MnDOT employees are sharing knowledge and displaying leadership in Washington this week by delivering presentations and conducting meetings at the nation’s preeminent transportation conference.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) 96th Annual Meeting held Jan. 8-12 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., is expected to draw more than 12,000 transportation professionals from around the world. According to its website, the 2017 event scheduled more than 5,000 presentations in more than 800 sessions and workshops addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. TRB’s 2017 annual meeting theme is “Transportation Innovation: Leading the Way in an Era of Rapid Change.”

“Every year when TRB holds its annual meeting, MnDOT’s strong presence at the event is a reminder of our state’s commitment to top-notch transportation research,” said Linda Taylor, director of MnDOT Research Services and Library.

The following is a roundup of MnDOT employees who were invited to deliver presentations and participate in key committee meetings along with their presentation topics and committees (not all staff may have attended the conference; however, due to limited funding or availability):

Kenneth Buckeye, Financial Management

• 

  Reliability Assessment for I-35W MnPASS Express Lanes

• Congestion Pricing Research Subcommittee
• Implementing Distance-Based Fees Through Shared Mobility Model 
• Planning for Data Needs for Clean, Smart Cities and the Electric Vehicle-Autonomous Vehicle-Shared Vehicle Transition
• Operational Aspects of Priced Managed Lanes and Cordon Pricing
• Congestion Pricing Committee

Thomas Burnham, Materials & Road Research

• Performance of Accelerated Concrete: Practical Applications and How They Are Working (Rapid Concrete Pavement Repairs at the MnROAD Test Facility)
• Pavement Rehabilitation: Looking Back, Looking Forward (Rigid Pavements)
• Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Thickness and Shear Wave Velocity Variation Versus Observed Pavement Distresses
• Calibration of Asphalt Strain Transducers Using Digital Image Correlation 

Kathryn Caskey, Transportation System Management

• Building Strategic Institutional Relationships at the Intersection of Health and Transportation
• Responsive Engagement: The Future of Transportation Meets the Future of Public Involvement 

Shongtao Dai, Materials & Road Research

• Agency Experience Using 3-D Ground-Penetrating Radar for Pavement Evaluation
• Characterization, Evaluation, and Modeling of Asphalt Concrete

Dan Franta, District 7

• Investigation of Slab Curvature in LTPP SPS-2 Experiment Using Empirical Mode Decomposition of Pavement Profilometer Data

Timothy Henkel, Modal Planning & Program Management 

• AASHTO Asset Management Subcommittee Joint Meeting
• Transportation Asset Management Committee
• MAP-21 and FAST Act Requirements: Overcoming Implementation Challenges and Leveraging Opportunities

Kyle Hoegh, Materials & Road Research

• Agency Experience Using 3-D Ground-Penetrating Radar for Pavement Evaluation
• Effect of Early Age Loading on Concrete Ultimate Strength
• Investigation of Slab Curvature in LTPP SPS-2 Experiment Using Empirical Mode Decomposition of Pavement Profilometer Data

 Bruce Holdhusen, Transportation System Management

• Minnesota Department of Transportation Metro Barrier Extraction and LiDAR Project 

 Santiago Huerta, Metro District

• Calibration of Asphalt Strain Transducers Using Digital Image Correlation 

Bernard Izevbekhai, Materials & Road Research

• Effect of Early Age Loading on Concrete Ultimate Strength
• Benefits of Subsurface Drainage Design and Infrastructure: MnDOT’s Experience 
• Deployment of Next-Generation Concrete Surface in Minnesota 

Brad Larsen, Metro District

• Reliability Assessment for I-35W MnPASS Express Lanes

Rita Lederle, Bridges

• Development of FRP Design Guidelines for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

Francis Loetterle, Passenger Rail

• Case Study of Benefit-Cost Analysis of an Intercity Passenger Rail Service 

Dean Mikulik, Materials & Road Research (student worker)

• Agency Experience Using 3-D Ground-Penetrating Radar for Pavement Evaluation

Mark Nelson, Transportation System Management

• The Principles and Approaches to Making Data Useful 
• Critical Issues Subcommittee

Steven Olson, Materials & Road Research

• Calibration of Asphalt Strain Transducers Using Digital Image Correlation 

David Solsrud, Modal Planning & Program Management 

• Where the TAMP Meets the Road: Utilizing Insights from Asset Management Planning to Improve Practices

Trisha Stefanski, Modal Planning & Program Management 

• Advancing Asset Management: Case Studies and Emerging Tools and Techniques

Joel Ulring, State Aid for Local Transportation

• Applications of Expanded Polystyrene Geofoam for Transportation Infrastructure (Roads and Embankments)

Jennifer Wells, Bridges

• Utilizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for Bridge Inspections 
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Enable Safe and Cost-Effective Bridge Inspection
• sUAS Applications – A Case Study at MnDOT 

Benjamin Worel, Materials & Road Research

• Full-Scale Accelerated Pavement Testing Committee
• Accelerated Pavement Testing Advancements

Charles Zelle, Commissioner

• State Department of Transportation CEO Roundtable: Accommodating Multimodal Transportation Options within an Existing Right of Way