New methods to determine safe bridge loading will help keep Minnesota’s truck freight moving

April 10, 2023

When transportation officials determine which route a heavy truck should take, their aim is maximizing efficiency while ensuring safety. Detours around bridges on critical freight routes increase fuel and labor costs for the trucking industry—and eventually hit consumer pocketbooks, too.

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Short Films, Big Visions: Transportation-themed films spark conversation about community connections

April 4, 2023

Dozens of community members and transportation advocates tuned in to “Short Films, Big Visions: A Series on Transportation and Community” on February 23. Co-hosted by CTS and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the virtual event featured a screening of short films produced by the Redford Center for its “Community Power” series followed by an engaging panel discussion.

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Helping automated vehicles ‘see’ through fog and snow

April 18, 2023

While fully automated vehicles (AVs) have not yet reached the roads, the work to get them market-ready is steadily moving forward. One of the essential technologies these vehicles rely on for safety and performance is lidar, which has traditionally experienced a loss of accuracy in bad weather.

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Study recommends biodiversity when planting roadside vegetation

April 24, 2023

Traditional practices for planting and maintaining roadside turfgrass in Minnesota have generally focused on finding a few plant species that do well in combination and blanket-prescribing them across the state. A recent U of M study, however, finds that plantings tend to do better when they are both biodiverse and carefully matched to their ideal growing conditions.

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How will the energy transition impact transportation?

This article was originally posted on Catalyst, January 2023.

The transition to sustainable energy is underway in Minnesota and across the country, propelled by both a growing need to reduce greenhouse emissions and the upcoming influx of funds from new federal legislation. On October 26, 2022, CTS hosted a seminar to explore two important aspects of the energy transition and their impacts on the transportation infrastructure: community solar and electric vehicle (EV) readiness.

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New revenues needed to fill transportation funding gap

What’s next in transportation?

The Future of Mobility series collects the perspectives of top U researchers and other national experts. In 17 articles, the authors scan the horizon and reflect on critical transportation topics. Each article recommends action steps for public officials and policymakers.

Continue reading New revenues needed to fill transportation funding gap

Minnesota's transportation research blog