By Chris Joyce

Bob McFarlin, assistant to the commissioner for policy and public affairs, and Dan Dorgan, state bridge engineer, were among more than a dozen transportation officials nationwide invited to speak about structurally deficient bridges before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Sept. 5.

After thanking a number of organizations that have helped with recovery operations at the site of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, McFarlin went on to address Mn/DOT’s statewide bridge inspection program, recovery operations, reconstruction of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge, Minnesota’s bridge investments, bridge inspection standards and recommendations for improving bridge inspection programs.

“This tragedy was especially shocking and troublesome to Mn/DOT because Minnesota has one of the strongest bridge replacement, repair and inspection programs in the nation,” McFarlin said. “Minnesota is consistently among states with the fewest deficient bridges and currently ranks sixth best in this measure across the nation.”

McFarlin concluded his testimony by expressing the state’s gratitude for “the response and continuing support” of the administration and federal government agencies.

“It’s imperative that we maintain the public’s faith in Minnesota’s—and our nation’s—network of highways and bridges,” he said.

Dorgan also appeared before the committee and responded to a number of questions members posed.

Other people who testified included U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board, state transportation departments, county engineers and stakeholder groups.

The committee is chaired by U.S. Rep. James Oberstar from Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District.

For more information:

• Bob McFarlin testimony
• Other testimony
• I-35W bridge collapse and replacement project  

By Craig Wilkins

Lock, stock and chain hoist, the Litchfield truck station moved into new quarters it now shares with the Meeker County highway department.

The new, two-story facility on Hwy 12 houses the county highway department and the Willmar District’s Litchfield truck station.

The truck station had occupied a building in what is now a residential section of Litchfield since 1932.

Dedication ceremonies were held in August.

Features of the new building include a ground source heat pumping system. The system circulates water from 90 wells 200 feet deep for heating and cooling, said Dick Post, facilities program director.

“The system uses an evaporator and a condenser to heat or cool the water as needed in much the same way that air conditioners work,” he said.

Construction was done using pre-fabricated concrete panels that reduced time and overall costs.

Price for the new building and its chemical storage area is $6 million. Mn/DOT’s share of the cost is $1,650,000.  

Truck station employees maintain sections of Hwy 12, Hwy 22 and Hwy 24 in the Litchfield area.

“This building is a good way to take us into the future,” said Darin Mahlow, one of two full-time employees at Litchfield. “Saving energy is the right and ethical thing to do.”

The facility is the 11th shared-use building Mn/DOT has built with state, city and/or county partners since the first one, the nearby Hutchinson Area Transportation System facility, was completed in 1995.

Another shared-use facility will be completed this fall in Ivanhoe. Mn/DOT is building an addition to the Lincoln County Highway Department building to house trucks and employees at District 8’s Ivanhoe truck station

Five of the shared-use buildings are in District 8.

Dave Trooien, transportation engineer at Willmar, said the recently completed Litchfield facility reflects a trend to consolidate government services.

“By partnering with other agencies, we can share our experience, knowledge and expertise as well as deliver services more effectively,” he said.

By Lisa Yang

Although it’s only been a year and a half for Hope Jensen as director of the Office of Civil Rights, her plate is already full of things to do, she says.

On this particular day in July, Jensen gets a call from an independent truck driver whose complaints include that he was let-go from a certain highway project. He also was concerned that he wasn’t getting hired and getting enough work to do. Jensen jots down some key notes and puts it into a file. She spends about 10 minutes giving him solutions and ideas before they end the call.

Jensen manages Mn/DOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, which requires that minority- and women-owned businesses and other small businesses have an opportunity for subcontracts on projects that are federally funded; the on-the-job training program, which ensures that women and minorities have the opportunity for employment on federally funded projects; and the Title VI program, which ensures that all services and benefits as well as burdens are provided to all Minnesota citizens without discrimination. She is also a member of Mn/DOT’s Diversity Council.

Jensen started her state career in March 1984 working in for the Minnesota House of Representatives. While working there, she also attended the William Mitchell College of Law and earned her law degree in 1993.

