MnDOT Road Research

Research Hot Topics

MnROAD

MnROAD is being reconstructed with over 20 active research projects.

Pavement Preservation

Find out what's new with Research and Implementation of Pavement Preservation.

Warm Mix Asphalt

Learn about our recent experiences with WMA at MnROAD and throughout Minnesota.

Resilient Modulus

Learn about Resilient Modulus Testing at the Materials Lab.

Innovative Diamond Grind

Updates on the quiet concrete pavement at MnROAD.

Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity

Updates on the development of expected sign life for local agencies.

DCP & LWD

Learn how Minnesota is using the Dynamic Cone Penetrometer and the Light Weight Deflectometer.

1st National Pavement Preservation Conference

Presentations and videos from the conference.

Research Topics

Resources

Organizations

Materials and Road Research products and services help to advance the state of the practice of pavement design, construction and maintenance by conducting and participating in pavement and materials research projects, implementation of research results, and supporting practitioners.

Recent Publications

To search our entire list - go to our database.

Reclaiming Pavements - Final Report (PDF 1.2 mb)

Stabilized full-depth reclamation is a method for recycling bituminous pavement on-site and increasing the strength of the base by adding a binder material to the reclaimed material. Experimental test sections have been constructed at MnRoad, a few county projects have used a similar technology. The granular equivalency (GE) of stabilized reclaim material is established and validated for design. This study was funded by the Local Road Research Board.

Pervious Concrete - Final Report (PDF 20.4 mb)

This report includes the design, construction, and performance of three pervious concrete test cells construction at MnROAD in 2008. These cells were constructed to evaluate the performance of pervious concrete pavements on a low-volume road in a cold weather climate.

Demonstration of Concrete Maturity- Final Report (PDF 32.6 mb)

This implementation project was carried out on the Unweave the Weave project and was one of the first MnDOT projects to test maturity meters in a field setting. This report establishes maturity strength curves for four different mixes, gives recommendations on datum temperature, and shows how small changes in mix proportions can affect the resulting maturity strength curves.

Recycled Pavements using foamed Asphalt - Final Report (PDF 844 kb)

This project evaluated Minnesota projects that used foamed asphalt in cold inplace recycling projects and developed recommendations for its use in CIR and FDR.

MnROAD Phase II Construction Report - Final Report (PDF 3.6 mb)

Over 20 test cells were reconstructed at MnROAD in 2008. This report documents the research projects and objective, pavement structural and mix designs for each cell, instrumentation plan, field construction activities, material sampling, and laboratory test results.

Active Projects Highlight

Investigation and Assessment of Colored Concrete - Project Brief (PDF 0.6 mb)

Agencies are using more colored concrete as an aesthetic treatment. Some cities and counties are experiencing early deteriorations. The goal of this project will be to determine if the observed deterioration of colored pavement in Minnesota is a result of the material behavior of the coloring agents, or of the construction practices associated with colored concrete pavements. This project is sponsored by the Local Road Research Board. For more information contact Alexandra Akkari.

Rolling Resistance- Initial report (PDF 3.6 mb)

In 2011, Rolling Resistance equipment was brought from Poland to MnROAD and conducted rolling resistance measurements on all the test cells. This data is being analyized with all the other surface characteristics including IRI, texture, sound absorption and material characterizations.

NDT Seminar

January 21, 2010

The seminar promoted the exchange of information among national and international researchers and practitioners on the application of nondestructive testing (NDT) in pavements, bridges and geotechnical engineering. Contributions focused on field applications, case studies, technology implementation, applied research, and practical experience. Technical presentations exposed state-of-the-practices in NDT methods, problems, and potential solutions

utilizing available and emerging NDT technologies. Presentation materials and meeting notes.