High Friction Surface Treatments (HFST) are pavement treatments that involve applying a high-quality aggregate and binder to pavement surfaces to help maintain friction. The treatment has significantly reduced crashes and injuries in wet and dry road conditions in high crash areas. However, HFST can be a costly treatment. Researchers, funded by MnDOT and the Local Road Research Board, are evaluating if taconite, a readily available Minnesota byproduct, can be an effective alternative treatment in low volume areas.
Continue reading Testing High Friction Aggregates using SCRIM Technology at MnROADTag Archives: LRRB
Measuring the Effects of Road Features on Driving Speeds
The Complete Streets approach to roadway design uses site characteristics to create a safer, more accessible environment for all road users. New research demonstrates that roadway design features have a measurable impact on driving speeds. The development of speed reduction factors (SRFs) that estimate the impact of road features on speed reduction provides a data-driven approach to highway design.
Continue reading Measuring the Effects of Road Features on Driving Speeds
Using AVL/GPS Telematics to Optimize Snowplowing
Republished from MnLTAP News, February 2, 2022.
Automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems using GPS are creating opportunities for local agencies to improve their operations even in real time. A five-page guide and a video from the LRRB highlight the features and benefits of such systems for snowplowing.
Continue reading Using AVL/GPS Telematics to Optimize Snowplowing
Staffing up: Resources to Grow Your Roadway Maintenance Workforce
Local transportation agencies in Minnesota continue to face worker shortages as many struggle to hire and retain employees. Recognizing this challenge, the Minnesota Local Road Research Board partnered with Minnesota LTAP to develop marketing resources for local transportation agencies to use to recruit and retain roadway maintenance workers.
Continue reading Staffing up: Resources to Grow Your Roadway Maintenance Workforce
New Project: Use of MNCORS to Support AV Operations in Rural Minnesota
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have infrastructure requirements such as lane lines, centerlines and intersection signs to guide camera-enabled steering control functions. But many rural roads do not have lane markings or are unpaved, and intersections might be missing components to guide AVs.
Continue reading New Project: Use of MNCORS to Support AV Operations in Rural Minnesota
Introducing a New Red-Light Running Warning System that Can Potentially Reduce Human Errors at Intersections
Red light violations remain a prominent issue and high contributor to serious crashes and casualties at signalized intersections. An ongoing research project, funded by the Local Road Research Board, and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) Incentive program, is developing and testing a warning system that signals drivers as they approach a red light and prompts them to decelerate.
Continue reading Introducing a New Red-Light Running Warning System that Can Potentially Reduce Human Errors at Intersections
Using Alternative Technologies to Detect Vehicles at Signalized Intersections
In Minnesota and across the country, the most common traffic signals are those that are actuated by a device embedded in the road that detects the presence of a vehicle at the intersection. While these embedded devices can last for decades, they don’t always detect modern vehicles, such as electric cars, or vulnerable road users, such as bicycles or motorcycles. New research evaluated the performance of video- and radar-based detection systems, which are becoming more readily available, under a variety of Minnesota weather conditions.
Continue reading Using Alternative Technologies to Detect Vehicles at Signalized Intersections
NCITE Webinar: LRRB Mini-Roundabout Guidance
Tuesday, August 6, 10-11 a.m., free to attend
Increasingly, local agencies are opting for mini-roundabouts for some locations instead of traditional roundabouts, which typically require a larger footprint than a standard four-way intersection. Mini-roundabouts are characterized by a small diameter and fully traversable islands (central island and splitter islands).
Join the Apex Engineering Group for a presentation on the Local Road Research Board project, Mini-Roundabout FAQs. Project team members Michael Marti and Zach Heimer with SRF Consulting Group and Jon Pratt with the City of Detroit Lakes will discuss this new guidance.
The guidebook defines mini and compact roundabouts and provides selection criteria on when to use them as well as details regarding the center treatment. The FAQ format provides easy navigation to technical information.
If you have difficulty accessing the meeting, use the meeting ID and passcode:
- Meeting ID: 251 050 866 163
- Passcode: tGP6ix
New Project: Comparative Analysis of Grade-Separated Pedestrian Infrastructure and At-grade Treatments
Grade-separated intersection crossings allow pedestrians to cross over or under traffic lanes. Several factors determine whether a specific location is appropriate for a grade-separated crossing, such as volumes of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, number of lanes to cross, and vehicle speed and visibility.
Continue reading New Project: Comparative Analysis of Grade-Separated Pedestrian Infrastructure and At-grade Treatments
New Project: Long-Term Field Performance Evaluation of Chip Seals
Chip seals are an economical road surface treatment that MnDOT and counties use to enhance existing pavement performance and service life. A thin layer of asphalt emulsion sprayed on the pavement surface and mixed with aggregate chips can address minor pavement distresses and seal the pavement surface to reduce the impacts of further wear.
Continue reading New Project: Long-Term Field Performance Evaluation of Chip Seals
Crossroads 