The Local Road Research Board has funded 31 new research and implementation projects to address issues facing the Minnesota transportation community including stormwater management, asphalt pavement design, school zone safety, and understanding causes of motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian crashes.
Last year, the state’s city and county engineers proposed 67 ideas for possible funding in 2026. In addition to the 20 academic research projects, the LRRB funded 11 consultant proposals through its research implementation program.
“Our research is driven by the needs of Minnesota’s county and city transportation practitioners,” said Lon Aune, board chair. “Once again, your input provided us with a strong slate of research topics. We encourage local agency professionals to stay involved by serving on a technical advisory panel or signing up for project alerts.”
To receive updates on any of the funded projects, select “subscribe” on the project webpage. To volunteer for a technical advisory panel, contact David Glyer.
Have an idea for LRRB’s next funding cycle? Visit IdeaScale to submit it.
Research and Implementation Projects
Bridges & Structures
Environmental
- Developing Recommendations for the Use of BioChar in Roadside Green Infrastructure
- Effects of Stormwater BMP’s on Water Quality in Surface Effluent and Groundwater during Spring Snowmelt
- Utilizing Public Perceptions to Inform Successful Roadside Vegetation Planning and Management
- Development of Inlet Protection BMP Phasing Performance and Implementation Criteria for All Stages of Construction*
Maintenance & Operations
- Tools for Improving Visibility for Snow Plowing
- Assessing the Chloride Impacts on the Pavement Structure
Materials & Construction
- Robust Data Driven Condition Monitoring of Pavements Based on Temperature Data
- Improved Seasonal Load Limits
- Best Practice for Seal Coating & Pavement Markings with Rumble/Mumble Strips
- Effect of Using RAP on Gravel Roads
Multimodal
Policy & Planning
Traffic & Safety
- Analysis and Risk Management of Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Pedestrian Crashes in Minnesota
- Situational Awareness Alerts for Roadside Bicycles and Pedestrians
- Creating a Real-Time Road Safety Evaluation of Collision Risks Based on Traffic State Estimation
- Portable Tool for Periodic Evaluations of Intersection Signal Timings
- Effectiveness of Stop Bar Pavement Markings in Advance of Controlled Crosswalks
- Effectiveness of School Zone Speed Limits as a Traffic Calming Strategy
- An Analysis of Crash Data and Safety Trends in ATV’s and UTV’s in Minnesota*
Research Implementation
- How to Minimize Reflective Cracking
- Traffic Calming Best Practices Update
- Asphalt Pavement Design – Synthesis of Tools and Resources
- Software Platforms for Sign Management
- Development of a Minnesota County Transportation Law Book
- Best Practices for Active Transportation Implementation on Rural and Urbanized Roadways
- Guidance for Pavement Markings on Roadways with less than 6,000 Average Daily Traffic
- Managing Utility Congestion in and out of the Rights of Way
- Best Practices to Deter Beavers, Muskrats and Other Animals from Obstructing Waterways
- Identify/Develop Smartphone Wayfinding Applications for Work Zones on the Local System
- Guardrail Replacement and Maintenance Guidelines (Update 2010 Resource)
*Indicates joint funding by the Local Road Research Board and State Research Program. See MnDOT website for additional research projects, funded solely by the state research program.