By Sue Gergen, E-ZPass Minnesota Communications and Public Engagement

If you’ve ever taken a road trip to the East Coast, or perhaps rented a car in Florida for vacation, you’ve probably seen cars driving in the E-ZPass lanes.

Now, Minnesota is one of those states. The 16-year-old MnPASS program officially became E-ZPass Aug. 2, connecting Minnesota’s express lane system to 19 states in the Midwest, East Coast and Florida. This means travelers can use the one tag in multiple states for seamless road trips.

E-ZPass Minnesota operates similarly to MnPASS, giving travelers another option during busy weekday commuting hours on Interstate 35W south, I-35E and I-394. In addition, travelers now have a fourth express lane route available on I-35W between Roseville and Blaine in the Twin Cities north metro.

“E-ZPass Minnesota adds even more value and convenience for travelers,” said Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher. “As Minnesota’s traffic volumes continue to return to pre-pandemic levels, E-ZPass lanes create more options for Minnesotans to get around safely, reliably and efficiently.”

The change of MnPASS to E-ZPass also marks the completion of construction on the I-35W North MnPASS project, which provides the north metro area with improved travel between Roseville and Lino Lakes. The three-year design-build project includes 16 miles in each direction of smooth, newly paved roads, 50-plus new ramps, eight new bridges, improved utilities and a new E-ZPass lane in each direction. On the busiest days in the past three years, more than 250 people were working onsite on 75-plus pieces of equipment.

E-ZPass Minnesota hours are 6-10 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. During these hours, use of E-ZPass Minnesota is free for buses, motorcycles and vehicles with two or more people. Solo drivers pay a fee to use the E-ZPass lane during peak periods. Outside of these hours, which is nearly 90 percent of the time, the E-ZPass lane operates like a general lane and is free to use.

MnPASS tags will continue to work in Minnesota. Existing customers can keep their MnPASS tag for Minnesota travel, or swap to a new E-ZPass Minnesota tag to use here and throughout the U.S.
E-ZPass Minnesota facts:

• E-ZPass Minnesota helps to manage traffic and reduce travel times by providing a dedicated lane that is free for high-occupancy vehicles and requires a fee for single-occupant vehicles.
• A single E-ZPass lane can move twice as many people as a regular lane during peak hours. Eighty percent of people using E-ZPass are riding on buses or carpooling.
• Fees increase as traffic in the E-ZPass lane increases to keep traffic moving at 50 to 55 mph in the E-ZPass lane.
• Fees range between $0.25 and $8. The heavier the traffic in the E-ZPass lane, the higher the price.

Go to ezpassmn.org to learn more about E-ZPass Minnesota.

By Joseph Palmersheim

Much like potter’s clay, any MnDOT project has a number of invisible fingerprints on it when all is said and done.

In the case of the in-progress repair and resurfacing work on Interstate 94 and I-35E in St. Paul, some of those fingerprints belong to Project Manager Kimberly Zlimen. She’s overseeing the two-year, $27 million project to provide a variety of upgrades and improvements to I-94 between Western Avenue and Mounds Boulevard, and I-35E between I-94 and University Avenue.

“Construction just started about a month ago,” she said. “The work is going from west to east, and we’re working on the westernmost segment, Western Avenue to Marion Avenue, now. We’ll see the bulk of the construction impacts next year, in the commons area where I-94 and I-35E align. We did a lot of modeling of what we think delays will be, and try to mitigate the impact of ramp closures with advanced signage.”

Project managers oversee the scope, schedule and budget of the projects they work on. They typically work on between five to 10 projects at any given time, in varying stages. Some are being planned, and some are being finished.

The I-94 and I-35E project isn’t Zlimen’s first. The two-year MnDOT employee came to the agency after working on rail projects at both Metro Transit and Hennepin County Community Works. Prior to that, she worked at an engineering consulting firm for seven years after graduating from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in civil engineering.

“I always liked science and math, and went to college to do something with biological sciences,” she said. “I took a drafting class in college, which is one of the first classes in civil engineering. I liked it and thought civil engineering sounded interesting. I talked to a civil engineer, and that’s how I went down that path.”
Similar to a change in majors or education plans, much can change within the lifespan of any project - including the world around it.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way people commute. Zlimen and her counterparts wondered: how will this affect a corridor that saw 200,000 vehicles a day before the world changed?

“One of the questions we asked was, ‘What was the best, least painful way to complete the work?’” she said. “It turns out that the way we’d originally planned to do this, to keep some lanes open versus doing total closures, was the best way. Our contractors didn’t think full lane closures were feasible. We’ll see next year how people’s commutes may change. That’s a bit of an unknown after COVID. Will their habits change, and how will they change if they know traffic will be really bad in certain areas?”

In an ideal world, the same project engineer would be with the project from start to finish, which takes about five years, Zlimen said. With the I-94 and I-35E project, Zlimen came in as the third project manager. After a little “trial by fire,” she was able to connect with experts on the team to learn more about people and processes, and connect with senior leadership in a way she hadn’t before on other projects.

