way" will premiere Sept. 11 at the Minnesota History Center, and will air on public television Sept. 26.

Mn/DOT partnered with Twin Cities Public Television to make the documentary, which will help preserve a piece of Minnesota transportation history, according to Donna Lindberg, Communications and Public Relations.

Reconstruction of 5.3 miles of Hwy 100 from Golden Valley to Brooklyn Center has required the removal of wayside rest structures built during the Depression. Federal and state historical preservation guidelines require that Mn/DOT mitigate the removal of historic artifacts by recording their history. Traditionally this has been done in report format, Lindberg said.

"The film is a way of meeting the requirements and involving and educating the people in the communities affected by the project," Lindberg said.

The documentary features individuals who worked on the project and highlights the thousands of lilac bushes and five wayside rests that once lined the historic highway. Retired Mn/DOT Administrative Services director Lee Nelson is interviewed in the documentary.

Rustic picnic areas, cloverleaf intersections—and 7,900 lilacs

Lilac Way, designed in the 1930s to route traffic around Minneapolis, was an early prototype for today’s beltline highway, according to Barbara Averill, media relations manager for the Minnesota History Center.

In addition, she said, Lilac Way was the largest Works Progress Administration project in the state. (The WPA was created by the Roosevelt Administration during the Depression to provide work for unemployed Americans.)

Averill said Lilac Way was innovative in several ways: it included cloverleaf intersections and wayside rests where drivers could stop and enjoy a picnic, a novel idea in the 1930s.

"The roadside stops included stone tables and benches, walkways and barbecues," said Jackie Sluss, historian for Mn/DOT’s Cultural Resource Unit. "The highway and the wayside rests were found to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places because Hwy 100 was the earliest modern freeway-style roadway in Minnesota and represents the best efforts of the work-for-relief programs to build infrastructure and public amenities throughout the state.

"The project illustrates how the Minnesota Highway Department partnered with innovative federal programs to bring hundreds of local laborers and craftsmen together to build an important piece of infrastructure," Sluss said.

Some picnic artifacts and shrubs saved

Before $100 million worth of improvements began this summer, crews removed 200 lilac bushes and dismantled part of the three remaining rest areas. The beehive barbecue at Graeser Park in Robbinsdale still remains. Sluss said Mn/DOT hopes to relocate tables, benches, barbecues and other structures to other wayside rests around the state where they fit into similar sites built by Mn/DOT during the Depression.

"Saving the remaining stone fixtures and replanting the shrubs may seem unusual for Mn/DOT," Sluss said, "but it’s part of a project to mitigate the loss of this important cultural resource under the National Historic Preservation Act. The act requires avoidance of or compensation for the loss of important cultural or historic artifacts that are impacted by federally funded projects. Reusing the structures and making a documentary about Hwy 100 accomplishes that."

Schedule

The premiere screening of the documentary will be at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul on Sept. 11 at 7:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served at 7:45 p.m. The screening is free. The documentary is scheduled to air on Twin Cities Public Television on Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m.

See also the recent Mn/DOT Newsline article and news release on Lilac Way.

By Pat Lund

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District 8 Design and Traffic Supervisor Al Rice, right, explains a future construction project to Jerry Barvels from Northern Natural Gas Company. Photo by Sandy East

In the board game of Monopoly, utilities are very important: getting around the game board costs much less if you own them. Utilities are also quite important to Mn/DOT road construction projects for similar reasons: if utility lines are in the construction area’s right of way, it could result in project delays or in additional costs to Mn/DOT.

On Aug. 22, District 8 took a significant step towards preventing such problems: it gathered utility company representatives together in Granite Falls for a preview of construction projects planned for the next five years. This meeting was the first such briefing held by a Mn/DOT district since a study recommended this approach in a February 2000 report.

Participants included 25 representatives from utilities, cities and counties in the area and construction consultants, as well as a representative from Schwan’s, a dairy and frozen foods manufacturer in Marshall. Before the meeting, the district mailed five-year construction program maps and project descriptions to 170 utilities, cities, counties and consultants.

Marilyn Remer, Mn/DOT utility agreements engineer, reviewed the agreements process and highlighted some key issues, followed by Keith Voss, Willmar program and project development engineer, who presented an overview of the five-year program.

Other Mn/DOT participants included all District 8 project managers as well as Stan Haugen from Mn/DOT’s utility agreements unit. The managers met individually with attendees after the main meeting, which received high marks according to Adam Ahrndt, District 8 graduate engineer.

