The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board have funded 28 new research projects through their annual academic research solicitation. To receive updates on any of the funded projects, select “subscribe” on the project webpage.
Bridges & Structures
- Assessing the Need for Floodplain Culverts Based on Geomorphology
- Ice Loading on Piers for Minnesota’s Bridges
- Correlation Between Deck Patching Quantities and Chloride Concentration Levels
- Understanding Causes of Concrete Culvert Pipe Joint Separation
- Understanding Driving Causes of Bridge Replacement
- Deck Reinforcement Detailing and Concrete Mix Additives to Reduce Bridge Deck Cracking
Environmental
- Protection of Precious Waters from Road Salt: Mitigation Through Roadside Ditch Capture
- Mitigating Community Harms of Dense Highway Infrastructure “Spaghetti Junctions”
- Evaluation of Conditions that Cause Negative Environmental Impacts When Using Recycled Concrete Aggregate
- Development of Biochar Specification Criteria as Soil Amendment for Slopes, Conveyances and Stormwater Treatment Systems
- Assessment of Efficacy and Environmental Effects of Sodium Chloride Alternatives
- Wet Pond Modeling for Contaminant Retention and Maintenance
Equity
Maintenance Operations
- Human-Centered Testing of Rear-Facing Display to Reduce Vehicle Collisions with Snowplows
- Fleet – Life Cycle
Materials & Construction
- Novel Durability Screening Method for Stabilized Geomaterials
- Using Electric Vehicle Onboard Data for Pavement Quality Assessment and Management
- Pavement Design: Performance of Base versus Subbase
- Use of Plastics in Road Materials (Paving)
- Sawing and Sealing Joints in Bituminous Pavements to Control Cracking
- Investigation on Mix Design of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Materials
Multimodal
- Assessing the Deterioration of Pedestrian Assets
- Impacts of Shared Mobility on Infrastructure usage, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Accessibility
Traffic & Safety
- School Times Impact on Students Walking or Biking to School: Safe Routes to School
- Enhanced Safety of Highway Construction Site using Low Cost, Wearable Sensor Network
- Improving Safety for People Walking and Biking at Roundabouts
- Behavioral Investigation of Temporary and Permanent Pedestrian Infrastructure
- Right-Turn Lane Safety Improvements for Pedestrians
Each spring, the MnDOT Research Steering Committee and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board solicit research ideas from transportation practitioners and later request proposals from universities. In December, the research governing boards meet to hear these proposals and select projects for funding.
Crossroads 