Recently completed research
Below is a list of projects that were completed between February 2005 and July 2005. All links will take you off site.
CTRE projects
- Safety
Impacts of Street Lighting at Isolated Rural Intersections
This study was initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of rural street lighting in reducing nighttime crashes at isolated rural intersections so that Minnesota agencies have more information to make lighting decisions. - Cost
Comparison of Treatments Used to Maintain or Upgrade Aggregate Roads
This report describes a research project that provides Minnesota counties, and townships with information and procedures to make informed decisions on when it may be advantageous to upgrade and pave gravel roads. - Identification
of the Best Practices for the Design, Construction, and Repair of Bridge
Approach Sections
Bridge approach settlement and the formation of the bump is a common problem in Iowa that draws upon considerable resources for maintenance and creates a negative perception in the minds of transportation users. This research study was undertaken to investigate bridge approach problems and develop new concepts for design, construction, and maintenance that will reduce this costly problem. - Iowa
Drainage Law Manual
To assist property owners, public agencies, and others with interest in better understanding drainage maintenance responsibilities, a reference manual was developed to describe Iowa's drainage laws and offer interpretations in a clear and concise manner. - Development
of a Method to Determine Pavement Damage Due to Detours
The research presented in this report provides the basis for the development of a new procedure to be used by the Iowa DOT and cities and counties in the state to deal with detours. - Review
of Stability Berm Alternatives for Environmentally Sensitive Areas
The purpose of this project was to review existing stability berm alternatives for potential use in environmentally sensitive areas. The project also evaluates how stabilization technologies are made feasible, desirable, and cost-effective for transportation projects and determines which alternatives afford practical solutions for avoiding and minimizing impacts to environmentally sensitive areas. - Implementing
the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG)
This project includes an implementation plan to help state DOTs effectively and efficiently transition to the M-E Pavement Design Guide and a report that outlines the technical aspects of the new MEPDG.
Construction Management & Technology projects
- Synthesis
of Non-destructive Testing Technologies for Geomaterial Applications
This research resulted in a synthesis of potential technologies for compaction monitoring with a strong emphasis on moisture sensing.
Bridge Engineering Center projects
- Impacts
of Overweight Implements of Husbandry on Minnesota Roads and Bridges
The objective of the work presented in this report was to perform a synthesis study related to the impacts of heavy agriculture vehicles on Minnesota pavements and bridges and to identify those impacts. The synthesis and associated analyses were completed using metrics that are consistent with engineering design and evaluation concepts. - Health
Monitoring of Bridge Structures and Components Using Smart-Structure
Technology
The objective of this research was to synthesize information on structural health monitoring technologies with a specific interest in those having smart-structure attributes.
Midwest Transportation Consortium projects
- Evaluation
of Different Methods to Calculate Heavy-Truck VMT
This research evaluated three different methods for calculating heavy-truck annual average daily traffic (AADT), which can subsequently be used to estimate vehicle miles traveled (VMT). - An
Investigation of User Costs and Benefits of Winter Road Closures
This project investigated the costs and benefits of road closures and found that evaluating the benefits and costs is not as simple as it appears. - A Web-based
Implementation of Winter Maintenance Decision Support System (WMDSS)
Using GIS and Remote Sensing
A major goal of the project was to implement a web-based Winter Maintenance Decision Support System (WMDSS) for planning snow removal operations that enhances the capacity of stakeholders (city/county planners, resource managers, transportation personnel, citizens, and policy makers) to evaluate different procedures to manage snow removal assets optimally.
Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology projects
- Long
Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology (Task 15)
A new long term plan for concrete pavement research to chart the path from the current state-of-the-practice to a new generation of concrete pavements that are affordable, constructible, safe, reliable, durable, and renewable. - Soil
Stabilization of Non-uniform Subgrade Soils
This project report is in two volumes: (Volume I) Engineering Properties and Construction Guidelines and (Volume II) Influence of Subgrade Non-Uniformity on PCC Pavement Performance. - Measuring
Pavement Profile at the Slip-form Paver
In an attempt to correct the inconsistency between measuring techniques, lightweight profilers intended to produce values to be used for construction acceptance are being made that measure the same profile as high-speed inertial profilers. Currently, two profiler systems have been identified that can measure pavement profile during construction. This research has produced a field evaluation of the two systems. - Field
Evaluation of Elliptical Fiber Reinforced Polymer Dowel Performance
Iowa State University has completed a large amount of laboratory research to determine the diameter, spacing, and durability of FRP dowels. This report documents the performance of elliptical FRP dowels installed in a field situation.