The Minnesota Local Road Research Board, through its Research Implementation Committee, has awarded funding to develop new educational and guidance materials on the following transportation topics in 2020. Several projects were prioritized for funding via a survey of Minnesota city and county engineers; others put recently completed LRRB research into practice. The following projects are in addition to 13 new research studies selected by the LRRB in December for funding.
If you are interested in serving on the technical advisory panel for any of these projects, please email research.dot@state.mn.us. Click on the project title to sign up for project alerts.
2020 Research Implementation Funding Awards
Autonomous Vehicles – What Should Local Agencies Expect?
This project will build on previous research to provide local agencies with tools to anticipate and respond to Connected Automated Vehicle technology changes. (Subscribe for updates)
Effectiveness of Fog Sealing Over Chip-Sealed Roads
This project will determine the cost-effectiveness of fog sealing over chip-sealed roads and develop a best practices manual for agencies and contractors. (Subscribe for updates)
Expanding the Transportation Workforce for Local Agencies
This project aims to generate more candidates for hard-to-fill technician positions through the development of an awareness-building campaign about transportation careers and a training course roadmap for high-potential individuals without a two-year degree. (Subscribe for updates)
Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) for Urban and Suburban Street Application
Two recent LRRB studies validate that FDR is a viable and cost-effective option for urban and suburban asphalt pavement rehabilitation. This project will develop a video, outreach materials or update existing training with research findings, specifically addressing how to conduct FDR in areas with curb-and-gutter, utilities, storm sewers, manholes, etc. (Subscribe for updates)
Mitigating Frost Dips Over Newly Installed Centerline Culverts
Local agencies struggle with frost dips and heaves that develop over newly installed centerline culverts. The goal of this project is to develop a quick reference guide for local agencies to identify the cause of their frost dips and provide recommendations for mitigation. (Subscribe for updates)
This project will develop a resource, possibly a quick reference guidebook, for practitioners to better understand pavement performance of overlays and new construction related to ride quality and reflective cracking. (Subscribe for updates)
Strategies for Effective Roundabout Approach Speed Reduction
This effort will synthesize existing research to provide local agency engineers a framework for standardizing design practices and remediation alternatives at roundabout intersections. If will assist in determining what, where, and how changes should be made to existing intersections. (Subscribe for updates)
In 2016, the LRRB worked with five pilot counties to assess their transportation system preservation needs, communicate these needs to elected officials and the public, and evaluate the full range of strategies available to close maintenance funding gaps. This project will develop training and implementation guidance for local agencies based on that previous project. (Subscribe for updates)
See a complete list of implementation projects underway by the Research Implementation Committee.