May 2009 – Vol. 3, No. 2 Partnering for Roadway Innovation

TERRA E-News is a quarterly electronic newsletter of the Transportation Engineering and Road Research Alliance. TERRA E-News brings you the latest research on pavement, materials, and related transportation engineering challenges, including issues related to cold climates.

Member News

New Member: Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) joined TERRA on March 31 through a pooled fund recently established to provide more state DOTs the opportunity to become a member of the alliance. Rory Rhinesmith, director of regional operations with the Division of Transportation System Development, and Steven Krebs, chief materials management engineer with the Materials Management Section, will represent WisDOT on the TERRA Board.

Member Profile: Norwegian Public Roads Administration

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) joined TERRA after staff member Karl Melby visited Minnesota for three months in 2004 and learned about MnROAD and the cooperative research activities conducted through TERRA.

“The possibilities of using the MnROAD project-performance data as well as the possibility to conduct controlled tests were attractive for us,” said Leif Bakløkk, NPRA senior principal engineer and TERRA board member. “Also, we found the model for cooperation projects (pooled-fund projects), where many agencies with common interests share the costs, to be very sensible.”

Norway is a mountainous country cut apart by deep fjords, which makes it costly to build and manage an effective road network. NPRA is responsible for the planning, construction, and operation of the national and county roads network, vehicle inspection and requirements, driving training, and licensing. NPRA maintains about 54,000 kilometers (33,554 miles) of road with a yearly expenditure of about 25 billion kr., NOK ($3.7 billion, USD). That includes more than 18,000 national and county bridges and nearly 1,000 tunnels. Of those, 25 are undersea tunnels.

Like many other European road authorities, NPRA has privatized its construction unit and has become a road network management agency. All practical construction and maintenance activities are awarded to private contractors on the basis of competitive bidding.

NPRA also is responsible for developing the necessary knowledge and skills to administer its tasks. The following are the main target areas for NPRA research and development activities:

1. mobility of people and transport of goods
2. safety and security
3. environment, energy, and resources
4. competitive design and production systems

The main challenge for research within the area of road technology is the development of good methods for rehabilitation/strengthening of roads. In addition, development of stronger, more durable asphalt pavements with the help of polymer-modified binders (PMB) has become important. There is also a need for development and use of good performance prediction models.

To those ends, NPRA is approaching membership in TERRA as an opportunity to learn from the cooperative research conducted by others and to participate in planned research activities when relevant to their specific needs. “Through this cooperation, we have already received access to data and the possibility for conducting tests, which would have cost us a lot if we were to do it all from scratch here in Norway,” Bakløkk said.

Looking forward, according to Bakløkk, NPRA expects that there will be more focus in transportation on environmental issues such as low-noise pavements, reduction of CO2 emissions (warm-mix asphalt, etc.), and life-cycle assessment (LCA). In addition, the use of more advanced road building materials such as PMBs will likely increase, along with a need for better models to predict performance as a basis for documentation of future costs.

Member Highlights

RMC Research & Education Foundation announced in April the formation of a new strategic partnership with the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Foundation. As part of this agreement, the RMC Research & Education Foundation will work more closely with the ACI Foundation to identify research and educational needs within the concrete industry, particularly related to standards. The ACI Foundation will assist the RMC Research & Education Foundation with the dissemination of its final reports and studies. In addition, the RMC Research & Education Foundation observed Earth Day 2009 by highlighting its most recent research on the use of recycled materials in concrete: the Crushed Concrete Aggregate (CCA) study, which found that crushed returned concrete can be reused as aggregate in fresh concrete; and a study on advancing higher-volume use of the waste byproduct fly ash in concrete.

Projects and Initiatives

TERRA seeks project ideas by May 22

The TERRA Board is seeking project ideas from partners and friends by May 22 as the board and its committees prepare for their annual review of ideas accumulated during the past year.

TERRA works closely with government, industry, and academia in a dynamic partnership to advance innovations in road engineering. As part of a comprehensive program for research on pavement, materials, and related transportation engineering challenges, TERRA conducts an annual process for collecting project ideas from partners and friends.

