Minnesota Highways, January 1955

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VOL.   4,   NO.   3
1246 University Ave., St. Paul 4, Minn.
JANUARY,   1955
Minn. Road
Building Was
Big in 1954
The Minnesota Highway
department had one of its biggest construction years in
fi£4, with a total of $35,154,-
of work contracted for,
the largest such sum in the
department's history.
Aim of a considerable share of
the 1954 program was the widening and other improvement of existing trunk highways—to provide
for the constantly growing volume
of traffic and to reduce accident
hazards.
Contracts completed or begun
for new concrete pavement during
the year totaled 114.8 miles and
contracts for laying of base and
bituminous surfacing ran to 518
miles. In addition, work was underway on 135.7 miles of bituminous
surfacing on existing base.
Contracts for the concrete pavement amounted to $8,562,413, for
base and bituminous surfacing, $8,-
821,817, and for bituminous surfacing on existing base, $1,418,481.
Extensive Widening
Reconstruction of highways surfaced with narrow pavements and
widening of construction to full
street width in various municipalities accounted for 33 miles of additional gravel base and bituminous
surface construction valued at $2,-
021,487.
For grading of 308 miles of
highway, contracts were let totaling $10,601,417. Another major
factor during the year was the letting of contracts for 42 bridges at
a total cost of $3,168,085.
One of the most important projects of the year from the standpoint of relieving triffic congestion
and promoting safety, was the
grading operation to widen Lyn-
dale Ave. S. (T. H. 65) from Fifty-
sixth  St.  in  south  Minneapolis to
(Continued  on  page  4)
mm:
Here is the architects' model of the proposed new headquarters building for
Minnesota Highway department. The two-story wing will house the Materials
Research  laboratories.
the
and
Freeman
Extends
Greetings
Gov.  Freeman
Following his inauguration January 5 as Minnesota's new
chief executive, Governor Orville L. Freeman extended the following greeting to members of the Highway department:
I am happy to take this opportunity to extend to the entire
personnel of the Minnesota Highway Department my greetings
and best wishes for 1955. I trust that we may look forward to a
year in which honest, effective and constructive effort will bring
the satisfaction of a job well done, of increased benefits and
services to the people of Minnesota.
There are few departments in state government whose activities are as constantly under the observation of all of our citizens
as the Highway Department. People use our highways every day.
The effectiveness with which each of you performs his job, the
good public relations to which each one of you can contribute,
have much to do with the success of the efforts of our state
government to improve agriculture, commerce and industry, to
save human lives, and to promote human happiness.
I am confident that we will have the essential help and
cooperation of the personnel of the Highway Department in our
efforts to build Minnesota's future, to constantly progress toward
making our state a safer, more prosperous, happier place in
which to live.
Sincerely yours,
/Z&<Z?nzz<rC^'
Approval Is
Sought for
New Building
Approval by the 1955 State
Legislature, now in session, is
all that is needed to launch
construction this year of the
long awaited new Highway
department building. The
proposed eight-story, six-million-dollar structure would be
paid for entirely out of trunk
highway funds. It would be
located on the capitol approach, southwest of the present State Office building. The
site is bounded by Summit
Pkwy., Rondo, Rice, and Fuller.
Highway Commissioner M. J.
Hoffmann and Governor Orville L.
Freeman have recommended that
the legislature approve immediate
construction of the building according to plans and specifications
already drawn.
The building is planned to have
an over-all frontage of 482 feet
and depth of 146 feet. The central
structure is planned for 290x98
feet.
According to the plans, the
building would house 14 divisions
of the Highway department, now
distributed in five locations in the
St. Paul Midway, plus the department's material and research laboratory, now on the Minneapolis
campus of the University of Minnesota. Also planned to.be located
in the new building is the Motor
Vehicle division, now in the Capitol. The Motor Vehicle unit is a
division under the Secretary of
State, but conducting activity
closely related to operation of the
state highway system.
Not to be moved to the proposed building are the driver examiner  station   at   University   and
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