Local Road Research Board News
 Considering a mini-roundabout? Here's what you need to know.
 Check out the new video, Implementing Mini-Roundabouts in Minnesota, highlighting guidance for local agencies considering mini-roundabouts. Learn how mini-roundabouts fit in the safety toolbox and selection criteria for when to use them.
GUIDEBOOKS
Best Practices for Dust Control
Gravel roads play a crucial role in Minnesota's transportation system. However, the dust generated from vehicles causes inconvenience for residents when it settles on homes, yards, and parked cars. Dust also can create a safety hazard when it impairs vision. To control dust on gravel roads, local agencies apply various dust suppressants. Recently, counties have received questions from residents about environmental, health and corrosion concerns with dust and dust control suppressants. This guidance investigates these questions and updates previous LRRB reports on dust control.
|
Stormwater Best Practices Management Guide
Practices for managing stormwater runoff continue to evolve. Changes to regulations, land use and weather patterns affect how transportation agencies integrate stormwater control options into road and waterway networks. More than a decade of new research and the development of new tools for stormwater control necessitated an update to the stormwater maintenance guide produced by the LRRB in 2009. The revised Stormwater BMP Inspection and Maintenance Resource Guide provides recommendations for enhancing traditional stormwater practices and presents new strategies and guidance on stormwater best management practices.
|
Synthesis of Seal Coat Research in Minnesota
While seal coating has been widely used as a cost-effective strategy in asphalt pavement preservation by MnDOT and local agencies to extend the life of pavements, some cities and counties in Minnesota have reported concerns about premature stripping of street pavements that have been seal coated. This guidebook provides local practitioners with quick access to some of the research and resources available in Minnesota.
|
NEW RESEARCH
MnDOT relies on estimates of annual average daily traffic volumes to plan and maintain a safe, effective transportation network for all travelers. Estimating traffic volumes for nonmotorized road users such as bicyclists and pedestrians has been challenging because monitors are limited compared to vehicle traffic counters. Data from mobile devices, routinely collected through a variety of platforms, offers a potential source of traveler routes. Using monitored nonmotorized traveler data to validate mobile datasets, researchers produced a data visualization tool to estimate bicyclist and pedestrian counts within the Twin Cities area.
|
App to Warn Drivers of Unintentional Lane Departure
Preventing vehicles from drifting out of traffic lanes is a top safety priority for transportation officials. An ongoing research project has produced a smartphone app that alerts drivers when their vehicles drift from a lane. The current phase of the project improved upon earlier versions of the app by adding GPS and significantly increasing the effectiveness of lane departure detection.
|
Vegetated roadsides help control stormwater quantity and pollutant levels before the water reaches lakes and streams. Because leftover soil from road construction generally does not support filtration and plant growth, MnDOT and local engineers have continued research to identify organically rich, locally available industrial by-products to amend the soil. In this project, researchers developed a statewide guide for designing sustainable engineered soil mixes that can reduce volume and pollutants, supporting native vegetation. It builds on prior research by incorporating waste materials and by-products sourced from industries across Minnesota.
|
RESEARCH RADAR WEBINAR SERIES
Sustainable Transportation Solutions
Thursday, February 20, 10-11 a.m.
Join MnDOT's Office of Research & Innovation and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board for the next Research Radar webinar. It's free and open to the public, registration required. We're featuring the following three research projects:
|
View recent Research Radar webinars
LRRB UPDATES
Annual Report Now Available
The FY2024 LRRB At-A-Glance marks another year of successful collaboration by Minnesota’s city and county transportation agencies to support research that improves our transportation infrastructure, enhances highway safety and integrates the local road system into the community. Check it out for highlights of the year's research, completed reports and active projects, LRRB goals, and other resources.
|
LRRB Projects Featured at National TRB Meeting
LRRB Projects to Be Featured at Transportation Workforce Summit
PROJECT SHOWCASE
OPERA Project: Grapple Hook Culvert Cleaner
Every year, Otter Tail County spends thousands of dollars on excavators, jetting services, and backbreaking manual labor to remove beaver dams and other clogs from more than 500 culverts throughout its drainage system.
Colby Palmersheim, a county ditch and drainage inspector, had an idea to make this process easier. He obtained an OPERA grant for $1,000 to develop the Grapple Hook Culvert Cleaner. The device, a 7-foot heavy-duty post topped by a retractable grapple hook, can shoot through a beaver dam and quickly extract it with a cable connected at the other end to a vehicle-mounted winch. Learn more about the Grapple Hook Culvert Cleaner.
Apply for OPERA Funding for Your Great Idea
Do you have an idea for a project that would improve transportation operations at your agency? Apply for Local OPERA Program funding and let us help you make it happen! The program funds projects up to $20,000. Proposals are reviewed as they are received, and funding is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
The OPERA program is sponsored by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board and administered by Minnesota LTAP.
|
CONFERENCES & TRAINING
-
Freight 101 Webinar Series: Maritime Freight, Center for Transportation Studies, Feb. 6, Virtual
-
Minnesota E-Bike Policy Summit, Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, Feb. 12, Minneapolis
-
Advisory Council on Traffic Safety, Minnesota Towards Zero Deaths, Feb. 12, Minneapolis
-
Chainsaw Safety Training for Local Agencies, Minnesota LTAP, March 10-March 14, locations around the state
-
MnDOT Preliminary Layout Geometric Design, Center for Transportation Studies, March 11-13, Shoreview
-
2025 Minnesota Transportation Conference & Expo, March 19-21, St. Paul
Check the Status of Your Research Idea
If you submitted a research idea to the Local Road Research Board, you can check its status on the LRRB Idea Tracker, which shows the status of ideas submitted over the past year. Just search by your name or project name to locate your project.
 Minnesota Local Road Research Board • lrrb.org
|