ATSSA Signal July/August 2020

American Traffic Safety Services Association 42 Member Engagement Transportation Conversations Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher was appointed in December 2018 by incoming Gov. TimWalz. She served a dozen years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, including 10 on the Transportation Policy and Transportation Finance committees. As House Speaker, she oversaw passage of the Transportation and Transit Funding package of 2008 that invested new funds into the state’s bridges, roads, and transit system. She holds a master’s in public affairs mid-career from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Q A & Q: What impact has COVID-19 had on your department’s ability to carry out its duties? A: In the first weeks of this COVID-19 crisis, we adapted fairly quickly, and fairly well, especially given the scope of the challenge. We focused on continu- ing all of our critical services, with minimal disruptions to the products and services we deliver to the public. We’ve kept our construction, design, and maintenance projects on track for the most part, even with some of the bigger challenges like obtaining permits and approvals from outside parties. In a few instances, we’ve accel- erated construction projects and taken advantage of less traffic on our road - ways. Maintenance crews have worked hard to find innovative ways to keep roads and bridges open and safe while maintaining social distancing. Q: What modifications, if any, did your department make to continue operating while under government guidelines related to COVID-19? A: The biggest change was that all MnDOT staffwhose jobs allowed themto work fromhome, have done so. Workers whose critical functions required themto report to a work location have followed social distancing and other state and federal guidelines to protect themselves and slow the spread of COVID-19. Most, if not all, meetings and transactions that had occurred in person moved online or were conducted through good old-fashioned mail. We canceled all in-person public engagement events, transitioning many of those events to online platforms or other remote- access options to allowopportunities for public input. We have conducted vehi- cle inspections remotely and provided some temporary variance, for exam- ple, for providers of non-emergency medical transportation. Q: What does your state do to promote work zone safety? A: The safety of both workers and the public is a high priority with every construction and maintenance proj- ect. We work internally with staff and partner with stakeholders in private industry—like ATSSA and the Associ- ated General Contractors of Minnesota —to ensure everyone is up to date with the latest training and best practices. We also work to develop innovative, new ways to improve safety for those who work and travel in work zones. We produce and publish the Minnesota Temporary Traffic Control Field Manual,