The Local Road Research Board publishes a wide range of transportation-related educational materials. Our most recent and popular guidebooks, manuals and courses are available below. For all research reports, go here.
Contact Sandy McCully at 651-366-3768 for more information.
Bicycle Facility Implementation – Quick Reference Guide
A companion to the MnDOT Bicycle Facility Design Manual, this guide offers a quick reference to key resources, FAQs, and more related to bicycle facility selection, design, and operations.
GIS Tools and Apps – Integration with Asset Management
A Quick Start Guide offers guidance on how to get started using GIS tools for managing public works assets.
Pavement Preservation Guidance for Local Agencies
New pavement preservation guidance helps local road agencies review accessible and effective options for preserving the condition of local asphalt pavements.
Best Practices for Managing Utility Congestion Within Rights-of-Way
The guide focuses on the requirements of Minnesota statutes, including the powers they grant to local agencies to issue permits, require quality mapping and expect timely progress.
Guide to Converting Distressed Low-Volume Paved Roads to Unpaved Roads
A practitioner-ready guide for converting severely distressed low-volume paved roads to improved, easily maintained gravel roads. The guide includes decision-making tools and an online webinar for training
Asset Management Guide for Local Agencies
An introduction to all aspects of consolidated asset management for smaller departments, from getting started to an overview of software programs, the benefits of life-cycle cost analysis and the need for risk management.
Pedestrian Crosswalk Policy Development Guidelines
This quick reference guide helps local agencies select appropriate crosswalk treatments based on roadway type, vehicle volumes and posted speed limits.
Alternate Design Methods to Renew Lightly Traveled Paved Roads
Researchers showed that cold in-place recycling and full-depth reclamation with chip seals are often more cost-effective than full pavement reconstruction of rural asphalt roads. Check out the research report for other cost-effective alternatives.
Best Practices for Boulevard Turf Design and Maintenance
A new guidebook, video and handout provide best practices for successful establishment of boulevard turfgrass after road construction.
Gravel Road Management Tool
A new spreadsheet tool was designed to help local agencies manage their gravel roads. It can be used to track maintenance and construction data, as well as to track costs and optimize spending.
Fleet Management Tools for Local Agencies
This guidebook compares the eight most widely used fleet management software tools by Minnesota agencies. It also contains a survey of agencies’ fleet practices and replacement cycles.
Pedestrian Crossings: Uncontrolled Locations
This guidebook recommends when to install marked crosswalks and other enhancements at uncontrolled locations based on a number of factors, including the average daily vehicle count, number of pedestrians, number of lanes, and average vehicle speed.
Base Stabilization Guidance and Additive Selection for Pavement Design and Rehabilitation
New guidebook available on base stabilization for new construction and Stabilized Full Depth Reclamation (SFDR) and the selection of suitable nonproprietary stabilization additives for individual specific projects.
Addressing Citizen Requests For Traffic Safety Concerns
A new guidebook provides a best practice approach to addressing citizen requests for common traffic safety concerns.
Synopsis of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Material
The documents here provide users who are new to Recycled Asphalt Pavements (RAP) with Minnesota’s specifications, the findings from RAP use surveys in MN and nationwide, national trends, and resources to learn more.
Thinking About Building A Multi-Lane Roundabout?
Multi-lane roundabouts can be an effective intersection control and reduce injury crashes if the design and layout is carefully considered. Two LRRB-funded studies have recently been conducted to examine failure to yield and improper lane use violations. The findings are summarized here.
Enhanced Culvert Inspections Best Practices Guidebook
The Enhanced Culvert Inspections Best Practices Guidebook is a primer on common culvert inspection technologies and applications. The manual summarizes the advantages and limitations of each technology and provides best practices when planning for and implementing an enhanced inspection project.
Slope Stabilization Guide for Local Engineers
A new user guide provides simple, cost-effective methods for stabilizing locally maintained slopes along roadways in Minnesota. Eight slope stabilization techniques are presented that local government engineers can undertake.
Sign Retro Reflectivity Standards Readiness
The Minnesota LRRB has developed a Sign Retro Reflectivity Toolkit to provide local governments,
especially small cities and townships, with guidance and resources to meet FHWA’s sign retroreflectivity deadlines.
Snow & Ice Calibration Manual and Training
The purpose of this guide book is to provide easy-to-use steps for calibrating snowplow sander controllers. It is an experience-based guide that captures tips and techniques learned by experienced calibrators. It helps agencies calibrate their sander controllers so the correct amount of salt, sand or other solid material is applied to the road when treating roads during winter maintenance. The guide also includes calibration forms, and a general discussion about calibration.