Roundabouts make state roads safer and slower

Jan Jech has been coming to a place not far from where her husband spent his final moments for some time. But until June 9, she couldn't bring herself to look at the intersection of state highways 14 and 42, where Marvin Jech died two years ago.

Workers are building a roundabout at the intersection, the latest in a series of roundabouts constructed since state transportation officials built the first one 15 years ago in Medford, Minn. Studies show the circular intersections reduce serious accidents, improve commute time, curb pollution and cut gas usage.

Read more at Minnesota Public Radio.

New Better Designs for Minn. Concrete Pavements

Check out this overview of the 2015 University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies Research Partnership Award winning MnPAVE–Rigid concrete pavement design tool development project. U of M researchers partnered with MnDOT and the Concrete Paving Association of Minnesota.

MnDOT details costs of Dayton transportation plan

Gov. Mark Dayton’s transportation proposal became clearer Monday afternoon as officials put price tags on individual projects and estimated the full list would cost $4.1 billion to $7.8 billion.

Read more and view the list of projects at Minnesota Public Radio.

Minn. road system big, complex

Minnesota lawmakers might soon vote to spend as much as $8 billion over the next decade on the state’s roads and bridges, a system that is massive and complex and controlled by hundreds of governmental bodies across the state.

Experts say most people, understandably, have not paid a lot of attention to the transportation system’s intricacies. … Even experts don’t know a lot of key details about the system, such as the quality of the state’s minor roads. Many local governments don’t track this in any compre-
hensive way, and MnDOT only knows how good its own roads are.

Read more in the Fargo Forum.

Transportation program to generate 15,000 jobs

A program aimed at tying transportation investments to business and job growth throughout Minnesota is expected to create or retain 15,000 jobs over the next three years, according to a new report.

Read more in Finance & Commerce.

Low oil prices a bonus for railroad regulators

Lower gas prices have had an added bonus in Minnesota beyond fatter wallets: Train traffic is leveling off, giving regulators space to refocus on safety issues, a state railroad official told lawmakers Wednesday.

Read more in the St. Cloud Times.

New St. Croix bridge project leader: "It's not overwhelming"

As the new director of the St. Croix River bridge project, Michael Beer could be first in line to drive over the new span between Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Read more in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

MnDOT's big bridge and road engineer Jon Chiglo leaves for the private sector

The name Jon Chiglo might not be well-known to Minnesota motorists, but the projects he's directed for the state Department of Transportation sure are. . . . Now, after 17 years with the state, Chiglo is leaving MnDOT to become vice president of transportation and structural engineering at WSB & Associates, a civil engineering and design firm based in Golden Valley.

Read more at MinnPost.

Too many oil trains in Minnesota?

The controversy over the amount of trains carrying oil on the rails in Minnesota rolled straight through the Minnesota State Capitol on Tuesday, were lawmakers are asking tough questions about it.

The increasing number of oil shipments from North Dakota is partially blamed for everything from last year's propane shortage to farmers not getting their grain to market. Yet, some experts say the oil shipments can't bear all the blame and it simply comes down to capacity.

Read more at KMSP-TV.

I-35 to get a $17.8M fix in southern Minnesota

Interstate highway repairs are keeping crews busy in the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s District 6, as work continues or is set to begin on a series of concrete overlays.

Read more in Finance & Commerce.

Highway 53 re-route through Rouchelau Mine Pit unique

Roberta Dwyer says she gets criticized for using “unique” far too often to describe the proposed U.S. Highway 53 re-route in Virginia, but she just can’t come up with a better word.

Read more in the Duluth Tribune.

Education could reduce roundabout confusion

Commuter Terry Jung has seen the bewildered looks on motorists who find themselves in the double-lane roundabout at the intersection of Interstate 494 and Hwy. 169 in Eden Prairie. He’s had other drivers cut him off as they blindly changed lanes inside the circle. He’s seen them slam on their brakes, honk their horns and gun it to get ahead of other drivers, and generally not cooperate with their fellow travelers.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Stuck in traffic? Blame it on the politicians

Most Minnesotans recognize that a modern and efficient transportation system is essential to keep the state competitive in a globalized economy. Yet key leaders in state and local government continue to be unwilling to put political risks aside to make the necessary investment. Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Minnesota, ND bridges showing age

About five years ago, more than 100 cars were traveling an I-35W bridge during a Minneapolis rush hour when it suddenly collapses, dropping cars into the 15-foot deep Mississippi River below.

Read more in the Advocate Tribune (Granite Falls).

The Drive: I-394 has a bumper crop of potholes

Temperatures flirting with the freezing mark had many winter-weary Minnesotans cheering on Friday, but Minnesota Department of Transportation officials were cringing. The one-day break from the subzero weather will only exacerbate the pothole problems that's making Twin Cities roads look like they have a bad case of acne.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Our opinion: Minnesota's transportation needs stand out

Minnesota's 2014 legislative session starts in a few weeks, and the debates are likely to be divisive. Lawmakers from both parties seem determined to focus on partisan issues - and that's a shame.

Read more in the Grand Forks Herald.

Minnesota is failing to keep up with transportation needs

Minnesota has unfinished business on transportation. Six years ago, the Legislature overrode a governor's veto to temporarily shore up roads and transit. And last year, it authorized some extra borrowing for selected road projects. Still, the state expects to have only enough money to cover 60 percent of its transportation needs over the next 20 years.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

MnDOT plan paints grim picture of transit future

Without more money - at least $12 billion over the next 20 years - Minnesota's 12,000 miles of roads and bridges will continue to deteriorate, traffic jams will worsen and the effects will be far-ranging, according to an updated assessment of transit needs by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, or MnDOT.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Is a transportation funding fix coming?

State Transportation Commissioner Charlie Zelle has been traveling the state this summer and fall to discuss the need for increased funding to maintain the transportation system over the long term.

Read more in Finance & Commerce.

Across Minnesota, asphalt roads are crumbling

Woodbury may have to spend $20 million to fix crumbling street pavement that relied on a state formula for mixing blacktop, one of at least 35 Minnesota cities and counties reporting such problems.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.