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2022 Construction

MnROAD will be constructing 45 mainline cells test sections related to through NRRA along with a partnership with Midstate Reclamation to develop a cold-in-place study with 4 test sections on the LVR.

  • NRRA HMA and PCC on Mainline
  • Neo-Pave Cold-in-Place Recycling on Low Volume Road

Weekly Updates

Week of August 29th

  • C.S. McCrossan placed 1st lift of HMA in driving lane shoulder of cells 2201-2202 and 2207-2208
  • C.S. McCrossan continued granular and RAP shouldering activities and general site clean up
  • C.S. McCrossan sampled HMA cores
  • MnROAD and District 3 performed surface testing of concrete test cells 2209-2227

Week of August 22nd

  • C.S. McCrossan continued granular and RAP shouldering activities and general site clean up
  • C.S. McCrossan placed HMA in lanes of cells 2201-2202 and 2207-2208
  • C.S. McCrossan performed final grading of shoulder aggregate in test cells 2201 - 2208
  • MnROAD and District 3 performed surface testing of concrete test cells 2209-2227

Week of August 15th

  • C.S. McCrossan placed 5Q aggregate unbound base in driving lane shoulder of test cell 2209
  • C.S. McCrossan performed final grading of shoulder aggregate in test cells 2209 - 2224
  • C.S. McCrossan placed HMA in shoulders of test cells 2209 - 2224
  • PCi placed concrete in full depth repair panels in Cells 613, 160-162, and 505-805
  • MnROAD performed dynamic friction trailer testing in test cells 2209-2227
  • MidState performed Cold-Inplace-Recycling of test cells 2201-2202 and 2207-2208

Week of August 8th

  • PCi paved Cells 2217, 2218 and 2209 for the cement alternative study
  • PCi prepped full depth repair panels in Cells 613, 160-162, and 505-805
  • C.S. McCrossan placed aggregate in driving lane shoulders of 2227-2217
  • C.S. McCrossan placed 3rd lift of HMA in perpetual pavement Cells 2228 and 2229
  • C.S. McCrossan placed 3rd lift of HMA in reflective cracking Cell 2230
  • MnROAD and District 3 support continued to place concrete sensor
  • Fresh concrete mixes were sampled and tested by AET and Braun
  • FHWA trailer provided additional testing services for concrete mixes
  • FHWA trailer left at the end of the week for another project but will return for additional break tests
  • First full rain delay on 8/12, C.S. McCrossan dewatered shoulders

Week of August 1st

  • PCi paved Cells 2215, 2216 and 2219-2224 for the cement alternative study
  • PCi paved Cell 2225 with concrete for the weigh in motion study
  • PCi paved Cells 2226 and 2227 with concrete for early loading in white topping cells
  • C.S. McCrossan continued granular and RAP shouldering activities and general site clean up
  • MnROAD and District 3 support continued to place concrete sensor
  • Fresh concrete mixes were sampled and tested by AET and Braun
  • FHWA trailer provided additional testing services for concrete mixes

Week of July 25th

  • C.S. McCrossan placed RAP to stabilize and re-grade shoulders of HMA Cells 2231-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan installed conduit from driving shoulder to passing shoulder for future Weigh in Motion
  • PCi trimmed the base of Cells 2209-2216, 2217-2224 and 2225
  • PCi set up paver, drag for texture, and sprayer for curing compound
  • PCi paved concrete cells 2210, 2211, 2212, 2213 and 2214 for the cement alternatives study
  • Cell 2209 was partially paved, but was removed due to mix related issues with the paver and the plant
  • Agg Industries unloaded supersacks of cementitious material into tanker trucks
  • First partial rain delay of this construction project on 7/26
  • MnROAD and District 3 support installed sensors
  • MnROAD held an open house with concrete paving demonstration
  • Fresh concrete mixes were sampled and tested by AET and Braun
  • FHWA trailer provided additional testing services for concrete mixes>

Week of July 18th

  • VRAM installed in Cells 2228-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan placed final lift of HMA in Cells 2231-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan placed 2nd lift of shoulder in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • PCi delivered and set up concrete paver
  • Federal Highway Administration concrete test lab trailer arrives

