The purpose of this report is to give an overview of the number of Minnesota agencies that use Infrastructure or Pavement Management software and provide information as to their common components and requirements. Software of this type is used to store and analyze the various components of an agency's infrastructure. This might include such things as streets, highways, bridges, signs, utilities, etc. Most
systems of this type are capable of data storage, retrieval, analysis and forecasting or projecting future conditions and need for maintenance.
A Federal Highway Administration policy, issued January 13, 1989, requires all states to have a fully operational Pavement Management System (PMS) within four years of the issuance of the policy. As more and more states implement a PMS, the number of county and city agencies will also likely increase. This report reviews the current status of Minnesota cities and counties in terms of their implementation and use of software of this type.
One of the most common maintenance activities performed on bituminous pavements by local governmental agencies relates to crack treatment. Crack treatments include .crack sealing, crack filling, and crack repair. Crack sealing is the method of placing material in a crack to create a water tight barrier, while crack filling involves coating the sides or edges of a crack in an attempt to reduce the rate of deterioration. Crack repair is more extensive than both sealing or filling and can involve fine mix' patching, tight blading, mill and repair, and overlays. Generally, rubberized materials, due to their ductile properties are considered to be crack sealants while asphalt based materials are considered fillers.
This report discusses the most commonly used materials and practices used by local engineers in Minnesota to seal and fill cracks on bituminous pavements. The report is based on the results of a survey conducted by the authors in 1991. The report presents the results in several ways and summarizes the findings.
This manual describes the evaluation and design procedures for pavement rehabilitation. The evaluation emphasizes a number of variables or conditions that should be considered. This manual does not introduce any new technology. Thickness designs of new pavements require two primary variable: traffic and soil strength. Rehabilitation design requires several additional variables such as: pavement structure, condition and strength. Rehabilitation design can involve more alternatives than new design that deal with materials, equipment, disruption of traffic and work zone safety. This manual has been written as a working reference to help identify and classify the surface distress, explore the various rehabilitation alternatives, select an appropriate alternative and briefly describe the rehabilitation procedure. The manual provides standardized identification of distress types for both flexible and rigid pavements, calculation procedures for Equivalent Axle Loads, and a brief synopsis of the AASHTO thickness design procedure. This manual should be used by cities and counties as a reference in developing rehabilitation strategies
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has concluded a research study on the proper techniques involved in seal coating. A key part of the research project involved performing seal coat designs using the procedure developed by Norman McLeod. In addition, research personnel were present on many seal coat construction projects assisting the inspector and contractor. The primary purpose of this handbook, revised in 2006, is to provide a solid background in seal coat materials, equipment, design and construction for the field inspector. Divided into two main sections, this updated handbook provides direction for designers and field personnel. Thomas J. Wood handled this revision. The original work was prepared by David W. Janisch and Frank S. Gaillard.
NOTE: A revised version of Minnesota Seal Coat Handbook was published in December 2022 (report 2022-22).
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has concluded a research study on the proper techniques involved in seal coating. A key part of the research project involved performing seal coat designs using the procedure developed by Norman McLeod. In addition, research personnel were present on many seal coat construction projects assisting the inspector and contractor.
The primary purpose of this handbook is to provide a solid background in seal coat materials, equipment, design and construction for the field inspector. Divided into two main sections, the handbook provides direction for designers and field personnel.
The practice of sawing and sealing joints in pavements is not a new one. In fact, it is common practice in the construction of jointed Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavements. The idea of sawing and sealing joints in bituminous pavements is much less endorsed by those responsible for the construction and maintenance of hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements. Minnesota began experimenting with sawing joints in HMA pavements in the late 1960's. Since then more than 50 test sections have been constructed throughout the State. Test sections include HMA overlays of Jointed Concrete Pavement, HMA overlays of HMA pavements and newly constructed HMA pavements. The results show that in over 76 percent of the test sections, the formation of cracking was controlled by the sawing of joints. The unsuccessful sections were those where a deep saw cut was not made, those where the existing joints were badly deteriorated and those where the underlying joints were poorly re-located. All of these factors can be minimized through proper project selection and good design.
This study involves a review of these test sections, identifying any problems associated with the saw and seal procedure and gives recommendations for its use in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has experimented with the use of shingle scrap in hot mix asphalt (HMA) since 1990. To date, the source of the shingle scrap has been shingle manufacturers exclusively. The manufactured shingle scrap consists primarily of tab punch-outs but also contains some mis-colored and damaged shingles.
Test sections were constructed on the Willard Munger Recreational Trail, T.H. 25 in Mayer, Minnesota and on County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 17, in Scott County, Minnesota. Not only are the test sections performing as well as the control sections, but using shingle scrap reduces the amount of virgin asphalt cement required in a bituminous mix, thus creating the potential for a cost savings when using shingle scrap in HMA.
Based on the performance of these lest sections, shingle manufacturing scrap is now an allowable salvage material in hot mix asphalt under Mn/DOT specification 2331.E2e, Recycled Mixture Requirements. This report outlines the history of shingle scrap use in Minnesota, presents laboratory and field performance data and contains the current Mn/DOT specification allowing shingle scrap to be used as a salvage material in HMA pavements.
Seal coating bituminous pavements is one of the most common types of routine maintenance performed by city and county agencies. Basically all seal coats are surface treatments, meaning their goal is to treat and protect the surface of the pavement. Surface treatments do not provide any additional strength but do improve the surface characteristics of the pavement. A seal coat is a good choice to repair raveling and weathering, improve surface friction and seal and protect a dry, brittle asphalt pavement. This document concentrates on the possible problems or defects which can be encountered when seal coating and will discuss what can be done to minimize the chances of these problems occurring.