Tag Archives: research

Environment, Research

New Project: Engineering Post-Construction Soil Composition to Support Resilient Stormwater Management

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Post-construction soils can produce much higher stormwater runoff rates than pre-construction or typical vegetated soils. Poor soil conditions can hinder the establishment of vegetation and carry large volumes of runoff, sediment, and nutrient loads to local waters. Organic soil amendments (composts) may support post-construction vegetative growth by boosting soil structure, nutrient availability, and water holding capacity.

To receive email updates about this project, visit MnDOT’s Office of Research & Innovation to subscribe.

This research aims to define targeted pre-construction soil health baselines, determine optimized design and field implementation inputs that return soils to baseline health indices using organic amendments, and identify how these inputs can benefit transportation requirements and resilient stormwater treatment.

The results may facilitate the quantification of benefits provided through soil health restoration and the development of implementable guidance for roadside soil health restoration techniques.

“This research project will help us understand how implementing soil health practices can improve the performance of roadside vegetation establishment resulting in MnDOT being able to close out construction contracts and stormwater permits sooner,” said Warren Tuel, Natural Resources Program Coordinator with MnDOT’s Office of Environmental Stewardship. “There are also significant potential stormwater benefits of soil health practices including increased infiltration, improved treatment of pollutants present in highway stormwater runoff. The improved management of stormwater will result in improved water quality of runoff from MnDOT highway systems resulting in greater protection of the many water resources here in Minnesota.”

The objectives are:

  1. Evaluate resilience to water availability through organic amendment (e.g., compost) addition through greenhouse stormwater experiments
  2. Optimize amendment loadings based on resilience
  3. Develop a “recipe” for improving the health of poor soils based on soil health measurements, by amending the soil with compost or other organics

Project Details

  • Start Date: 05/16/2025
  • Estimated Completion Date: 06/30/2027
  • Funding: MnDOT
  • Principal Investigator: Bora Cetin
  • Co-Principal Investigators: Angela Farina
  • Technical Liaison: Warren Tuel

Details of the research study work plan and timeline are subject to change.

To receive email updates about this project, visit MnDOT’s Office of Research & Innovation to subscribe.

Maintenance Operations, Research

Comparing Salt Brine and Granular Salt for Safety and Performance

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While studies have shown that salt brine can be less expensive and better for the environment than granular salt, public perception maintains that salt brine is less efficient and less safe for travelers.

In this Clear Roads project, researchers developed metrics for comparing the two different forms of salt and conducted a variety of tests to measure their performance in the field.

Now, agencies have data and infographics they can use to support their decision to use salt brine in place of granular salt.

Download the final report and two-page brief: CR 22-04 – Evaluation of Direct Liquid Application of Salt Brine vs Granular Salt as Measured through Various Performance and Safety Metrics, December 2025.

Reprinted from Clear Roads news, January 21, 2026.

Research, Traffic and Safety

Pedestrian Safety Impacts of Dedicated Right-Turn Lanes

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While research has found that right-turn-only, or dedicated right-turn lanes, at intersections reduce traffic delays and vehicle crashes, their impact on pedestrian safety has been unclear. To better understand these impacts for future intersection design and countermeasure considerations, this project investigated driver response to pedestrians in or near crosswalks at dedicated right-turn lanes. 

Continue reading Pedestrian Safety Impacts of Dedicated Right-Turn Lanes →
electric vehicles, Policy and Planning, Research

The winding road to an electric fleet

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Reprinted from CTS News, November 24, 2025

Even for cities, counties, and organizations with zero-carbon emissions goals, most fleet managers are skeptical about going fully electric. Calculating the return on investment for a single vehicle is straightforward—but for a fleet, it’s complex. 

Continue reading The winding road to an electric fleet →
Policy and Planning, Research

CTS Webinar: Preparing Transportation Professionals for AI Integration

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Monday, December 15, 2025, 12:00–1:30 pm (Virtual)

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About the Event

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping how we design, plan, and manage infrastructure systems. In this webinar, CTS scholars Qizhi He and Seongjin Choi from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering will discuss how AI tools are beginning to influence teaching, research, and professional practice in civil engineering. Their conversation will consider how the field can adapt curriculum and training to prepare future engineers for an AI-integrated profession. They will also explore questions around quality management, professional ethics, and community-centered design in an AI-driven context.

Offering a practitioner’s perspective, Melissa Barnes will share insights from MnDOT’s ongoing AI pilot identification project. She will discuss how state agencies are evaluating opportunities and risks associated with AI implementation—and engaging and educating their staff about AI.

This webinar will highlight opportunities for collaboration between academia and practice as the transportation industry navigates the evolving impacts of AI on engineering education, quality assurance, and workforce development. 

Speakers

Qizhi He is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering at the University of Minnesota (UMN) and a CTS scholar. Before joining the UMN, he was a postdoctoral researcher in the Scientific Machine Learning Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. His research focuses on developing hybrid physics–AI/ML computational methods for predictive modeling and the simulation of complex mechanical behavior in civil and geomaterials under extreme and multiphysics conditions. His work aims to advance next-generation, high-performance computing and digital-twin technologies that enhance infrastructure resilience and support natural hazard mitigation. 