Week of July 11th

  • C.S. McCrossan placed HMA non-wear 2nd lift in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • C.S. McCrossan made cuts in HMA Cells 2230-2239 for reflective cracking study
  • C.S. McCrossan milled HMA surface in Cells 2230-2239 and 2226-2227
  • C.S. McCrossan removed concrete in Cells 914-514
  • C.S. McCrossan finished placing sub-base and base in Cells 2216-2209
  • MnROAD installing sensor conduit in Cells 2209-2216

Week of July 4th

  • Happy Independence Day!
  • MnROAD installed sensor conduit in subgrade of Cells 2217-2224
  • C.S. McCrossan placed HMA non-wear lift in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • C.S. McCrossan finished concrete and continued aggregate removals in Cells 2216-2209
  • MnROAD marked HMA cuts in Cells 2230-2239 for reflective cracking study
  • C.S. McCrossan fine graded Cells 2217-2224
  • C.S. McCrossan finished excavation in Cell 2225 and placed aggregate sub-base and base.

Looking ahead to week of July 11th:

  • C.S. McCrossan to place HMA non-wear 2nd lift in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • C.S. McCrossan to make HMA cuts in Cells 2230-2239 for reflective cracking study
  • C.S. McCrossan to finish placing sub-base and base in Cells 2216-2209
  • C.S. McCrossan to remove concrete in Cells 914-514
  • C.S. McCrossan to mill HMA surface in Cells 2230-2239 and 2226-2227
  • MnROAD to install sensor conduit in subgrade of Cells 2216-2209
  • MnROAD to run sensor wire through conduit in Cells 2217-2224
  • MnROAD to continue material sampling and testing

Week of June 27th

  • C.S. McCrossan finished placing Sub-base and Base Aggregate in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • C.S. McCrossan paved second lift of HMA base course in cells 2230-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan continued excavations of Cells 2224-2209
  • C.S. McCrossan placed Sub-base and Base in Cells 2224-2217
  • C.S. McCrossan daylighted existing drain tile from Cell 613
  • MnROAD installed sensor conduit in Subgrade of Cells 2223-2220 and Base of Cell 2229
  • MnROAD placed Base and HMA sensor arrays in Cell 2228
  • MnROAD and Michigan State University placed geotechnical sensors in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • MnROAD, University of Texas El Paso, and Michigan State performed geotechnical testing of subbase and base in Cell 2229

Looking ahead to week of July 4th:

  • MnROAD to install sensor conduit in Subgrade of Cells 2221-2217
  • MnROAD to continue concrete sensor prep
  • C.S. McCrossan to continue concrete and aggregate removals in Cells 2216-2209
  • C.S. McCrossan to place Sub-base and Base in Cells 2216-2209
  • C.S. McCrossan to fine grade Cells 2217-2224
  • C.S. McCrossan to place HMA non-wear lifts in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • MnROAD to mark future HMA cuts in Cells 2230-2239 for reflective cracking study
  • MnROAD to continue material sampling and testing

Week of June 20th

  • C.S. McCrossan finished grading and rolling Cells 2230-2239
  • MnROAD installed environmental and dynamic sensors in Cells 2230-2239
  • University of North Dakota installed sensors in Cell 2232
  • MnROAD performed FWD, LWD, and DCP testing on Agg. Base in Cells 2230-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan paved first lift of base course in cells 2230-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan continued removal of concrete Cells 2209 – 2217
  • C.S. McCrossan began excavations of Cells 2224 – 2218
  • MnROAD installed conduit for sensors in Cell 2224 and 2229
  • C.S. McCrossan placed sub-base in Cell 2224
  • University of Texas El Paso (UTEP), Michigan State (M.S.), and MnROAD installed sensors in subgrade of Cells 2228 and 2229
  • UTEP/MnROAD performed intelligent compaction testing in Cell 2229
  • M.S./MnROAD performed DCP, LWD, and density tests on subgrade and sub-base in Cells 2228-2229
  • SolMax representatives were on site to install geofabric in Cell 2229
  • C.S. McCrossan made additional excavations and place coarse filter aggregate in Cell 2229
  • Evercore extracted cores from first lift of Cells 2230-2239
  • After labor shortage due to Covid protocols, John Bormann from Maplewood recertified and rescheduled to provide nuclear density tests for HMA in Cells 2230-2239 and subbase in 2228-2229

