It’s often more difficult for motorists to see road edge-lines and centerlines on rainy nights, especially in rural areas with limited lighting.
Continue reading Pavement Marking Standard Project Earns National Recognition
Evaluating Pavement Thickness With 3D Ground-Penetrating Radar
Building on previous MnDOT-sponsored work, researchers have developed a nondestructive method of assessing pavement thickness using 3D ground-penetrating radar (GPR). A vehicle equipped with an array of transmitting and receiving antenna pairs travels at traffic speed collecting full-width GPR data for analysis, minimizing the amount of pavement coring required.
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Improved In-Vehicle Lane Departure Warning System Approaches Commercial Use
Using an earlier lane departure warning system (LDWS) that employs standard GPS data rather than expensive cameras or maps, Minnesota researchers have enhanced and refined the system, moving closer to an affordable product to warn drivers about dangerous lane drift and approaching curves.
Continue reading Improved In-Vehicle Lane Departure Warning System Approaches Commercial Use
Separated Bike Lanes: Filling the Gaps in Design Guidance
In recent years, many U.S. cities have been installing separated bicycle lanes (SBLs) as part of their nonmotorized transportation networks. SBLs are bicycle pathways that employ paint and a vertical element as a buffer to separate motor vehicle traffic from bicycle traffic. They reduce crash risk, increase safety and comfort, and encourage more people to use bicycles as transportation.
Continue reading Separated Bike Lanes: Filling the Gaps in Design Guidance
Stormwater Bioslope Site Monitoring Continues Using Local Filter Media
MnDOT and local agencies control stormwater runoff from roadways through a range of settlement, filtration and infiltration facilities, such as wet ponds, infiltration basins, trenches and swales. Infiltration facilities have been used for more than 30 years, but a high rate of failure has been tied to inaccurate determination of soil infiltration rates. Researchers developed new tools and protocols to provide designers and engineers with the accurate infiltration measures they need, from initial site selection through construction. These tools and methods will support the development of successful stormwater infiltration facilities along Minnesota roadways.
Continue reading Stormwater Bioslope Site Monitoring Continues Using Local Filter Media
MnDOT Prepares to Use Future Vehicle-to-Vehicle Messaging
Manufacturers are developing vehicles that can “talk” to each other. “Connected vehicles” will be able to convey their position, speed and acceleration. Sending this information to other vehicles and relevant infrastructure is expected to enhance highway safety, but it also may help transportation agencies better manage traffic.
Continue reading MnDOT Prepares to Use Future Vehicle-to-Vehicle Messaging
Smartphone App Aims to Help Drivers Switch to More Sustainable Transportation Modes
This article was originally published in Catalyst, May 2021.
Using an innovative mobility app, U of M researchers are pointing the way for drivers to shift their travel toward more sustainable modes such as transit, park-and-ride, walking, and biking.
Continue reading Smartphone App Aims to Help Drivers Switch to More Sustainable Transportation Modes
Edina Studies Snowmelt To Reduce Chlorides From Deicing Operations
In Minnesota’s metro region, areas of shallow groundwater show increasing evidence of chloride contamination from winter road maintenance operations, particularly deicing. More than a quarter show chloride concentrations at the maximum contaminant level for municipal drinking water. In addition, 123 lakes and rivers show chloride impairment or risk of impairment for aquatic life. Chlorides are now considered the second most important threat, after phosphorus, to Minnesota’s urban waters.
The City of Edina, with funding from the Local Road Research Board, hired the University of Minnesota to analyze chloride accumulation in city snowmelt following winter maintenance operations to learn how to most effectively adjust its deicing strategies to reduce chloride contamination.
Over two winters, researchers collected data from city deicing operations and correlated it with chlorides present in meltwater runoff. A sampler box collected data continuously, and snow pile cores were also analyzed. Snowplow operators then examined the results during workshops, yielding innovative ideas for reducing salt use.
Continue reading Edina Studies Snowmelt To Reduce Chlorides From Deicing Operations
A Long-Term Approach to Green Stormwater Infrastructure
This article was originally published in Catalyst, May 2021.
Strategies for managing stormwater runoff have been steadily undergoing a shift in recent decades toward “green” infrastructure. This is a potentially beneficial change, but transportation professionals are beginning to recognize a need for better information on how to properly design, implement, and maintain these facilities.
Continue reading A Long-Term Approach to Green Stormwater Infrastructure
New Field Guide for Limiting Seasonal Soil Movement at Culverts
A new field guide offers best practices for mitigating the impact of seasonal movement of soils at culverts and utilities. The user-friendly reference offers links to design drawings, plans, specifications and other resources.
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Crossroads 