Seongjin Choi is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering at the University of Minnesota and a CTS scholar. Choi was previously a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University in Canada and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea. His research focuses on developing machine learning and (generative) artificial intelligence models for transportation and mobility data, with the goal of enhancing both individual-level travel experiences and system-level performance.

Melissa Barnes is the Operations Division artificial intelligence program manager (mobility) at MnDOT and a licensed civil engineer with more than 21 years of experience in transportation. She has worked at MnDOT for more than 12 years, including positions in Central Office and the Metro District. Her expertise spans program delivery, traffic engineering, planning, safety, operations, project management, policy, and cross-functional leadership, and she is known for her commitment to equity and collaboration. 

Registration

This webinar is free, but registration is required. Once you have registered, you will receive an email confirmation with a Zoom link. The link should not be shared with others; it is unique to you.

More information

Visit the CTS website or contact Samantha Hahn-Douville at snhahn@umn.edu. 

If you’re unable to join us for the live broadcast, a recording will be available here after the event.

Automated Vehicle Technology, Policy and Planning, Research

TRB Webinar: Connected Mobility Futures—Integrating Transit and Technology

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Dec 16, 2025, 12 PM – 1:30 PM CST (1:00PM – 2:30PM ET)

Pre-registration is required.

Public transit agencies are reimagining mobility through innovation, integration, and technology to create seamless travel experiences and improve access for all users. TRB will host a webinar on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM Eastern that will highlight strategies and technologies transforming the future of connected mobility. This session will explore how public agencies and technology partners are addressing fragmented systems through open platforms, integrated trip planning, and seamless fare payment, drawing on lessons from the Federal Transit Administration’s Integrated Mobility Innovation (IMI) and Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) programs. Attendees will also gain insights into how Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) and Autonomous Mobility-on-Demand (AMoD) can expand access, improve service efficiency, and rebuild ridership. Presenters will share real-world examples, research, and lessons learned to help agencies advance scalable, user-centered transportation systems.

Continue reading TRB Webinar: Connected Mobility Futures—Integrating Transit and Technology →
Environment

Identifying Factors That Affect Stormwater Basin Performance

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Stormwater basins are used to control runoff, prevent flooding and limit pollutants from reaching rivers, lakes and other large bodies of water. MnDOT monitors and maintains more than 400 infiltration and filtration basins statewide, and that number continues to grow. Identifying indicators of needed maintenance will increase management efficiency and basin performance. Field research at 28 basins identified basin age and silt content as two important factors to consider when planning inspections and taking corrective actions.

Continue reading Identifying Factors That Affect Stormwater Basin Performance →
Environment, Maintenance Operations, Research

Beyond the border: Canadian studies consider permeable pavement, climate change impacts on deicing operations

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Reprinted from MnLTAP News, November 17, 2025

The 2025 Salt Symposium highlighted two studies from Canada, one comparing salt applications on permeable and asphalt surfaces and another considering the impact of climate change on municipal operations. Hosted by Bolton & Menk, the August 5 Salt Symposium brought together professionals from throughout the world to share research, projects, and approaches for chloride management.

Continue reading Beyond the border: Canadian studies consider permeable pavement, climate change impacts on deicing operations →
Research

Beyond traffic: Transportation as a social construct

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Reprinted from CTS News, September 8, 2025

Urban transportation is more than roads and bridges: it’s a powerful social force that shapes our lives and influences our opportunities, well-being, and even power dynamics. Consider the everyday experience of commuting to work—the route you take, the cost of the ride, and the people you encounter are all shaped by social forces. By looking at transportation through this social lens, University of Minnesota researchers are moving beyond physical infrastructure to understand its deeper impact on society.

Continue reading Beyond traffic: Transportation as a social construct →
Multi-modal, Policy and Planning, Research

CTS Webinar: Innovations for Energy-Efficient Transportation

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Thursday, November 13, 2025, 12:00–1:30 pm Virtual

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About the Event

Transportation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., and reducing those emissions is key to tackling the climate crisis. New technologies—from eco-friendly navigation apps to connected and automated vehicles—offer exciting opportunities to make our transportation system cleaner and more energy efficient. But these tools can also create unexpected challenges, such as increased traffic congestion or higher overall emissions, if not carefully designed.

In this webinar, researchers will share new approaches to smarter routing and vehicle technology that can lower energy use and reduce emissions. Join us to learn how innovations in navigation, automation, and vehicle control could help shape a more sustainable future.

Speakers

Zongxuan Sun is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He is an expert on dynamic systems and control with applications in automotive propulsion systems. He worked at the General Motors Research Center for seven years prior to joining the University in 2007. His research work includes system modeling, control theory, building unique instruments, and testbeds for experiments.

Michael Levin is an associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering at the University of Minnesota and a CTS scholar. His research focuses on modeling connected and automated vehicles and intelligent transportation systems to predict and optimize how these technologies will affect travel demand and traffic flow. Levin is specifically interested in using traffic flow, transportation network analysis, and operations research methods to study these new technologies and their effects on cities.

Registration

This webinar is free, but registration is required. Once you have registered, you will receive an email confirmation with a Zoom link. The link should not be shared with others; it is unique to you.

Credit

Attendees are eligible for Professional Development Hours (PDHs) and American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification maintenance credits.

More information

For more information or to request support, go to complete announcement on the Center for Transportation Studies website.

Related MnDOT Research Projects