Gravel Road Maintenance and Design (Online)
This course helps supervisory personnel and operators better understand the materials, techniques, and equipment needed for maintaining gravel roads. It will also review new techniques and ideas in gravel road maintenance. The course is made up of 10 lessons, each containing a narrated presentation, video clips, reading assignments, a quiz, time to reflect on what has been learned, and time to develop an action plan.
The course was designed to help students succeed. One way we accomplish this goal is by allowing students to take the quizzes and final test as many times as necessary until they understand the curriculum. Students may repeat the lesson or parts of the lesson and then test themselves again. Test questions change with each attempt.
Students who have already taken the classroom version of this workshop can test and refresh their knowledge, become familiar and comfortable with computer-based training, and earn an additional credit by taking the online training.
Course Lessons
- The properly shaped gravel road
- Distresses in gravel roads
- Drainage
- Adding gravel
- What is good gravel
- Turning a poor gravel road into a good one
- Shaping the roadway
- Dust control
- Equipment innovations
- Summary and conclusion
All reading assignments are available online within the course, so no additional books or materials need to be purchased.
Who Should Take This Course
Supervisors, operators, and township officials responsible for maintaining gravel roads and anyone interested in gravel road maintenance.
Registration
- Register
- Cost: Free!
- Please note: You will need to create an account in the University of Minnesota system to register. Please use your most used or accessible email and physical address when setting up your account.
Accessing the Course
This training is offered via the course management system Canvas. Upon completing your online registration, you will receive an e-mail confirmation. To access the course, please visit Canvas and login with your University of Minnesota internet ID and password. Once you have been enrolled, your course will appear on your Canvas dashboard.
If for any reason you do not have access to the course after enrolling, please contact Katherine Stanley at sell0146@umn.edu for assistance.
Technical Requirements
Because it's built using web standards, Canvas runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, or any other device with a modern web browser. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer work best for this course.
Credit
- Students will earn 1.0 Roads Scholar Program Maintenance Certificate credit and 1 Continuing Education Credit.
- To the best of our knowledge, this course meets the continuing education requirements for 12.5 PDHs as outlined in Minnesota Statute 326.107. More information concerning continuing education for professionals is online.
- Students who have previously taken the classroom version of the LTAP Gravel Road Maintenance and Design workshop may earn an additional credit by taking the online version.
Course Instruction
The curriculum is a collaboration of work from John Okeson and Rick West, former MnLTAP workshop instructors, and Ken Skorseth, our Gravel Road Maintenance: Meeting the Challenge DVD instructor. Online materials include curriculum from our in-person workshop, the DVD, and the FHWA Gravel Road Maintenance and Design Manual.
More Information
For more information or with questions about the course, please contact Katherine Stanley at sell0146@umn.edu or 612-626-1023.
Sponsors
This course is offered by the Minnesota Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) at the Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota. Minnesota LTAP is sponsored by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This course is subsidized through funding from LRRB and FHWA. Facilitated by the College of Continuing and Professional Studies, University of Minnesota.