Once introduced, project ideas are honed through a communication process to prioritize objectives according to the needs of each partner involved. Through this process, TERRA hopes to build research project partnerships by utilizing the combined resources of the participants to move important projects forward.

Though TERRA currently does not have dedicated research funding, members already have helped secure funding for a $10 million program of TERRA-initiated research. Project ideas are not limited to pavement projects; ideas may include other projects related to road research. This spring, the TERRA Board and committees will begin a review of the year’s project ideas to facilitate opportunities for collaboration among those with similar interests, needs, and resources.

To share a project idea with the TERRA Board, please complete the TERRA Project Proposal Form on the TERRA Projects Web page. Again, the deadline to submit project ideas for consideration during FY2010 is May 22.

For more information or assistance with submissions, please contact Stephanie Malinoff, malinoff@umn.edu, 612-624-8398.

TERRA sponsors 2009 Minnesota Pavement Conference

TERRA sponsored the 13th Annual Minnesota Pavement Conference, held February 12, 2009, at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minnesota. Co-sponsors included the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), the Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB), the Minnesota Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), the University of Minnesota’s Pavement Research Institute (PRI) and Department of Civil Engineering, and several others. The conference was hosted by the Center for Transportation Studies.

Speakers at the daylong conference discussed transportation investment strategies, risk analysis, innovative construction practices, sustainable pavements, and trends in the concrete and asphalt industries. Presentations about foamed asphalt, warm-mix asphalt, thin unbonded overlays, intelligent compaction, and innovative contracting (see related article) may be of special interest to TERRA members, partners, and friends.

Mn/DOT commissioner Tom Sorel, a former TERRA board member, welcomed conference participants and briefly outlined his vision for transportation in Minnesota. Maureen Jensen, manager of the Mn/DOT road research section and a key TERRA resource, served as moderator of the event.

As part of the opening remarks, Mark Maloney, public works director and city engineer for Shoreview, Minnesota, received the 2009 Gerald Rohrbach Minnesota Pavement Conference Award. The 2008 recipient, Mn/DOT concrete pavement engineer Doug Schwartz presented the award. Maloney, one of two Minnesota Local Road Research Board representatives on the TERRA board, is chair of the TERRA Research and Implementation Committee.

This year’s conference also included a session on intelligent compaction (IC), and this time there was solid, local, field-based evidence of IC’s value. Four presenters, including David White of Iowa State University and Rebecca Embacher with Mn/DOT, talked about their experiences in a variety of demonstration projects. Some of these have been part of a three-year pooled-fund study (see related stories, February 2009 and November 2008). Mn/DOT and local agencies in Minnesota are taking a leading role in the project.

Mn/DOT forensic engineer Tim Clyne presented research about warm-mix asphalt (WMA) at the MnROAD facility exploring the potential of the material for better low-temperature cracking performance. The study grew from a desire among researchers at Mn/DOT to demonstrate the potential benefits of WMA. Testing WMA at MnROAD also will help disseminate results to a wider audience of city, county, and state engineers, consultants, contractors, and researchers throughout Minnesota and the entire country (see related story, February 2009).

Mark Watson of Mn/DOT described a project he is managing to provide longitudinal evaluation and best practices for unbonded overlays (UBOLs). He presented preliminary information on several recent UBOL installations, including I-94 at Mn/ROAD, I-90 near Dexter, Highway 53 near Duluth, and Highway 10 near Hawley (see related story, November 2008).

Fillmore County highway engineer John Grindeland and Andy Eller of the Mn/DOT Materials Office discussed their experience with foamed asphalt in cold-in-place recycling (CIR) projects. The major benefit of using foamed asphalt in CIR is the short cure time. Traffic can be allowed on the pavement in two to four hours.

The conference plenary sessions featured Jean-Claude Roumain, corporate product manager for Holcim (U.S.) Inc., who discussed how the cement industry can reach sustainability. Khalid Bekka, an economist with HDR, Inc., spoke about using risk analysis to help with infrastructure projects. In addition, Clint Rybak, of ConocoPhillips, assessed the supply situation of asphalt products for the year ahead.

