More than 60% of Minnesota’s roadways consists of asphalt pavement. When transverse cracks occur in asphalt, our frigid winters can cause a secondary distress known as pavement tenting, crack heaving, or lipping. As ice accumulates in the base materials underneath, it causes pavement on both sides of the transverse cracks and joints to heave.
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New Project: Sustainable Application of Tire Derived Aggregate in Stormwater Infiltration/Treatment
The reuse of old tires that often end up in landfills has a significant environmental benefit. Tire derived aggregate (TDA), a waste product from automobile tires, can be used in stormwater treatment systems and has shown to be effective at retaining phosphate. However, TDA does not prevent the leaching of metals including zinc and copper.
Developing media for stormwater infiltration/filtration that uses TDA in combination with materials that can capture metals has several advantages. It would prevent more pollutants from being released into Minnesota’s lakes and streams, save on landfill space and reduce stormwater management costs.
“The use of TDA has been proposed in the past for use in stormwater treatment. However, local agencies aren’t very familiar with the product being used for this application and have concerns about its potential to contaminate groundwater resources,” said Mark Hansen, city engineer, City of Coon Rapids. “Initial research is showing positive benefits for the use of TDA as a component of the stormwater treatment process, while minimizing its impacts to groundwater. Using TDA for this application provides a great opportunity to redirect old car tires from landfills and beneficially reuse them to assist in providing stormwater treatment.”
Objectives
- Select blend materials identified in literature review and mix them in different ratios with TDA.
- Measure the pollutant removal performance from runoff, leaching of zinc and copper from TDA, and infiltration capacity of each mix.
- Analyze the observed values to choose the suitable blend material/ratio.
- Perform lab batch tests to evaluate the potential leaching or removal of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) by TDA and the blends.
- Determine impact of biofilms on the leaching of zinc and copper from the mix (Biofilms will be grown on an already defined mix of TDA with blend material).
- Conduct outreach on project results and implications to management to key stakeholder groups.
Project Details
- Estimated Start Date: 06/03/2022
- Estimated Completion Date: 06/30/2025
- Funding: Local Road Research Board
- Principal Investigator: John Gulliver
- Co-Principal Investigator: Meijun Cai
- Technical Liaison: Mark Hansen
Details of the research study work plan and timeline are subject to change.
To receive email updates about this project, visit the Local Road Research Board website to subscribe.
New Project: Assessment of Pedestrian Safety and Driver Behavior Near Automated Vehicles
With the number of automated vehicles increasing on our roadways it is important to understand their potential impacts and how other road users will interact with them. In the future, there will be a more pronounced shared levels-of-automation transportation network, with fully manual, partially automated, and fully automated vehicles sharing the same Minnesota roads. While planners and engineers have a reasonable idea of how humans drive around other humans, what is not as well-known is human driving behavior around automated vehicles.
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New Project: Designing and Implementing Maintainable Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures
In Minnesota, one challenge with installing safety countermeasures for people walking and ensuring year-round access to pedestrian infrastructure is winter maintenance.
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New Project: Identifying Deer-Vehicle Collision Concentrations in Minnesota
Deer-vehicle collisions are a significant risk to public safety on Minnesota roads—causing injuries and death for humans and animals, and property damage. Minnesota ranks among the top 10 riskiest states for deer-vehicle collisions in the nation.
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New Project: Designing An Autonomous Service to Cover Transit Last Mile in Low-Density Areas
Public transportation provides a safe, convenient, affordable, and eco‐friendly mobility service. However, due to its fixed routes and limited network coverage, it is sometimes difficult or impossible for passengers to walk from a transit stop to their destination. This inaccessibility problem is also known as the “transit last mile connectivity problem”.
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New Project: Bridge Low Slump Concrete Overlay Mix Design for Mobile Mixers
In recent years, MnDOT has seen an increase in cracking of low slump overlays. Cracking of overlays allows chlorides to get into the bridge deck which leads to deterioration of the reinforcement and eventual delamination or spalling. This means that the bridge deck needs to be repaired or even replaced before the service life has been reached.
What is a low slump overlay? A low slump overlay is a technique used by DOTs to extend the life of bridge decks. They are typically 2″ thick and designed to provide low permeability.
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New Project: Advancing Equity in Accessibility and Travel Experiences: The Role of Gender and Identity
In the early 1990s, Minnesota became the first state in the nation to prohibit discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity. Yet the state continues to use male-female categories when investigating the role of gender in transportation issues such as travel behavior and transportation accessibility. Since a person’s identity can have a significant influence on their own and others’ behavior and experiences, excluding gender diversity in this type of transportation research could result in an incomplete understanding of the issues and perceptions about quality of life.
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New Project: Evaluation of Corrugated HDPE Pipes Manufactured with Recycled Content
Historically, federal regulations have required that MnDOT use pipes made with all-new materials in various applications, such as redirecting stormwater under roadways. However, recent changes to these regulations have made it possible for the agency to also consider pipes made with recycled materials, which could provide MnDOT with more options when choosing products for future projects.
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New Project: Maximizing Transportation Assets by Building Community Connection Through Innovative Development of Rights of Way and Airspace
Transportation agencies throughout the United States are focused on repairing the damage that highway construction has caused in communities.
MnDOT seeks partnerships with communities, businesses, and government entities to better utilize state highway lands and airspace.
These partnerships aim to enhance economic wellbeing and quality of life. Projects like highway caps and development of spaces underneath highways can increase equity, reduce disparities, and limit environmental impacts.
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