Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 26.0
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
Human Factors; Airspace Structure; Procedure
Traffic was complex with terrible turbulence and sequencing and a moderate amount of aircraft. The RADAR side had a D-side (Radar Assist). Denver had two aircraft that they handed off to us at 33;000 feet on collision courses. Because of the distractions of bad turbulence; sequencing and other ATC duties we didn't notice until the conflict alert went off that these two aircraft were going to lose separation right at the ZDV/ZMP boundary and collide 9 miles inside our boundary! As soon as both aircraft came over to our frequency and still ten miles inside ZDV airspace; we turned both aircraft in opposite directions to achieve positive separation! Then; we had to call ZDV and get control of Aircraft X to descend him still inside ZDV airspace because the aircraft needed to cross paths. I'm not sure if ZDV intended to put these two aircraft together; because these aircraft would have collided if there was a stuck microphone; NORDO or any other reason we lost communications.   These acts of ZDV putting two or more aircraft together has got to stop before lives are lost! These instances are becoming more frequent.
ZMP Center Controller reported the adjacent Center ZDV sector handed them off two aircraft on converging routes at the same altitude.