Minnesota Department of Transportation

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MnROAD

Collaborations and Partnerships

Collaboration & partnerships

MnROAD can help you with your research project

MnROAD, owned and operated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, is funded through a combination of industry, local, state, federal and international sources. Additionally, many other states participate in pooled studies. Collaborating on research is critical to the ongoing success of MnROAD. It is necessary from a funding perspective, but also ensures that we are addressing the most important issues. There are many ways to become involved in MnROAD:

If you would like more information about partnering with MnROAD, contact Ben Worel at 651-358-1328.

Pavement research partnerships

Local Road Research Board (LRRB)

MnROAD receives annual operating support to support Minnesota’s county and city pavement research needs and is the primary reason the low volume road was built. The facility and road research staff support both the research funded by LRRB and implementation from its research implantation committee.

National Road Research Alliance (NRRA)

The Minnesota Department of Transportation started and administrates a federal pooled fund with agencies from 9 other states and nearly 50 associate members called the National Road Research Alliance. The MnROAD facility acts as a primary real-world laboratory for much of their research, helping inform best practices in the areas of asphalt, concrete, geotechnical, and preventive maintenance.

National Center for Asphalt Technologies (NCAT)

MnROAD is working closely with the National Center for Asphalt Technologies in Auburn, Alabama. The two agencies coordinate experiments and combine resources to provide cost-effective solutions for pavement performance in both northern and southern climates utilizing both test tracks and knowledgeable staff. This partnership is funded by individual pooled fund studies, formal partnerships, and research contracting.

  • National Pavement Preservation Research effort to determine the life-extending benefit curves of a number of different pavement preservation techniques constructed in both Alabama (2012 & 2015) and Minnesota (2016 & 2019) and now being implemented in participating states through this national pooled fund effort that now includes the National Center for Pavement Preservation in this third phase.
  • Development and implementation of asphalt performance tests to predict cracking for common distress found in North America. Both MnROAD (2016) and NCAT (2015) constructed test sections to support this national pooled fund effort.
  • Asphalt Additive Pooled Fund to investigate the benefits of rubber, plastics, and fibers in hot mix asphalt. Test sections were constructed at both at NCAT (2021) and MnROAD (2022) to support this national pooled fund. MnROAD activities are supported with a research partnership with NCAT.

National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP)

MnROAD is working closely with the National Center for Pavement Preservation located at Michigan State University, along with their four regional pavement preservation partnerships to support the following effort. National Pavement Preservation Research phase 3 is supported by both NCPP along with NCAT on this national pooled fund effort.

Non-Pavement research partnerships

The MnROAD facility also offers a prime location for doing a number of other non-pavement related research with its interstate mainline and closed loop low volume road. Please contact us if you have ideas for the MnROAD facility. Here are a few examples.

  • Vehicle testing
  • Roadsides (water flow and vegetation)
  • Paint marking

Minnesota DNR

The DNR conducts their own studies of environmental conditions around MnROAD for safe and easy access.

MnDOT's Connected and Automated Vehicles Office

The Office of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV-X) is a partner to coordinate industry contacts in testing CAVs on secure roads in winter weather conditions. Minnesota offers the use of MnROAD to the CAV industry for all-weather testing and to research pavement impacts and mitigations associated with use of CAV technology.

Operators interested in testing Autonomous or Connected Vehicle technology should contact the CAV-X Office.

What MnROAD can offer for connected and autonomous vehicle testing

We have already partnered with a number of organizations around the country to do testing at MnROAD: 3M, EasyMile, First Transit, Honeywell, Kratos, Plus.AI, and University of Minnesota.

  • Extreme weather
  • Public & private testing
  • Conference meeting space