TERRA Web site to share MnROAD research
The Transportation Engineering and Road Research Alliance (TERRA) has launched a Web site, www.terraroadalliance.org, featuring information on the organization and its activities.
TERRA was established in 2004 as a new governance structure for MnROAD, Minnesota’s large-scale pavement research facility. The success of MnROAD as a research tool during its first decade of operation, along with a need for sustained funding, prompted Mn/DOT to create the TERRA partnership-based research model for future operations.
MnROAD, with its combination of mainline freeway sections and dedicated low-volume test roadway, enables researchers to carry out long-term evaluations of pavement materials and designs under real-world conditions. The Web site will play a key role in communicating the results of research at MnROAD to a broad audience of pavement stakeholders. As new research results and projects are generated, they will appear on the site. TERRA is also developing an electronic newsletter to highlight developments in pavement research.
The Web site is also a good place to learn more about partnering with TERRA. The alliance is actively seeking to expand its research activities through partnerships with pavement stakeholders in both the public and the private sectors.
The newest addition to TERRA is the Michigan Department of Transportation, which joins a number of regional partners including Mn/DOT, the Minnesota Local Road Research Board , pavement industry associations, and Iowa State University’s Center for Transportation Research and Education. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is also a member.