Star Tribune
MnDOT brings back history in Blue Earth for nation’s longest road
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is resurfacing a 20-mile segment of Interstate 90 in the south central part of the state this construction season and next. With it, the agency is bringing back a significant piece of history.
Crews reinstalled the “Golden Stripe” across the westbound lanes near the Blue Earth Rest Area in July to mark the spot where the nation’s longest road was completed in 1978. MnDOT will put in a similar 27-foot section of deep wheat-tinted concrete on the eastbound side in 2024.
“This is the coolest part of the entire $85 million project,” said Victoria Nill, assistant engineer for construction in MnDOT’s District 7, which covers southern and southwestern Minnesota.
Besides putting down new pavement, MnDOT is fixing bridges, repairing culverts, and improving lighting between Hwys. 169 and 22. The agency is also updating rest areas near Blue Earth with sidewalks that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Contractors started building I-90 on the East and West coasts and “met in the middle” near Blue Earth, Nill said. They placed a piece of gold-tinted concrete at the spot in a nod to the “Golden Spike,” which symbolized the completion of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.
The completion of the 3,100-mile road linking Boston with Seattle led to a major celebration in Blue Earth. Two Minnesota National Guard trucks met nose to nose at the spot where the east met the west, similar to how two locomotives came together at Promontory Summit, Utah to mark the connection of the Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento with the Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha on May 10, 1869.
State and national dignitaries attended the Sept. 23, 1978 ribbon-cutting, which featured a Minnesota Air National Guard jet flyover, an appearance by Miss America and the debut of a 56-foot statue of the Jolly Green Giant held aloft by a crane. Festivities included a parade and a procession of vintage cars and trucks that were the first to drive over the golden concrete slabs.
The panels survived for nearly three decades under the wear and tear of millions of vehicles and Minnesota’s harsh winters. With the freeway crumbling, MnDOT paved over the panels covering the driving lanes in 2006, but left the golden shoulders in place.
With the new construction project, Nill said it was a perfect opportunity to restore the panels and recognize the freeway’s original purpose as a National Defense Highway system.
“Some locals didn’t even know they were there,” Nill said. “This brings back a bit of pride and we can reclaim this as the meeting place.”
Julie Hendrickson of Fairmont is thrilled. She was a member of the Flatlanders car club and the Minnesota Street Rod Association and drove a 1939 Chevy during the grand opening.
“It was a historical moment,” she recalled. “It was sad when [the stripe] went away. I’m happy that it is back.”
While the newest shark at the Minnesota Zoo might be particularly skilled at swimming, she was named after St. Paul’s beloved Olympic gymnast, the zoo announced Thursday.
Suni the zebra shark was born Aug. 17, just after the conclusion of the summer Olympics in Paris, where gymnast Suni Lee earned three medals.
Zoo visitors will be able to spot the striped baby Suni in the shark nursery in Discovery Bay, according to the zoo’s weekly newsletter. Those stripes won’t last forever; by the time she’s one, Suni’s stripes will be replaced with spots.
Visitors may find Suni exploring her environment or lying still, which is normal. Zebra sharks can rest motionless on the bottom and use throat muscles to pump water across their gills.
Zebra sharks are an endangered species, over-hunted for their fins, according to the zoo. The zoo is part of a global program that sends eggs and pups from zoos and aquariums to Indonesia to be released into the wild.
Suni’s mom is Ruby the shark, the zoo’s only breeding female. Ruby is also the mother of 7-year-old female JZ. Mother sharks do not raise their young, unlike many aquatic mammals like dolphins.
Ruby is a genetic match for the shark rehabilitation program and the zoo hopes to provide viable eggs in the future.
We at the Minnesota Star Tribune are committed to continually enhancing our digital products and experience. Earlier this year, we rebooted and upgraded the Minnesota Star Tribune’s website and apps to create a cleaner, crisper, modern platform that we’ll continue to build upon. And today, we’re reaching out to let you know about another upcoming enhancement that will impact anyone who visits startribune.com or our mobile apps.
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ROCHESTER – The biggest venue here will technically have new operators in 2025, though there likely won’t be staff changes.
Experience Rochester has switched operating companies, ending a contract with venue specialists ASM Global and expanding a contract with its food and beverage vendor Oak View Group. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) revealed Friday that 146 workers would be affected by the switch.
ASM Global notified DEED officials last month that it planned to lay off its staff running the Civic Center. Experience Rochester said in a statement Friday that Oak View Group plans to rehire and retain all employees once it takes over operations in January, “ensuring continuity and a seamless transition for our staff and our guests.”
The Mayo Civic Center has been a Rochester fixture since 1939, though it’s expanded over the years. It boasts almost 200,000 square feet of space, can seat up to 7,200 people in its arena and claims to be the largest event facility in southern Minnesota.
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