A new field guide offers best practices for mitigating the impact of seasonal movement of soils at culverts and utilities. The user-friendly reference offers links to design drawings, plans, specifications and other resources.
Continue reading New Field Guide for Limiting Seasonal Soil Movement at CulvertsTransportation is the number one emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in Minnesota and medium to heavy duty trucks contribute to about 40% of transportation carbon pollution.
While electric cars and buses are becoming more common, medium and heavy duty electric trucks are still in their infancy, and the nationwide infrastructure needs to support them still has to be determined.
In a new study, MnDOT will identify the electric charging infrastructure needed along Minnesota highway corridors to support clean freight transportation.
Continue reading New Project: Identifying and Optimizing Electric Vehicle Corridor Charging Infrastructure for Medium- and Heavy-Duty TrucksMnDOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program was established by the federal government to ensure women-owned and minority-owned businesses have the opportunity to participate in MnDOT contracts.
Several contracting barriers exist for DBEs, which may have been exacerbated by COVID-19, such as access to capital, a shortage of PPE materials and staffing shortfalls due to workplace risks and caregiving responsibilities.
Continue reading New Project: Understanding How the Disparate Effects of COVID-19 are Affecting MnDOT’s Efforts at Equitable ContractingPandemics, social unrest and natural disasters can disrupt state efforts to reach the public about projects, priorities, policy issues and services. MnDOT and other agencies have turned to Skype, Zoom, Webex, Facebook Live and other tools to present proposals and receive public input with some success. Participation in public meetings that in the past would have drawn fewer than 10 attendees may now draw 80 online.
Continue reading New Project: Public Engagement Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Disruptive EventsIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees in both the public and private sectors have begun telecommuting. The resulting reduction in commuting hours and miles traveled on state highways has been staggering.
Continue reading New Project: Telecommuting During COVID-19: How Does It Shape the Future Workplace and Workforce?Although Minnesotans drove significantly less in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a substantial increase in fatal motor vehicle crashes. MnDOT Traffic Safety Engineer Derek Leuer and his colleagues want to know why, particularly in rural areas where fatalities and injury rates were higher.
Continue reading New Project: COVID-19 Impacts on Speed and Safety for Rural Roads and Work ZonesAs Minnesota worked to slow the transmission of COVID-19 in 2020, travel on MnDOT roadways dropped sharply and carried with it a corresponding drop in congestion.
Continue reading New Project: What COVID Travel Reductions Tells Us About Effective Congestion ReliefMnDOT maintains nearly 400 dynamic message signs (DMS) along Minnesota highways that display real-time information to warn motorists of roadway incidents, construction or congestion ahead that could pose a hazard or cause delay. DMS use to convey weather alerts has been limited to blizzards and other very isolated winter conditions. MnDOT has been concerned about the timeliness of weather messages and the chance that such messages could be overused, possibly leading motorists to take them less seriously.
Continue reading Improving Winter Road Weather Alerts on Highway Dynamic Message SignsApril 22 is Earth Day!
Climate change & the environment is one of five research strategic priorities that guide the work of Minnesota’s transportation research program.
This includes research projects specific to endangered & threatened species, wetland protections, salt use and incursion, congestion impacts on air quality, and the impacts of road construction and maintenance activity on the environment.
Continue reading Earth Day 2021Transit ridership dropped significantly last year in Minneapolis, Duluth and other cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue reading New Project: Understanding Post-COVID Safety Concerns, Perceptions and Preferences of Transit and Shared Mobility Users in Minnesota
