Purpose:
Purpose of Strategic Services is to help create an organization that is Accountable, Responsive,
and Limited by providing tools and concepts for management decision-making.
Achieve Objectives By:
Collaborating, creating, developing, training, consulting, coaching and assisting in the
deployment of the Strategic Objectives, new ideas, and public business practices to all levels of
the organization.
The most commonly used laboratory test in Geo-engineering research and in routine testing is the cylindrical compression test. This test is widely used to evaluate the stiffness and strength parameters of soils and other geologic materials. At the Minnesota Department of Transportation a MTS cyclic loading triaxial system is used for testing various types of subgrades and pavement materials under cyclic impulsive loading that corresponds to traffic conditions. Following some discussions between members of the Mn DOT Research Group and the University of Minnesota Soil Mechanics Group, it was decided that some improvements and modifications of the original triaxial set-up are feasible
The second part of this report is devoted to the presentation of the modifications and improvements of the triaxial apparatus that have been done in due course of the research period. In the third part the improved testing capabilities of the Mn DOT triaxial apparatus are demonstrated on the basis of one conventional and two unconventional experiments done on fat clay and on dry sand specimens, respectively.
Minnesota's Bridge Replacement Program has reached a critical juncture. Until now it has been successful in removing critical bridge deficiencies. However, without a significant influx of bridge funding, the task of preserving Minnesota's bridge system will be increasingly difficult.
This is due to a set of evolving issues, among which are included:
- By current Federal criteria, 5,281 (27 per cent) of Minnesota's 19,492 bridges are deficient. To reduce that backlog, as well as satisfy anticipated annual replacement needs would require an accelerated bridge replacement program over the next twenty years.
- Many of the bridges becoming and expected to become deficient within the next twenty years are older, larger, and more complicated than deficient bridges dealt with in the past.
- In twenty years, 61 per cent of Minnesota's bridges ..most built immediately following World War II ..will be reaching the end of their useful life.
In the past, the major determinant for spring load restrictions was the tested strength of the road. Since trucks are the stressing fraction of the traffic, and they will vary in volume from nearly nothing to many thousand trucks per day, this major aspect must be taken into account. Other diagnostic techniques developed recently (and are in common usage) can be used to aid the establishment of spring axle load.
These bridge improvement guidelines have been prepared by the Bridges and Structures Section and serve as a modification and update of the "1976 Report and Resulting Policy for Protection of Concrete Bridge Decks" and the "1977 Interim Policy for Protection of Concrete Bridge Decks". These guidelines have been formulated on a fiscal year basis to coincide with current programming procedures and project development practices.
The purpose of the Minnesota Bikeway Facility Design Manual is to provide engineers, planners, and designers with a primary source to implement the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT's) vision and mission for bicycle transportation in Minnesota. This manual also provides citizens, developers, and others involved in the transportation planning process, guidance on the critical design and planning elements to promote bicycle safety, efficiency, and mobility.
In September 1978, a Mn/DOT Task Force was established to conduct an in-depth analysis of rehabilitation measures for the 5.2 mile section of l-92 (see map, page 9) continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) located between Snelling Avenue in St. Paul and the Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis. The pavement is rapidly deteriorating due to ruptures of the reinforcing steel and spalling of the driving surface. This section of highway averages 30,000 vehicles per day. The rehabilitation of this pavement will have significant impacts. during construction in terms of social and economic cost to the traffic user and public served by the facility. In addition, the magnitude of the rehabilitation will have a major impact on the financial resources of Mn/DOT.
Because of the impacts, Mn/DOT management, felt it imperative to investigate and evaluate all possible measures in terms of design, engineering, project staging, timing, and cost. This report discusses the findings of the Task Force.
Most new passenger vehicles now include some level of automated driver assistance systems (ADAS) that enhance driver capabilities, and the presence of ADAS in personal vehicles is expected to expand. When used appropriately, ADAS provides drivers with potential safety benefits. But many drivers are unaware of the ADAS features in their vehicles and how to safely operate them.
To address this knowledge gap in public awareness, MnDOT’s Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) Office is considering launching a public education campaign to inform drivers about ADAS and how these systems are applied in personal vehicles. To assess the need for this campaign, this Transportation Research Synthesis sought information about efforts underway at state transportation and public safety agencies and by other stakeholders to educate the public about these relatively new technologies. Findings from this TRS are expected to inform future actions by MnDOT’s CAV Office regarding ADAS education and outreach.
Spring is a critical period for Minnesota's roads because the roadbed soils and aggregate base materials are in a weakened state during and after the thawing process. Spring load restrictions (SLR) are used as a preservation strategy to reduce damage, thereby protecting Minnesota's investment in the infrastructure. However, the imposition of spring load restrictions impacts industry, both in their operations, and financially.
While it is clear that spring load restrictions benefit the infrastructure, there are two issues of which little is known: (1) the economic impacts that result when access to the transportation system is restricted and (2) extent of enforcement efforts.
The development of the Spring Load Restrictions Task Force was in response to 1999 legislation requiring the Commissioner of Transportation to establish a task force to study spring load restrictions and report to the legislature its findings and any recommendations for legislative action by February 1,2000. The legislation also calls for task force members that represent many interests including aggregate and readymix producers, agriculture, waste haulers, construction, and logging. Other members representing local agencies, associations, and enforcement have also been included.
The task force objectives were to study the current status of spring load restrictions in the state of Minnesota, explore the economic impacts of the load restrictions, and report the findings to the legislature.
