All posts by mndotresearch

CTS Webinar: The Coffee Supply Chain—What Goes into Delivering Your Favorite Coffee to the Store Shelf

December 5, 2025 mndotresearch Leave a comment

Thursday, December 11, 2025
noon–1:00 p.m. CST, Virtual

About the Event

This webinar may not be related to MnDOT research, but we thought you might find it interesting if you drink coffee.

Join CTS and Patrick Hessini, CTS Executive Committee member and head of supply chain at Cameron’s Coffee, for an in-depth look at the challenges and logistics of today’s supply chain. Grab a cup of coffee and bring your lunch as we learn about where and how we get our coffee from trees to mugs.

Registration

This webinar is free, but registration is required. Once you have registered, you will receive an email confirmation with a Zoom link. The link should not be shared with others; it is unique to you.

More Information

Visit the CTS website or contact James De Sota at jadesota@umn.edu.

Environment

Identifying Factors That Affect Stormwater Basin Performance

December 2, 2025 mndotresearch Leave a comment

Stormwater basins are used to control runoff, prevent flooding and limit pollutants from reaching rivers, lakes and other large bodies of water. MnDOT monitors and maintains more than 400 infiltration and filtration basins statewide, and that number continues to grow. Identifying indicators of needed maintenance will increase management efficiency and basin performance. Field research at 28 basins identified basin age and silt content as two important factors to consider when planning inspections and taking corrective actions.

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Policy and Planning

Mitigating the Negative Effects of Spaghetti Junctions

November 5, 2025 mndotresearch Leave a comment

Complex highway interchanges in large metropolitan areas, also referred to as spaghetti junctions, have contributed greatly to enhancing vehicular connectivity and spurring economic growth. But the benefits of this built infrastructure are not evenly distributed, and neighborhoods near these highways are often negatively impacted. This project explored strategies used by other states to mitigate the consequences of spaghetti junctions that MnDOT could implement to improve conditions and livability for similar neighborhoods in Minnesota.

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Materials and Construction

Evaluating Taconite as a Lower Cost Friction Treatment

November 4, 2025 mndotresearch Leave a comment

High friction surface treatments (HFSTs) on Minnesota roads are composed of imported, industry standard calcined bauxite aggregate. This material is expensive, and producing it is energy-intensive. Taconite aggregate, a by-product of the Minnesota mining industry, is a potential alternative to calcined bauxite that is less expensive. This research compared taconite and calcined bauxite in field skid resistance performance testing to determine the feasibility of using taconite in place of calcined bauxite in HFST applications.

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Materials and Construction

Evaluating Road Designs That Use Lower Quality Aggregate

October 29, 2025 mndotresearch Leave a comment

Aggregate materials used in the base and subbase layers of pavements provide structural support and drainability to Minnesota roads. But the supply of locally available high-quality aggregate material is becoming increasingly scarce. This project explored sustainable and cost-effective solutions for constructing durable flexible pavement roads with lower quality aggregate material.

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Environment

Developing Biochar Specifications for Stormwater Management

September 16, 2025 mndotresearch Leave a comment

Effective stormwater management helps keep roadway contaminants from entering Minnesota’s lakes and streams. Management practices include soil and vegetation in roadside bioretention systems that filter heavy metals and hydrocarbons created by vehicles. Based on other studies, retention and transformation of roadside pollutants should be improved by biochar application to existing or engineered soils. Abundant sources of biomass can be used to produce biochar, a soil amendment with numerous benefits. MnDOT and local agencies identified biochar specifications for effective use in stormwater treatment to support the next phase of testing and development of biochar design guidance.

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Bridges and Structures

Evaluating Strategies to Prevent Early-Age Bridge Deck Cracking

September 15, 2025 mndotresearch 1 Comment

Premature cracking in reinforced concrete bridge decks is expensive to repair and may lead to rapid bridge deterioration. Despite changes to mix designs, transverse cracking after casting continues to be a problem in Minnesota. This project evaluated alternative concrete mix designs and reinforcement strategies to mitigate early-age bridge deck cracking, reduce maintenance costs and extend bridge deck service lives.

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Environment

Detecting Endangered Turtles with Environmental DNA

September 3, 2025 mndotresearch 1 Comment

More than 60% of the world’s turtle species are endangered, including Blanding’s and wood turtles, which are native to Minnesota and may be found in the state’s wetlands, ponds, lakes and streams. To protect these vulnerable populations and their habitats, a cost-effective tool developed in this study will efficiently allow for the early detection of these turtles at transportation project sites.

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Traffic and Safety

Increasing School Bus Stop-Arm Compliance

September 2, 2025 mndotresearch Leave a comment

A significant number of school bus stop-arm violations occur every day throughout the country. In Minnesota, violation and citation data suggests these incidents are grossly underreported and underenforced due to a time-consuming reporting and enforcement process. This project examined current processes and recommended improvements to encourage higher rates of reporting and enforcement.

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Materials and Construction

Testing Recycled Plastics in Asphalt and Concrete Pavement Mixes

August 26, 2025 mndotresearch Leave a comment

Addressing the increasing need for pavement materials coincides with an increasing supply of plastic waste. Incorporating recycled plastic into aggregate for transportation infrastructure is of growing interest. Testing plastic waste material in both asphalt and concrete pavement mixtures revealed promising results and the need to explore long-term performance and durability.

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