Video of several 2009 Minnesota Pavement Conference presentations and slides for all conference presentations are available for download on TERRA Web site. Articles and a summary of the event also will be available soon.

Swedish pavement expert offers lessons on innovative contracting practices using performance specifications

Mats Wendel, national coordinator of pavements for the Swedish Road Administration (SRA), has been in Minnesota since last August as part of a work-exchange program with Mn/DOT’s Office of Materials and Road Research. Wendel has been a guest at TERRA Board meetings and has shared best practices with the group. During a presentation at the 2009 Minnesota Pavement Conference, he shared how the SRA’s innovative contracting practices use performance specifications to reach quality and cost goals for road repairs and new construction.

Safe transportation is one of Sweden’s main goals as owner of a 62,500-mile road network, Wendel said. “To make the good journey possible,” has been its slogan for years. To make the slogan a reality, the SRA has turned to private contractors to get projects completed and done well.

Sweden has used performance-based contracts for more than 20 years, at first on a limited basis. Specifications typically describe performance objectives that address road functionality or surface characteristics—such as ride quality, friction, and rut depth—which fall in the second level from the top in the World Road Association (PIARC) five-level pyramid of requirements. It is important, Wendel said, to have requirements that can be measured.

The PIARC pyramid of requirements is topped by user demands, then followed in successive order by function demands (such as those above), construction “structural” demands, elementary material properties, and, at its base, demands on raw material and building products. Most contracts in the United States typically address the two lower levels of the pyramid. In Sweden, the lowest levels are used only in standard contracts.

“We try to stay close to the top in the pyramid,” Wendel said. “The level of freedom for the contractor decreases the further down requirements are set.”

According to Wendel, the SRA has outsourced all its daily road maintenance, including winter maintenance, for more than 10 years. In 2008, it spent almost $200 million on innovative contracts for construction out of a total of $850 million and another $500 million on daily maintenance.

By using innovative contracts, traditional tasks are transferred to the contractor, Wendel said, allowing know-how, price, and quality to decide the solution. Contractors pay greater attention to details and, as a result, pavement life is increased through higher-quality workmanship. Such contracts also allow for the most up-to-date technology to be used in projects. In addition, transferring responsibility to the contractor opens up possibilities to more creatively meet users expectations for accessibility, safety, comfort, and travel time—the top level of the PIARC pyramid.

When using innovative contracting with performance-based specifications, Wendel cautioned, the road owners are still accountable for delivery. Financial incentives (i.e., lane rental, bonuses, penalties) and warranty agreements are ways to ensure contractors deliver quality. Road warranties, while rare in the United States, are common in Europe. In Sweden, the typical length of a warranty is five years.

For road owners, Wendel concluded, innovative contracting increases efficiency—delivers more “bang for the buck”—and makes innovations available more quickly to the driving public.

Related resources:

• Download Mats Wendel's presentation (22.5 MB PDF)
• “Pavement expert Mats Wendel shares ideas” (Mn/DOT Newsline)
• Swedish Road Administration

MnROAD update: Farm loop testing, 2009 construction pending, green innovations

During the week of March 16, researchers continued to test how pavement responds to various configurations of agricultural equipment with live loads on the MnROAD farm loop. Participants were invited to observe the testing, which is part of the TERRA-initiated project titled “The Effects of Implements of Husbandry ‘Farm Equipment’ on Pavement Performance.”

Local NBC affiliate KARE-11 broadcast a news story the following week about the agricultural equipment research project. Mn/DOT research engineer Shongtao Dai, the project lead, explained the basics during a recorded interview.

The test roadway, constructed in 2007, is typical of many rural, low-volume county roads. Testing with several different vehicles has been conducted in the spring and fall seasons since 2008 to capture the seasonal variation in pavement strength and response to heavy loading. A failure in terms of extensive rutting has been observed this spring on a bituminous section and a corner crack occurred on a concrete section. Results from the March tests are still being compiled and findings may be available by summer.

