U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
| Fiscal Year | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Road Diet | City of Winona: Broadway Avenue Road Diet ($1,000,000) |
| 2017 | RCUT Intersection | Signalized Restricted Crossing U-Turn Intersection on Trunk Highway 65 ($1,000,000) |
| 2015 | Intelligent Compaction, Infrared | Paving projects using Intelligent Compaction and Infrared ($1,000,000) |
| 2015 | Roundabout | The project will fund the construction of two interconnected mini-roundabouts on Minnesota State Highway 4 (1st Avenue) at the intersections with Armstrong Boulevard and 7th Street. The project will also fund back-in-angle parking between the mini-roundabouts. The mini-roundabouts are part of a larger urban reconstruction project of Highway 4 through St. James and will replace signals at both intersections. In Minnesota, they will be the first mini-roundabouts on the State highway system and the first roundabouts of any type for the City of St. James. They are also the first in a constrained urban setting as they will be located along a fully developed block in downtown St. James. Mini-roundabouts are part of FHWA’s Every Day Counts initiative on Intersection/Interchange Geometrics. ($864,000) |
| Fiscal Year | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | UHPC | Development of Non-Proprietary Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) Prestressed Bridge Girders ($125,000) |
| 2023 | Safety | Design and Implementation of Portable Smart Work Zone Traffic Signs ($100,000) |
| 2022 | Signal, red light running | Develop and demonstrate a Red Light Running Warning System ($100,000) |
| 2019 | Collaborative Hydraulics: Advancing to the Next Generation of Engineering (CHANGE) | Enhance 2D hydraulic modeling by purchasing and implementing 3D sonar equipment for underwater surveys at waterway crossings ($100,000) |
| 2018 | Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) | Implement Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) program, including developing manuals and providing statewide training ($100,000) |
| 2015 | Smarter Work Zones | Development of procedures for the use and placement of Downstream Speed Notification Signs and the associated monitoring equipment on urban freeway and interstate projects ($100,000) |
| 2014 | Asphalt Mixture Performance Testing | Development of performance specifications for Asphalt Mixture Performance Testing for Fatigue and Thermal Cracking ($40,000) |
| 2014 | Asphalt Overlay | Implementation of Thin Bonded Concrete Overlays of Asphalt Pavements ($19,500) |
| 2014 | Soil Stabilitation | Development of a "Best Practices" document for Soil Stabilization Design and Construction Procedures ($35,000) |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 05/01/24 | Community Connections | Two rounds of RCN awards have been released. Grant recipients include the ReConnect Rondo project in Saint Paul, MN, for which the funds will be used to study the planning and development of an African American cultural enterprise district and associated land bridge. The project aims to restore and reconnect a portion of the Rondo neighborhood destroyed during construction of Interstate 94 (I-94) in Saint Paul... |
| 03/01/24 | Intersection Geometry | The Minnesota DOT (MnDOT) implemented widespread use of J-turn intersections that have significantly reduced the severity of crashes on high-speed divided highways. J-turns, also known as restricted crossing U-turns, modify the direct left-turn and through movements from cross-street approaches. These intersections simplify decision-making for drivers and minimize the potential for higher severity crash types... |
| 01/01/23 | e-Ticketing | At the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), e-Tickets are one part of a much larger e-Construction effort that seeks to digitally connect the lifecycle of a roadway from end-to-end. MnDOT is the steward for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) provisional standard (pre-publication) for the material delivery management system (MDMS). MDMS is a system that integrates digital information across a spectrum of users from contract administration, construction, materials, civil rights and labor compliance to industry partners. e-Ticketing fits uniquely into MDMS because an e-Ticket provides much of the information that will be used across these groups. A great deal of information is required to create a digital roadway. MDMS is a complex system where the information has many “on- and off-ramps,” but it all starts with an e-Ticket... Read More |
| 05/01/23 | Digital As-Builts | Using digital data to build and maintain highway projects is becoming an industry standard, but the States currently using DABs did not reach that point overnight. In fact, the Minnesota DOT’s journey began just over a decade ago, and the agency accomplished several important steps along the way that brought them to where they are today. While the value of collecting and integrating data during project delivery and passing it along for business needs beyond construction is clear, implementing DABs is a complex process that requires collaboration among agency divisions, support from executive leadership, and buy-in from stakeholders... Read More |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 9/1/2022 | Digital As-Builts | The Minnesota DOT (MnDOT) aligned its DABs program to its asset management plan, resulting in a list of about 75 asset classes. Currently, MnDOT routinely requires contractors to collect DABs for 12 asset classes such as guardrails, culverts, and signs that are included in its Transportation Asset Management Plan. The digital as-built formats range from spreadsheets with 2D latitude/longitude locations to 3D survey files, all of which conform to specific formats to enable them to be incorporated into statewide or regional asset tracking tools. MnDOT realized a 30-percent efficiency in data collection when using the asset tracking tools on design projects. Other uses for MnDOT’s DAB data include One Call service call responses and an extreme flood vulnerability tool developed using bridge and culvert asset data and climate projections. MnDOT also has a construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) project, the Elk River Freeway, which is piloting the use of digital delivery with DAB information. The project has a guaranteed maximum price of $130 million, and MnDOT reports documented savings of $15 million to date attributed primarily to use of 3D model-based project delivery combined with CM/GC contracting. Read More |
| 5/1/2022 | TIM | States are developing new web-based resources to advance traffic incident management (TIM) training. Minnesota's State Fire Marshall, a Division of Minnesota's Department of Public Safety, created a repository called SceneSafe. The website includes a 30-minute video of best practices and safety measures for addressing roadway incidents, along with other resources to improve responder safety. The New Jersey Department of Transportation developed a Traffic Incident Management Resource Portal to provide ongoing support and guidance for TIM training that provides videos, diversion routes, and access to working groups. Hear about additional ways in which States are advancing TIM Training from the Talking TIM webinar series.
