Minnesota Highways, May 1955

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VOL.  4,  NO.  7
1246  University Ave., St.  Paul  4, Minn.
May,   1955
1955 Legislature Helps Highways
Financing, Construction Aided
Measures enacted by the 1955 Minnesota Legislature will
serve the state's trunk and local highways as much or more
than the enactments of any Minnesota Legislature in many
.vs.
ills adopted by the recent 1955 session and signed by
Governor Orville L. Freeman, pave the way for great benefits
in the financing of all highways in the state and will materially
improve the means for enforcement of traffic safety regulations. Other action at the sessions will facilitate highway
and bridge construction at locations where acutely needed.
The  1955 Legislature also gave
final approval to construction of a
much needed headquarters building for the Highway department,
to cost not more than $6,000,000
and to be erected in the capitol
group of buildings in St. Paul.
This will relieve present serious
congestion of the department's
headquarters facilities and will permit consolidation in a single location of units now distributed in
five locations in the St. Paul Midway, the state capitol (the newly
acquired Chauffeur's License bu-
^jU^),   and   at   the   University   of
The 1955 Legislature's biggest
single act to aid adequate financing of urban and local highways
was enactment of a bill calling for
submission to the voters at the
1956 general election of a proposed  constitutional  amendment.
If approved by the electorate,
the amendment will provide a new
division of highway user's tax
revenues (from a common fund
combining revenues from state
gasoline and motor vehicle taxes)
which now total about $75,000,000
annually. Under the proposed new
distribution, 62 per cent of the total
revenue would go to the state trunk
highway fund, 29 per cent to the
state's 87 counties, and the remaining nine per cent to municipalities of more than 5,000 population.
Present division is about 80 per
cent to the state and the other 20
per cent to the counties.
By the proposed new distribution, the state highway fund would
sacrifice part of its share to provide a materially larger share than
heretofore for construction and
maintenance of county roads. However, the state's cities of over
5,000, in which the traffic problem has become increasingly acute,
for the first time would receive a
direct share of highway user revenues for street improvements.
The Legislature's action further
provides for the naming of an interim legislative commission to
study individual county and municipal allocations of state collected
highway funds. On the basis of
its study, the commission is to
prepare a proposed official formula for distribution of present state
aid and county aid road funds and
(Continued on page 2)
He Leaves Bridge Post
County Road Bonds Authorized
Biggest single service by the 1955 Legislature to county roads in
Minnesota was its authorizing counties to issue up to $250,000 each
of bonds to provide funds to match federal aid available for county
roads. The counties are not required to'include the bonds in their net
debt.
A number of counties have been restricted in obtaining federal
funds for then highways because they have lacked sufficient tax
revenues to match the federal allocations, as required by the federal
government.
Traffic Laws Are Tightened
In the cause of greater traffic safety, which is a prime
responsibility of the Highway department, the 1955 State
Legislature adopted a half-dozen measures aimed at clamping
down with increased severity on traffic law violators.
Principal among these were an increase in the personnel
of the State Highway Patrol and the law enabling traffic
courts to impound both motor vehicle licenses and registration cards of any violator who drives after suspension or
revocation of his driver's license.
The Legislature  also enacted a 	
new  speed  law,   but  contrary   to   miles per hour to an absolute speed
general opinion, this law does not  limit.
arbitrarily change the State's pres-       Actually, what the law does is
ent prima facie speed limit of 60   authorize    the    Commissioner    of
Highways to establish and post
absolute speed limit zones. They
may be 60 miles per hour (50 at
night) or higher or lower than 60,
but in order to become absolute
speed zones, the beginning and end
of each zone on each highway must
be clearly marked as "Absolute
Speed Limit". The absolute provision does not become effective
until and unless specific zones are
established and marked. Elsewhere
the previous state law establishing
60 miles per hour daytime (and
50 at night) as prima facie evidence of speed above that which is
"reasonable and prudent" continues
in force, as a contributing cause
to arrest.
The Legislature authorized the
addition of 29 more patrol officers
and 10 more supervisory officers
to the State Highway patrol, bringing the patrol's total strength to
255 members. It also gave highway patrol officers broader powers
of arrest.
The impounding provision not
only authorizes the courts to impound the motor vehicle license
plates and registration cards of any
person driving after suspension or
revocation of his driver's license,
but also if the car owner knowingly
permits use of his vehicle by an
unauthorized driver. Minnesota is
(Continued on page 2)
GIERTSEN
M. O. Giertsen, chief bridge engineer
and a veteran of the Highway department,   has   retired. Story   on   page   2.