While the projects might involve materials – steel, concrete and asphalt among others – the work is really about people.

“One of the most important parts of a project manager’s role is communications,” she said. “There are so many opportunities for things to get lost in translation. There are a lot of misunderstandings and lapse between human beings, so that’s one of the trickier parts of the job. It’s also one of my favorite parts - making sure everyone is on the same page.”

Learn more about the I-94 and I-35E project here.

By Joseph Palmersheim

Detroit Lakes Airport recently celebrated the completion of an upgrade that was two decades in the making.

The 93-year-old airport’s runway was lengthened (to 5,200 feet) and shifted south so as to avoid nearby Hwy 10 on one end and a city wastewater treatment plant on the other. Taxiways and runway lighting systems were also updated. One of these new lighting systems will help aircraft landings during low-visibility conditions.

The Detroit Lakes Airport sees more than 18,000 arrivals and departures each year, with 51 aircraft based onsite. The new runway can accommodate most business jets, all single-engine aircraft and larger multi-engine aircraft.

“The Detroit Lakes Airport supports more than $5.5 million in regional economic activity,” said Cassandra Isackson, director, Office of Aeronautics. “Now, more and different kinds of users can fly into and out of Detroit Lakes. It’s kind of like the difference between a two-lane highway and an interstate.”

The $25 million project took more than 20 years to plan, with work done over the course of three construction phases. Funding came from the Federal Aviation Administration, MnDOT, the city of Detroit Lakes and Becker County.

By Joseph Palmersheim

Jeff Perkins was recently named as MnDOT’s new assistant division director for Operations. He will be working in this position on a one-year mobility assignment.

Perkins started at MnDOT in 1991 as a student intern in District 2.

“I always enjoyed the math and science classes in school as well as spending time outdoors,” he said. “Civil engineering was a perfect fit for those types of interests.”

Perkins started working as a graduate engineer in District 4 after graduating from the University of North Dakota in 1994. Most of his career at the agency has been in maintenance and construction. Perkins has served as the assistant district engineer for Operations in District 4 since 2008.  

“My favorite part about the job is helping others within the department achieve their goals,” he said. “There’s nothing more rewarding than providing individuals with opportunities to learn, helping them grow and watching them succeed.”

Employees can now make translation and interpretation requests for MnDOT’s Language Services program through two new electronic forms on the program’s webpage.

The Office of Equity & Diversity contracts with professional language service providers statewide, both internal and external to MnDOT, to provide:

• Sign language interpretation
• Foreign language interpretation (spoken word)
• Foreign language translation (written word)
  

The new electronic forms include translation options for foreign languages, Braille, large print and other accommodations. Documents needing translation can be sent to languageservices.dot@state.mn.us after a form is completed. When possible, requests should be submitted a minimum of two weeks in advance as length and complexity of document(s) may alter turnaround times.

For more information, please email languageservices.dot@state.mn.us.

The latest issue of New Library Materials is available. This issue features “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies,” by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. New Library Materials is a compilation of resources added to the library collection during the previous month. Visit mndot.gov/library/stay-current.html and click New Library Materials to sign up. Questions and feedback are welcome at Ask a Librarian.

By Joseph Palmersheim

In our Aug. 4 issue, we introduced you to several MnDOT employees who teach within the MnSCU system. Here is part two of that story.

Frank Loetterle teaches planning fundamentals

Frank Loetterle, planning director with the Office of Freight & Commercial Vehicle Operations, teaches a “Fundamentals of Transit Planning” in the Urban Studies program at the University of Minnesota. The Urban Studies program is part of the Department of Geography, Environment and Society.

Loetterle started teaching a seminar in the Urban Studies program in 2001 to get teaching experience, in anticipation of applying for a university position. Instead of finding a teaching job, he started working at the Metropolitan Council as the regional transit planner for light rail projects, working primarily on the Hiawatha LRT project. His seminar was converted to a regular catalogue course in 2005, and he’s taught the class every spring since then.

“When I started teaching the class, I was actively working as a transit planner,” he said. “But I now focus on intercity passenger rail service. A big challenge is staying up to date on a topic that I don’t work in professionally anymore. Teaching forces me to keep up to date with developments in the transit industry. My class is popular because I bring real-life planning experience to the topic.”

Loetterle noted that he was “surprised and pleased” at how fulfilling teaching is, adding that students that took his class have moved on to become transit planners in the Twin Cities and around the country.

“Locally, some of my former students are at Metro Transit, the Metropolitan Council, Washington County and several consultant firms,” he said. “Other students work at planning positions at the National Park Service, the California Department of Transportation, the city of Seattle and other cities around the country. At least one of my former students has started his own consulting firm specializing in the railroad industry.”

Ben Lowndes explores ‘justice’ with students

Ben Lowndes, Operations Division liaison, started with MnDOT as an ombudsman in 2015. Two years later, the Mitchell Hamline School of Law graduate returned to his alma matter to serve as an adjunct professor, teaching a Justice and Dispute Resolution course.

The course is a theoretical and philosophical exploration of the concept of “justice” through the lens of alternative dispute resolution processes. He’s also assisted with other ADR courses such as Negotiation, Theories of Conflict, and Cross-Cultural Dispute Resolution.