Read More |
| 5/1/2021 | STIC | The sixth round of Every Day Counts (EDC-6) kicked off with
a Virtual Summit in December 2020 that introduced the seven innovations FHWA
is promoting over the next 2 years. The summit also featured a National State
Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) Network Showcase that highlighted
245 innovations in six categories developed and deployed by agencies
throughout the country. The following are just a few examples of the
expertise and ingenuity agencies are putting into action to save lives, time,
and money in the areas of safety, planning, and environment. At the local level, city and county engineers often receive a variety of communications from residents about traffic safety concerns, including requests to install traffic-control measures such as stop signs or warning signs. Minnesota's Local Road Research Board developed a guidebook for Addressing Citizen Requests for Traffic Safety Concerns that provides recommended procedures for evaluating and responding to these requests. The guidebook also reviews various traffic safety devices and their appropriate uses. Read Innovator Issue 84 |
| 3/1/2021 | Project Bundling | The Minnesota DOT removed the ADA scope from three proposed paving projects in the same city and bundled them into a new, single project that included 150 ADA ramps and sidewalks. The agency has also bundled bridges, signs, maintenance projects such as noise walls, and rural intersection safety equipment. |
| 05/01/20 | AID Demonstration | The Minnesota Department of Transportation and city of Winona will construct a road diet to improve safety, mobility, and access for drivers and bicyclists along Broadway Avenue. The road diet will reconfigure the four-lane road to three lanes with a two-way center turn lane and bike lanes on both sides. |
| 03/01/20 | Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) | Since adopting UAS, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) reports average cost savings of 40 percent over traditional bridge inspection methods. Supplementing hands-on inspections with UAS also helps MnDOT improve data quality, especially for difficult-to-access bridge elements such as confined spaces, high wall abutments, steep slopes, and piers under traffic. UAS deliver infrared and three-dimensional modeling detail of bridges, identify concrete delamination, and gather topographic mapping detail. |
| 01/01/20 | Weather Responsive Management Systems | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) was an early adopter of integrating mobile observation (IMO), which involves instrumenting vehicles with road weather sensors and other automated technologies to acquire data to support decision making. MnDOT plow trucks, supervisor vehicles, and mower tractors collect data such as air and surface temperature, relative humidity, and wiper and brake status. Plow trucks also capture camera images of the road ahead. |
| 11/01/19 | AID Demonstration | The Minnesota Department of Transportation will construct a signalized restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) intersection on Trunk Highway 65. An RCUT intersection improves safety by eliminating left-turns and through movements from cross street approaches. |
| 11/01/19 | Collaborative Hydraulics: Advancing to the Next Generation of Engineering (CHANGE) | Some States, like Minnesota, have fully adopted 2D hydraulic modeling and are seeing the benefits. “The 2D technology is really powerful,” said Petra DeWall, bridge waterway engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. “With traditional one-dimensional (1D) methods, engineers had to make many assumptions about the actual conditions of a site and include them in the models, but 2D removes most of those assumptions. Now you know what the water is actually doing.” DeWall said this is especially important in complex water flow situations, where 1D modeling is outdated. “The 1D programs were designed to analyze the Mississippi River and have been made to work for other situations over the years,” she said. “The 2D technology can be used almost anywhere. We just love it.” |
| 07/01/19 | Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) implemented UAS to support its bridge inspection program, particularly for bridges with difficult-to-access elements "We'll always use traditional inspection methods, but we were looking for other creative ways to gain access for bridge inspection" said Jennifer Wells, MnDOT State bridge inspection engineer. As part of the UAS implementation process, MnDOT conducted field demonstrations to compare the effectiveness and safety of the technology to hands-on inspection methods. In one demonstration, the agency used UAS to inspect a small local bridge, a medium-size concrete arch bridge, a large steel truss bridge, and a railroad bridge over a river and compared the results to recent bridge inspection records. MnDOT found that UAS can be an effective tool that reduces safety risks to inspectors from working in physically challenging situations and inconvenience to motorists from lane closures. UAS provided inspection detail that replicated some of the detail learned using under-bridge inspection vehicles while saving an average of 40 percent over the cost of traditional methods. UAS delivered infrared and 3D modeling detail of bridges, identified concrete delamination, and gathered topographic mapping detail. "We learned that UAS can supplement inspections," said Wells. "We want to go statewide with this." |
| 11/01/18 | AID Demonstration | The Minnesota Department of Transportation will construct a signalized restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) intersection on Trunk Highway 65. An RCUT intersection improves safety by eliminating left-turns and through movements from cross street approaches. Read Innovator Issue 69 |
| 05/01/18 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis (DDSA) | The analysis showed that half of fatalities across the State were on local roads, so MnDOT shared funding with the counties to help them implement the plans, based on the data. Read Innovator Issue 66 |
| 05/01/18 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections (UHPC) | Hennepin County, MN, used ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) connections between precast deck panels to accelerate the rehabilitation of the Franklin Avenue Bridge, a historic crossing in downtown Minneapolis heavily used by drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Read Innovator Issue 66 |
| 01/01/18 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics (Roundabouts) | The Minnesota Department of Transportation and city of St. James used AID Demonstration funds to construct two mini-roundabouts to improve safety and mobility on Minnesota State Highway 4. The first built in Minnesota, the mini-roundabouts replaced two signalized intersections in downtown St. James. Mini-roundabouts offer the safety benefits of regular roundabouts in a smaller footprint, making them appropriate for urban settings and other areas with constrained rights-of-way. Read more >> |
| 01/01/18 | Road Weather Management–Weather-Savvy Roads | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is developing procedures to use Pathfinder to manage the effects of blizzards and other weather events. In an EDC workshop on Pathfinder, staff from MnDOT, its weather service provider, NWS, and the Minnesota State Patrol used a blizzard in 2017 as a case study to assess challenges and opportunities that could be addressed under Pathfinder implementation, such as establishing a private NWSChat and promoting MnDOT participation in NWS webinar briefings. Read Innovator Issue 64 |
| 01/01/18 | Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil-Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS) | GRS-IBS bridges are also built over railroads, which typically require tall walls and long spans to accommodate trains passing underneath. The first, built on County Route 55 over Minnesota Southern Railway tracks in Rock County, MN, included abutment walls up to 26 feet high and a 78-foot span. A unique feature was the 5.3 percent grade required to provide clearance for passing trains. Read Innovator Issue 64 |
| 05/01/17 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections | Hennepin County, MN, used ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) connections between precast deck panels to accelerate the rehabilitation of the Franklin Avenue Bridge, a historic crossing in downtown Minneapolis heavily used by drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Using precast panels allowed construction crews to remove and replace the entire bridge deck in a 17-week timeframe in 2016. Read Innovator Issue 60 |
| 03/01/17 | Smarter Work Zones | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) deployed a variable downstream speed notification system on an I-94 pavement project in St. Paul and Maplewood during the 2016 construction season. The system—one of the smarter work zone technology strategies recommended in EDC round three—notifies drivers of downstream traffic speeds to better manage speeds and reduce crashes when work zone congestion develops. MnDOT plans to use the system again in 2017. Read Innovator Issue 59 |
| 09/01/16 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections | An example of the benefits UHPC provides is the reconstruction of the deck of the Franklin Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Crews redecked this open spandrel arch bridge over the Mississippi River during a 90-day closure over the summer. Read Innovator Issue 56 |
| 07/01/16 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | The Minnesota Department of Transportation and city of St. James are using an Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration award to build two mini-roundabouts—the first on the state’s highway system and the first in a constrained urban setting. The mini-roundabouts are part of the Highway 4 reconstruction project and will replace two signalized intersections on 1st Avenue South. Read Innovator Issue 55 |
| 05/01/16 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | The Minnesota Department of Transportation and city of St. James are using an Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration award to build two mini-roundabouts, the first on the state’s highway system. Part of the Highway 4 reconstruction project, the mini-roundabouts replace two signalized intersections. An educational video explains how to drive on the mini-roundabouts, which offer the safety benefits of regular roundabouts in a smaller footprint. Read Innovator Issue 54 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 11/01/15 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | The Minnesota Department of Transportation and city of St. James will use AID Demonstration funds to build the state’s first two interconnected mini-roundabouts on Minnesota State Highway 4. The mini-roundabouts, at the intersections of 1st Avenue South with Armstrong Boulevard and 1st Avenue South with 7th Street South, are another example of intersection and interchange geometrics promoted under Every Day Counts to improve safety and mobility. Read Innovator Issue 51 |
| 09/15/14 | Construction Manager / General Contractor | A summer groundbreaking ceremony kicked off the Winona Bridge project, the first the Minnesota Department of Transportation is delivering with the construction manager/general contractor method. The bridge carries State Highway 43 across the Mississippi River. The project includes rehabilitating the historic through truss and building a new parallel bridge. A Minnesota DOT fact sheet outlines the benefits of using CM/GC on the project. Read Innovator Issue 44 |
| 05/01/14 | Alternative Technical Concepts | The Minnesota Department of Transportation combined design-build with ATCs to speed delivery while controlling costs on its project to replace the Hastings Bridge over the Mississippi River. The original estimate was $200 million, but the final contract award came in 40 percent lower at $120 million, thanks in part to ATCs. One was a 545-foot-long main span—the longest freestanding tied arch in North America. Read Innovator Issue 42 |
| 05/01/14 | Construction Manager / General Contractor | The Minnesota Department of Transportation has selected its first construction manager/general contractor for the Winona Bridge project over the Mississippi River. The project is expected to be delivered in three or more parts: the new bridge substructure, the new bridge superstructure and approaches, and the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the existing historic bridge. When substructure design is completed, the CM/GC contractor will negotiate with the Minnesota DOT on a contract to build the substructure. Meanwhile, the contractor will provide construction advisory services on the other parts of the project in final design and will have the option of negotiating with the agency on the remaining construction contracts. Read Innovator Issue 42 |
| 01/01/14 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | More states are adding diverging diamond interchanges to their highway-building toolkits to enhance safety and traffic flow at busy interchanges. The Minnesota Department of Transportation, for example, opened its first DDI on State Highway 15 in St. Cloud to serve a rapidly developing healthcare campus. The Ohio DOT built its first one at Roberts Road and I-270 in Columbus to handle the area’s large traffic volume. The Idaho DOT’s first DDI is designed to improve access to I-86 from Yellowstone Avenue in Chubbuck. And the Kansas DOT’s first DDI at I-35 and Homestead Lane in Johnson County eliminates the wait for left turns onto the interstate and reduces crash potential. Read Innovator Issue 40 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 12/5/24 | NextGen TIM | EVP is technology that changes traffic signals to green for the direction of approaching emergency response vehicles and red for other drivers who may cross the emergency vehicle’s path. This increases safety for everyone sharing the roadway and reduces response times.
Learn how agencies can implement this technology—either vehicle-based, or system-based. Additionally, discover the results other agencies have realized, like in St. Paul, MN, where the city experienced a 71 percent reduction in emergency vehicle crashes after implementing EVP... |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 10/27/22 | Digital As-Builts | Using digital data to build and maintain road projects is becoming an industry standard, but States like Minnesota that are currently using digital as-builts (DABs) didn’t get to this point overnight. In fact, the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT) journey began just over a decade ago, when maintenance staff in the Twin Cities Metro Area began to tackle an issue where as-built plans showing completed construction of important assets were not reaching the people who needed them. From 2011 until 2019, MnDOT accomplished several important steps that brought them to where they are today. 2011: MnDOT develops special provision requiring contractors deliver locations and other information for certain assets. 2014: MnDOT develops one of the nation’s first Transportation Asset Management Plans (TAMPs). 2019: A second TAMP is developed, which helped identify assets suitable for DABs and how DAB data should be collected for various business needs and processes. MnDOT’s TAMP establishes a cohesive vision and culture that unites MnDOT staff from the highest level of the agency down to the boots on the ground. This cohesion is important for a successful cross-functional and statewide implementation of DABs. During development of the TAMP, MnDOT learned many lessons on risk, asset investment strategies, and required data types. This shaped the subsequent development of DABs, which feed data to MnDOT’s asset management and investment system. In addition to asset management applications, agencies use DABs and GIS information for digital project delivery and digital twins under the overarching and enhanced collaboration brought by building information modeling (BIM) for infrastructure. In fact, MnDOT plans to align their development of digital project delivery using BIM to service their asset management data needs. What are some of the benefits being realized by this decade-long journey? In a pilot project, MnDOT realized a 30 percent efficiency gain by utilizing an up-to-date GIS asset management sign inventory for design, as compared to the traditional methods where designers went into the field and logged each sign and attribution individually. In another cost saving effort, MnDOT has found that manual asset inventory field collection with an average cost of $15 per point can be collected for above ground assets using remote sensing technology (mobile lidar/imagery) at $3 per point. All DAB data being collected by MnDOT is being stored in enterprise asset management systems and interoperable data warehouses. Sharing asset data across the agency and utilizing the data for planning, scoping, and daily work planning is vital and is continually improving. Read More |
| 01/06/22 | NextGen TIM | Both transportation and public safety agencies have a vested interest in timely detection and response to roadway incidents like crashes, vehicle disablements, fires, and medical emergencies. Timely sharing of information between public safety and transportation agencies improves coordination of resources to clear roadways, enhances safety, and relieves congestion. Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) integration describes the real-time sharing of information between agencies, using their respective computing systems that track time and events.
