MnDOT's MnROAD Research Facility Partnership with National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT)
The Minnesota Department of Transportation's Road Research facility, MnROAD, has partnered with the National Center for Asphalt Technologies (NCAT) to advance pavement engineering focusing on two important national issues that impact each agency. Two research efforts were started in the fall of 2015, which include:
- National Pavement Preservation research effort to determine the life-extending benefit curves of a number of different pavement preservation techniques constructed in both Alabama and Minnesota.
- Development and implementation of asphalt performance tests to predict cracking for common distress found in North America. Both MnROAD and NCAT constructed test sections to support this effort in 2015 and 2016.
Sharing resources and expertise will improve coordination of experiments and expand evaluation of pavement performance in both northern and southern climates, providing cost-effective solutions that can be implemented nationwide. Currently a total of 17 states are sponsoring these projects; there are seven committed northern states including Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin. The Foundation for Pavement Preservation and the National Center for Pavement Preservation are also active members.
