Research News
New Manual Helps Agencies Count Bike, Pedestrian Traffic
As part of an ongoing effort to institutionalize bicycle and pedestrian counting in Minnesota, MnDOT has published a new manual designed to help city, county, state, and other transportation practitioners in their counting efforts. (Posted 6/30/2017)
Gauging safety of heavy vehicles on older concrete bridges
A new study evaluates whether current guidelines regarding shear forces may be overly conservative for older concrete bridges that are in good condition. (Posted 6/2/2017)
Seven Pilot Projects to Change Transportation Practice in Minnesota
Roadside fencing that protects endangered turtles, a toolkit for identifying potentially acid-producing rock and a device that could save MnDOT $200 million a year in pavement damage are just a few of the advancements that MnDOT hopes to make in the near future, thanks to seven recently funded research implementation projects. (Posted 5/31/ 2017)
Reducing speeds to improve safety for work-zone flaggers
University of Minnesota researchers have identified and tested new work-zone warning elements to more effectively capture and sustain driver attention. The project was funded by MnDOT and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board. (Posted 5/31/2017)
New work-zone warning app featured on KARE 11
A new app that sends warning messages to drivers as they approach work zones was featured on KARE 11 News on Thursday. The app was developed by U of M researchers in a project sponsored by MnDOT. (Posted 6/26/2017)
NRRA Pavement Conference Set for May 24
Formerly known as TERRA, the National Road Research Alliance (NRRA) will continue the tradition of presenting sessions about current practices that implement new pavement research and technology with its Pavement Conference at the University of Minnesota's Continuing Education and Conference Center on May 24. (Visit the Pavement Conference website) (Posted 4/24/2017)
A Look at Local Bridge Removal Practices and Policies
To identify possible changes to how redundant and low-use bridges are identified and removed in Minnesota, the Local Road Research Board conducted a transportation research synthesis, “Local Bridge Removal Policies and Programs,” that explores how other states make bridge removal decisions. (Posted 4/19/ 2017)
I-35W 'Smart Bridge' Test Site Uses Vibration Data to Detect Bridge Defects
By analyzing vibration data from the I-35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge, MnDOT is working to develop monitoring systems that could detect structural defects early on and ultimately allow engineers to improve bridge designs. (Read the full blog post) (Posted 3/19/2017)