Minnesota Local Road Research Board

Check out this webinar tomorrow on the recently updated Minnesota Stormwater Inspection and Maintenance Resource Guide. In a project sponsored by the LRRB, researchers revised and expanded the guide, incorporating over a decade’s worth of new knowledge. The webinar is Oct. 31 at noon. Registration is still open!

The U.S. is aiming for 50% of all new vehicles to be electric by 2030. Converting to electric vehicle fleets comes with new challenges and requires new solutions. Researchers are investigating technical, financial, and logistical needs of local agencies transitioning to EV fleets. “We need this research to answer numerous questions regarding where agencies even begin to consider EV fleet conversions,” said Lyndon Robjent, county engineer, Carver County. “Sharing common needs and challenges, best practices and available resources will be a tremendous support.” This project is led by Alireza Khani with the University of Minnesota, Alyssa Ryan with the University of Arizona, and Lyndon Robjent with Carver County. https://lnkd.in/g3MTCUph

Guidelines for road feature design and placement have traditionally focused on higher-speed roads. A new LRRB-funded project is identifying the effects of features such as sidewalks, speed limits, and surrounding land use on driving speeds to help enhance design for low and intermediate speed roads. “The research will help MnDOT understand how roadside features such as tress and signs may impact pedestrian and bicyclist safety,” said Hannah Pritchard, pedestrian and bicycle engineer, MnDOT Active Transportation Unit. “Results will help us understand the nuance of multimodal safety on low-and intermediate-speed roads.” This project is led by Kakan Dey, Timothy Gates, and Peter Savolainen with Michigan State University, Subasish Das with Texas State University and Hannah Pritchard, PE, PTOE with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. https://lnkd.in/ghXxrNu8

Join us Nov. 14, noon to 1 p.m., to learn about a new app developed to warn drivers against unintentional lane departure. Imran Hayee with the University of Minnesota Duluth and Vic Lund with St. Louis County, MN will discuss how this innovative lane departure detection app addresses the limitations of currently available systems and provides real-time warnings to drivers. The webinar is free, Register today! https://lnkd.in/gkSrMw6R

Nonmotorized traffic volume data can help determine areas for better pedestrian and bicyclist infrastructure 🚴 🚶. Historically, this has been challenging due to limited monitoring techniques. In a recently completed project, researchers combined mobile and monitoring data to predict traveler route flows. “This project was a great starting point to understand how to use mobile data for estimating bicyclist and pedestrian traffic, including how to combine it with our monitored data to produce more accurate results,” said Suzanne Scotty, pedestrian and bicycle planner, MnDOT Pedestrian and Bicyclist Data Program. This project was led by Raphael Stern, Greg Lindsey, and Michael Levin with the University of Minnesota and Michael Petesch and Suzanne Scotty with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. https://lnkd.in/gkEzZwhG

We're looking forward to this Oct.17 webinar featuring Alireza Khani with the University of Minnesota, discussing the LRRB-sponsored project, Designing an Autonomous Service to Cover Transit’s Last Mile in Low Density Areas!

Road features such as medians, curbs, on-street parking, and bicycle lanes all have an impact on speed limits. The Complete Streets approach to roadway design emphasizes traffic safety using existing road conditions. A field data analysis was conducted to identify whether certain road features cause changes in driving speeds. 📑 Improved traffic safety has been linked to Complete Streets guidelines 🚗 Drivers demonstrated measurable changes in speed when approaching various design features 🛣 Single-lane roundabouts had the largest reduction in average travel speed of 7 mph This study was led by Peter Savolainen with Michigan State University and Duane Hill with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. https://lnkd.in/gCMi5XA2

Road maintenance crews - here's a chance to hone your skills with simulator training that mimics winter road conditions.

MNTransportationCareers. com is a one-stop shop for current employees, job seekers, students, HR professionals, and recruiters interested in public-sector careers in transportation maintenance. We've now added brochures in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali to the site for printing and sharing in PDF format. The brochures outline the website's many accessible features: the job and internship board, case studies, videos, a training guide, and more! https://lnkd.in/gx7xPFEb

Looking to hire roadway maintenance staff? Maybe you are seeking a career with good pay and benefits in your community. We can help! A new website, MNTransportationCareers: https://lnkd.in/g9MyFQWA, offers resources for local transportation agencies to use to recruit and retain workers. In a partnership between MnLTAP at the Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota and the LRRB, the project team that developed the site listened to adult jobseekers, high school students, and HR pros to provide resources geared to their needs. It includes a job board, training resources, materials agencies can use to promote job opportunities, and more. This project was led by Katherine Stanley, MBA with MnLTAP and Mark Ray with the City of Burnsville.