Minnesota Highways, February 1952

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VOL.  1, NO. 4
1246 University Ave., St. Paul 4, Minn.
FEBRUARY,  1952
Tentative 1952  Road  Program Announced
Service Recognition
Urged By Hiwayan
Club
Meeting   in   the   organizational
=sion of the Hiwayan Club when
1952 officers and council
bers got together for the first
time, the group offered for consideration a plan whereby employees
with many years of service would
be given appropriate recognition.
Several ideas were presented
which were referred by club president, Clint Burnes, to a committee for further study.
Basically the recommendations
were that employees with 10, 20
or more years of service should be
recognized in some way to show
the appreciation of the department
for their many hours of work for
the state.
It was pointed out that many
governmental units, and particularly various industries, recognize
the value of older, well-trained and
responsible employees through organizations such as Old-Timers
Clubs, the Twenty-five Year Club,
In these organizations it is
mary to have an annual social
event at which time those employees reaching that certain year
of service are given certificates or
appropriate gifts.
It was not the intention of the
club to urge a detailed or expensive
plan, but rather to suggest the
idea and try to work out a program that woidd include every
employee in the highway department.
Some suggestions said that cards
or certificates awarded at the end
of each five years of service would
be adequate. Others felt that the
awards should be for 10, 20, 25
and 30 years. After the discussion
it was requested that the proposal
be printed in MINNESOTA
HIGHWAYS to sound out the feeling of those in the field. Your
suggestions, remarks or proposals
will be welcomed by the editors
by the members of the Hi-
an club who brought up the
plan.
Traffic Fatalities
Up 14% Over 1950
The death bell tolled 609 times
during 1951 as its mournful tones
announced the 609 traffic fatalities
in Minnesota during the year.
This was an increase of 77
deaths over the previous year,
1950, when 532 traffic deaths were
609 in '51
re corded  in  the  state,
crease of 14 per cent.
or an m-
The total
was the highest reached since the
pre-war year of 1941 when a
record 626 fatalities occurred.
Only two counties, Big Stone
and Cook, went through the past
year without a single fatal traffic
accident, whereas in 1950 there
were six counties which maintained perfect records.
Increases in fatalities were recorded in 38 counties, decreases in
32, and no change in the number
of deaths in 17 counties.
(Continued on Page 2)
A preview into what is proposed for the 1952 road construction program is provided Highway Department employees in Commissioner M. J. Hoffmann's recent talk before
the annual convention of the Minnesota Associated General
Contractors.
Proposed improvements to Minnesota's trunk highways
and federal aid secondary projects on county roads are expected to equal or surpass last year's record-breaking program.
"Barring unforeseen difficulties," he said, "the Department
hopes to put under contract approximately $31,500,000 in improvements during the present
year, while the counties are anticipating awarding nearly $8,000,-
000 in contracts to be financed
with matched federal aid secondary funds, for a total of $39,500,-
000 in new contracts."
In addition to this proposed
new work there is a carry-over of
uncompleted work of the 1951
programs which totals approximately $15,000,000 on the state
trunk highway system and $4,-
000,000 on county-federal aid
secondary roads.
Six queens of the highway department were entered in the competition for the
title of Princess of the State Employees, Inc., at the St. Paul Winter Carnival. They
are shown above as they received the best wishes of Commissioner Hoffmann before
they departed for the State Capitol for the final round. They are Mary Lou Backus,
Patrol; Rita Doffing, Drivers License; Marlyne Krueger, Traffic and Safety; Betty
Andre, Drivers License; Donna Mae Dolejs, Lands and Right of Way and Pat Ritter,
Drivers   License.
Betty Andre survived the first elimination at the capitol but lost out in the
finals to Kathryn Reynolds, Adjutant General's Dept., who represented the State
Employees,   Inc.,   in   the   selection   of   the   Winter   Carnival   Queen.
the Department's tentative construction program for 1952, according to the commissioner, includes the following types of
work: 570 miles of grading to cost
an estimated $13,000,000; concrete paving equivalent to 96
miles of two-lane construction,
$5,000,000; reconstruction and
modernization of 43 miles of old
narrow pavements, $2,300,000;
355 miles of stabilized base construction with bituminous surfacing, $5,300,000; and 314 miles of
new bituminous surfacing, $3,200,-
000.
The commissioner lowered the
boom, however, on any "unbridled enthusiasm" his forecast might
generate. Citing the effects of
soaring construction costs, he
pointed out that, in terms of physical accomplishments, this $31-
500,000 worth of trunk highway
improvements represents about the
same amount of work that could
have been done back in the big
construction years of 1931-32 for
$12,500,000. And in those years
the Highioay Department actually
had an average of over $24,000,-
000 a year for construction.
Bridges    Not   In    Above
"At this time it is virtually impossible to even venture an estimate as to the number of bridges it
may be feasible to program, be-
causs of the critical steel situation,"
the Commissioner said. "It is hoped
to place under contract at least
some of those which are desperately needed and where the usefulness or overall construction projects is dependent upon them.
About $2,700,000 work of bridge
projects may be expected to materialize."
Minnesota 1951 road improvement projects, he pointed out,
(Continued on Page 2)