Research results
2011 Technical Summaries
2011 |2010| 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
Potential Viability of Automated
Rapid Transit at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport
This research project investigates the status of personal rapid transit (PRT) applications in airport environments, to
understand the characteristics and attributes of these systems, to explore the viability of a PRT system in the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and to prepare a synthesis report and presentation that document the
project's findings.
Technical Summary: 201114TS | Full Report: 201114 (PDF)
Usability Evaluation of a
Smart Phone-Based Novice Teen Driver Support System (TDSS )
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities. A Teen Driver Support System (TDSS) was developed by the ITS Institute that can allow parents to accurately monitor their teen's driving behavior in relation to known risk factors and Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) provisions. The TDSS, based on a teen's smart phone, provides real-time, contextual in-vehicle feedback to the teen about his or her driving behavior and helps parents monitor certain known risk factors. The system does not allow incoming or outgoing phone calls (except 911) or texting while driving. Feedback to the teen driver includes visual and auditory warnings about speeding, excessive maneuvers (e.g., hard braking, cornering), and stop sign violations. The TDSS prototype also monitors seat belt use and detects the presence of passengers (e.g., based on GDL provisions), two known factors that increase the risk of fatalities among teen drivers. The TDSS can also be programmed to monitor driving during the GDL curfew or a curfew set by parents. A usability review of the prototype TDSS using 30 parent-teen dyads from Washington Country, MN, found that teens and parents held favorable opinions about most of the TDSS functions.Teens and parents both felt that use of the system early in licensure may result in the adoption of safer driving habits even after the system is removed from the vehicle. Several recommendations to improve the system’s usability are made based on the results.
Technical Summary: 201113TS (PDF) | Full Report: 101113 (PDF)
Evaluation of Skid Resistance of Turf Drag Textured Concrete Pavements
Dragging a broom or an inverted piece of AstroTurf in the longitudinal direction currently textures concrete
pavements built in Minnesota. The macro-texture is specified to have a mean texture depth of 1 millimeter
measured by the Sand Volumetric Technique (ASTM E 965). Newly textured pavements are usually evaluated for
adequacy in providing a safe riding surface through texture measurements for acceptance and friction
measurements as required. The current Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)’s Technical Advisory on texture
requires that performance of non-convention textures be monitored and reported.
This report presents the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s study of AstroTurf texturing practices and
pavement friction. The friction numbers are collected using the ASTM E 274 standard and the values from the
Minnesota Road Research Project (MnROAD) were used to create a time and loading dependent model. Friction
numbers from various test sections around the state of Minnesota and the model created from the MnROAD facility
were then compared using visual analysis, descriptive statistics, Chi-Squared Analysis and the Mann-Whitney Z
Test.
After the completion of those tests, it was concluded that the three models created from the MnROAD facility were
validated from the test sections created around the road network in Minnesota.
Technical Summary: Coming Soon (PDF) | Full Report: 201112 (PDF)
Evaluation of a Polyvinyl Alcohol Fiber Reinforced Engineered Cementitious Composite for a Thin-Bonded Pavement Overlay
A need arose at the MnROAD research facility to provide a thin beam structural overlay on a moderately deteriorated concrete pavement test cell. This research was done to evaluate a polyvinyl alcohol fiber reinforced
engineered cementitious composite (PVA-ECC) and assess the prospects to utilize the material in the bonded
pavement overlay. PVA-ECC is a ductile material that can achieve extremely high flexural strength and tensile
strain capacity, characteristics which can prevent reflective cracking in pavement. The PVA-ECC mix was tailored
by including coarse aggregate to maintain some of the benefits of typical concrete pavements. Workability, flexural
and compressive strength, ductility and durability tests were done to assess the performance at varying fiber
contents. Results show that fiber at 16 lbs/cy achieved the highest flexural and compressive strength, at 1030 and
6910 psi respectively. The paired student’s t-test shows that 16 lbs/cy of fiber can improve flexural strength by
between 150 and 300 psi with 95% confidence. This small increase and lack of any noticeable ductile behavior do
not make the PVA-ECC beneficial for overlay applications. This research found that the modified PVA-ECC with
the low doses of fiber examined in this study are not suitable for the overlay at MnROAD.
