MnDOT’s latest crop of transportation research projects have been identified. This year, researchers were asked to pay special attention to how their work could benefit the public and be put into real-world practice.

MnDOT’s Transportation Research Innovation Group (TRIG) and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board recently announced their Fiscal Year 2017 funding awards after hearing proposals from researchers at multiple universities. The two bodies chose 20 research proposals totaling about $2.9 million that will study new and innovative approaches to improving the environment, making transportation systems safer, improving construction methods and operating in more cost-effective ways.

According to MnDOT Research Management Engineer Hafiz Munir, MnDOT Research Services made some key changes to its annual requests for proposal that will help ensure research makes a difference to the agency’s bottom line. This year, researchers were asked early on in the proposal process how they would quantify their results, what benefits the research could achieve and how their research could be implemented in the future.

“Now we’ll be able to track those metrics and that will help MnDOT not only quantify the potential benefits of the projects, but also implement the results,” Munir said. “The bottom line is that we will be able to not only save money, but also improve the way MnDOT does business.”

Several of the 20 newly funded projects deal with improving transportation safety, Munir said, and many others are focused on implementing cost-saving practices, innovations and new technologies.

The projects approved in December 2015 will do the following:

• Create an inexpensive GPS-based system that alerts the driver when a motor vehicle deviates from a lane or approaches a curve. (Project summary)
• Find out whether a smartphone app can effectively warn drivers about upcoming roadway curves. (Project summary)
• Determine whether different types of roadway turfgrass are better suited for specific regions of the state. (Project summary)
• Create a comprehensive design guide for fish-friendly culverts.  (Project summary)
• Determine how social media can be used to engage diverse community groups within the state. (Project summary)
• Investigate the performance of the state’s first glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforced bridge deck, slated for construction in 2016.  (Project summary)
• Develop signage recommendations to slow high-speed traffic as it approaches roundabouts.  (Project summary)
• Gather truck reliability data, identifying truck bottlenecks and providing potential mitigation solutions for regular congestion areas. (Project summary)
• Determine why anchor bolts are becoming loose on overhead signs, light towers and other support structures — and how to prevent it.  (Project summary)
• Establish a system and smartphone app for accurately capturing and reporting data about intrusions into work zones.  (Project summary)
• Develop an advanced sensor system to estimate long-term and dynamic vertical displacements on the I-35W bridge. (Project summary)
• Investigate the necessity of pavement markings on low-volume roads and develop an approach to prioritize pavement marking projects.  (Project summary)
• Compare the performance of different structural fibers in thin concrete overlays.  (Project summary)
• Evaluate four performance test methods that predict the cracking behavior of asphalt mixes. (Project summary)
• Investigate the link between transportation investment and job creation, and analyze transportation investments, business patterns and socioeconomic data in Minnesota counties. (Project summary)
• Refine a taconite-based pothole repair compound, and develop a low-cost mechanized system to mix and place it in large quantities.(Project summary)
• Investigate how much road salting can be safely decreased with the use of permeable pavements. (Project summary)
• Evaluate the use of iron-enhanced check dams for capturing phosphate and toxic materials from roadway runoff. (Project summary)
• Improve accessibility calculation capabilities and understanding of travel behavior by integrating data about highway bus operations, park-and-ride facilities, and urban parking costs. (Project summary)
• Investigate the concept of estimating traffic volumes from mobile device samples to collect traffic data inexpensively. (Project summary)

Munir said the next steps for these projects this spring include creating  technical advisory panels, finalizing project work plans and preparing contracts. Some projects could begin early, depending on available funding and project-readiness. By the time Fiscal Year 2017 begins on July 1, funding will be available to begin all 20 projects.