The Minnesota DOT (MnDOT) and the Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) began using a shared dispatching platform that enables each agency to more quickly obtain information about roadway incidents. Information provided in the real-time feed includes latitude/longitude, event type, start and close times, real-time location of response vehicles, and traffic management center (TMC) operator-entered remarks. Interactions between the agencies have become more seamless as the live data feed and the incident comments field are actively shared between the agencies, providing a two-way street for including relevant response and incident details. Access to State Patrol CAD greatly reduces incident notification time to the TMC, leading to faster messaging to motorists, quicker deployment of service patrol resources, and an overall more efficient response. One of Minnesota's successes is using the combination of CAD integration and monitoring the MSP radio dispatch. Staff then uses closed-circuit television (CCTV) to verify, confirm, and remotely size up incidents in seconds. These activities are essential to reducing detection, verification, and response times to shorten overall incident duration. MnDOT funded several technology enhancements that enabled increased CAD usage, including TMC and Safety Service Patrol (FIRST). This included adding computers and software onboard the FIRST vehicles and purchasing the CAD mobile software license and other supporting infrastructure to allow FIRST vehicles to run and access the MSP CAD. Criminal justice information and investigation-related matters are removed from the MSP information, which are often cited as stumbling blocks to CAD integration. Additional enhancements have allowed for more automated data export to MnDOT's Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), called IRIS, as well as traveler information services and data analysis tools. With better data and incident timestamps, performance management and benchmarking both agencies improved response activities to more effectively deal with roadway incidents. Read More |
| 4/8/21 | STIC | Are you interested in homegrown innovations being used by your peers in other parts of the country? Check out the National STIC Network Showcase, a component of the EDC-6 Virtual Summit. Over 200 innovations, submitted by State DOTs, Local Agencies, and other STIC members, are grouped into eight topic area categories for easy navigation. This site features a convenient one-time registration that will allow you to continue accessing information throughout 2021. The showcase prominently features several innovations focused on bridge preservation and repair. Learn about the El Paso County, CO, Adaptable Bridge Safety Platform, a unique alternative fall protection solution for bridge deck replacements in areas with unstable soils and limited scaffolding space, but that aren’t high enough to require worker catch systems; Indiana DOT's Bridge Deck Preservation using Epoxy Injections, which prevents fluid intrusion and slows down freeze/thaw deterioration; Minnesota DOT's Affordable Bridge Beam End Repair, which used concrete to reinforce beams in need of repair; and Federal Lands Highway's Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Deck Panels, which were used to rehabilitate the 532-foot Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone National Park. Celebrate the ingenuity of your peers and read about these innovations–developed and deployed in-house at transportation agencies nationwide. Additionally, we invite you to watch the one-hour presentations on-demand that feature many of these and other innovations. Read More |
| 10/15/20 | Advanced Geotechnical Methods in Exploration (A-GaME) | Another proven, but underused exploration method being promoted by A-GaME is cone penetration testing (CPT). CPT provides geotechnical investigations with high measurement frequency for greater resolution of soil changes and high-quality data with minimal user dependency and error. CPT is commonly used for site characterization of soils for foundation design, settlement analysis, slope stability, and embankment design. CPT presents many advantages over traditional drilling including speed of characterization, repeatability, measurements that are more relatable to fundamental engineering relationships, and automated data acquisition. The Minnesota Department of Transportation highlighted that field exploration costs for geotechnical bridge investigation projects have been reduced 30 to 70 percent by using a combination of CPT and standard penetration test (SPT) borings rather than SPT borings alone. Read More |
| 10/1/20 | High-Friction Surface Treatment | While developing its local road safety plan (LRSP), St. Louis County, MN, conducted a proactive or systemic analysis to identify locations with a higher risk of roadway departures. Of the 1,414 curves on the County system, 34 were identified that had 4 or more risk factors. These risk factors included curve radius, traffic volume, presence of an intersection or a visual trap as well as crash history. Ten of these curves with good pavement condition were selected for HFST installation. The HFST was installed recently with the project funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and State aid funding. The cost to install the HFST was $32 per square yard, including milling, pavement markings, mobilization and traffic control. The County was able to install one curve per day, or two per day if the curves were in close proximity. Read More |
| 08/20/20 | Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD) | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has institutionalized the systemic approach to proactively improve safety on both State and local road systems. Guidance and criteria for selecting proactive projects is included in the State's highway safety improvement program (HSIP) announcements. MnDOT used systemic safety analysis to identify risk factors for serious and fatal crash types and compiled a list of potential roadway departure countermeasures. An example of the systemic approach is contained in a head-on crash report for two-lane rural highways which found that drifting over the center line accounted for 65 percent of the fatal crashes. The report recommended center line rumble strips (CLRS) along US and MN State highways and estimates installing CLRS has the potential of preventing around 15 fatal crashes per year. The report also recommended CLRS for county roads of similar volume and indicated benefits for lower volume roads. MnDOT also used systemic safety analysis as it developed road safety plans for each of the State's 87 counties. MnDOT targets an approximate 50/50 split of HSIP funding for local and State safety projects. The State offers technincal assistance to local agencies and developed pre-filled project recommendation sheets to make the application process easier. Read EDC News 8-20-2020 |
| 03/19/20 | Virtual Public Involvement | The Minnesota DOT (MnDOT) used pop-up outreach to solicit feedback for their multi-modal transportation plan. Using the state tourism website, MnDOT staff identified upcoming events in different areas of the state, and arranged to conduct pop-ups at 28 community events. These included markets, marathons, craft fairs, parades, and the Minnesota State Fair. Staff used a tablet-based survey to gather input on transportation investment priorities. At the State Fair, the Department also used a "dot voting exercise" to gather feedback on the most important trends to plan for, such as changes in technology, the environment, or transportation behavior. The State Fair outreach generated 5,500 responses at a cost of $1.50 per response, a fraction of the cost of $100 or more per response at traditional public meetings. Read EDC News 3-19-2020 |
