Minnesota Highways, February 1956

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VOL.  5,  No.  4
1246  University Ave., St. Paul 4,  Minn.
February,   1956
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C. D.Johnston
Resigns Post
C. D. (Johnny) Johnston
resigned from the Highway
department January 31 after
nearly two decades as director of its Public Information
division. But he still is right
in the middle of the movement for better Minnesota
Highways.
He severed his long and productive association with the Highway
department to become executive
director of the recently organized
Minnesota  Good  Boads,   Inc.   He
ill direct the association's statewide campaign for a greatly accelerated highway, road, and street
improvement program.
MGBI is an amalgamation of
former Minnesota good roads organizations to unite and coordinate the state's civic, agricultural,
and industrial interests in a broad
program of highway development.
Johnny reports that MGRI has
charted as its first objective active
Building Plans Are Approved
Front elevation of new Highway department building with State Office building to the right.
March 29 has been designated as the date for the opening of bids for construction of the projected $7,000,000, eight-
story Highway department headquarters building near the
state capitol. Setting of the date for action on the bids followed formal approval of the final building plans and specifications by the three-man commission charged with administering construction of the building.
support for the enactment by Congress of proposed long-range expanded federal highway legislation. This legislation would increase Minnesota's funds for road
(Continued on pcge 2)
Shortly before relinquishing his post as public information director of the Highway department, C. D. (Johnny) Johnston, right, conferred on a pending news release  with Vince Bovitz, the Public Information  division's  assistant director.
The members are Governor Freeman, Highway Commissioner Hoffmann, and Commissioner of Administration Arthur Naftalin. The
commission authorized Commissioner Naftalin to advertise for
bids to be received March 29. Ellerbe & Co., St. Paul, are the project architects and engineers.
Construction will begin as soon
after the awarding of the contracts
as possible, Governor Freeman announced. Building of the eight-
floor structure is expected to require approximately two years.
Two More Stories Possible
The new building will be located
in the capitol perimeter to the
south and west of the State Office
building. In addition to the eight
full floors, it will have a partial
sub-basement. The structural frame
and footings are designed to carry
two additional stories, should they
be necessary for expansion in the
future.
At the ground level the building
will measure 482 feet by 146 feet,
with a total floor area of 350,000
square feet. It will be of feepwwrf
construction with exterior facing
materials primarily of Minnesota
granite.
The building site is located on
a triangular tract of land bounded
by Summit mall (recently redesignated John Ireland boulevard) on
the east, Bice Street on the west,
and Fuller Street on the north.
The building will be connected
to the State Office building and
the Veterans' Service building by
underground tunnels for pedestrian
traffic and utility services.
Divisions of the Highway department to be housed in the building are, Administration, Bridge,
Construction, County, Legal, Finance, Highway Safety, including
the patrol and drivers licensing;
Lands and Bight of Way, Maintenance, Plans and Survey, Traffic and