By Craig Wilkins

The chair draped with a highway worker’s vest was set gently into place alongside 29 other chairs April 30 during the Mankato District’s observation of Workers Memorial Day.

The chairs honored Mn/DOT workers who died in the line of duty.

The last chair memorialized Darrell Blackwell, a District 7 transportation generalist who was killed last fall while mowing along Hwy 4 near Fairfax.

Blackwell’s death was the department’s 30th fatality since 1960.

Each chair held a hard hat and a placard denoting each employee and the date they died. Plemmons and other district staff spoke of Blackwell and other employees who died while working.

Participants also included members of Darrell Blackwell’s family.

Larry Holm, a transportation generalist at New Ulm and vice president of AFSCME Local 280, served as master of ceremonies.

“The death of a co-worker like Darrell really hits home,” he said. “It reminds us how lives can change in a split-second. I hope this event reminds motorists of the dangers we face and to drive carefully to respect the work we do and our safety.”

At Rochester/District 6, speakers included Nelrae Succio, transportation district engineer; State Patrol Capt. Randy Slinger; Russell Hess, regional AFL-CIO president,  and Terry Schmitt, a transportation generalist at Cannon Falls.

Schmitt was severely injured in 1998 when a semitrailer collided with his snowplow on Hwy 52 near Cannon Falls.

Schmitt made a remarkably fast recovery from brain, eye and other injuries. The crash, he said, heightened his already keen awareness about safety issues.

“Like the other speakers, I urge motorists to focus on driving safety in work zones, especially paying full attention to their driving.”

“We’ve had two crashes in our area recently attributed to drivers’ being distracted by changing CDs. People really need to pay attention to road and weather conditions and traffic as well,” he said.

A recorded message from Lt. Gov./ Commissioner Carol Molnau was heard throughout the department followed by a moment of silence on April 26.

Because this year’s official observance fell on a Saturday, it was celebrated on different days and in various settings.  

Baxter/St. Cloud District 3 held its commemoration at Camp Ripley during its annual employee meeting on April 26.

The Metro District marked its observance on Thursday evening at the Camden truck station in Minneapolis . Employees from Camden and the Cedar Avenue truck stations perform regular night maintenance work in the Twin Cities metro area.

The observance was held at night to emphasize the dangers work crews face during the darkness and to recognize Mn/DOT employees’ ability to adapt working hours and other procedures to serve highway system users most effectively.

The event included a video produced by Gary Andrist, a videographer with Human Resources.

The video examined the experiences of five Metro District employees who were hurt in work zone crashes and their effects on each worker’s lives and careers.

“The video very effectively told these employees’ stories, their thoughts and feelings and the lessons we all might learn from these incidents,” said Beverly Farraher, Metro District maintenance engineer.

Planning for the event inspired Mary Meinert, a freeway operations specialist at the Regional Transportation Management Center in Roseville, to write a poem about the observance.

“Through our freeways cameras,” she said, “I see how chaotic conditions can become. I wanted to show the affection and respect that I have for the people who are out every day working on the highway system.”

Meinert’s poem, “Workers Memorial Day,” reads, in part:

Camden bustling,
Mn/DOT gathered,
pins and lanyards
worn proudly.

An evening pause
in the madness.

A solemn poem,
vacant chairs,
Mn/DOT remembers 30.

The long-anticipated closure of Hwy 36 through North St. Paul began at 12:01 a.m. on May 1.

The highway will be closed until this fall—the first time a Twin Cities metro area highway has been closed long-term to undergo reconstruction. The average daily traffic count for the corridor is 40,000.

The $27.8 million project will rebuild Hwy 36 between White Bear Avenue and Century Ave (Hwy 120) in order to increase safety and improve access through Maplewood and North St. Paul.

Work on the project began in late March with building demolition, tree removal and other grading operations on the west end of the project.  

Among other improvements, the project will construct:

• A diamond interchange at Hwy 36 and McKnight Road (County Hwy 68)
• A bridge to carry traffic on Margaret Street over Hwy 36
• A pedestrian bridge over the highway to enhance safety for users of the Gateway Trail and eliminate some at-grade crossings on the trail.

Additional work in the corridor will eliminate six at-grade intersections, build auxiliary lanes, add a frontage road and construct a tunnel for the Gateway Trail bike route.

Additional information about the project is available at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/th36/.

Code Ready, a statewide public awareness campaign promoting personal emergency preparedness, launched May 2. The campaign comes in the wake of a number of man-made and natural disasters that have hit the United States in the past few years.

Sponsored by the departments of Health and Public Safety, the initiative includes a statewide advertising campaign that encourages individuals and families to develop emergency action plans to prepare for such potential events as a flu pandemic, flooding, tornadoes or terrorist attack.

One group the public awareness campaign targets is state employees.

“Many of the services we deliver are directly related to the well-being of Minnesota citizens and must continue during any emergency situation including a possible pandemic,” wrote Patricia Anderson, Department of Employee Relations commissioner, in a memo to state employees. “To fulfill these obligations, it is critical that state employees are individually prepared and able to report to work.”

Additionally, the state is developing a computer-based training program to provide state employees with the information and motivation to individually plan and prepare for emergencies. The training is expected to be available later in May.                                                   

For more information about Code Ready, visit www.codeready.org.

By Jay Krafthefer, Office of Land Management, and Dan Ross, Office of Decision Support

Finding right of way maps and data is now easier thanks to a new application Mn/DOT developed that uses a Web browser to access this information.        

The Right of Way Mapping and Monitoring service is a customized version of the interactive GIS BaseMap for transportation right of way maps. Although built primarily for internal use, this application tool also serves Mn/DOT’s business partners and the public.

“The evolution of a particular road with its many improvements and expansion often results in a collection of maps for a single route,” said Rick Morey, Land Management assistant director. “Sorting through tabular lists of map numbers was difficult and time-consuming, especially because the acquisition of many roads date to the early part of the 20th century. The spatial index improves access to this collection of maps and makes identifying the correct maps much easier and considerably more accurate.”

The Right of Way Mapping and Monitoring application enables the user to:

• Search for maps with interactive map zoom and pan tools
• Locate maps by city, county, ZIP code, Public Land Survey section, township and range, in addition to route number
• View right of way maps in their correct spatial reference along with other BaseMap layers, features and aerial photographs
• Highlight or enhance information through use of mark-up tools
• Download or print maps to the user’s site

Project initiation and support for this Web service came from the Office of Land Management. The Office of Decision Support developed the application and the Office of Transportation Data and Analysis provided statewide core BaseMap layers.

According to Morey, the Office of Land Management already is making plans to enhance the application capabilities and add other data layers, such as right of way plats and railroad right of way maps.

For more information:

• Right of Way Mapping and Monitoring service; look for the “Access to Right of Way Maps” link.

• Send general questions or comments to Jay Krafthefer, 651/366-3463 or jay.krafthefer@dot.state.mn.us

• Ongoing customer service and application support: 651/366-3454 or Lisrwmap@dot.state.mn.us

• New on the Web: interactive BaseMap for viewing spatial data (Mn/DOT Newsline, March 29, 2006 )  

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of articles featuring Mn/DOT employees on-the-job. Do you or a co-worker have an interesting job to share with readers? Use the “Submissions” button on the left navigation bar, or click here to send us your ideas, and we’ll contact you for more information.

By Teresa Callies, Metro District public affairs coordinator

Metro District’s Safety Services Supervisor Julie Bottolfson’s passion for photography, along with her career path, have allowed her to walk into places most people don’t get to go, such as accident scenes. Many of her Mn/DOT photos are used in safety training classes.

Bottolfson has been involved in safety issues in the Metro District since 1998. She leads the Metro Emergency Response Team, which involves staff members who have firefighter or emergency medical technician backgrounds. In addition, Bottolfson has worked with the Amery, Wisc., ambulance service since 1985 where she has done everything from driving the ambulance to sitting in the back with patients. In 2003, she received her paramedic license.

Prior to working for Mn/DOT, Bottolfson worked at Golden Valley Microwave Foods.

What kinds of activities do you do in a typical work day?

Nowadays when I get out to the truck stations and visit with our work crews, it’s a real treat. I spend most of the time in the office clarifying safety issues with employees and supervisors, working on policies, training and answering questions. Overall, my work day is rather boring until something extraordinary happens out on the highway.

Where does photography fit in the picture (so to speak)?

My interest in photography began when I was a child, but I really got hooked when I took a photography class in college.  

My background in safety has taught me to look for certain things in photography, such as how to use the photo to tell the story of how the accident happened. That means that oftentimes pictures should be taken from a distance. I also look at the photos from an investigative perspective, trying to determine the cause of the accident. You have to ask, ‘Why am I taking this photo?’ Determine the reason and decide—are you looking at this from a civil liability or criminal standpoint? Your viewpoint means you will focus on different things.

Is there a protocol for taking photos at an accident scene?

Photos are taken when a crash or serious injury involves a Mn/DOT employee, if there is anything “hazmat” related or if there are biohazards on highways.  

These days, Metro District safety administrators Doug Theis, Golden Valley, and Jim Weiler, Oakdale, do most of the photography. Because of their different experiences (Theis comes from an insurance background and Weiler from a corrections background), I’ve learned from them about what to look at from two different viewpoints—insurance and investigation.

Given your line of work, you occasionally must face some difficult situations.