Looking ahead to week of June 27th:

  • C.S. McCrossan to finish placing Sub-base and Base in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • UTEP, M.S. and MnROAD to install sensors in Sub-base and Base in Cells 2228-2229 and continue testing
  • C.S. McCrossan to pave second lift of base course in cells 2230-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan to continue excavations of Cells 2224-2209
  • C.S. McCrossan to place Sub-base and Base in Cells 2224-2209
  • MnROAD to install sensor conduit in Subgrade of Cells 2223-2209 and Base of Cell 2229
  • MnROAD to begin marking of cuts in Cells 2230-2239 for reflective cracking study

Week of June 13th

  • C.S. McCrossan finished grading and rolling Cells 2230-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan began removal of concrete Cells 2216-2227 and stockpiling of aggregate import
  • C.S. McCrossan excavated to subgrade in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • INGIOS performed Intelligent Compaction (IC), Automated Plate Load Tests (APLT), and Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) tests on Cells 2201-2202, 2207-2208, and 2230-2239
  • MnROAD to perform FWD, LWD, and DCP testing on Agg. Base in Cells 2230-2239
  • MnROAD and Maplewood Office continued installing sensors in Aggregate Base
  • MnROAD and D3 continued to prep sensors for concrete cells

Looking ahead to week of June 20th:

  • MnROAD to continue to prep sensors for concrete cells
  • C.S. McCrossan to continue removal of concrete Cells 2209 - 2217
  • C.S. McCrossan to begin excavations of Cells 2224 – 2209
  • University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) to install sensors in subgrade and sub-base of Cells 2228 and 2229
  • C.S. McCrossan to place sub-base in cells 2228 and 2229
  • UTEP to perform intelligent compaction testing in Cells 2228 and 2229
  • University of North Dakota to install sensors in Cell 2232
  • MnROAD to perform FWD, LWD, and DCP testing on Agg. Base in Cells 2230-2239
  • MnROAD to install environmental and dynamic sensors in Cells 2230-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan pave base course in cells 2230-2239

Week of June 6th

  • C.S.McCrossan laid test strips for SPWEB 540B and SPWEB 540C mixes at their facility in Maplewood
  • ANTIGO crushed concrete pavement for removal
  • Northwestern Surveying & Engineering staked Cells 2230-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan began grading Cells 2230-2239
  • District 3 and MnROAD mowed the ditch and continued sensor prep work and forensic testing
  • MnROAD and Maplewood Office began installing sensors in Aggregate Base

Looking ahead to week of June 13th:

  • C.S. McCrossan to finish fine grading of Cells 2230-2239
  • C.S. McCrossan to begin removal of concrete Cells 2209-2227 and stockpiling of aggregate import
  • C.S. McCrossan to begin excavations of Cells 2209-2227
  • INGIOS to perform Intelligent Compaction (IC) and Automated Plate Load Test (APLT) on Cells 2201-2202, 2207-2208, and 2230-2239
  • MnROAD to continue to install sensor in Cells 2230-2239
  • MnROAD to continue to prep sensors for concrete cells

Week of May 30th

  • Memorial Day Holiday
  • Caterpillar Global Paving (CAT) performed 3 days of asphalt milling.
  • District 3 provided personnel and equipment for hauling, stockpiling, and pavement surface cleaning.
  • MnROAD provided assistance to UNH with forensic work including coring and FWD testing.
  • District 3 and MnROAD staff continued sensor preparation work and forensic testing.

Week of May 23rd

  • Caterpillar Global Paving (CAT) performed 5 days of asphalt milling.
  • This work is a partnership between MnROAD, CAT, and the University of New Hampshire (UNH).
  • CAT utilized 3 mills with different milling parameters for CAT to test their equipment and for UNH to study the effects of milling on the underlying pavement.
  • District 3 provided personnel and equipment for hauling, stockpiling, and pavement surface cleaning.
  • MnROAD provided assistance to UNH with forensic work including coring and FWD testing.
  • District 3 and MnROAD staff continued sensor preparation work and forensic testing.

