In an effort to increase safety, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is now requiring centerline rumble strips to be incorporated into construction, reconstruction, or overlay projects along Highway 61 between Duluth and Grand Portage. Many serious injuries and fatalities are caused by people veering off the road or across the centerline on Minnesota’s rural highways, according to a MnDOT technical memo outlining the new mandate. In addition, road striping will now be placed over rumble strips, increasing their visibility.
Centerline rumble strips are coming to Highway 61. Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Highway 61 Corridor Engineer Todd Campbell spoke to the county board on July 17 about a new mandate affecting Highway 61. Starting this past spring, centerline rumble strips must be included in all bituminous pavement construction, reconstruction, or overlay projects on Rural Trunk Highways with paved shoulders of 4 feet or greater and speed limits of 55 m.p.h. or higher.
Another change will be to place rumble strips underneath road stripes, which MnDOT is calling “rumble stripEs.” Campbell said this increases the reflectivity of the stripes.
The purpose of this mandate is “to reduce lane departure crashes, to provide increased centerline visibility during rainy conditions, and to guide motorists during snowy conditions when striping visibility is poor,” according to a technical memo from MnDOT Deputy Commissioner and Chief Engineer Bernard Arseneau.
“Detailed crash analysis has shown that land departure crashes, such as run-off-the-road, sideswipe, and head-on crashes on rural twolane two-way highways in Minnesota result in an over-represented number of fatalities and serious injuries,” said Arseneau. “…The use of rumble strips both on the shoulder and beneath the centerline results in a significant reduction of targeted crashes.”
Rumble strips and stripEs will not be required within 200 feet of township and county roads or commercial or residential entrances. Their proximity to these spots will be at the discretion of the highway engineer, Campbell said.
County Commissioner Bruce Martinson asked if they could leave the centerline rumble strips out of passing lane areas in order to decrease noise for people living in the vicinity. Campbell said they are required to abide by the dictates of the technical memo. Safety studies show that people tend to get sleepy on long straight stretches, which is where passing lanes are, he said.
The local MnDOT district will be able to exercise some discretion on the width and placement of the rumble strips and stripEs “in order to abate noise concerns, accommodate bicyclists, acknowledge pedestrian use, and manage pavement conditions,” according to the memo. The memo cites studies showing that the noise generated by a rumble strip is comparable to that of a truck passing on a standard, non-rumbled surface, although it may seem louder because it is a different sound.
Michigan, Missouri, and North Dakota have policies requiring rumble strips and stripEs on centerlines, road edges, and shoulders.
Rumble strips and stripEs can be placed on road segments not mandated by the state. In rural highways where the paved shoulder is less than 2 feet, shoulder strips or edgeline stripEs may be placed on both sides of the road in lieu of a centerline rumble stripe. They are not required in road segments that already have guardrails or cable barriers. They will not be required on concrete pavements until 2014 in order to allow testing on various installation methods.
“Shoulder widths that provide less than 4 feet of clear space with rumble strips are not considered adequate to accommodate bicyclists,” according to the memo. “When practical and feasible, districts are encouraged to provide a minimum of a 6-foot paved shoulder where shoulder rumble strips will be placed on trunk highways with existing or potentially significant bicycle travel.”
Assessor/land commissioner resigns
The board authorized Personnel Director Janet Simonen to advertise for a new county assessor. Mary Black turned in her resignation on July 10 but will stay as long as September 14 if a new assessor has not been hired by that time.
“While it has been a pleasure serving the taxpayers of Cook County,” she wrote, “I am moving in a new direction as an entrepreneur and business owner, fulfilling a passion of helping people.” She and her husband Mark Black own and operate The Pump House Fitness Center and are distributors of Isagenix nutrition products.
“I wish you luck in your new venture,” said Commissioner Sue Hakes.
“We’re going to miss you,” said Commissioner Fritz Sobanja. “Thank you for your good work. We appreciate it.”
“I’m going to miss everyone,” said Black.
The board accepted her resignation with regrets. They followed Janet Simonen’s recommendation to open the position to the public in order to get the widest applicant pool possible, which she said is her standard recommendation to department heads.
Salary negotiations
Commissioners Sue Hakes and Jan Hall have been negotiating with the Management Advisory Team representing the eight department heads and four elected officials on salaries and benefits for the upcoming contract period. They agreed on a 2.5 percent cost of living increase, an increase from 2.3 percent to 3 percent in the salary raise from Step 9 to Step 10, and a new requirement that the employees pay $25/month toward their individual or family health insurance premiums.
The cost of these increases over two years will be $59,670.
“I would have to say we worked hard to come to this agreement,” said Commissioner Hakes.
The latest agreements with other unions include a 1.8 percent increase for regular courthouse and Highway Department employees, who make no health insurance contributions, and a 2.5 percent increase for union employees in the Sheriff ’s Department, who will pay $25/month for family health insurance coverage and will receive a $50/year increase in annual uniform allowance and a 25 cent/hour increase for shift differentials.
Commissioner Hakes also recommended a 2.5 percent cost of living increase for the seven non-union supervisors. They will now be required to pay $10/month toward their health insurance premiums. The cost of these raises will be $22,498 over the course of two years.
The board approved the agreements with the department heads, elected officials, and supervisors.
Six other employees work for the county on an hourly basis but are not part of a union.
Right of way spraying
Commissioners received a letter notifying Arrowhead Electric Cooperative Inc. members that an EPA-approved herbicide will be applied this summer on brush under power lines. The letter, from Central Applicators Inc. of Foley, said, “We will treat only the brush that is or will eventually interfere with your electrical service. We do not treat areas near gardens or mowed areas. …This is being done to help maintain a clearer right of way, which will pay off in the long run with [fewer] outages and easier accessibility for Arrowhead Electric personnel when it becomes necessary for power line repair.”
A brochure with the letter states that mowing doesn’t control vegetation as effectively as herbicides and sometimes helps unwanted species—including invasive species—proliferate. The people who apply the herbicide are trained and treat only targeted brush and trees, leaving buffer zones between treatment areas and private property.
The brochure states, “All pesticides sold in the United States must be registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based on the submission of scientific studies showing that the pesticide will perform its intended function without unreasonable adverse effects to human health and the environment.”
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