| 01/30/20 | Weather-responsive Management Strategies (WRMS) | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) uses WebMDSS, a web-based application, to manage its roadways and resources during inclement weather. The application provides road advisories, warnings, and treatment information and recommendations for road maintenance, and serves as the primary resource for forecasting. The tool allows MnDOT staff to make more informed decisions for maintenance planning and tactical actions through detailed, hour-by-hour, weather and pavement forecasts at the maintenance route level. These informed decisions result in improved mobility and safety, as well as cost savings and reduced environmental impacts from reduced material usage. For example, reports on speed while applying chemicals, average precipitation, material usage by route, and sander status support MnDOT’s efforts to track material usage in a more efficient manner. Using existing mobile observation capabilities, MnDOT provides the public with information to make informed travel decisions. In addition to weather condition information in the agency’s 511 traveler information system, MnDOT provides road condition images taken from active plows in the field. This provides additional information on current and anticipated roadway dangers and conditions. Traffic operators can also use these images to create messages to post on dynamic message signs where needed, keeping motorists informed with real-time information. Read EDC News 1-30-2020 |
| 12/19/19 | Crowdsourcing for Operations | Six months into a one-year trial of statewide real-time probe data, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is already seeing the value of using crowdsourced data to enhance traffic operations. MNDOT used the data for quick, high-level studies, such as looking at traffic patterns and delays in work zones, the validity of ramp meter complaints, and traffic delays during special events. With this data, MnDOT can see impacts of events more quickly than if they relied solely on their own data sets. Read EDC News 12-19-2019 |
| 12/05/19 | Weather-Responsive Management Strategies | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is paving the way for using mobile road weather sensor data to enhance weather-responsive management strategies (WRMS). As one of the first states to implement integrating mobile observations (IMO) technology, MnDOT institutionalized the acquisition, transmission, storage, and use of mobile road weather observations across the State. These sustainable and interoperable processes enhance situational awareness and reduce the costs associated with winter maintenance activities. The agency also uses its Web Maintenance Decision Support System (WebMDSS) to better manage roadways and resources during inclement weather. By providing road advisories, warnings, and treatment information and recommendations for road maintenance purposes, the agency has seen improvements in mobility, safety, cost savings, and reduced environmental impacts from reduced material usage. Learn more about Minnesota’s implementation efforts by contacting Joe Huneke of MnDOT and check out the MnDOT case study on the WRMS Toolkit. To learn how your agency can implement WRMS, please contact David Johnson with the FHWA Office of Operations. Read EDC News 12-5-2019 |
| 11/07/19 | Virtual Public Involvement | Pop-up Outreach – Learn more about how the Minnesota DOT has turned their State Fair into a public outreach opportunity. Read EDC News 11-7-2019 |
| 10/10/19 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | Performance-Based Practical Design (PBPD) is an approach to road and street engineering that uses newly available data and methods to address problems and achieve project goals more reliably and efficiently than in the past. Recently developed methods to predict expected safety have been a breakthrough in road design, allowing comparison of design options balancing different aspects of performance and costs. The Minnesota Department of Transportation published design guidance on how to develop projects with the PBPD mindset. An emphasis on how to use the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) to inform decision-making is integrated throughout the guidance. The guide also addresses specific design controls (such as design speed), cross sectional elements, roadside design, sight distances, and horizontal and vertical alignment. Where available, these sections refer designers to the appropriate section of the HSM so that the relative safety of alternatives or design dimensions can be quantified and expected performance differences better understood. To learn more about Minnesota’s PBPD guidance, please contact Will Stein with the FHWA Minnesota Division. For more information on how your agency can incorporate data-driven safety analysis into its business practices, contact Jerry Roche with the FHWA Office of Safety or John McFadden with the FHWA Resource Center. Read EDC News 10-10-2019 |
| 09/05/19 | Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) used systemic safety analysis as it developed road safety plans for each of the State’s 87 counties. Using a process similar to that outlined in the systemic safety project selection tool, MnDOT helped identify high-risk locations in each county. The analysis also identified emphasis areas to significantly reduce the severe and fatal crash types and helped compile a list of potential safety countermeasures. Ultimately, this information helped counties identify low-cost safety projects to implement on a systemic basis, a key objective of the road safety plans. Read EDC News 9-5-2019 |
| 08/29/19 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has integrated two data-driven safety analysis approaches, systemic and predictive analysis, into its routine business practices. MnDOT updated its district safety plans using systemic data analysis. The systemic approach evaluates risk across an entire roadway network and identifies locations that are at high risk for serious crashes. Systemic analysis is more proactive than traditional methods because it lets agencies install cost-effective safety countermeasures at multiple locations based on future risk, sometimes before crashes happen. MnDOT is now working with Minnesota counties to include systemic analysis in their local agency roadway safety plans. Focusing on predictive analysis, MnDOT published a Performance-Based Practical Design guidance document, which emphasizes use of the AASHTO Highway Safety Manual to inform decisions. The agency made crash modification factors (CMFs), which calculate expected number of crashes after implementing safety countermeasures at a site, standard practice to quantify benefits of spot location safety projects. MnDOT’s next step is to develop State-specific CMFs to better quantify benefits and costs for Highway Safety Improvement Program projects. Read EDC News 8-29-2019 |
| 08/08/19 | Unmanned Aerial Systems | Since adopting UAS, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) reports average cost savings of 40 percent over traditional inspection methods. The UAS program has seen improved data quality from inspections, especially in difficult-to-access bridge elements such as confined spaces, high wall abutments, steep slopes, and piers under traffic. Before UAS, MnDOT used traditional access methods (under-bridge inspection vehicles, ladders, lifts, rope access) that were costly and limited by lane closure availability. Since adopting UAS, MnDOT delivers infrared and 3D modeling detail of bridges, gathers topographic mapping detail, and can identify concrete delamination. Read EDC News 8-8-2019 |