Week of May 16th

  • Bio-logs were delivered and installed by J.R. Larson as part of the Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control plan.
  • District 3 and 7A provided support for pavement coring needed for forensic and design work.
  • For this project over 800 Asphalt Cores and approximately 200 Concrete Cores were removed from the test sections prior to construction.
  • MnROAD staff with District 3 support installed conduit, vaults, and tower bases in preparation for the almost 900 sensors to be installed during construction.
  • MnROAD researchers conducted forensic testing.
  • MnROAD conducted bus tours of Mainline as part of the 2022 NRRA MnROAD Open House.

2021 Construction

MnROAD developed test sections to support two studies from NRRA and Minnesota Local Road Research Board at MnROAD and 15th Street located in the City of St. Michael to study spray rejuvenator products.

  • 2021 Construction Report (in development)

2020 Construction

NRRA develop a research project and test sections near Emily Minnesota that are being utilized to develop a better understanding of HMA rejuvenators and their long-term effects on performance.

  • 2020 Construction Report (in development)

2016 Construction

MnROAD partnered with NCAT to reconstruct 8 mainline HMA test sections. These test sections support a national pooled fund study on cracking group experiment focusing on low temperature cracking.

  • 2016 Construction Report (in development)

2011 Construction

MnROAD 2011 Reconstruction and Repair of PCC Mainline Cells 5, 6, 63, & 96

Four test cells on the MnROAD Mainline were in need of reconstruction or substantial repairs in 2011. This opportunity allowed us to enhance the research program at MnROAD by evaluating and demonstrating the following materials and methods:

  • the performance of three gradations to optimize paste content, workability, and durability;
  • longitudinal tining as a quiet surface;
  • the use of drainable, stable aggregate bases to enhance pavement life; and
  • roller compacted concrete on the shoulders.

Also, a thin (5") unbonded concrete overlay using a non- woven geotextile interlayer was constructed on half a cell, and, repairs were made on a thin whitetopping cell to evaluate best practices to maintain concrete overlays.

Stabilized Full Depth Reclamation on Cell 28

With budgets being stretched and local sources of pavement materials being depleted, reconstruction of low volume roadways is becoming difficult for local agencies to fund. Cheaper methods, such as the use of gravel material, have been adopted to try and alleviate these costs.

The construction on Cell 28 explored alternative methods of paving that are both renewable and relatively inexpensive in overall costs. The plan attempted to utilize in situ materials of the previous Cell 28 construction to repave the cell in a sustainable manner using 100% of the existing materials. The cell consisted of 100% recycled pavement that has no transportation costs, material costs, and relatively inexpensive operating costs providing for a better quality road. This cell has the potential to serve as a model for maintaining thousands of low volume road miles.

2006 Construction Updates

In 2006 Cell 1, 27, and 28 were reconstructed by MnROAD. There were three significant aspects of research behind the test cell reconstruction: field validation of Geocomposite Capillary Barrier Drain (GCBD) for limiting moisture changes in pavements, Intelligent Compaction (IC) research performed on the unbound base and subgrade layers, and accelerated testing of PG 52-34 binder to support a Local Road Research Board (LRRB) project. These reports document the previous pavement condition, pavement structural and mixture designs, instrumentation plan, field construction activities, material sampling, and laboratory test results.

Pervious concrete helps to divert polluted and excess water from local water sources. In 2006 MnROAD and its partners collaborated on a pervious concrete sidewalk project to help study how to effectively use pervious concrete to best limit negative environmental factors.

2005 Construction Updates

In 2005, MnROAD continued to study the effectiveness of pervious concrete in its test cells. MnROAD was researching the pervious concrete's inherent sustainability during the varying environmental factors that come with each season especially safety during the winter seasons.

2004 Construction Updates

2004 marked several different construction and research projects for MnROAD. Cells 60- 63 were constructed using whitetopping technique to replace earlier whitetopping cells constructed in 1997. The report below contains the relevant information about the reconstruction and the data attained through the seven years research.

Mesabi Hard Rock aggregate began to be tested during 2004 resulting in several reports and studies. The purpose of the research was to see the utilization possibility of a new and Minnesota based resource.

Cell 26 was reconstructed to replace a test cell that had failed prematurely.

1999 Construction Updates

This paper's purpose is to provide an update on the pavement condition of MnROAD's three low volume road (LVR) SuperPave test cells constructed in 1999 with different asphalt binders. These cells were built to field validate the current low temperature performance grading (PG) system currently being used at MnDOT and many other agencies around the world.