By Beth Petrowske

Motorists who use the Interstate 94/Hwy 95 interchange in Woodbury will be among the first in the nation to encounter a new traffic signal design that minimizes unnecessary waiting for motorists and improves safety.

Activated earlier this week, the new signals feature a flashing yellow arrow, in addition to the standard red, yellow and green arrows. When illuminated, the flashing yellow arrow allows waiting motorists to make a left-hand turn after yielding to oncoming traffic. Otherwise, the new traffic signals work the same as traditional signals.

“This is the biggest change in traffic signal design and operation in the past 40 years,” said Jerry Kotzenmacher, Office of Traffic, Safety and Technology. “We have shop tested these signals for many months and are confident the signals will improve safety and reduce congestion.”

In December 2009, after extensive testing, the Federal Highway Administration authorized use of flashing yellow arrows nationwide. Some Minnesota cities and counties have already installed the signals on city and county roadways. Mn/DOT expects to install several systems by the end of 2010.

A study conducted by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program determined that drivers had fewer crashes with flashing yellow left-turn arrows than with traditional yield-on-green signal configurations.

Mn/DOT installed a flashing yellow arrow signal at Hwy 110 and Hwy 149 in Mendota Heights in 2006 as a federally approved pilot project. Mn/DOT’s goal with this pilot was to test how the new signal worked with existing signal controllers and components. The information obtained from the pilot will help streamline future installations. The pilot signal operated for three years and no problems or crashes were attributed to its use.

The flashing yellow arrow is now part of the department’s official design of traffic signals. Mn/DOT plans to install the new flashing yellow arrow signals on most future traffic signal construction projects. Retrofitting existing signals to include flashing yellow arrows can be costly and will only be done on a limited basis, when necessary.

“The new signals will give us a great deal of flexibility in adjusting the operation of left-turn signal timing to keep traffic moving most efficiently and safely,” Kotzenmacher said. “We can control and adjust signal timing and operation from our offices, which enables us to make adjustments very quickly if needed.”

To read more about the new flashing yellow arrow signals please, visit http://www.dot.state.mn.us/trafficeng/signals/index.html or http://www.dot.state.mn.us/trafficeng/signals/flashingyellowarrow.html.

By Lisa Yang

By Bob Filipczak

Graffiti artists beware—Mn/DOT is watching you.

More precisely, the Q Star FlashCam is. The camera is being tested in the Twin Cities to prevent—or catch—people who are painting graffiti on bridges and sound walls or dumping trash on Mn/DOT property, according to Jeff Streeter, Metro Golden Valley Traffic Services supervisor. 

The camera is installed in several areas where these activities are common, and they take high-definition pictures of the perpetrators. Each is equipped with a flash so it can take pictures at night. They can also be programmed to pipe out an automated voice that says, “Stop! This is a restricted area and your photograph was just taken. We will use it to prosecute you. Leave the area now.”

The motion sensors have a 100-foot range, Streeter said, and the cameras can be programmed in many ways. For example, they can be programmed to take pictures of the area only during the day or only at night. The voice from the camera can announce any number of messages, or it can be turned off completely. The camera can take a picture when it detects motion, 10 seconds later, or it can take a series of pictures at intervals once there is movement in the area.

Streeter said his team is testing a series of scenarios in order to figure out what works best. For example, if the sensor is activated, it might make sense to have the voice make the announcement, which often causes the person to look up at the camera to see where the voice is coming from, and then have the camera take the shot.

The camera is mounted on a pole about 20 feet up, inside a heavy-duty box, so it’s unlikely it could be damaged by angry people who are caught in an illegal act. Streeter made sure that any pictures the cameras captured could be used to prosecute people.

“The city of Minneapolis is behind this 100 percent,” Streeter said. “I talked to the prosecuting attorney. If we get a good photo of them in the act, he will do everything he can to prosecute them.”

The cameras are primarily a preventive measure to let people know they are being monitored, Streeter said, but sometimes they actually catch some people in the act. Phoenix is currently using 80 of these cameras, with good results, he said.

Employees will see a new look on their timesheets beginning Sept. 23 as part of the Statewide Integrated Financial Tools project that will replace the Minnesota Accounting and Procurement System.  

Although the look will be new, the existing timesheet fields will be the same, according to Sue Stein, Office of Administration director.

“This will give employees a chance to become familiar with the new look of the timesheet prior to the additional changes scheduled for SWIFT implementation on July 1, 2011,” she said.

Eventually, SWIFT will integrate all of the administrative functions across state agencies, including financial, procurement, reporting and the current SEMA4 (human resources/payroll) system.

Contact your local payroll administrator with any questions.

By Lisa Yang

Tina Markeson, also known as Bug Lady in some of the districts, encounters many right of way and roadside incidents during her statewide travels as the department’s Roadside Vegetation manager.

Markeson works in the Roadside Vegetation Management Unit, which is part of the Office of Environmental Services located in the Central Office Building. In her current position, Markeson’s duties include controlling noxious weeds on Mn/DOT roadsides, identifying and putting a value on trees and shrubs that need to be removed from right of way and assisting district personnel with vegetation issues.

What is your typical day like?

During the summer, I spend June and July collecting bugs, which we call biological control agents. I use a net to sweep the bugs from plants and grass at specific sites where they have been previously released and reproduced. Then, I put them into a screen that acts like a sorter to separate all the different bugs that I’ve caught. We use these bugs to eat leafy spurge, purple loosestrife and spotted knapweed.