| 06/27/19 | A-GaME: Advanced Geotechnical Methods in Exploration | MnDOT expected highly variable bedrock in the vicinity of planned bridge structure in Duluth, MN. Due to its sensitive location near a trout stream, it was undesirable to clear trees and vegetation for traditional site characterization. Instead, the agency used an A-GaME technique called electrical resistivity to identify the irregular bedrock surface and create an interpreted profile. MnDOT used this information to successfully complete the project with minimal disturbance to the site. This project relied solely on geophysical methods for foundation investigation. While relying on geophysical methods alone is uncommon, this project illustrates that proven yet non-conventional approaches can help agencies successfully characterize sites while considering specific project risks. Read EDC News 6-27-2019 |
| 04/25/19 | Project Bundling | Project bundling will also enable the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to save money, time, and staff resources on an upcoming project on a 45-mile stretch of Highway 91 in southwestern Minnesota. The winning project bid of $18.45 million was $1.5 million less than expected, which may have resulted from the agency’s decision to bundle three projects instead of bidding them out separately. The project includes bridge replacement, pavement resurfacing, culvert repair, and sidewalk improvements and is scheduled for construction in 2019 and 2020. Read EDC News 4-25-2019 |
| 03/28/19 | Virtual Public Involvement | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) targeted limited English proficiency (LEP) populations while updating the Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan by using tablet-based surveys in multiple languages. The surveys allowed MnDOT staff to visit LEP communities and obtain stakeholder feedback to incorporate into the plan. Read EDC News 3-28-2019 |
| 09/27/18 | Community Connections | The Minnesota Department of Transportation established an Office of Community Connections to focus on planning and design techniques, public involvement strategies for reconnection, and operational improvements. Read EDC News 9-27-2018 |
| 03/22/18 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | One agency applying systemic DDSA is the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), which used the Federal Highway Administration’s Systemic Safety Project Selection Tool to conduct a statewide crash analysis. The analysis showed that more severe crashes occurred on the county highway system than the State system and that the majority of these crashes were rural, involved roadway departure, and happened on curves. Using this information, MnDOT collaborated with the State’s 87 counties on road safety plans to identify low-cost safety projects to implement on a systematic basis. Read EDC News 3-22-2018 |
| 02/15/18 | Using Data to Improve Traffic Incident Management | Through integrated CAD, the Minnesota Department of Transportation uses Minnesota State Patrol data to streamline data collection at the traffic management center in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. Read EDC News 2-15-2018 |
| 01/25/18 | Road Weather Management - Weather-Savvy Roads | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is developing procedures to use Pathfinder to manage the effects of weather events. At a workshop, staff from MnDOT, the National Weather Service (NWS), and the Minnesota State Patrol used a 2017 blizzard as a case study to assess challenges and opportunities that could be addressed with Pathfinder, such as establishing an NWSChat instant messaging program and promoting MnDOT participation in NWS webinar briefings. Read EDC News 1-25-2018 |
| 11/02/17 | Road Weather Management - Weather-Savvy Roads | Sometimes a storm comes along and causes very uncommon impacts on transportation. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) hosted a workshop to initiate Pathfinder for blizzards in Minnesota. Workshop attendees from MnDOT, the National Weather Service (NWS), Minnesota State Patrol, and MnDOT’s weather service provider discussed how blizzards are managed today and used a 2017 blizzard as a case study to assess challenges and opportunities that could be addressed under Pathfinder implementation, such as establishing a private NWSChat and promoting MnDOT participation in NWS webinar briefings. Procedures and resources to implement Pathfinder are being developed. Read EDC News 11-2-2017 |
| 10/26/17 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics, Roundabouts | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and city of St. James used Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration funds to construct two mini-roundabouts on Minnesota State Highway 4 to improve safety and mobility. The mini-roundabouts, part of a Highway 4 reconstruction project and the first to be constructed in the State, replaced two signalized intersections in downtown St. James. Mini-roundabouts offer the safety benefits of regular roundabouts in a smaller footprint, making them appropriate for urban settings and other areas with constrained rights-of-way. Read EDC News 10-26-2017 |
| 10/05/17 | Construction Manager/General Contractor | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) used the construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) delivery method on its project to relocate Highway 53 between Virginia and Eveleth. The project, which relocated a highway section on land owned by a mining company to allow expansion of a taconite mine, included construction of 3 miles of new roadway, a bridge, and an interchange. MnDOT chose CM/GC to allow for early contractor input and a collaborative approach to planning and constructing the project on a tight schedule to meet the 2017 deadline for moving the road. The CM/GC contractor completed the 2-year project 6 weeks ahead of schedule. For information, contact Pat Huston of MnDOT. Read EDC News 10-5-2017 |
| 07/20/17 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections for Prefabricated Bridge Elements | Hennepin County, MN, used UHPC connections between precast deck panels to accelerate the rehabilitation of the Franklin Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. Using precast panels allowed construction crews to remove and replace the entire bridge deck in 17 weeks. Connecting the panels with UHPC simplified construction activities and increased the quality of the completed structure. Read EDC News 7-20-2017 |
| 06/22/17 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) used systemic DDSA to develop road safety plans for each of its 87 counties. The analysis showed that half of traffic fatalities in the State were on local roads, so MnDOT helped local agencies implement the safety plans by sharing funding with them in proportion to the number of projects on their systems. Read EDC News 6-22-2017 |
| 06/22/17 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) used systemic DDSA to develop road safety plans for each of its 87 counties. The analysis showed that half of traffic fatalities in the State were on local roads, so MnDOT helped local agencies implement the safety plans by sharing funding with them in proportion to the number of projects on their systems. Read EDC News 6-22-2017 |