The job of taking pictures of accident scenes isn’t easy. In fact, one incident that was very difficult to photograph was the Ed Stary accident (Stary was a Metro District transportation specialist senior who was killed on the job in a motor vehicle accident in June 2004). However, the crash photos have been used to educate about the importance of seatbelt use. Ed’s widow, Vicki Stary, has been phenomenal in her support of such safety education.  

After nine years of educating Mn/DOT employees about safety, what’s your sense of how are we doing?

I am impressed with Metro District’s emphasis on safety issues. In the private sector, I had to fight for safety initiatives, and justify everything. You’re fighting with production and quality assurance for dollars for training resources.

What have your experiences taught you?

Through my work with safety issues, I have really gained an appreciation of life. There isn’t anyone in emergency management who doesn’t know that life is short and you better be happy. You can’t sweat the small stuff.

Recent on-the-job profiles:

• The art of politics and government
• “Snooping” for trouble

By Donna Lindberg               

Mn/DOT and local business employees statewide are being challenged to try commuting to work using different methods during the week of May 14-18.

“Anyone who takes the bus, carpools with a friend, telecommutes, bikes or walks at least one time in May or June also could win prizes,” said Jarvis Keys, Mn/DOT’s Greater Minnesota Rideshare coordinator.

It’s all part of the Greater Minnesota Commuter Challenge “Try It” initiative that runs through June 22 in order to encourage people to discover alternative transportation options for getting around in their communities.                                                     

By making a pledge to try, at least once, a new way of commuting—such as walking, carpooling or biking—employees are eligible to win prizes that include gift certificates, travel coffee mugs and T-shirts. Entries must be received by June 22; winners will be notified by July 15.

Mankato/District 7 encourages employees to participate in the “Try It” challenge, according to Janice Klassen, District 7 transit project manager.

“We’re also promoting two senior expos in Mankato and Worthington where senior citizens can learn about local transit and other commuting services,” she said.

In Willmar/District 8, the district’s Wellness Team is promoting the event as a wellness initiative to all district employees.   

District 6 is working with the city of Rochester, local businesses and other organizations on a “Try It” event in downtown Rochester where participants can visit with local celebrities and enjoy free refreshments. Rochester commuters who take the challenge qualify for a drawing to win two round trip tickets on Amtrak to Grouse Mountain Lodge in Montana as well as other prizes donated by local businesses, including free bus rides.

Jean Meyer, District 6 transit project manager/planner, talked about the benefits of using alternative means of transportation.

“A 15-mile commute in an average car costs at least $60 per month in gas alone,” Meyer said. “Add in parking fees and car maintenance costs and you’re likely to be shelling out more than $200 each month just to get to work.”

Mn/DOT is sponsoring the 6th annual Walk Around the Capitol on May 10 for all capitol complex state agency employees. Refreshments will be provided by the Hiway Federal Credit Union.

“We’re giving out trophies again this year, including the prestigious SOX AWARD, to the individual and agency with the most laps around the Capitol mall in an hour,” Keys said.

For more information about the Greater Minnesota Commuter Challenge and to make a commuter challenge pledge go to http://www.dot.state.mn.us/transit/eventspages/cc2007index.html.

Metro Transit also sponsors a commuter challenge for Twin Cities area individuals and employers. For more information, go to http://www.metrotransit.org/challenge/index.asp.

May is also national bike month and many bike events are planned around the state. The city of Duluth , the Duluth Transit Authority and other organizations are hosting a Bike to Work Day event from 7:30-9 a.m. on May 18 at the Duluth Civic Center. Groups can register to ride to the Civic Center that morning.

Mn/DOT will provide Share the Road bicycle safety information at all events. For more information, see www.sharetheroadmn.org/biketowork.html.

Expanding Hwy 100 in St. Louis Park earned Mn/DOT a mention in the annual Best of the Twin Cities poll conducted by City Pages, a Twin Cities area news and entertainment weekly.

Adding a third lane to relieve congestion on the highway brought the department honors in the “Best Use of the Taxpayers’ Dollars category.

The publication’s staff and readers choose the winners in the annual poll.

The Metro District was cited for adding lanes on a two-mile section of Hwy 100 and a revamped interchange with Hwy 7.

 The project was completed in October 2006.

“It’s resurfaced…but it’s also been given a spine-realigning shake by some cosmic transit chiropractor, and baby, does traffic flow. So seamless are exits and entries, we can glide from downtown to Southdale in 12 minutes without connecting foot to brake,” wrote a City Pages staff member.

We've heard from Bruce Lattu about the benefits of the state's vacation donation program and from Chris McMahon about the department's smoking policy. Kay Korsgaard talked about growing up—literally—with the interstate system, and more recently, Rick Kostohryz described his experiences taking a mobility assignment in another office within Mn/DOT.

They're just some of the folks who've made use of Newsline's Voices section. We'd like to hear from you, too. Check out the guidelines on the Submissions page, and let your voice be heard.