Transportation workers face critical safety risks when drivers fail to comply with traffic control instructions in work zones. These intrusions threaten not only the flaggers who are directing traffic, but all workers on the job site and the drivers themselves. Knowing the nature and frequency of intrusions is necessary to develop effective prevention strategies. A new mobile phone app enables workers to quickly and easily report incidents, allowing MnDOT to analyze risks and improve worker safety.
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Skid-resistant pavement markings could help stop slips
Reprinted from Catalyst, January 23, 2024
Retroreflective pavement markings such as bike lane indicators, crosswalks, and lane lines are designed to increase safety. However, the same retroreflective properties that add nighttime visibility can also make them slippery for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists—especially in wet or icy conditions.
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Drivers Correctly Interpret Flashing Yellow Arrows for Left Turns
Permissive left turns, where a driver does not have a green arrow and must wait for a gap in oncoming traffic before turning, can be indicated by different traffic signal configurations. Flashing yellow arrows are becoming a preferred signal type in Minnesota and across the nation. New research provides traffic engineers with confidence that drivers understand the meaning of the signal, even without an accompanying Left Turn Yield sign.
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Drainage 101: Understanding and Managing Drainage Issues
Increased regulation and rising levels of precipitation have made stormwater management a more routine and time-consuming issue than in previous decades. A new resource provides guidance and best practices that will help city and county engineers, local officials and private property owners navigate the complex, often public-facing issues related to recurring drainage problems and stormwater management.
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Reevaluating City Speed Limits with Public Safety in Mind
A recent legislative change has given Minnesota cities greater authority to set lower speed limits on streets in their jurisdiction—a decision that could potentially have positive impacts on public safety, especially pedestrian and bicycle traffic. A recent analysis of speed-setting practices and the effectiveness of speed limit changes resulted in a decision-making process for changing speed limits and alternative strategies to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.
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Safety measures, service improvements key to increasing post-pandemic transit use in Greater Minnesota
Originally published in Catalyst, January 16, 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic took a major toll on public transit and shared transportation services in Minnesota, causing ridership and revenues to plummet. And it wasn’t just an urban problem: Smaller rural agencies and services saw sharp declines, too.
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Adapting Asphalt Mixtures for Tougher Rural Roads
Seasonal and daily temperature variations, freeze-thaw cycles and other environmental factors lead to pavement distress on low-volume rural roads. Modifying asphalt mixtures could improve pavement resistance to these environmentally driven distresses. A comparison of the mechanical properties and performances of selected asphalt mixtures identified a mixture and method that hold considerable promise for improving performance and longevity on low-volume roads.
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Impacts of Highway Improvements on Adjacent Businesses
Road projects can increase access to surrounding businesses but may also negatively impact some establishments. New analyses and tools will help MnDOT when planning and implementing highway improvement projects to target assistance to local stores, restaurants and other firms to help mitigate adverse effects from road construction.
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Advanced Data Analytics Inform Reduction of Snowplow Fuel Use
Snowplows use substantial amounts of fuel to keep Minnesota’s winter roads safe and accessible. Reducing the fuel consumed by MnDOT’s snowplows will help the agency meet its sustainability goals and lower operating costs. In a recent study, data collected from onboard vehicle technology showed the impacts of idling and snowfall on fuel efficiency to inform the management of the agency’s snowplow fleet.
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Evaluating and Communicating the Benefits of Transportation Research
Assessing the return on investment in transportation research is crucial to ensuring program goals are met, knowledge and technology are shared broadly, and future investigations are prioritized. A recent effort leveraged existing MnDOT and LRRB tools and processes to evaluate and communicate the value of innovation and research. A new benefit monitoring and communication framework, which can be tailored to individual projects, allows agencies to reassess a project and its benefits throughout the research life cycle.
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