"(Participants) said it was a great idea, and they’d like to see more of this," Ahrndt said, adding, "One of our most frequent comments—from both those who couldn’t attend as well as from people who did—was to hold the meetings other than during construction season. The mailing itself was helpful, though; it gave contact persons for each project."

Prior knowledge of Mn/DOT’s road construction plans has special importance to utility companies, according to Remer.

"Sometimes the utility companies need to move lines out of the way ahead of construction time, or do repairs or put more lines in the ground since we’re in there anyway," Remer said. "This kind of advance notice ensures that the utilities have more than adequate notice to plan and respond effectively."

Delays can result if utilities have not prepared relocation plans, Remer added. "We issue notices and orders to utilities that need to relocate," she said. "They need to provide a relocation plan and schedule within 30 days. If they don’t respond in that time, it can delay the project."

Remer said she hopes to hold similar meetings with Metro Division and all of the other districts by next summer. The next meeting will take place Sept. 13 in Bemidji when District 2 presents its five-year program to interested local utilities.

Remer said that the utility agreements unit has posted the utility coordination and plan content technical memorandum, contact information, utility permit forms and other valuable information on Mn/DOT’s Web site. She also plans to give a presentation about these meetings to the design engineers at their next statewide meeting Oct. 2-3.

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The Moving Minnesota banner beckons fairgoers to Mn/DOT’s exhibit at the State Fair this year. Photo by Kim Lanahan-Lahti

Twelve days of the state fair netted more than 84,000 visitors to the Mn/DOT exhibit. Kids, and some adults, were attracted to the snowplow but stayed for the department’s Moving Minnesota message.

Numerous folks listed their favorite transportation sites in the state and an average of 40 fairgoers each day completed question and comment cards with topics ranging from bike trails to light rail.

Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg will thank visitors for their feedback in a letter. Comments and questions will then be forwarded to the appropriate person to answer.

Two hundred and twenty-one volunteers and 24 lead workers staffed the exhibit, greeted visitors, explained the snowplow, staffed the kids’ tent and provided information.

"It’s a good idea to meet the people who use our services," said Sue Mulvihill, Metro Division maintenance engineer and an exhibit volunteer. Mulvihill says she likes to spend time with fairgoers to explain what Mn/DOT does and answer any questions that they may have.

Sporting the department’s blue Moving Minnesota T-shirt, Marshall Christensen, Detroit Lakes, talks with fairgoers at Mn/DOT’s exhibit. Behind them are two panels full of magnetic "transportation poetry." Photo by Kent Barnard

Stephen Frisco, District 2 materials specialist, volunteered for a second year. "I enjoy seeing the kids' eyes light up when they see the snowplow," Frisco said. "Then I feel good when they realize how Mn/DOT helps them get around."

A cadre of Mn/DOT workers installed fencing, brought in fair equipment and placed plants and trees to create an inviting environment. Fifteen fall gold ash trees, 75 bridal wreath spirea and 50 Donald Wyman lilacs from the exhibit will be planted along the I-35E parkway in St. Paul aftear the fair, according to Sue Ramseth, intermittent supervisor, Mendota Heights Truck Station.

Employees who missed the fair this year will have one last opportunity to view Mn/DOT’s exhibit panels: they will be on display at the Transportation Building through the morning of Sept. 14. Corn dogs are not included.

By Sue Stein, State Fair exhibit coordinator

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The Working Family Resource Center, a business/education partnership with the St. Paul Public Schools, will recognize Mn/DOT at an awards ceremony Sept. 25 for conducting classes on work-life issues for employees.

The center will honor Mn/DOT along with other public and private sector employers for their support of the classes which teach working parents and caregivers skills to help balance demands from the workplace and families along with their own self-care and enrichment.

Steve Zvonar, Mn/DOT’s wellness coordinator, will accept the award for the department.

The downtown St. Paul center’s fall class schedule begins Sept. 26. Fall classes include "From Palm Pilot to Pacifier" for new parents; self-care for children who are home alone after school; "Affluenza, the Mall Virus," which focuses on children’s preoccupation with status, wealth and possessions; and "Has Your Club Sandwich turned into a Grilled Cheese?" for employees who face burnout from caring for children and older family members.

Most classes cost $6.

For more information, call 651/296-5330 or check out the Working Family Resource Center Web site.

By Craig Wilkins

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Information about the marriages, births, retirements, funerals and other milestones of your Mn/DOT co-workers is available online by clicking on "Employee Info" on the left hand navigation bar of Mn/DOT Newsline.

Also included in Mn/DOT Employeeline are listings of events of interest to Mn/DOT employees.

Readers outside of Mn/DOT will not be able to access Mn/DOT Employeeline, which is located on the department’s internal Web site.

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