It wasn’t his first time at the front of a classroom.

“Prior to law school, I was an English instructor at University of Nebraska at Omaha, so I was excited to have the opportunity to teach and mentor students again,” he said.

Teaching has been “a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the practical application of the subject matter while also re-examining nuances of the content itself,” he said. For instance, Lowndes has used theoretical negotiation concepts at MnDOT while helping the Blowing Snow Control Shared Service develop a negotiation approach for landowner snow control agreements.

“Serving as an adjunct professor has been an awesome opportunity to stay up-to-date on theory and current research while continually growing as a professional at MnDOT,” Lowndes said. “I thoroughly enjoy the balance it provides.”

Joel Sween shares American Sign Language immersion

American Sign Language is more than just a classroom concept for District 6 transportation generalist Joel Sween, who serves as an adjunct professor teaching ASL 1 and 2 courses at Minnesota State University-Mankato.

He became deaf as a result of spinal meningitis at age 1. He is completely deaf in his right ear, with some residual hearing in his left ear. Sween wears a hearing aid in his left ear, which helps him hear sounds and communicate with people.

“I have been teaching since 2008,” he said. “At the time, I was in my last semester as a construction management student and they were looking for people who had expertise in American Sign Language. As a deaf person and native speaker of both English and ASL, it was the perfect part-time job for me.”

While he might be fluent in ASL, his students may not be. Sween’s courses are “100 percent immersed in ASL,” meaning he turns his voice off in the classroom. Students sometimes have to come up with other ways to communicate with him, such as signing, finger spelling (if they don’t know the sign), email, use of pen and paper, and gestures.

Fitting his teaching schedule into his 10-12 hour work days as a construction inspector has been a challenge, Sween said, but being able to record lessons ahead of time has helped. His students seem to like it, too, being able to take the courses at their own pace.

“What I have learned from teaching is that every person is different and they come from different backgrounds,” Sween said. “I have learned over the years that you have to be patient with students because everyone’s skill levels are different. Some students are shy and others are more than willing to be in the spotlight. My goal is to bring everyone to the level where they are more confident in themselves.”

Hally Turner curates meaningful student conversations

Hally Turner, policy planning director, co-teaches two public engagement courses at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Her co-teacher, Katie Caskey, previously worked in the Office of Transportation System Management before taking a job at HDR.

She started teaching in 2020, and is set to teach again this fall. Like much of the world, Turner had to adapt to a changed reality.

“Learning to teach in a pandemic is no joke,” Turner said. “We had to navigate new content and learning platforms while also responding to the professional and personal needs of our students. Through this experience, I became better equipped to respond to challenges in the workplace, from providing constructive feedback to meeting management. I changed how I present information in a virtual environment and have more tools and ideas to make meetings run smoothly. Sharing these lessons with my team has resulted in external partners asking for agendas and PowerPoints to model upcoming events based on our meeting structure.”

Teaching a subject that is close to her day job - public engagement - allowed Turner to practice, in real time, with the information, tools and strategies she was sharing with students. The students, she said, have “a great intuition about policy and public engagement.”

“I thought I would come into a classroom and impart my wisdom,” Turner said. “I spent many classes feeling like I served less in the role of lecturer and more in the role of curator of meaningful opportunities for them to connect, share and practice their recommendations for public engagement.”

Turner plans to teach a class on Outreach Methods and Communication this fall, followed by Public Input in Decision Making next year.

By Micaela Resh, Office of Research & Innovation

It’s often more difficult for motorists to see road edge-lines and centerlines on rainy nights, especially in rural areas with limited lighting.

However, while the reflectivity of pavement marking materials has improved in recent years, transportation agencies have lacked the right data to establish performance standards for wet, night-time visibility. A recent effort by MnDOT and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board aimed to address this.

The Pavement Markings - Wet Retroreflectivity Standards research project determined driver visibility needs and made pavement marking performance recommendations for wet, night-time conditions. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials took notice, honoring the project with a Sweet Sixteen award as one of the nation’s top high-value research studies chosen by state DOT research directors.

Led by Ethan Peterson, Office of Traffic Engineering, and Adam Pike, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the research team gathered data from existing studies and conducted pavement marking wet-night visibility tests with 43 Minnesota drivers to identify the amount of reflectivity needed for adequate visibility in wet-night conditions. Minimum levels required for both new installation and ongoing performance are now included in MnDOT’s standard specification for roadway pavement markings.

Future research will examine how long new pavement markings installed on targeted corridors hold up before reaching the minimum performance standard.

MnDOT staff were invited to speak about the pavement markings project at AASHTO’s recent virtual 2021 National Research Advisory Committee meeting, with Peterson pre-recording a short presentation played during the virtual event. In addition to presentations at two Roads & Bridges magazine webinars, staff involved  will also present at the January 2022 Transportation Research Board annual meeting.

Read AASHTO’s project write-up here. Visit AASHTO High Value Research webpage for more information on the Sweet Sixteen winners.