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Events

MnROAD Open House

Monday, August 23
MnROAD
Monticello, MN 55362

About the Event

Due to the overwhelming success of the 2008 MnROAD Open House, TERRA and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) are partnering to host another behind-the-scenes look at this one-of-a-kind live transportation laboratory. Attendees will see how road and pavement engineering innovations are developed, tested, and prepared for implementation on Minnesota roads, as well as learn preliminary results of ongoing projects.

An afternoon session will focus on lessons learned from the SHRP 2 (Strategic Highway Research Program) composite pavement project, including the use of:

  • high-quality asphalt concrete layer over a new concrete layer
  • use of a relatively thin, high-quality concrete surface atop a thicker, less-expensive concrete layer
  • “wet on wet” concrete (construction of the concrete surface layer before the lower layer has set creates excellent bond between the two layers of concrete)

During morning sessions, TERRA and Mn/DOT representatives will discuss a variety of asphalt- and concrete-related projects currently underway at MnROAD. In addition, two guided one-hour bus tours will loop through the MnROAD facility, making stops at various project locations.

Visitors may participate as their schedules allow, either for a brief stay or for the entire day.

Topics Covered

  • MnROAD overview
  • Two guided one-hour bus tours, including stops at whitetopping, stabilized full-depth reclamation (SFDR), diamond grinding, warm mix asphalt, and other project sites
  • Equipment demonstrations of tools used to monitor pavement performance
  • Asphalt lessons learned, focusing on preliminary results of stabilized full-depth reclamation (SFDR), recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and shingles, warm-mix asphalt (WMA), and other asphalt projects currently underway
  • Concrete lessons learned, including the results of whitetopping, unbonded overlays, pervious concrete, next-generation diamond grinding, and other ongoing concrete projects
  • SHRP 2 composite pavement project overview, featuring DOT and contractor perspectives, performance predictions, and a group discussion

Sponsors

This event was hosted by the Transportation Engineering and Road Research Alliance (TERRA) and Mn/DOT, in cooperation with the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies.