A TV news crew filmed the final stage of moving the vintage Hwy 200 bridge over the Mississippi to allow construction of a new, wider structure. Photo by Maureen Talarico

Sometimes you just have to take the bull—or the bridge—by the horns and move it. That’s what Duluth/District 1 staff did when they moved the Hwy 200 bridge over the Mississippi River at Jacobson in Aitkin County in order to construct a new bridge at the original site.

The 75-year-old, 174-ton steel bridge will temporarily connect a bypass road until the new bridge opens sometime this fall or next spring. Crews took less than three hours to move the bridge by using steel rollers and cables pulled by winches.

Area residents—including one man who remembered the completion of the original bridge crossing in 1927—applauded when crews relocated it, according to Maureen Talarico, district public affairs coordinator. If District 1 had not relocated the old bridge, she added, area residents would need to take a 45-mile detour in order to cross the Mississippi River.

The relocated old bridge is only 19 feet wide and is difficult to maintain. The new bridge will be 40 feet wide and of modern design. Dave Mavec, Virginia Construction Office, serves as project manager.

By Craig Wilkins

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A State Patrol officer surveys a recent fatal crash at the intersection of Hwy 52 and Dakota County Road 46 near Coates. The crash prompted movement restrictions until stoplights have been installed. Photo courtesy of KSTP-TV

The news media were well represented on Aug. 13 at a news conference held in Coates, Minn., to announce new traffic restrictions for the intersection of Hwy 52 and Dakota County Road 46. This intersection has been the site of a series of crashes that resulted in two fatalities since the newly constructed roadway opened to the public in mid-June.

Motorists may no longer make left turns at this intersection and cannot cross the median. Stoplights will be installed to ensure greater safety. These changes resulted from a Mn/DOT partnership with Dakota County and the Department of Public Safety.

"I think this is an excellent example of how Mn/DOT and DPS working together can quickly react to protect the motoring public," said Kevin Smith, DPS communications director. "As partners on the roadway, Mn/DOT constructs and maintains the roads, while we enforce traffic laws to keep the motoring public safe."

Mn/DOT has identified a list of Twin Cities metro area intersections that are at risk, which includes this intersection. These at-risk intersections have high "crash costs," and collisions at these intersections cost more in injuries and property damage than other Twin Cities intersections.

The top rated at-risk intersection in the Metro area is at Hwy 169 and County Road 81 in Brooklyn Park. It is a signalized intersection with high volume traffic that results in many rear-end collisions. There have been 128 crashes at this intersection—86 with injuries between 1999 and 2001. Reconstruction of this interchange is scheduled to begin in 2006.

The other top five at-risk intersections on the list include Hwy 242 and Central Avenue in Blaine, which is ranked second. During the past two years there have been 31 injuries at that intersection, resulting in one death. The third-ranked intersection is Hwy 100 and Hennepin County Road 81 in Robbinsdale where Mn/DOT is currently constructing a new interchange.

The fourth highest at-risk intersection is also located in Blaine. It is at Central Avenue and Cloud Drive. Although there have been fewer crashes at this intersection than the other one in Blaine, there were six crashes with serious injuries. Currently there are no stoplights at that intersection. Mn/DOT is working with the city to get one installed.

The fifth highest at-risk intersection is in Brooklyn Park at Hwy 169 and 85th Avenue North. There have been 75 crashes at that intersection between 1999 and 2001, with approximately one-half of those resulting in injuries.

Statewide, the intersection with the greatest collision risk is at Hwy 15 and Hwy 23 in St. Cloud.

Deputy Commissioner Doug Weiszhaar noted that legislators could not agree on transportation choices or funding sources even though transportation was a top priority for the 2002 legislative session. He added that this dramatically affects Mn/DOT’s ability to deliver what the citizens of Minnesota have clearly expressed as a need.

"Funding is an issue which is of great importance to us," said Weiszhaar.

By Judy Jacobs

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U.S. Rep. James Oberstar receives a plaque honoring his advocacy for transportation in Minnesota and around the country. Photo by Maureen Talarico

Mn/DOT officials honored U.S. Rep. James Oberstar in Duluth on Monday, Aug. 19, for his efforts to enable the department to become a national leader in transportation.

Oberstar received a plaque from Mn/DOT that recognized his efforts, which include support for intelligent transportation system initiatives and for programs such as the recently launched "511" automated traveler information system. Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg presented the plaque at the Duluth/District 1 headquarters.

Oberstar, who represents Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District, has served in Congress since 1975. He is the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He has previously chaired several transportation-related subcommittees, including those on aviation, railroads and economic development.

He has earned widespread recognition for his advocacy for transportation, including groups representing bicyclists, aviation, the maritime industry, road and transportation builders as well as unions representing workers in transportation industries.

