In Copyright

The Transit Report is published annually to give residents and elected officials an overview of public transit services in Greater Minnesota. The report includes fact sheets that describe each of these state-supported public transit systems, aggregated information about calendar year (2020) expenditures, and calendar year (2021) operating budgets. 2021 expenditures are not included because the report is developed in fall 2021. This report meets the requirements in Minn. Stat.174.247 that MnDOT annually compiles and publishes financial information for federal and state-supported transit systems. The chart on page 3 itemizes specific statutory guidelines for the report and indicates which sections meet the requirements.

Max-pressure (MP) traffic signal control is a new and innovative control algorithm that uses upstream and downstream vehicle counts to determine signal timing that maximizes throughput. While this method has been extensively tested in simulation, it has not yet been tested on actual traffic signals in the US. To close this gap, this report presents the results of the development of a hardware-in-the-loop traffic signal testbed where microsimulation is used to simulate realistic traffic conditions, and the MP algorithm is used to control the signal display using a traffic controller (Q-Free MaxTime controller). The hardware-in-the-loop results demonstrate that MP can be safely deployed on North American traffic signal control hardware.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) investigated the use of dowel bars with various anchoring methods. This report examines the characteristics of various epoxy and grout anchorage systems at the interface between new construction and existing concrete. Twelve different anchoring materials as well as various anchoring methods were studied and compared to a control using no grout. This study did not examine the effects of the number of dowels used but instead was limited to the methods and materials used to anchor the dowels. This experiment was performed on concrete panels in-house. The tube grout method exhibited the best visual and magnetic imaging results. The evaluation methods did not clearly categorize the materials in order of performance but showed advantages of cleaning the drill-hole prior to dowel placement as well as the merits and demerits of using a retaining collar. The results generally suggested the need for an actual deployment research project on actual pavement in real-world service conditions. The field experiment was reported in a separate document.

This report summarizes the approach, findings, and recommendations of the Minnesota Truck Size and Weight (TS&W) Project led by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) in cooperation with other public and private stakeholders. The purpose of the project is to assess changes to Minnesota's TS&W laws that would benefit the Minnesota economy while protecting roadway infrastructure and safety.

In 2006, the Minnesota Departments of Transportation and Public Safety partnered with the Wright County Highway Department and the Safe Communities Coalition of Wright County to pilot a Tailgating Treatment Program similar to a Pennsylvania project honored with a 2001 National Highway Safety Award. The Minnesota project was viewed as a tool to educate motorists on how to identify and maintain a minimum safe following distance, and ultimately to reduce rear end crashes.

This cell phone study is an internal, statewide study at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT). The Senior Management Team is seeking recommendations for cost-effective measures regarding cell phone use. The question that originally triggered the study was whether Mn/DOT could save costs by pooling cell phone minutes. It is the conclusion of the study that pooling is just one of many cost-saving strategies, and that there is a need in Mn/DOT for a better overall process for managing cell phones.

The 87 Minnesota counties have developed differing ordinances regarding the mining and taxing of gravel deposits. The Geotechnical Section - Aggregate Unit of Construction and Materials Engineering saw the need for a database to store data on county conditional use permits, gravel taxes, county contact offices, phone and fax numbers, and pertinent comments.

Usability testing was conducted on the LRRB Web site from March 24 to April 7, 2004, with the participation of ten Minnesota transportation engineers. Testing was performed at the worksites of five county and five city transportation engineers throughout the state. The purpose of the testing was to evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of the site for its target audience, local transportation practitioners.

This report documents the activities and results of a 2-year test of non-intrusive traffic detection technologies. Non-intrusive technologies are defined as data collection methods that can be done without intruding into the roadway for installation. Non-intrusive devices have the advantage of not disrupting traffic flow or exposing field personnel to dangerous conditions. While there is potential for new technologies to replace the traditional methods of data collection, such as inductive loop detectors and road tubes, there are many questions regarding their performance. This report provides practitioners with useful information about the performance of non-intrusive technologies and specific devices within each technology. Seventeen devices representing eight different technologies were evaluated in varying environmental and traffic conditions. The following technologies were tested: passive infrared, active infrared, magnetic, radar, doppler microwave, pulse ultrasonic, passive acoustic, and video. Testing was done at both freeway and intersection locations. Emphasis was placed on urban traffic conditions, such as heavy congestion, and locations that typify temporary counting locations, such as 48-hour or peak hour counts. The evaluation also focused on the ease of system setup and use, general system reliability, and system flexibility.

This handbook was intended as a field reference for construction engineers.