Vermont Extends Pavement Service Life With Wheel Path Repairs May 14, 2019 - Vermont Agency of Transportation recently tested a lower-cost pavement maintenance approach, repaving a 40-inch-wide area along the right wheel path in each direction of a deteriorated roadway rather than repaving the entire surface. The treatment was successful, reducing rutting and cracking and extending the pavement’s service life.
Read the research report: Assessment of the 40" Wide Paving Skid Box for Preventative Maintenance, December 2018.
TRB Webinar: Continuous Deflection for Comprehensive Pavement Assessment May 9, 2019 - The Transportation Research Board will conduct a webinar about the applications of continuous pavement deflection technology on Thursday, May 30, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The ability to collect information on pavement structural capacity at traffic speeds is changing how agencies evaluate their pavement needs. This webinar will explore how agencies can conduct pavement assessments effectively and will compare continuous deflection to traditional methods of assessing pavements.
Read the announcement: TRB Webinar: Continuous Deflection for Comprehensive Pavement Assessment. (Image courtesy of FHWA.)
Maintenance Papers from 2019 TRB Meeting May 7, 2019 - No Boundaries has published a listing of selected papers related to maintenance from the 2019 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. The compendium includes paper titles, authors, paper numbers, and links to the full-text documents. Note: TRB requires a login to access full papers. If you are having trouble accessing the papers, check with your DOT or other transportation library.
Download the compendium: 2019 TRB Annual Meeting: Papers Related to Maintenance.
Minnesota Develops Gravel Road Management Tool May 2, 2019 - Researchers for Minnesota DOT and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board have developed a spreadsheet tool to help local agencies effectively track and manage gravel roads. Designed to be flexible and customizable, the tool can be used to keep all maintenance and construction data about a gravel road system, as well as track costs.
See the project page: Gravel Road Management Tool, March 2019.
Ohio Evaluates Maintenance Procedures for Hard Shoulder Running April 30, 2019 - Ohio DOT is exploring using hard shoulders as additional traffic lanes to ease rush-hour congestion. Researchers evaluated procedures and equipment that would keep the shoulder clear of debris, assessing cost per mile, operating speeds, safety protocols, and operation during inclement weather.
Read the research report: Evaluation of Maintenance Procedures for Hard Shoulder Running, Phase 1, March 2019.
Minnesota DOT Investigates New Work Zone Intrusion Alarm System April 25, 2019 - The capabilities of a new work zone intrusion alarm system—Advance Warning and Risk Evasion (AWARE)—were recently demonstrated during a Minnesota paving project. The portable radar-based technology detects and tracks potential vehicle intrusion threats and worker locations to warn both workers and errant drivers. MnDOT gained insights about the technology, and the developer is continuing to field-test and refine the system.
Read the project summary: Personal Warning Sensor for Road Construction Workers, February 2019.
Iowa DOT Develops Guidance on Epoxy Repairs of Concrete Overlays April 23, 2019 - Iowa DOT has long used concrete overlays to restore bridge decks and extend their service life. Overlays delaminate over time, but they can be repaired through the injection of epoxy resins into cracks and voids. A recent study sought to learn the actual service life of epoxy repairs as well as the most effective methods and materials for injection. A field investigation and review of industry practices were used to develop specifications.
Read the research report: Investigation and Evaluation of Iowa Department of Transportation Bridge Deck Epoxy Injection Process, February 2019.
Buffalograss Blends Offer Best of Both Worlds on Kansas Roadsides April 18, 2019 - New varieties of buffalograss have shown promise as a low-maintenance roadside planting in the Midwest thanks to their excellent drought, cold and salinity tolerance. A recent Kansas DOT study showed that blending buffalograss with perennial ryegrass, which establishes more quickly, can provide short-term roadside stability while allowing time for successful buffalograss establishment.
Read the research report: Preliminary Evaluation of Perennial Ryegrass and Buffalograss Blends for Seeded Roadside Establishment to Comply with Storm Water Control Regulations, December 2018.
Minnesota’s Deep Dive into Bridge Inspection Data Brings Insights on Mixed Rebar Decks April 16, 2019 - To help plan future bridge deck maintenance, researchers for Minnesota DOT analyzed inspection data for nearly 500 bridges that were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s using mixed rebar decks—epoxy-coated rebar in the top layer of the concrete deck and uncoated rebar in the bottom layer. Investigators made inspection and mitigation recommendations based on their analysis of deck deterioration rates.
Read the research report: Deterioration of Mixed Rebar and Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Bridge Decks, February 2019.
Ohio Investigates Catch Basin Inserts for Post-Construction Highway Drainage April 12, 2019 - Researchers for Ohio DOT evaluated the use of catch basin inserts to remove suspended solids from runoff in post-construction areas. Based on performance and cost considerations, the use of catch basin inserts was determined not to be a post-construction stormwater best management practice in Ohio.
Read the research report: Catch Basin Inserts for Ohio Roadways, September 2018.