On Aug 29, 2007, at 9:21 PM, Tim Bonham wrote:
> "Just ask the trucking industry who is trying to figure out how to
> get products from Texas to Duluth."
>
> I find it really hard to believe that a detour of a few miles in a
> journey of 1,200 miles is really that big a deal to the trucking
> industry.
Tim makes a good point- according to MNDOT's own studies very little
of the truck traffic on I-35W is going from Texas to Duluth. In fact,
fully one half of the truck tonnage in Minnesota is moving entirely
within the state. The truck tonnage between the Cities and Duluth is
actually pretty light, as most of the Interstate tonnage on 35W
either originates/terminates in the cities or points west on I-94.
When global warming makes Duluth a year round port in a few decades
that may change, but the Weiland Locks downstream can't handle
Panamax ships, never mind the even bigger boats they're building. The
I-35W bridge was the Postal Service's standard route from the Annex
to the Bulk Mail Center in Eagan. UPS, located kiddy-corner from
them, used 280 to I-94 through St.Paul to get to their hub in Eagan
and that route worked just as well. The Postal service is now using
280, and the only hassle for both has been getting on and off 280, a
problem that MNDOT is finally addressing- the interchange at
Hennipen should have been converted into a diamond decades ago! Since
most travelers have sorted out their routes and more of the
unaffected portions of I-35W have been reopened, the shuttles between
the Main Post Office, Annex, and Airport are running almost as well
as before.
Meanwhile, the rebuilding of the I-35W bridge is going nowhere fast.
Removal of the old bridge is proceeding slowly, largely thanks to the
contractors reliance on underpaid non-union truck drivers to haul the
scrap away and new materials in- they haven't even cleared enough
junk to pass a 28 foot wide barge through. There is a surplus of
trucks sitting on dealer's lots and my union brothers and sisters are
ready to go to work, but MNDOT's and the contractors preference for
cheap labor is delaying the demolition, never mind the
reconstruction. With MNDOT admitting that the new bridge will cost at
least 300 million, the last Transportation Commissioner saying more
like 350 million, and probably 50 million of the appropriated 250
million spent,is it any wonder that one contractor has already
dropped out of the bidding and the deadline has been extended?
Meanwhile, Madame Molnau of Highways and her bosses at the (Rich)
Taxpayer's League are again chanting "no new taxes". We may not get a
big ugly bridge to block our view between our two graceful arch
bridges for years to come.
Through it all, Metro Transit has done yeoman duty- they even have
"construction orange" signs directing drivers to the park and rides
on I-94 in the suburbs. Unfortunately the early startup of the
Northstar Commuter Rail isn't going so well... Hint to any Metro
Transit folks, legislators, etc. reading this- Amtrak coughed up 4
locomotives so they could reestablish service between here and
Chicago after the flood in southeastern Minnesota. They're back in
Chicago and should be available. Metro Chicago's transit agency,
Metra, is getting a lot of new locomotives and cars and their old
ones are available. Amtrak has sent four trainsets of cars to
Washington state to fill in while their Talgo cars are repaired-
those trainsets should be available in november. Iowa Interstate
railroad has a long trainset that is used for shuttling fans to the
University of Iowa home football games, it should be available after
the season is over. The local "tourist' railroad groups such as
Northstar Rail (operators of Milwaukee Road 261), Minnesota
Transportion Museum, and North Shore Scenic Railroad also will have
cars available as their operating seasons end this fall. Scheduling
between freights will be tight, but the Northstar could share the
Empire Builder's eastbound slot in the morning and IIRC there may be
an unused UPS peak season slot available in the afternoon. We'd still
need station platforms- perhaps the Postal Service's fiberglass
trailers that the scrappers want no part of could be recycled for
that purpose?
And to the folks living behind the Quarry shopping center: sorry
about the late night deliveries- truckers are under pressure to make
deliveries during off hours to reduce traffic congestion. Bakeries
and dairies have to make their deliveries at night to get fresh
product into the stores for the day's shoppers. Unfortunately, night
deliveries are a necessary evil.
from Hawthorne tonight,
Dyna Sluyter