Over the past few decades, significant changes in both farm size and farm equipment have prompted the farm equipment industry to produce larger application equipment. Innovations such as steerable axles, flotation tires (spreading the load over a much larger area), and new tire designs have been used on the equipment in recent years as well.

In other news from MnROAD, activities planned for 2009 include research meetings, testing, and monitoring. Construction, which has yet to be scheduled, may take place in the fall if bidding is successful in July.

In addition, according to an Earth Day news release from Mn/DOT, new green-related innovations continue to be tested at MnROAD for use in cold weather climates. In particular, pervious and porous pavements are growing in popularity, especially among certain Twin Cities metro area cities. These pavements allow rainwater to pass directly through the pavement and into the soil naturally, while not compromising the strength and durability of the materials.

Finally, Mn/DOT is one of the sponsors of Pavement Interactive, an Internet-based “Wiki” for the pavement community. Its purpose is to provide an open, editable knowledge repository for all things pavement. You can search, view, add, and edit articles on any pavement subject there is. It also provides an Internet location for the pavement community to collaborate.

 Related resources:

• Contact project manager Shongtao Dai
• Effects of Husbandry "Farm Equipment" on Pavement Performance [TPF-5(148)] pooled-fund project
• KARE-11 News: Pothole Patrol: MnDOT study to strengthen rural roads
• TERRA E-News: 2008 projects underway at MnROAD
• TERRA research
• MnROAD research
• Mn/DOT’s Pavement Interactive portal

Announcements

Pooled fund provides opportunity for new members to join TERRA

A solicitation for organizations to join TERRA remains posted on the Transportation Pooled-Fund (TPF) Program Web site (see TPF Solicitation 1226 for details). Interested organizations will be able to participate in and benefit from a unique, comprehensive program of research on pavement, materials, and related transportation engineering challenges, including issues related to cold climates. Though TERRA currently does not have dedicated research funding, members already have helped secure funding for a $10 million program of TERRA-initiated research. Current membership includes industry, academia, and government agencies ranging from cities and counties to national road administrations. For more information, contact Maureen Jensen at 651-366-5507 or maureen.jensen@state.mn.us.

TERRA to publish fact sheet about WMA

TERRA is creating a fifth in its series of fact sheets this month, this time focusing on warm-mix asphalt (WMA). WMA is produced and placed at lower temperatures (between 200° and 275° F) than the more common hot-mix asphalt (HMA). Lowering the temperature of asphalt mixes may decrease both fuel usage and emissions, preserving resources while addressing growing environmental concerns. In addition, researchers hypothesize that the reduced level of oxidation at the mix plant will lead to better long-term pavement performance. The fact sheet will provide details about the latest WMA research in Minnesota and list several resources for further information about WMA. All TERRA fact sheets are available for download from the TERRA Web site.

CTRE becomes Institute for Transportation (InTrans) at Iowa State

The Center for Transportation Research and Education (CTRE), a TERRA member since 2005, was recently designated an institute at Iowa State University (ISU). This new designation led to a corresponding name change to the Institute for Transportation (shorthand: InTrans), effective March 31, 2009. InTrans houses and administers eight centers and several long-term funded programs with total annual expenditures exceeding $12 million in fiscal year 2008.

InTrans director Shashi Nambisan, formerly director of CTRE, said the organization’s change in status reflects its growth in scope, scale, and influence, both at ISU and nationally, with the strategic emergence of new centers and programs over the past decade. The change also represents more accurately the organization’s administrative and operational structure, which is similar to other institutes at ISU.

Omar Smadi has been named director of the new, streamlined CTRE, which is now a center under the new Institute for Transportation. Over the past several years, Smadi has served as the co-director of the Program for Roadway Infrastructure Management and Operations at CTRE.

Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium set for August

The 7th Annual Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium is scheduled for August 20–21, 2009, at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The symposium covers a broad spectrum of transportation issues ranging from current advances in infrastructure design to transportation policy. Several concurrent sessions will be offered, each focused on a specific topic. For more information, see the symposium home page.