Technical Summary: (PDF) | Full Report: 201111 (PDF)
Minnesota Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Analysis Software State of the Art
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) is working on developing a replacement product for the Transportation Information System (TIS), a mainframe database management system whose purpose is the maintenance, retrieval, and reporting of roadway and railway data, including roadway accident or crash data.
Technical Summary: 201110TS(PDF) | Full Report: 2011-10 (PDF)
Advancing Public Interest in Public-Private Partnership of State Highway Development
This report examines the public interest in using public-private partnerships (PPPs) in state highway development by looking at maximizing efficiency gains, mitigating potential risks, and addressing public concerns in launching and deploying PPPs. The report focuses on three aspects of PPPs: understanding economic rationales of PPPs; legal and political aspects of PPP decision making; and managerial issues associated with deploying PPP projects.
Technical Summary: 201109TS (PDF) | Full Report: 2011-09 (PDF)
Assessment and Recommendations for the Operation of Standard Sumps as Best Management Practice for Stormwater Treatment (Volume 1)
This report evaluated the performance of standard sumps as a best management practice for stormwater treatment, and found sumps were effective at collecting sediment at low-flow conditions, but the performance and required maintenance of standard sumps depend on watershed characteristics, weather conditions, and sediment loading.
Technical Summary: Coming Soon (PDF) | Full Report: 2011-08 (PDF)
Program Options to Reduce Musculoskeletal Disorders in Laborious Work
This research develops a basic guide on how Mn/DOT should approach health and wellness in the workplace based on literature analysis and telephone interviews with non-Minnesota Department of Transportation safety staff and an expert in health promotion and wellness.
Technical Summary: 201107TS (PDF) | Full Report: 2011-07 (PDF)
Evaluation of Buffer Width on Hydrologic Function, Water Quality, and Ecological Integrity of Wetlands
This research attempted to address the questions of how large wetland buffers need to be to provide sufficient protection to the wildlife and plant life from human activities that occur on adjacent land.
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Technical Summary: 201106TS (PDF) | Full Report: 2011-06 (PDF)
Innovative Diamond Grinding on MnROAD Cells 7, 8, 9, and 37
This collaborative research project looked at how the diamond grinding process could be used to enhance performance, quietness, safety, and ride comfort by testing results of research conducted at Purdue University and MnROAD Cells 7, 8, 9, and 37.
Technical Summary: 201105TS (PDF) | Full Report: 2011-05 (PDF)
Advanced LED Warning Signs for Rural Intersections Powered by Renewable Energy
This report presents the results of a two-year study on the development and evaluation of an Advanced Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Warning System powered by solar panels and rechargeable batteries to be used on rural through/stop intersections with static warning systems that have proven ineffective.
Technical Summary: 201104TS (PDF) | Full Report: 2011-04 (PDF)
Optimal Workforce Planning and Shift Scheduling for Snow and Ice Removal
This project developed a methodology for efficient deployment of available crew, estimation of workforce requirements, and economic evaluation of the impact of using contract employees, split shifts, and staggered shifts for snow and ice removal in Saint Louis County.
Technical Summary: 201103TS (PDF) | Full Report: 2011-03 (PDF)
Allowable Axle Loads on Pavements
This project developed a new TONN procedure, TONN2010, for use by Mn/DOT and others. TONN2010 uses pavement layer thickness, falling weight deflectometer (FWD) deflection basins, previous day’s temperature, pavement surface temperature, pavement location, and anticipated traffic to determine allowable axle loads on Minnesota low-volume roads.
Technical Summary: 201102TS (PDF) | Full Report: 2011-02 (PDF)
Investigation of Deflection and Vibration Dynamics of Concrete and Bituminous Pavements Constructed Over Geofoam
In 2000, Geofoam was used as an embankment fill on Trunk Highway 100 segment 3. In 2002, it was also used at Technology Drive to correct a slope failure. Concerns about vibration issues led to a retrofit with Multi-Depth-Deflectometers and a two-year study. This paper presents the results of that study.
Technical Summary: N/A | Full Report: 2011-01 (PDF)
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