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.
Continue reading New Project: Mitigating Tenting of Transverse Cracks and Joints in Asphalt PavementTag Archives: research
Clear Roads Selects 2023 Research Projects
At its 2023 spring meeting, the Clear Roads Technical Advisory Committee reviewed new research proposals and selected projects to fund. This year, the committee selected eight projects:
- Development of a Public Service Announcement Library
- Quantifying the Economic Value of Snow and Ice Operational Success
- Update to CR 14-02: Quantifying the Impact that New Capital Projects will have on Roadway Snow and Ice Control Operations
- Solar Radiation Benefits / Chloride Reduction Potential Associated with the Use of Vegetation Management Practices Near Roads
- Computer-based Training for the Clear Roads ELDT Modules
- Synthesis: Management of Video Recordings and Images taken from Truck-mounted Cameras
- Synthesis: Brine-making Practices
- Synthesis: UAV Uses for Winter Maintenance
More information about these projects is available in the 2023 All Proposed Projects summary. Requests for investigator proposals for the new projects will be posted this summer.
The agenda, budget and minutes from the spring meeting are available on the Clear Roads Meetings page.
Monitoring Bumble Bee Populations in the Twin Cities Metro – Lessons Learned
In a project funded by MNDOT, entomologists developed an innovative method for surveying bumble bee populations alongside roadways. The researchers have recently published an article in Biological Conversations, Vol 283 focusing on the lessons learned about sampling when surveying these quick-moving bees.
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CTS Webinar: Transportation and Climate Action
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Central
New Clear Roads Research: Evaluating high-performance plow blades
A variety of factors can affect a snowplow blade’s long-term performance, making it difficult for an agency to determine which blades are the most cost-effective overall. By developing a field test protocol and cost-benefit analysis methodology, the new research will make it easier for Clear Roads agencies to evaluate and compare blades in the future using the same standard procedures used in this project.
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New Project: Evaluation of Gravel Stabilizer Used on Gravel Roads and Shoulders
Approximately 50% of roads in Minnesota are gravel. The performance and long-term sustainability of such roads depend on the quality of the surface layer. Unbound large particles can form an unstable road surface that becomes rough, developing potholes and corrugations as this material is scattered by vehicles or washed away by rain. As a result, more frequent maintenance and reconstruction is required, which becomes very expensive for Minnesota counties.
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New methods to determine safe bridge loading will help keep Minnesota’s truck freight moving
April 10, 2023
When transportation officials determine which route a heavy truck should take, their aim is maximizing efficiency while ensuring safety. Detours around bridges on critical freight routes increase fuel and labor costs for the trucking industry—and eventually hit consumer pocketbooks, too.
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Surge pricing for rides influences customer evaluation of driver performance
April 13, 2023
Surge pricing in rideshare apps leads to more complaints from customers, which ultimately eats away at drivers’ incomes, according to new U of M research.
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Study recommends biodiversity when planting roadside vegetation
April 24, 2023
Traditional practices for planting and maintaining roadside turfgrass in Minnesota have generally focused on finding a few plant species that do well in combination and blanket-prescribing them across the state. A recent U of M study, however, finds that plantings tend to do better when they are both biodiverse and carefully matched to their ideal growing conditions.
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MnDOT Library is Among State Government Libraries Recognized by Gov. Walz
Gov. Tim Walz proclaimed April 23-29 Capitol Area Library Consortium Week to recognize CALCO libraries during National Library Week.
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