Minnesota: Dept of Transportation's BUILDING is falling down (really!)

[dflprincess]

From Nick Coleman's (no relation to Senator Weasel) column in Sunday's Star Tribune (worth clicking the link to read the whole thing)

http://www.startribune.com/coleman/story/1439134.html

Look out! MnDOT's building is falling down

Since the Interstate 35W bridge tragedy on Aug. 1, Minnesotans have debated what's wrong with the state Department of Transportation. Now we know. It is falling down.

The department headquarters on John Ireland Boulevard, near the State Capitol in St. Paul, is in danger of a "catastrophic failure" and poses a "life-safety issue."

I am not exaggerating. The terms "catastrophic" and "life-safety" come from an urgent $13.7 million repair request prepared by the Department of Administration, which is responding to threats from building inspectors to close the transportation building if measures aren't taken to prevent workers and visitors from being injured by falling pieces of the building's exterior.

The budget request, prepared shortly before the bridge collapsed, is $1 million higher than a $12.7 million appropriation to fix the building that was in a bonding bill approved by the Legislature last spring. That bill, however, was vetoed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Officials have been worrying about the MnDOT building and trying, without success, to get the money to fix it since 2002. The problem is getting worse, says Nicky Giancola, assistant commissioner of the Department of Administration. She wrote the building repair request, which predicts that granite panels -- each weighing 1,200 pounds -- will begin to fall off in "the near future."

Welcome to Minnesota. Don't Forget To Duck.

The MnDOT building opened in 1958 during the state's celebration of its centennial. At the rate things are falling down, it may not still be standing for next year's sesquicentennial....

[valerief]

1. Move the governor's office in the DOT building. nt

[porphyrian]

2. I guess that answers how them economically-conservative tax cuts are working out for them. - n/t

[Generic Brad]

3. Well, that explains why they moved the DMV office across the street to Sears

No shit. The DMV office in that building is closed. But there is an office across the street on the second floor of Sears. I renewed my license there last week. The DMV is just past kitchen ware and home ornaments.