Tim Clyne presentation
Audience
Ben Worel with tour
Mike Darter with tour
Mark Watson presentation
MnROAD tour participants
MnROAD tour participant
Events
MnROAD Open House
Monday,
August 23
MnROAD
Monticello, MN 55362
About the Event
TERRA and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) hosted an open house August 23 at MnROAD to share research findings and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the live transportation laboratory along Interstate 94 near Albertville, Minnesota. The event was similar to the MnROAD open house held in 2008.
During morning sessions, TERRA and Mn/DOT representatives discussed a variety of asphalt- and concrete-related projects currently under way at MnROAD and how research results have been implemented in actual projects throughout Minnesota. MnROAD operations engineer Tim Clyne touched on stabilized full-depth reclamation, warm-mix asphalt, asphalt overlays, effect of farm implements on low-volume roads, recycled asphalt pavement, and recycled shingles. Mn/DOT research engineer Tom Burnham talked about whitetopping, unbonded overlays, next-generation diamond grinding, pervious concrete, and the effects of drainage.
An afternoon session at the open house focused on lessons learned from the SHRP 2 (Strategic Highway Research Program) composite pavement project, which consists of an asphalt surface over a new concrete pavement and “wet-on-wet” two-layer concrete paving. Field experiments at MnROAD are at the core of the four-year, $4 million SHRP 2 project, which is led by Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA), in partnership with its sub-contractors: Mn/DOT, the University of Minnesota, the University of California, and the University of Pittsburgh.
In addition, two guided one-hour bus tours looped through the MnROAD facility, making stops at various project locations. Visitors got a hands-on look at test cells designed to test various innovative engineering techniques and materials. Attendees also received a close look at some of the high-tech vehicles and instruments MnROAD uses to conduct its research, including the Automated Laser Profile System for measuring variations in road surfaces and an ultrasound topography device for subsurface scans of pavement.
Related resources:
- SHRP 2 composite pavements research under way at MnROAD (TERRA E-News, July 2010)
- 2008 MnROAD Open House summary and presentations
- MnROAD Web site
Video Spotlight: MnROAD Open House
Watch a 2-minute video about the MnROAD open house held on August 23, 2010. Several research projects are discussed, include the SHRP 2 composite pavements project.
Event Presentations
- MnROAD Overview (1.5 MB PDF)
Tim Clyne, Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) - Asphalt Lessons Learned (2.6 MB PDF)
Tim Clyne, Mn/DOT - MnROAD Concrete Pavement Research (1.9 MB PDF)
Tom Burnham, Mn/DOT - SHRP2 R21 Composite Pavement Systems – Project
Overview (2.6 MB PDF)
Shreenath Rao, Applied Research Associates, Inc. - Composite Pavement Test Sections at MnROAD: DOT Perspective (3.5 MB PDF)
Mark Watson, Mn/DOT - Case Study: Conventional vs. Composite Paving (586 KB PDF)
Tony Johnson and Mike Nelles, C.S. McCrossan Paving Division - SHRP 2 Project R21 (Composite Pavements): Evaluation of
MnROAD PCC-PCC Construction (594 KB PDF)
Derek Tompkins, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota - Expected Performance of MnRoad Composite Pavements (844 KB PDF)
Michael I. Darter, Applied Research Associates, Inc.
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.