Minnesota Department of Transportation
Encyclopedia
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees transportation
by land, water, and air in the U.S. state
of Minnesota
. The cabinet
-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system (including state highways, U.S. highways, and interstate highways), funding municipal airport
s and maintaining radio navigation aids, and other activities. Minnesota's lieutenant governor, Carol Molnau
, formerly led the department as Commissioner of Transportation until her removal in February 2008. Thomas Sorel is the Commissioner. Molnau was removed in the aftermath of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse.
and Driver's License Bureau
. Mn/DOT finally came into being in 1976 and took over the functions of the aeronautics and highway departments, plus transportation-related duties of the Minnesota State Planning Agency and Department of Public Service.
s and traffic camera
s in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area
in order to manage traffic flow. In 2000, the ramp meters were turned off for a study period mandated by the Minnesota Legislature
. The bill was backed by Republican
State Senator Dick Day
of Owatonna, Minnesota
, who has often been critical of Mn/DOT policies and projects. The study showed that ramp meters reduce the number of crashes on highways, and marginally reduce travel time in many cases. However, the study also showed some places where the meters were more of a hindrance, and metering strategies have been altered since that time. There are about 430 ramp meters and more than 450 traffic cameras in the Twin Cities metro area.
The department has also put up informational electronic signage
along highways to provide alert messages. Message boards have been in Rochester
, Duluth
and the Twin Cities for some time. Part of the reason for the Rochester signs is occasional flood
ing of U.S. Highway 52
. The department expanded use of the signs after Amber Alert
legislation allocated funding for larger networks. In the Twin Cities, Mn/DOT began using them to display freeway travel times in 2003 or 2004 to help drivers plan alternate routes to avoid heavy traffic if necessary (although a generic message like "buckle up for safety" is sometimes encountered during special safety campaigns planned in conjuncture with the State Patrol and Department of Public Safety).
Twin Cities Public Television
(TPT) station KTCI channel 17 has been used for many years to display weather
-related information that is funded by Mn/DOT. This service is continued on channel 2-4 following the digital transition
. The department also had a long-standing partnership with KBEM-FM radio (88.5 FM) in Minneapolis
to relay area traffic information, although that relationship is coming to an end. After public outcry, the term was extended, but it is unclear how long the two organizations will continue the relationship. Mn/DOT paid KBEM-FM US$
400,000 per year to provide the information, about half of the station's annual budget. Video from traffic cameras is also shown on cable television
systems in the metro area (at one time, this had also been shown on KVBM channel 45, today known as KSTC
).
Snow plows used on trunk highways are operated by Mn/DOT. Mn/Dot also produces public service videos like A Snow Plow - Cool! to detail important information about the Minnesota road system.
Organizational charts are available in the notes section.
Transportation in Minnesota
Transportation in Minnesota is primarily centered on the Twin Cities metropolitan area, where 60% of its residents live; it is overseen by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, a cabinet-level agency of the state government...
by land, water, and air in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system (including state highways, U.S. highways, and interstate highways), funding municipal airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s and maintaining radio navigation aids, and other activities. Minnesota's lieutenant governor, Carol Molnau
Carol Molnau
Carol Molnau was the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. She formerly served as head of the Minnesota Department of Transportation...
, formerly led the department as Commissioner of Transportation until her removal in February 2008. Thomas Sorel is the Commissioner. Molnau was removed in the aftermath of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse.
History
The agency's history can be traced to the state's Railroad and Warehouse Commission which emerged slowly from 1871 to 1905, and the State Highway Commission created in 1905. However, the Highway Commission was abolished in 1917 and replaced by a Department of Highways. For air transport, the Minnesota Aeronautics Commission was created in 1933. Much of the railroad oversight was transferred to the Minnesota Department of Public Service in 1967. Two years later in 1969, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety was established and took over the Highway PatrolMinnesota State Patrol
The Minnesota State Patrol is the statewide police force in the state of Minnesota. The State Patrol concentrates primarily on traffic enforcement and highway safety. Troopers are also involved with accident reconstruction and commercial vehicle enforcement. The State Patrol capitol security...
and Driver's License Bureau
Driver's license
A driver's license/licence , or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus, on a public roadway. Most U.S...
. Mn/DOT finally came into being in 1976 and took over the functions of the aeronautics and highway departments, plus transportation-related duties of the Minnesota State Planning Agency and Department of Public Service.
Services and projects
Mn/DOT operates networks of ramp meterRamp meter
A ramp meter, ramp signal or metering light is a device, usually a basic traffic light or a two-section signal light together with a signal controller, that regulates the flow of traffic entering freeways according to current traffic conditions...
s and traffic camera
Traffic camera
A traffic camera is a video camera which observes vehicular traffic on a road. Typically, these are put along major roads such as highways, freeways, motorways, autoroutes and expressways, as well as arterial roads, and are connected with optical fibers buried alongside or even under the road,...
s in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
in order to manage traffic flow. In 2000, the ramp meters were turned off for a study period mandated by the Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature located at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul and it consists of two houses: the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate...
. The bill was backed by Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
State Senator Dick Day
Dick Day
Richard "Dick" Day is Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 26, which includes portions of Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele and Waseca counties in the southeastern part of the state. A Republican, he was first elected in...
of Owatonna, Minnesota
Owatonna, Minnesota
Owatonna is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,599 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August....
, who has often been critical of Mn/DOT policies and projects. The study showed that ramp meters reduce the number of crashes on highways, and marginally reduce travel time in many cases. However, the study also showed some places where the meters were more of a hindrance, and metering strategies have been altered since that time. There are about 430 ramp meters and more than 450 traffic cameras in the Twin Cities metro area.
The department has also put up informational electronic signage
Variable message sign
A variable- message sign, often abbreviated VMS, CMS, or DMS, and in the UK known as a matrix sign,...
along highways to provide alert messages. Message boards have been in Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
and the Twin Cities for some time. Part of the reason for the Rochester signs is occasional flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing of U.S. Highway 52
U.S. Route 52 in Minnesota
U.S. Highway 52 enters the state of Minnesota at the unincorporated community of Prosper, north of the town of Burr Oak, Iowa. The route is marked north–south in Minnesota along its independent segment from the Iowa state line to downtown St. Paul...
. The department expanded use of the signs after Amber Alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
legislation allocated funding for larger networks. In the Twin Cities, Mn/DOT began using them to display freeway travel times in 2003 or 2004 to help drivers plan alternate routes to avoid heavy traffic if necessary (although a generic message like "buckle up for safety" is sometimes encountered during special safety campaigns planned in conjuncture with the State Patrol and Department of Public Safety).
Twin Cities Public Television
Twin Cities Public Television
Twin Cities Public Television is a non-profit organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operates the Twin Cities' two Public Broadcasting Service member Public television stations, KTCA-TV and KTCI-TV...
(TPT) station KTCI channel 17 has been used for many years to display weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
-related information that is funded by Mn/DOT. This service is continued on channel 2-4 following the digital transition
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
. The department also had a long-standing partnership with KBEM-FM radio (88.5 FM) in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
to relay area traffic information, although that relationship is coming to an end. After public outcry, the term was extended, but it is unclear how long the two organizations will continue the relationship. Mn/DOT paid KBEM-FM US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
400,000 per year to provide the information, about half of the station's annual budget. Video from traffic cameras is also shown on cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
systems in the metro area (at one time, this had also been shown on KVBM channel 45, today known as KSTC
KSTC-TV
KSTC-TV is an Independent television station for the Twin Cities that is licensed to Minneapolis. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 45 from a transmitter at the Telefarm installation in Shoreview. Owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, the station is sister to ABC affiliate...
).
Snow plows used on trunk highways are operated by Mn/DOT. Mn/Dot also produces public service videos like A Snow Plow - Cool! to detail important information about the Minnesota road system.
Organization
Mn/DOT is supervised and controlled by the commissioner of transportation, who is appointed by the governor for a term coinciding with the governor’s. The commissioner may appear as a party on behalf of the public in any proceeding before any governmental agency regulating public services or rates relating to transportation. The commissioner also provides technical and financial assistance to the Metropolitan Council and regional development commissions in the regional transportation planning process.Organizational charts are available in the notes section.
External links
- Minnesota Department of Transportation
- 511mn.org (state 5-1-15-1-15-1-1, initially designated for road weather information, is a transportation and traffic information telephone hotline in some regions of the United States and Canada. Travelers can dial the three-digit telephone number 5-1-1 on traditional landline telephones and most mobile phones. It is an N11...
webpage) - Twin Cities traffic map
- Twin Cities traffic cameras