Research Solicitation Awards - Research & Innovation

MnDOT and LRRB Research Funding Awards

The Minnesota Department of Transportation Research Steering Committee and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board have announced funding awards for the CY2020/FY2022 academic transportation research Request for Proposals (RFP). The following proposals have been selected for funding. Most projects are anticipated to begin July 2021 or sooner.

Click on a project hyperlink below to sign up for project updates. To volunteer for a project’s advisory panel, email research.dot@state.mn.us.

Note: Proposals from responding universities are private until contracts are signed. See corresponding need statements (left column) for further information about most funded projects.

Need Statement	Project Title	Principal Investigator	University	Sponsor
Automated Vehicle Technology
Knowledge Building	Designing an Autonomous Service to Cover Transit Last Mile in Low-Density Areas	Alireza Khani	University of Minnesota	LRRB
NS-622	Tool to Estimate the Safety Impact of Vehicle Levels of Automation on Minnesota Roads	John Hourdos	University of Minnesota	Joint
Knowledge Building	Influence of Autonomous and Partially Autonomous Vehicles on Minnesota Roads	Rajesh Rajamani	University of Minnesota	Joint
Bridges & Structures
NS-605	Bridge Low Slump Concrete Overlay Mix Design for Mobile Mixers	Tyler Ley	Oklahoma State University	MnDOT
NS-607	Quantifying Benefits of Bridge Maintenance	Basak Aldemir Bektas	Minnesota State University, Mankato	Joint
Environmental
NS-608	Identifying Deer-Vehicle Collision Concentrations in Minnesota	Raphael Stern	University of Minnesota	MnDOT
NS-610	Comparison of Compost and Proprietary Soil Amendments for Vegetation Establishment	Bora Cetin	Michigan State University	Joint
Freight & Commercial Vehicles
NS-615	Identify Best Types of Commodity Flow Data for Freight, Railroad, Ports and Waterways Studies	Zhirong Jerry Zhao	University of Minnesota	MnDOT
Materials & Construction
NS-612	Benefits of Preventive Maintenance	Basak Aldemir Bektas	Minnesota State University, Mankato	Joint
NS-624	BMP for Issues with Asphalt Centerline Joint and Intelligent Compaction for Local Agencies	Syed Haider	Michigan State University	LRRB
Unsolicited	Evaluation of Corrugated HDPE Pipes Manufactured with Recycled Content	Michael Pluimer	University of Minnesota-Duluth	MnDOT
NS-626	Evaluation of Proprietary Rejuvenators	M. Emin Kutay	Michigan State University	LRRB
NS-628	Cost Estimate of B vs. C Grade Asphalt Binders	Mihai Marasteanu	University of Minnesota	LRRB
NS-620	Pavement Marking/Colored Pavement Friction Differential and Product Durability	Mihai Marasteanu	University of Minnesota	Joint
Multimodal
NS-617	Designing and Implementing Maintainable Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures	David Veneziano	Iowa State University	MnDOT
NS-614	Rural Community Transit Strategies	Thomas Fisher	University of Minnesota	Joint
NS-629	Multi-Method Investigation of Pedestrian Safety Impacts of Right Turn Lanes	Curtis Craig	University of Minnesota	Joint
Policy & Planning
Unsolicited	Advancing Equity in Accessibility and Travel Experiences: The Role of Gender and Identity	Ying Song	University of Minnesota	MnDOT
Unsolicited	Assessing the Effects of Highway Improvements on Adjacent Businesses	Yingling Fan	University of Minnesota	MnDOT
NS-618	Enhancing Managed Lane Equity Analysis	Adeel Lari	University of Minnesota	MnDOT
NS-619	Improving Transportation Equity for All by Centering the Needs of Marginalized and Underserved Communities	Yingling Fan	University of Minnesota	MnDOT
Unsolicited	Maximizing Transportation Assets by Building Community Connection Through Innovative Development of Rights of Way and Airspace	Frank Douma	University of Minnesota	MnDOT
NS-625	MnDOT Haul and Detour Routes – Impacts on Local Roads	Bora Cetin	Michigan State University	LRRB
Traffic & Safety
NS-616	Mobile-Device Data, Non-Motorized Traffic Monitoring, and Estimation of Annual Average Daily Bicyclist and Pedestrian Flows	Michael Levin	University of Minnesota	Joint
NS-621	Performance Evaluation of Different Detection Technologies for Signalized Intersections in Minnesota	John Hourdos	University of Minnesota	Joint
Knowledge Building	User-Centered Smart Traffic Sign Development Study	Nichole Morris	University of Minnesota	LRRB

Updated: December 15, 2020