When I’m traveling statewide, I spend time analyzing vegetation on right of way. I identify weeds and if I need to, I release the right kind of bugs to control or get rid of the weeds, but I usually give the bugs to the district personnel to do this. They call me the Bug Lady.

When I’m in the office, I’m usually working on reports, geographical information system technology, and the office’s website.

How often do you travel to sites and what prompts you to go?

I usually go out at least once a week. There are times in the summer when I have to go out every day, but we also have video logs that I can view on my computer if the issue is only about one tree or shrub.

It starts with a call from district personnel in maintenance or permits and sometimes from the public. They either want a plant or tree identified or want it removed. Usually, it’s a business owner or home owner who wants trees removed. It’s 100 percent for visibility to whatever is adjacent. If they want a tree or vegetation removed, I have to put a value on it and help the district determine if the tree or vegetation should be allowed to be removed.

How do you put a value on trees?

It’s based on average bid prices which determines how much it costs for Mn/DOT to put something back into the same location or replace it with something that serves the same function as the vegetation being removed. The person who wants it removed is responsible for removing the tree and has to also pay Mn/DOT. If we don’t plant something back in the same location, we then plant elsewhere in the same district.

What interesting experiences have you encountered in this job?

There’s something that we call midnight cutting. One day, I was called to District 3 to look at some trees. When I got to the site, I saw holes in the ground. It turns out somebody had taken out some trees including the roots. There are also people who have bulldozed trees off our right of way. Sometimes people ask for permission and sometimes they don’t. In Banning, Minn., someone girdled 60 trees. We had some media coverage on it and I had to put a value on those trees.

What projects are you working on right now?

I’m helping with trying to find out how to best utilize the timber that is on Mn/DOT’s property. There is a law which says that we cannot give away state resources, so we end up burning the timber on our land. We’re working with the Department of Natural Resources on this issue.

Do you enjoy what you do?

I enjoy it because I have opportunities to see the state. There are awesome differences between traveling from northwest Minnesota to southeast Minnesota. I also enjoy it because t­­­he people in our unit work very well together to figure out the best ways of getting things done for our customers.

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By Bob Filipczak

Minnesota’s Toward Zero Deaths program, a multi-agency initiative to change the traffic safety culture in Minnesota, recently won the Exceptional Performance in Safety Award for 2010 from the American Public Works Association.

"Receiving this award is a testament to the dedication of multiple traffic safety partners across the state working toward one vision—zero deaths,” said Sue Groth, TZD co-chair and Office of Traffic, Safety and Technology director. “While we have made great progress since the inception of the TZD program, there are still too many people dying on our roadways."

When TZD formed in 2003, there were 655 traffic fatalities in Minnesota and the rate was increasing every year. In 2009, traffic fatalities were reduced to 421—the lowest rate since 1945. TZD’s goal for 2010 is fewer than 400 deaths.

In addition to Mn/DOT and the Department of Public Safety, TZD’s principal partners include the State Patrol, Department of Health, Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota, the Federal Highway Administration and other local safety partners, including counties and cities.

The American Public Works Association is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 29,500 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge.

By Donna Lindberg, Office of Communications

About two weeks ago, I made the decision to retire in mid-September.

I have been planning to retire for more than a year, but first the economy went south and then I had neck surgery. I knew it was better to stay employed during and after the surgery so I would get paid 100 percent for the hours I took off. Then in August, Mn/DOT decided to offer the Early Retirement Incentive passed by the Legislature last session to eligible employees. With its promise of two years of paid health insurance, the offer was too good to pass up so I planned to apply to retire early in the new year with the incentive. Then my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, and a few weeks later, I tore a tendon in my foot. I knew I had to retire sooner than later.

But before I could tell my supervisor that I planned to retire, I had to determine if I could afford it. I called my financial advisor and told her of my plans. “You’ll be fine,” she said. “You’ve invested wisely and planned well.” But I still had a lot of questions. What pot of money do I use first—my savings, the interest from my investments, my MSRS fund and/or my social security? So I put together a budget. How much money did I really need to live on and where was this money going to come from? I determined that I probably will survive if I retire.

The next step was to tell my supervisor and fill out my ERI application. I knew that the early retirement incentive was not a right, but was intended to help Mn/DOT cut payroll costs. I applied, and my supervisor, office director, business manager and the Human Resources Director approved my application. I could now announce my retirement!

Now that my final day at work is approaching, I am excited, a little scared and kind of sad. I will miss my coworkers. I will also feel some loss of purpose. For 45 years I have been motivated by the work force. I have had expectations to fulfill, deadlines to meet, phone calls to return. Now I will have to get my sense of “purpose” from other parts of my life.

I am really looking forward to those parts. I have a wonderful daughter who needs me a lot right now. I have two adorable grandkids and a supportive “significant other.” I have a garden to weed, a house to clean and food to cook. Maybe I’ll do some volunteer work or take a class.

I know that with retirement will come many rewards. It’s time, I’m ready, but I’ll miss you all!

Editor’s note: Eligible employees interested in the Early Retirement Incentive must submit an application by Nov. 15, 2010. For more information about the Early Retirement Incentive, go to http://ihub.dot.state.mn.us/hr/earlyretirement/.