Lou Tasa retired from the Minnesota Department of Transportation last week after spending almost his entire 43-year career at the headquarters in Bemidji.
According to a release, Tasa worked in the areas of bridge design, pre-design, surveys, right of way and project engineering.
In 1992, Tasa was promoted to the Northwest District Staid Aid Engineer and held that position until his retirement.
Tasa said some of his most vivid memories are those around the flooding in 1997.
“There have been many floods over my career in our district that state aid has assisted local agencies with federal emergency funds.” Tasa said.
“However, the flood of 1997 stands out. Since then, the counties have been able to prepare commonly flooded sites to minimize future damages,” he added.
Tasa has been involved in many multi-county safety projects such as intersection lighting, 6”edge line stripes, and edge line rumble strips to improve the safety of motorists in the northwest district.
“One of the most memorable projects was the first roundabout built in our district through the City of Thief River Falls. It was a complex project that included temporary relocation of a major railroad and constructing a railroad underpass. I think these complex projects were great to see completed in the northwest district,” said Tasa.
He will enjoy his retirement by spending more time with family and grandkids. He also looks forward to fishing, of course.
“I have been blessed to have made so many friends throughout the district including many county and city engineers, county commissioners, city mayors, councilmen, councilwomen and consultants. We all worked together to accomplish the same goal of improving the mobility, accessibility and safety for all highway users,” he added.
