In December, the Minnesota Local Road Research Board met and funded 16 new research projects to address issues facing the Minnesota transportation community, including impacts of detour routes on local roads and the influence of autonomous vehicles. The board also recently funded two projects that address the impacts of COVID-19.
Last year, the state’s city and county engineers proposed over 100 research ides for possible funding in 2021. These ideas were prioritized and flushed out, with academic researchers proposing on more than 22 ideas between the local and state research programs. In addition to the 16 research proposals that were ultimately funded, 10 additional projects were funded through the LRRB’s research implementation program.
If you are interested in serving on the technical advisory panel for any of the newly funded projects listed below, email research.dot@state.mn.us.
To receive email updates on any of the following projects, select “subscribe” on the project webpage:
Comparison of Compost and Proprietary Soil Amendments for Vegetation Establishment*
This study will recommend soil amendment options and mixing ratios/techniques for post-construction highway vegetation establishment.
Project Champion: Warren Tuel, MnDOT Environmental Stewardship
Designing an Autonomous Service to Cover Transit Last Mile in Low-Density Areas
This project will design an autonomous mobility-on-demand service to solve the transit last mile problem in low-density regions of the Greater Minnesota.
Project Champion: Cory Johnson, MnDOT CAV-X Office
Benefits of Preventive Maintenance*
This research will quantify the impact and benefits of preventive maintenance treatments on pavements in Minnesota.
Project Champion: Bernard Izevbekhai, MnDOT Materials & Road Research
BMP for Issues with Asphalt Centerline Joint and Intelligent Compaction for Local Agencies
This project will examine local agency problems with deterioration and raveling along the centerline paving joint of asphalt roadways.
Project Champion: Naomi Eckerd, MnDOT State Aid
Cost Estimate of B vs. C Grade Asphalt Binders
Researchers will review performance data and case studies to provide local agencies more guidance on the use of Grade B vs. Grade C asphalt binders, specifically evaluating cost vs. performance.
Project Champion: Jed Nordin, Hubbard County
COVID-19 Impacts on Speed and Safety for Rural Roads and Work Zones*
Researchers will document the difference in speed and volume along rural corridors and work zones in Minnesota during COVID in order to examine the impact lower traffic volumes and changing social conditions have on vehicle speeds and identify possible countermeasures and solutions.
Project Champion: Victor Lund, St. Louis County Traffic Engineer
Effective Public Engagement in the COVID-19 Era
This research project will help local agencies with public engagement during COVID-19 and beyond by providing a complete overview of effective virtual engagement tools and techniques that have had actionable results.
Project Champions: Jodi Teich, MCEA President/Stearns County Engineer,
Wayne Sandberg, MCEA Past President/Washington County Engineer
Evaluation of Proprietary Rejuvenators
Researchers will synthesize information on proprietary rejuvenators that are available to local agencies.
Project Champion: Jinyeene Neumann, Carlton County
Influence of Autonomous and Partially Autonomous Vehicles on Minnesota Roads*
Researchers will conduct experimental tests of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on Minnesota roads and highways to generate state-specific data and implications for infrastructure maintenance, winter road maintenance, work zone guidelines, road safety and traffic capacity.
Project Champion: Cory Johnson, MnDOT CAV-X Office
MnDOT Haul and Detour Routes – Impacts on Local Roads
This project will develop a web-based tool to uniformly assess compensation to local road authorities for MnDOT haul and detour routes.
Project Champion: Tim Stahl, Jackson County Engineer
Mobile-Device Data, Non-Motorized Traffic Monitoring, and Estimation of Annual Average Daily Bicyclist and Pedestrian Flows*
This project will evaluate the variety of intersection sensors currently available.
Technical Lead: Jacob Reuter, MnDOT Transit & Active Transportation
Multi-Method Investigation of Pedestrian Safety Impacts of Right Turn Lanes*
This project will examine the safety impact of dedicated right-turn lanes on pedestrian safety.
Project Champion: Ted Schoenecker, Ramsey County
Pavement Marking/Colored Pavement Friction Differential and Product Durability*
Researchers will perform skid resistance testing on a number of pavement marking products and provide guidelines for evaluating the frictional characteristics of pavement markings and colored pavements.
Project Champion: Sonja Piper, MnDOT Metro Traffic
Performance Evaluation of Different Detection Technologies for Signalized Intersections in Minnesota*
This project will provide guidance on the selection and maintenance of vehicle detection technologies for Minnesota signalized intersections.
Technical Lead: Steve Misgen, MnDOT Metro District
Quantifying Benefits of Bridge Maintenance*
This research will quantify the impact of bridge preservation based on actual maintenance history data sets.
Project Champion: Sara Sondag, MnDOT Bridge Office
Rural Community Transit Strategies*
This project will develop innovative sharing-economy strategies to address rural transit challenges in Greater Minnesota.
Technical Lead: Chris Belden, Duluth Transit
Tool to Estimate the Safety Impact of Vehicle Levels of Automation on Minnesota Roads*
Researchers will evaluate crash records and probabilistic models to estimate the safety impacts of various vehicle automation features.
Project Champion: Cory Johnson, MnDOT CAV-X Office
User-Centered Smart Traffic Sign Development Study
This research will develop and validate a smart portable traffic (stop/slow) sign that can electronically monitor the danger of potential intrusions into a work zone and provide automatic alerts to the driver and workers.
Project Champion: Wayne Sandberg, Washington County
*Indicates joint funding by the Local Road Research Board and State Research Program.
See the MnDOT website for additional new research projects, funded solely by the state research program.