She began working at Mn/DOT in 1996 as assistant director of what’s now the Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations. Since then, her jobs have included serving as Mn/DOT’s Rules Coordinator and as the chief of staff of the Hiawatha Light Rail Project before her appointment to the Office of Civil Rights in December 2005.

What is your ‘normal day’ like?

I don’t have a normal day, but often I have meetings with prime contractors, DBEs and internal/external stakeholders, about two or three a day. DBEs will come to our office when they have issues or problems. We handle those cases by investigating and, if needed, we intervene if we find that there is anything wrong.

I meet with contractors and DBEs on issues affecting DBE and OJT programs. I give them information and updates so that they know what Mn/DOT’s plans are. I also meet with contractor associations such as the Association of General Contractors, the American Indian Chamber, the Urban League, Merrick , Women Ventures, and other organizations to determine ways to improve the success of these programs.

I also oversee the Certification Application Committee, Uniform Certification Program at Mn/DOT, which I chair bi-weekly.

What are some of the highlights (and lowlights) you have experienced since you’ve started this job?

One of the biggest challenges as well as one of the biggest highlights of the job was the five-day AASHTO National Civil Rights Conference we planned and hosted in 2006. It was great to meet other civil rights practitioners from around the country, and the entertainment we had was excellent.

Is this the kind of job you thought you would be in when you started law school?

I actually have a great interest in urban planning. When I was working at the Legislature, I found the policy debates very interesting and so when I enrolled in law school, I wanted to work for House Research or Senate Counsel on state policy issues.

What else are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working with the Human Resources office to put a request together and get more federal funds for the Seeds and Phoenix student worker programs because they are successful programs at Mn/DOT.

Another thing, I think sometimes people feel that minority businesses are less skillful (than other contractors), and that’s a sad thing for me. I’d like to educate others about that because it’s not always the case, and when it is, it can be remedied. Many of our DBE firms are very skilled and capable of handling million dollar contracts. We also have the opportunity to help businesses to become better through our DBE support services programs, and I have an opportunity to effect change.

Outside of work, I teach civil rights at the William Mitchell College of Law. I like mentoring the students, and it keeps me up-to-date on civil rights issues.

You are overseeing many projects and participating in a couple of committees. Is it overwhelming sometimes?

It seems sometimes overwhelming, but at the same time, I don’t want to give any one of those things up. I like the people I work with, and I believe that what we do in civil rights is very important, and I believe I can make a difference.

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Administering ‘psychological first aid’

By Chris Joyce

The phone call came on a Sunday as DeLorah Curry was having dinner with family.

The remains of another victim of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse had just been removed from the site, and Curry, who leads Mn/DOT’s Critical Incident Stress Management Team, was asked to come down ASAP to assist the contractors who had just helped with the recovery effort.

Curry arranged to do a debriefing in a gazebo near the river flats and facilitated a structured discussion so the nine men could talk about what they were experiencing.

“For many of these people, it’s the first time they’ve seen anything like this,” said Curry, Office of Human Resources. “While they are doing a great job with this very important work here, they are not all trained in recovery efforts and all the stressors that can accompany it.”

During just the first two weeks after the accident, Mn/DOT’s CISM team had more than 400 face-to-face contacts with Mn/DOT employees and conducted 11 formal debriefings with various areas in Mn/DOT, including the Bridge office, the Survey Unit, the Metro bridge inspectors, the Metro maintenance folks and the construction bridge inspectors (who were on the bridge at the time of the collapse). Requests for these debriefings have continued.

“All of our Mn/DOT employees, be they engineers, managers, maintenance workers, bridge personnel or inspectors, construction, dispatch, survey, etc., are doing incredible work, pulling together, demonstrating good character and judgment, and showing a great deal of respect, caring and perseverance,” Curry said. “It has truly been our privilege to work with each one of them.”  

Besides Curry, the CISM team includes Anthony Kilpela, District 1; Bob Wryk, District 2; Jason Penaz, District 3; Bill Hanson, District 4; Brad Powers, District 7; Garland Jackson and Mark Swenson, Metro District, and Desiree Doud, Central Office. The team was created in 1990 by Dr. Diane Olson and Billie Branden.

