Testimony about future U.S. transportation policy that a national commission gathered during the past year is now available online.

Among the thousands of pages of transcripts are reports from Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota transportation leaders. The local group, composed of representatives from the public and private sectors, provided their testimony to the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission on April 18 at the University of Minnesota.

The Minnesota event was one in a series of field hearings the commission conducted to learn about regional issues and dynamics that affect the U.S. transportation system. Other hearings were held in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York City, Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C.

The commission will post a final report of its findings on its Web site by the end of the year.

• Information about the commission, www.transportationfortomorrow.org  
• Transcript of the April 18 hearing in Minnesota

By Kevin Gutknecht

Two years and more than 11,000 transponders later, the MnPASS 394 Express Lanes have quietly become one of Mn/DOT’s success stories.

The MnPASS lanes on Interstate 394 are high-occupancy toll lanes that are free to users of transit, car pools and motorcycles. Single-occupant vehicles also have the option to use the lanes, but pay a fee to do so. The HOT lanes, which were converted from existing high-occupancy vehicle lanes, opened for use on May 16, 2005.

MnPASS reached the 11,000 transponder mark in early June, according to Janelle Anderson, project manager for the express lane. Transponders are small radio transmitters that interact with overhead antennas in the corridor and are used to deduct a fee from the driver’s pre-paid account.

“The subscriptions have been coming in slowly, but steadily,” she said.

The lanes have been successful in other ways, as well, she said. In 2006, revenues exceeded the operating costs by about $144,000. Studies done by consultant Cambridge Systematics indicate that the HOT lanes are carrying more traffic than they did as HOV lanes, and the lanes have reduced congestion in the general lanes as well.

Research also indicated that motorists who use the MnPASS lane maintain the speed limit 95 percent of the time that they are in the lane. This includes car pools and transit.

“Our goals from the beginning have been to better use the capacity in the HOV lanes, ensure we continue to give advantages to transit and carpoolers, and prove that the technology works,” Anderson said. “We have met the mark on all three of those objectives.”

The MnPASS system has received a number of national and international awards for its design and all-electronic operation. In addition, it regularly receives visitors from across the country and around the world who are interested in replicating Mn/DOT’s technology innovation.

Expansion of the MnPASS system is being considered as well, Anderson said. Mn/DOT and other transportation partners in the Twin Cities area included a HOT proposal on I-35W south of Minneapolis in a recent application for an Urban Partnership Agreement grant from the federal government.

Back along I-394, the future for MnPASS is likely to be slow and steady growth, Anderson said.

“There is still plenty of capacity in the MnPASS lanes during much of the rush hours,” she said. “And there are still a great many potential users driving in the corridor.”

By Craig Wilkins

Rochester’s Bob Langanki is at it again.

This time the senior transportation generalist is working on a maintenance operations research project to evaluate using a rubber track system instead of tires on a skid steer.

Langanki provided leadership in other District 6 innovations as well. For example, he recently helped develop a high-speed, automated brine-making system used for snow and ice control.

A skid steer is a small, versatile machine (often known by the trade name Bobcat) used widely throughout the department.

The tracks offer improved traction and provide easier and safer access to slopes, ditches and other wet or muddy areas, Langanki said.

The current test will compare their the cost and performance with more costly, after-market tracks now used by the Owatonna Maintenance Area, said Dave Redig, Rochester maintenance superintendent.

Redig said the skid steer tracks at Rochester cost about two-thirds less than the others. The tests, he added, will also compare the performance of the rubber-track system with the steel-track system used by the district’s bridge maintenance crew.

The district is conducting the field test with the Maintenance Operations Research Section in St. Paul. MORE provides funding and guidance for the project.

So far, Langanki said, the tracks have performed extremely well.

“We can get into ditches more easily with the tracks and get closer than we could before to cut trees and brush and do other work more effectively,” Langanki said. The tracks also allow us to mow more safely on the steep slopes common in many areas of our district.”

The track system, he said, also increases the versatility—and value—of the skid steer.

“We can change from tires to tracks in about an hour, now that we’ve done it a few times,” he said.

Working on skid steer test prompted Langanki to ponder further options, such as a remote-controlled mower that would improve safety and efficiency on the steepest slopes and hillsides.

“Mowing by remote control would be a lot safer and help us get the mowing jobs done faster,” he said.

The Metro District named Pat Bursaw to direct its Program Management and Passenger Rail office.

She succeeds Tim Henkel, who was recently named director of Mn/DOT’s Planning, Modal and Data Management Division.

Her appointment began June 13.

Before accepting her new position, Bursaw served as the district’s planning director.

Her responsibilities now include highway planning and programming and managing the district’s passenger rail function. Rail-related responsibilities include construction of the North Star corridor and planning the light rail transit Central Corridor between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Bursaw’s transportation career began with the Wisconsin DOT as a planner. She joined Mn/DOT in 1979 as a senior planner to support the state’s first bicycle transportation system plan.

In 1986, while working in Environmental Services, Bursaw served as Mn/DOT’s liaison with the state Environmental Quality Board’s technical committee.

