Pavement Conference: from taconite to tire/pavement noise
Jim Grothaus of Minnesota LTAP
Tire/pavement noise is a growing issue around the country. Participants got an earful of the latest findings in this and many other pavement-related areas at the Ninth Annual Minnesota Pavement Conference, held February 17 in St. Paul.
The event was sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), Minnesota LTAP, and a number of other organizations, and facilitated by the University's College of Continuing Education.
More Pavement Conference coverage:
Three sides of pavement preservation
Pavement conference sessions on Mn/DOT's experience with chip seal,
an in-progress FHWA fog seal study, and an in-progress crack-sealing
study.
Pavement Conference Award
Wayne Fingalson, Wright County's highway engineer, is the recipient
of the 2005 Gerald R. Rohrbach Pavement Conference Award.
Pavement Research Institute launches Web site
Pavement noise—U.S. and European
recent developments
Larry Scofield of the Arizona DOT shared the findings of a scanning
tour to Europe that documented the continent's innovations in reducing
pavement noise.
Noise study
Mn/DOT participated in a pooled-fund noise study during fall 2004.
MnROAD partnerships
Dave Johnson, manager of Mn/DOT's Road Research Section, reviewed
accomplishments from the first 10 years of the MnROAD research
facility and outlined plans for the future.
Twenty-year warranty—TH 371
Tom Ravn of Mn/DOT's Office of Construction and Innovative Contracting
discussed warranties as a way to spur new technology and knowledge
development and achieve a higher performing road at a lower life-cycle
cost.
Use of warranties on highway construction
Ann Johnson of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University
of Minnesota presented highlights from a new LRRB manual titled Use
of Warranties in Highway Construction.
CPT investigations for roadway applications
Glenn Engstrom of Mn/DOT's Office of Materials made a "sales pitch" for
cone penetrometer testing.
Improved compaction
David White of Iowa State University reported on an investigation
of Caterpillar's new compaction technology.
Geofoam embankments
Geofoam, a rigid, low-density, cellular plastic-foam solid, can be molded in
any size and used for geotechnical applications.