Team members have been working daily, either at the bridge collapse site, in offices and even in employees’ homes to help them cope with the enormity of the tragedy they have experienced. The team provides follow-up calls or visits as well.

Curry acknowledged that helping others maneuver through difficult emotional terrain sometimes takes its toll on the CISM team members themselves. Who, then, debriefs the debriefers?  

“We routinely debrief ourselves after each debriefing we facilitate, and talk with friends and family,” she said. “It is stressful, but a different kind of stress—a positive stress, because it’s such gratifying work.  

“Also, after we helped the New York DOT staff (who had an office in the World Trade Center) back in 2001, I had set up a formal debriefing with the Red Cross for Mn/DOT’s team to participate in—so that’s also an option for us,” she said.

“After all, we have to practice what we preach.”  

Determining environmental aspects for constructing new bridge

By Nick Carpenter

Since Aug. 2, the 36-member Office of Environmental Services has been hard at work keeping up with normal duties and dealing with their new top priority—the reconstruction of a new I-35W bridge.

“The number one objective for us was to get all the environmental clearances so we could get this bridge built as fast as possible,” said Frank Pafko, director. “It took us nine days to get everything together; now we’re just waiting to get final environmental approval.”

OES has the lead role determining the environmental aspects related to the construction of a new bridge. Some of the tasks involved include taking samples from the collapsed bridge to determine if asbestos was present, addressing the issue of endangered and threatened species, and obtaining various permits and environmental clearances.

Pafko estimates that one half of the OES staff has had a direct role in the bridge efforts while the other half has stayed busy with standard office duties. Of those with a direct role, only two worked at the bridge site. Most of the work was done off-site using aerial photos and environmental records of the area around the bridge.

Pafko said he was amazed at the efforts of not only his office, but all the involved state agencies.

“The way everybody came together after this happened was remarkable,” he said.

Bridge collapse affects commercial navigation system

By Lisa Yang

The collapse of the I-35W bridge stopped navigation on the Mississippi River, and the commercial navigation system was affected greatly because shippers were not able to get into and out of Minneapolis’ harbor with ease, according to Dick Lambert, Ports and Waterways director.

Lambert said that the National Transportation Safety Board is still doing their investigation, so opening the navigational channels would conflict with the investigation.

“We’re not rushing the NTSB, but we want them to know that there’s still a necessity to get navigation channels open,” Lambert said.

Some products affected are coal, steel, gravel and sand.

“We’re keeping in touch with the terminals on the river,” Lambert said. “We don’t know when the channels will be open, but right now, we just want to get information out to the shippers so they have options.”

A celebration of life for Jim Johnson, formerly with Aeronautics, will be held Sept. 9 at the Majestic Pines Community Church in Mahtomedi.

Johnson, who was an account clerk, died Aug. 30 from complications related to cancer. He was 56.

A native of northeast Minneapolis, Johnson lived in Hugo.

Visitation will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the church, 930 Mahtomedi Ave. A funeral service will follow at 3 p.m.

His survivors include his wife, Deidre, and three children—Bryce, Alicia and Steven.

Johnson’s career with Mn/DOT started in 1992 with Aeronautics.

Shari LeBlanc, a senior account clerk and Johnson’s coworker for 15 years, said he was a constant source of care, help and support for his fellow employees.

“He was out there all the time—helping with car problems, bringing in treats and giving people bear hugs when they most needed them,” she said.

Jana Thompson, another coworker, said Johnson genuinely cared for his coworkers.

“He opened the building at 7 a.m. to make sure we didn’t enter a darkened office, covered the phones for us and made sure that the lights and everything else in the building worked,” said Thompson, a customer services specialist.

“Jim was a good friend to us and would listen to us and our concerns; he was the kindest person I’ve known,” she said.

Retiree Dan Riser, Johnson’s former supervisor, said he was “a quiet, sincere, gentle man and a loving husband and father.”

Added LeBlanc, “Jim will be very dearly missed; his passing shows very clearly how we can miss the things people do until they’re not there anymore.”

He was 33.

Asmus started employment with Mn/DOT in October 2004 as a temporary transportation generalist at Morris. In November 2005, he was rehired as a full-time TG at the Ortonville truck station. Asmus transferred to Morris in April.