Bursaw joined the Metro District in 1993 as its planning program coordinator, managing federal planning funds and coordinating planning activities with the Metropolitan Council.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in American studies from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Bursaw is a St. Paul native and lives with her family in Cottage Grove.

She can be reached at the Waters Edge Building at 651/234-7783.

Ray Rought, former Office of Aeronautics director, was appointed as assistant director of the Planning, Modal and Data Management Division.

Gary Workman, formerly the Metro District’s director of traffic and maintenance operations, succeeds Rought at Aeronau

Both appointments are effective June 20.

Amr Jabr, Metro’s traffic engineer, will serve as the acting director of traffic and maintenance operations.

Rought’s office is in Room 439 of the Central Office, MS 120; his phone number is 651/366-4836.

Workman’s office is located in the Aeronautics Building, 222 E. Plato Boulevard, St. Paul Minn., MS 410. His phone number is 651/234-7210.

By Nick Carpenter

Chief pilot Tim Valento is living out a childhood dream every day he’s in the air flying state employees to various destinations around the region.

As a young boy, Valento’s fascination with flying began after watching the planes land and take off at the St. Paul downtown airport. He also recalls daydreaming about flying when planes would rumble over his school.

“In high school, planes would always fly overhead,” Valento said. “I would always say to myself, ‘Someday I would like to do that.’”

Valento’s first pilot job was in Los Angeles, Calif. After years of various pilot jobs, he landed at Mn/DOT in March 1980. Valento worked as a pilot until 1992 when he was appointed Mn/DOT’s chief pilot.

Although the managerial duties of chief pilot (supervising three pilots and two support people) keep Valento from flying as much as he would like, he still manages to do what he loves a few days a week.

What do you like most about your job?

I like the variety. Every day is different from the next because we travel to different cities and meet different people.

The best part of my job is the great people who work for me. I don’t have to be here for stuff to get done because we have an excellent staff.

I also look forward to coming into work and flying the great equipment we have. Sure, there are tough days, but they’re primarily weather-related.

What’s your standard workday like?

On the days I have to fly, I’m up at 5 a.m. for a 7 a.m. flight. The first thing I do is go to my computer and check the weather. Then I’ll go over to the airport and pre-flight the plane.

During a pre-flight inspection we check the plane’s exterior, tires, propellers, fuel, oil and engines.

Then we check the weather again because we’re constantly checking the weather. After that, we wait for our passengers to arrive and we greet them.

From there we fly to our destination and call our dispatchers when we arrive. We are always trying to keep everybody informed about where we are.

Who are your passengers?

My typical passengers are Mn/DOT employees. We also fly the governor and employees from other agencies, but about 70 percent of our passengers are from Mn/DOT.

Do you ever fly employees out-of-state?

Yes, I’ve been in almost every state. We get down to Chicago, Madison, North and South Dakota —you know, mostly in the five-state area.

We do get out further sometimes. When President Reagan died, we flew the governor to Washington, D.C., for the funeral.

What is the most challenging part of being a pilot?

I think it’s learning the weather. That is a really important part of flying.

A lot of the time inexperienced pilots might be a little over-zealous and think they can get somewhere without considering the conditions.

We are constantly checking the weather. If we think there are weather concerns we let our passengers know.

Has the responsibility of transporting passengers ever made you nervous?

No, I never feel nervous. We are all professional pilots who have been here a long time. We know our limits and our mission, which is to get you there safely.

I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize my safety. I want to retire someday.

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 profiles:

• Rochester veteran Greg Husmann still excited about serving the public
• Julie Bottolfson puts safety into focus
• Brad Larsen: The art of politics and government

By Craig Wilkins

Living under a bridge isn’t easy, especially when intruders draw blood samples, attach identification bands to your legs, then give you a name.

Assisted by a Mankato District bridge crew, scientists climbed a 40-foot ladder to reach three falcon chicks nesting under the North Star Bridge in Mankato.

The scenario also is not uncommon for Mn/DOT bridge crews. The Metro District bridge crew, for example, has provided access to falcon nests under the Mendota Bridge that crosses the Minnesota River.

The falcons nesting under the North Star Bridge in Mankato were first observed in 2003 by Merrill Frydendall, a retired ornithologist from Minnesota State University-Mankato.

A team of experts visited the site in early June 2007. During that visit, researchers were lowered to the nest via a bridge Snooper, but the chicks were too young to disturb.

The research team returned on June 18, using a ladder to reach the chicks and carry them down to take blood samples and apply leg bands. The bands enable researchers to track the birds’ locations and their behavior.

The team included members from the Peregrine Project, the University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center, the Minnesota Zoo and Frydendall.

After testing and banding, the chicks were returned to their nest.  

As is the custom, the chicks received honorary names as well as their official, scientific labels.

Chick A20 was named for Frydendall. Chick A18 was named Larry in memory of the late Larry Filter, who was a preliminary design engineer at the Mankato District and an avid naturalist.

Chick A19 was named Coop to recognize the service provided by Larry Cooper, bridge superintendent, and other crew members.

Observers said the team decided to name chick A19 for Cooper because it’s the one that made the most noise during the banding process.