| 03/02/17 | Construction Manager/ General Contractor | Using the construction manager/general contractor project delivery method enabled the Minnesota Department of Transportation to test a process it plans to use on the Smith Avenue High Bridge redecking project in St. Paul. A feature of the tied-arch bridge over the Mississippi River is post-tensioning tendon ties. The project team created a full-size model of one of the bundled tendons to test and validate the detensioning process to be used in the redecking and tendon bundle replacement. At a February 17 demonstration, the team completed a test of the process on the model, successfully showing how the tendon bundles can be detensioned safely. Read EDC News 3-2-2017 |
| 02/09/17 | Smarter Work Zones | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) deployed a variable downstream speed notification system on an I-94 pavement project in St. Paul and Maplewood during the 2016 construction season. The system—one of the smarter work zone technology strategies recommended in EDC round three—notifies drivers of downstream traffic speeds to better manage speeds and reduce crashes when work zone congestion develops. MnDOT plans to use the system again in the 2017 construction season. The University of Minnesota will analyze data from the system to evaluate its effectiveness in cutting work zone crashes. Read EDC News 2-9-2017 |
| 09/29/16 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | The Minnesota Department of Transportation conducted a comprehensive systemic analysis of local roads to determine the highest-risk locations across the system. Counties then installed low-cost countermeasures at those sites. The result was wider, but more targeted, safety investment. Read EDC News 9-29-2016 |
| 03/10/16 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | The Minnesota Department of Transportation and city of St. James will use an Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration program award to build two mini-roundabouts, the first on the state’s highway system. The mini-roundabouts are part of the Highway 4 reconstruction project and will replace signalized intersections at 1st Avenue South with Armstrong Boulevard and 1st Avenue South with 7th Street South. An educational video explains how to drive on the mini-roundabouts, which offer the safety benefits of regular roundabouts in a smaller footprints. Read EDC News 3-10-2016 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 12/17/15 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | Minnesota Department of Transportation and FHWA staff met with officials from the city of East Bethel and Anoka County, business owners and residents on December 8 about a potential signalized restricted crossing U-turn intersection at U.S. 65 and Viking Boulevard. The meeting’s purpose was to introduce the RCUT concept to the community and answer questions. Analysis shows that constructing an RCUT would boost intersection capacity by 61 percent, clear queues on Viking Boulevard, cut crashes and have minimal impact on access and the environment. The cost to build an RCUT is a fraction of a grade-separated solution. Read EDC News 12-17-2015 |
| 11/12/15 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the City of St. James received an $864,000 FHWA Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration Program grant to construct two mini-roundabouts that will be the first on the state highway system, the first for the City of St. James, and the first in a constrained urban setting. The mini-roundabouts are part of an urban reconstruction project on State Highway 4 and will replace signals at both intersections. Read EDC News 11-12-2015 |
| 10/15/15 | Construction Manager/ General Contractor | Minnesota Uses Construction Manager/General Contractor Method for Second Time. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is using the construction manager/general contractor delivery method for the second time on its project to relocate U.S. Highway 53 between Virginia and Eveleth. On September 10, FHWA approved the project’s combined final environmental impact statement/record of decision, which is a first for Minnesota. The project, which will move a section of the road to make way for expansion of a taconite ore mine, is scheduled for completion in 2017. Read EDC News 10-15-2015 |
| 08/13/15 | Smarter Work Zones | The Minnesota Department of Transportation received State Transportation Innovation Council Incentive funds for a smarter work zones project. The agency plans to develop procedures for a downstream speed notification system in urban freeway work zones. The system will use a series of changeable message signs that display information designed to reduce traffic speeds as motorists approach stopped or slowed traffic. The goal is to decrease rear-end crashes in work zones. Read EDC News 8-13-2015 |
| 07/23/15 | Intelligent Compaction | The Minnesota Department of Transportation and FHWA held a kickoff webinar July 16 on the Transportation Pooled Fund Program study to advance Veta data management and analysis software. Veta, a map-based tool developed by the Minnesota DOT for viewing and analyzing geospatial data, can import data from various intelligent compaction machines. The objective of the pooled fund study is to incorporate new features into the software. The California and Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation are also participating in the study. Read EDC News 7-23-2015 |
| 06/25/15 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | California Department of Transportation engineers traveled to Minnesota this week to observe the operational aspects of innovative intersections and interchanges in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. The scan tour organized by FHWA was part of the California agency’s effort to expand its use of intersection and interchange geometrics to enhance safety for road users. The group viewed examples of roundabouts, restricted crossing U-turn intersections and diverging diamond interchanges, including one near Minneapolis—St. Paul International Airport. Read EDC News 6-25-2015 |
| 04/23/15 | Intelligent Compaction | The Minnesota Department of Transportation hosted an FHWA intelligent compaction data management workshop April 7 and 8 in Minneapolis. Participants received hands-on training on intelligent compaction software and watched equipment demonstrations. The Minnesota DOT received an Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration grant to use intelligent compaction and infrared technology on about 10 asphalt paving projects. Read EDC News 4-23-2015 |
| 10/31/14 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | Minnesota’s first mini-roundabout was built in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area at an intersection near a school. It has improved pedestrian safety and reduced traffic delays at the intersection. Read EDC News 10-31-2014 |
| 09/19/14 | Construction Manager/ General Contractor | The Minnesota Department of Transportation has awarded a contract for Winona Bridge Work Package 3, part of its first construction manager/general contractor project. The Winona Bridge carries Highway 43 over the Mississippi River. The project includes rehabilitation of the existing historic through truss, reconstruction of the existing approach spans and construction of a new parallel bridge and approach roadways. Work Package 3 includes construction of the new river substructures and scour countermeasures. The Minnesota DOT estimates it saved $638,000 by using longer piles with a thinner wall thickness as a result of the CM/GC process for the early piling procurement work package. Read EDC News 9-19-2014 |