“Kurt was a very good employee, an excellent equipment operator and easy to get along with,” said Herb Nelson, maintenance supervisor at Morris. “He was very dedicated and willing to do whatever we needed to get our work done.”

A Cyrus, Minn. native, Asmus graduated from Hancock High School in 1992. After high school, he earned certificates in business management and farm operations from Ridgewater Technical College in Willmar .

He operated a family farm in Swan Lake Township in Stevens County.

Asmus’s survivors include his wife, Nichole; children Kaitlyn, Lea and Justin; his parents and his parents-in-law.

Topics as varied as the 50th anniversary of the interstate, Workers Memorial Day and a ship inspection in Duluth were the focal points of four awards that Mn/DOT received from two separate American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials award programs this summer.

On Aug. 9, the AASHTO Subcommittee on Public Affairs honored three of Mn/DOT’s communications efforts as part of the National Transportation Public Affairs Workshop annual meeting.  

Mn/DOT’s year-long campaign in 2006 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the interstate took first place in the Excel Division for programs under $50,000 without a consultant. The award represents AASHTO’s highest honor for a public relations effort that contributed to the overall success of a broad-based communications endeavor.

According to Jeanne Aamodt, Office of Communications and manager of the project, the objectives for the 50th anniversary campaign were three-fold: to raise awareness about the interstate’s economic benefit to the state; to draw attention to the level of resources necessary to maintain, preserve and improve the system, and to raise some of the transportation policy questions that Minnesota and the rest of the nation face over the next 50 years.  

Metro District’s Workers Memorial Day video received top honors in the internal video production category. Produced by the district’s Workers Memorial Day Committee and Gary Andrist, a videographer with the Office of Human Resources, the video examined the experiences of five Metro District employees who were hurt in work zone crashes and how the incidents affected each worker’s life and career.

Mn/DOT Newsline, published biweekly by the Office of Communications, took first place honors in the Ezine category, which recognizes excellence in electronic newsletters and magazines. Newsline has been Mn/DOT’s Web-based employee newsletter since February 2001, when it replaced a monthly print newsletter and a weekly e-mail update as the official source of transportation news for employees.  

And in June, Mn/DOT photographer David Gonzalez, Office of Business and Support Services, received recognition from AASHTO in its 2007 “Faces of Transportation” contest. He took first place in the Transit/Air/Water category for his photograph of a shipping inspection in the harbor at Duluth.

By Nick Carpenter

Mark Gieseke is set to become the new director of the Office of Electronic Communications effective Sept. 5. He replaces Andrew Terry who recently left Mn/DOT to pursue an opportunity in the private sector.

Gieseke has worked in a variety of positions at Mn/DOT during his 24 years of service. Most recently, he served as the state aid programs engineer in the State Aid for Local Transportation Division. Prior to that, he worked in the Bemidji and Brainerd districts, as well as in the Office of Traffic Engineering and the Office of Materials in St. Paul.  

After he graduated South Dakota State University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Gieseke started with Mn/DOT as a laborer in District 2 and was hired as a graduate engineer in 1983.

Gieseke said he is looking forward to learning more about the unique projects and technology used in Electronic Communications and in particular, working with the diverse group of partners involved in implementing the 800 MHz radio system.

“The events of last month have really underscored the importance of this system,” Gieseke said. “It will be an honor to be a part of that partnership.”

Mark Wikelius, the agency’s Drive to Excellence director, will also serve as the interim director of Human Resources and Administration until a permanent appointment is made.

His appointment began Sept. 4.

He succeeds Mike Garza who resigned in August to take a position with the University of Minnesota.

In his added role, Wikelius will take steps needed to ensure the director position is filled permanently and review office functions based on a shared-services model, said Kevin Gray, Finance and Administration Division director.

He will also provide current direction for Human Resources’ services and administrative oversight responsibilities.

“Mark’s experience in leadership roles and his DTE involvement provide a broad understanding of the critical challenges before us—especially the challenge of meeting work force needs in a changing work force environment,” Gray said.

Wikelius’s office will remain in the Transportation Building. He may be reached at 651/366-4818.