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OPERA Project Reports

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2008 OPERA project reports

View 2008 Local OPERA Program Annual Report (347 KB PDF)

Evaluation of Paving Fabrics for Isolation of Bituminous Cracking

Existing bituminous pavements require major seasonal maintenance for both thermal and distress crack repairs. Spun-glass paving fabric was used to preserve existing bituminous pavements by isolating the effects of heavy crack sealants and reflective cracking.
* View 2005-02 project report (5.3 MB PDF)

Low-Cost Base Stabilization

To stretch limited road funds, county officials turned to full-depth reclamation (FDR) to use the existing bituminous surface as additional base material. An insufficient amount of bituminous and base material, as well as limited road width for additional material, led to the use of a low-cost base stabilizer to strengthen the existing material.
* View 2006-01 project report (58 KB PDF)

Improvement of Water Quality in Storm Ponds

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency requires public road authorities and others to construct storm-water ponds as part of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Two windmills were installed on a berm adjacent to the pond in order to use wind energy at no cost and a direct drive compressor to provide the air flow and oxygen necessary to aerate the pond.
* View 2006-07 project report (4.0 MB PDF)

Seal Coating of a Gravel Road Hill

The grade and curves on the Muhle Coulee Hill create a problem for keeping the surface smooth, so a seal coating was applied to the top half mile of the hill. Gravel was applied and then graded, and hot oil and chips were put down and rolled to a smooth surface.
* View 2007-01 project report (2.9 MB PDF)

QuickView Storm Sewer Camera

The implementation of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit requires that owners of MS4 storm sewer systems inspect the systems for maintenance needs. The QuickView camera system allows a single person to view and examine the sewer system as well as record video and audio.
* View 2007-02 project report (1.9 MB PDF)

Road Material Recovery

A loss of gravel and crushed rock from road surfaces and shoulders required the installation of a wing-mount retriever on the township road grader, which created smoother transactions and a safer roadway.
* View 2007-03 project report (45 KB PDF)

Mini Paver

Longitudinal cracks along curb lines and centerline streams required crews to hand-patch certain areas in order to preserve the integrity of the bituminous surface. Using the Mini Paver more than doubles the amount of patching that can be completed in a day, and roads will remain in better condition longer.
* View 2007-04 project report (2.0 MB PDF)

Evaluation of Hot Beam Wiper Blades

Windshield wipers become coated with ice during snowplow operations, causing poor visibility out of the windshield. Hot Beam wiper blades were installed on the front of snowplow trucks to keep ice from forming.
* View 2007-09 project report (79 KB PDF)