| 06/06/14 | Construction Manager/ General Contractor | A June 18 groundbreaking ceremony is planned for the Winona Bridge project, the first the Minnesota Department of Transportation is delivering with the construction manager/general contractor method. The Winona Bridge carries State Highway 43 across the Mississippi River. The project includes rehabilitation of the existing historic through truss, reconstruction of the approach spans and construction of a new parallel bridge. The Minnesota DOT produced a fact sheet outlining the benefits of using CM/GC on the project. Read EDC News 6-6-2014 |
| 03/07/14 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | Minnesota’s first mini-roundabout is scheduled for construction this summer in Shakopee, a suburb of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. The roundabout will be at an intersection near a school. Construction will begin in June after the school year ends and is scheduled to take three weeks. FHWA provided a preliminary analysis of the site and will include the intersection in its national study on the safety and operations of mini-roundabouts. Scott County, which is partnering with Shakopee on the project, developed a presentation that compares existing traffic conditions at the intersection to an animation of the mini-roundabout design. Read EDC News 3-7-2014 |
| 02/07/14 | Construction Manager/ General Contractor | The Minnesota Department of Transportation has selected its first construction manager/general contractor for the Winona Bridge project over the Mississippi River. The project is expected to be delivered in three or more parts: the new bridge substructure, the new bridge superstructure and approaches, and the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the existing historic bridge. When substructure design is completed this spring, the CM/GC contractor will negotiate with the Minnesota DOT on a contract to build the substructure. Meanwhile, the contractor will continue to provide construction advisory services on the other parts of the project in final design and will have the option of negotiating with the agency on the remaining construction contracts. Read EDC News 2-7-2014 |
| 12/20/13 | Design-Build | The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the city of Hastings dedicated the new Hastings Bridge on U.S. 61 over the Mississippi River on November 22. The bridge features a 545-foot-long tied arch span, the longest freestanding tied arch in North America. The bridge was designed to visually complement Hasting’s historic district. Work on the $130 million design-build project began in 2010. This time-lapse video shows the installation of the arch span. Read EDC News 12-20-2013 |
| 11/08/13 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | The Minnesota Department of Transportation opened its first diverging diamond interchange on State Highway 15 in St. Cloud in October. The agency partnered with local government on the interchange, which serves a rapidly developing healthcare campus. The DDI concept was chosen to minimize the freeway overpass structure and cut project costs. Two more DDIs are under construction in Minnesota, and work will start soon on another one. Read EDC News 11-8-2013 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Community Connections | The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) established an Office of Community Connections to advance innovative planning and design techniques, public involvement strategies for reconnection, and multimodal operational improvements. The Office of Community Connections is building partnerships with stakeholders and analyzing opportunities to improve MnDOT’s planning and environmental review processes. Read the EDC-4 Final Report |
| 2019 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | In Minnesota, MnDOT integrated systemic and predictive analyses into its routine business practices. MnDOT updated its District Safety Plans using systemic data analysis and is working with local partners to update County Roadway Safety Plans. MnDOT developed a systemic approach to prioritize locations for the Railroad Highway Crossings program. On the predictive analysis side, MnDOT published a Performance-Based Practical Design guidance document, which emphasizes use of the AASHTO HSM to inform decisions. The agency made crash modification factors (CMFs)—used to compute expected number of crashes after implementing safety countermeasures at a specific site—a standard practice to quantify benefits of spot location safety projects. MnDOT plans to develop Minnesota-specific CMFs to better quantify benefits and costs for HSIP projects. Read the EDC-4 Final Report |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections | Hennepin County used UHPC connections between precast deck panels to accelerate the rehabilitation of the Franklin Avenue Bridge, a historic crossing in downtown Minneapolis heavily used by drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Using precast panels allowed construction crews to remove and replace the entire bridge deck in a 17-week timeframe in 2016. Using UHPC for the connections simplified the construction activities and increased the quality of the completed structure. The 1,000-foot span’s reconstruction is the second-largest project to date in the United States to use field-cast UHPC connections between precast bridge deck panels. Read the EDC-3 Final Report |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Alternative Technical Concepts | The Minnesota DOT used the ATC process on its Highway 61 Hastings Bridge project to mitigate geotechnical risk. MnDOT relied on one on- one meetings to create an open environment in which proposers and the agency could discuss innovative ideas and clarify any project risks during proposal preparation. This gave MnDOT the opportunity to consider technical solutions it previously had not and resulted in a $100 million savings on the project. Read the EDC-2 Final Report |
| 2015 | Construction Manager / General Contractor | The Minnesota DOT has executed one CM/ GC contract and is in the selection process for a second. The first CM/GC contract was for a $175 million project to rehabilitate the Winona Bridge over the Mississippi River, which carries an average of 11,300 vehicles per day. MnDOT is also advancing a CM/GC contract to relocate a section of Highway 53 between Duluth and International Falls, a major transportation corridor serving northeastern Minnesota. Read the EDC-2 Final Report |
| 2015 | Intelligent Compaction | The Minnesota DOT completed four projects using IC in 2013 and an additional 14 in 2014. MnDOT is the lead state proponent for the development of Veda software, a map-based tool for viewing and analyzing geospatial data, and is hosting a Transportation Pooled Funded Program study for further development of the software. Read the EDC-2 Final Report |
| 2015 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | The Minnesota DOT is a leader in alternative intersections and interchanges with 150 roundabouts, four mini-roundabouts, 10 restricted crossing U-turn intersections and six DDIs in design or built. MnDOT reports zero severe crashes at restricted crossing U-turn intersections and substantial reductions in right-angle crashes. Also, DDIs have improved operations at a lower cost than other interchange types. MnDOT constructed a mini-roundabout in three weeks and vastly improved operations compared to the previous all-way stop. Read the EDC-2 Final Report |
