Stormwater ponds and wetlands reduce flood risk and keep pollutants from entering other bodies of water. As ponds age and change, however, they may not perform as designed. Local agencies now have tools to assess whether a pond is likely to retain phosphorus, which can help guide stormwater management efforts.
Continue reading Assessing Stormwater Ponds for Phosphorus RetentionAll posts by mndotresearch
Maximizing Equity in Managed Lane Planning
Managed lanes provide transportation agencies with a strategy for reducing congestion and improving travel times along urban highways. A common perception is that the benefits of managed lanes are greater for higher-income people than for those with lower incomes, often from underrepresented communities. New research illustrates the diversity of managed lane users and provides new metrics and recommendations to factor equity into the highway project planning process.
Continue reading Maximizing Equity in Managed Lane Planning
Guidance for Cities Considering Speed Limit Changes
The issue of reducing speed limits to increase public safety is an emotional, political, and controversial topic that has been debated by safety advocates, engineers, politicians, transportation officials, and the public for many years. A statutory change in 2019 put a spotlight on the topic, requiring a deeper look into how speed limits are established and the effectiveness that lowering speed limits has on reducing vehicle traveling speeds, as well as the impacts on pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Continue reading Guidance for Cities Considering Speed Limit Changes
Strengthening Communities with Innovative Right of Way Projects
When urban highway projects were built several decades ago, many thriving communities were physically divided and negatively impacted, experiencing social, economic and environmental hardships from highway development. A national review of innovative projects in the transportation right of way (ROW) has identified strategies for repairing and revitalizing these communities and illustrates the potential for significant benefits within communities and the transportation network.
Continue reading Strengthening Communities with Innovative Right of Way Projects
Alternative Transit Approaches for Rural Communities
Meeting transit needs in rural communities can be challenging. A new pilot study demonstrated the benefits of using mobile technologies and existing assets to enhance transit services and improve local economies.
Continue reading Alternative Transit Approaches for Rural Communities
Impacts of Lane Conversions on Level of Service
Reconfiguring roadways, also referred to as a “road diet,ˮ can be a low-cost safety solution that makes space for different travel modes in addition to motor vehicle traffic. New guidance gives local engineers an initial indication of whether a road conversion would result in a loss of capacity given the roadway motor vehicle traffic demand.
Continue reading Impacts of Lane Conversions on Level of Service
Impacts of Autonomous Vehicles on Operation and Maintenance of Minnesota Roads
As autonomous vehicle technology evolves, transportation agencies want to understand how road maintenance and traffic operations may also need to evolve. New research begins to identify potential needs and further questions for winter road maintenance, work zones and traffic flow.
Continue reading Impacts of Autonomous Vehicles on Operation and Maintenance of Minnesota Roads
Using Rumble Strips to Encourage Stops at Rural Intersections
Vehicle crashes in rural areas often happen at intersections. Transverse rumble strips placed before a stop sign can be an effective safety measure that warns drivers approaching an intersection. Recent research has provided an increased understanding of the most effective rumble strip designs and noise characteristics to help county traffic engineers decide when and where to deploy the strips.
Continue reading Using Rumble Strips to Encourage Stops at Rural Intersections
Evaluating Metrics and Performance to Advance Transportation Equity
Ensuring Minnesota’s transportation network does not create barriers or hardships for underserved or underrepresented communities is imperative. But knowing if the agency is planning and administering programs or projects equitably can be challenging to assess. New research suggests improved performance measures and strategies to support agency efforts to advance equity across the agency’s responsibilities.
Continue reading Evaluating Metrics and Performance to Advance Transportation Equity
Evaluating MnDOT’s Turfgrass Seed Variety List and Approval Process
As climate conditions change and seed development processes advance, some grass varieties may perform better than others. New research will allow MnDOT to update its approved turfgrass list and ensure it remains up to date with the most effective varieties.
Continue reading Evaluating MnDOT’s Turfgrass Seed Variety List and Approval Process
Crossroads 