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Enhancing leadership skills and preparing department leaders to meet a variety of management challenges are the goals of Mn/DOT’s Leadership Academy, a new nine-month course that begins in September.

Program director Ron Bisek said that the Leadership Academy is linked to the department’s succession planning effort, which seeks to develop potential senior managers (e.g., office directors) to fill high-level leadership positions as vacancies occur.

"Leadership is an ‘A’ priority for development in the training plan approved by the Senior Management Team," he said.

The new Leadership Academy replaces the former Management Academy. Bisek said the change was made to reduce costs and to focus on developing leadership skills and exploring what leadership means at Mn/DOT. He added that it will initially be offered only to managers, although future sessions may include supervisors and other leaders in Mn/DOT.

"Developing leaders is critical to Mn/DOT’s work," said Doug Weiszhaar, deputy commissioner. "We’re facing the potential loss of a lot of talented, experienced leaders during the next few years because of retirements. We need to ensure that their successors are well-trained and able to cope with the challenges Mn/DOT will face in the years ahead."

The academy will open with a two-day session on Sept. 23-24 and then meet once a month through June 2003 (excluding December 2002). Academy trainers will use several learning techniques, including project teams that will work on actual Mn/DOT issues while they learn.

Class topics will include managing change, building relationships, leading employees, taking risks and being innovative.

Supervisors must nominate all candidates. Submit nomination forms to Marilyn Heroff, Human Resources, by Sept. 6. Attendance is limited to 30 participants per program offering. For more information, call Ron Bisek, Human Resources, at 651/296-1361.

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Several generations of aircraft ranging from the first passenger plane with a fully enclosed cabin to a modern ultralight plane will be on display at the State Fair exhibit co-sponsored by the Office of Aeronautics and the aviation industry.

One aircraft on display will be the 1927 Fairchild FC2-2W, which carried four passengers, could cruise slightly faster than 100 miles an hour, and could reach an altitude of 15,000 feet. The Golden Wings Museum in Anoka loaned this aircraft for display at the fair.

The exhibit will also include the "Trike" ultralight and an aircraft engine display, as well as special activities for youth. Representatives from Mn/DOT and the aviation industry will be on hand to greet visitors and discuss aviation.

"The State Fair is a great venue for us to expose many thousands of people to the excitement and pleasure of aviation," said Wayne Petersen, Office of Aeronautics. "It’s fun to watch kids and adults discover aviation and learn how important it is in our daily lives as well as to the economy and security of the nation."

Fairgoers can find the Aeronautics display about one block east of Mn/DOT’s main fair exhibit on Cooper Avenue near the Dairy Building.

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Human-powered transportation modes—walking and bicycling—will be the focus of attention at the annual Pro Bike/Pro Walk Conference in St. Paul next month.

Participants at the conference—scheduled for Sept. 3-7—will explore methods to make biking and walking safer and more feasible for people to commute and recreate.

The National Center for Biking and Walking sponsors the event, which brings experts in traffic, education, planning, engineering, safety and law enforcement together to examine ways to expand walking and biking options. These experts will review measures such as traffic calming, context-sensitive design, crosswalk improvements and safely mixing motorized and non-motorized traffic to improve the livability of America’s cities, towns and rural areas.

Darryl Anderson, state bicycle coordinator planner with the Sustainable Transportation Initiatives Unit, said the sponsor chose the Twin Cities in part because Minneapolis ranks first nationally in the percentage of people who commute by bike: 2.6 percent, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Minneapolis also earned the Bicycle-Friendly Community Award from the League of American Bicyclists in 2000.

Commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg will deliver the opening remarks on Sept. 4 during the morning keynote session. Anderson and other Mn/DOT staff are working with a Minnesota conference sponsor to help coordinate the event.

Two Mn/DOT staff members will lead presentations. They are: Carol Zoff, Environmental Services, who will lead a workshop on development of the Mississippi River Trail in Minnesota; and Mary Jackson, a research analyst with the Bikeways and Pedestrian Unit. Jackson will moderate a discussion by Twin Cities area biking advocates on their efforts to coordinate city, county, state and citizen organizations in order to fill in the gaps in the already extensively developed regional bikeway network.

Other agenda items of note include:

On Sept. 6 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul, a panel will review strategies for street design, law enforcement and funding to make streets more inviting for cycling and walking.

On Sept. 7 at the Landmark Center in St. Paul, experts in traffic calming, transit and cycling will lead a workshop exploring ways schools can encourage students to walk or bike to school as well as other methods to increase walking, biking and transit use.

Following the conference, two free workshops will explore ways for communities to encourage walking and biking.

For information about the conference or to register, visit the following Web site: http://www.bikewalk.org/Conference/schedule.htm

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