1. MnROAD/NCAT Partnership
Safer, Smarter, Sustainable Pavements through Innovative Research
Jerry Geib
March 28, 2018

2. National Pavement Preservation Study
TPF-5(375)
National Pavement Preservation Study
3 years at $50k/year
Partnership is NOW a new pooled fund.
Auburn Univ (NCAT is a non profit arm of Auburn) is a subcontractor to MnDOT

3. Outline
MN weather
MnDOT site
Ride Data

4. 4% coldest population 4M Minnesotans 2.9M other Americans
8.8M Canadians
87M Russians
108M Chinese

5. Low Temperature Cracking
Development of SuperPave
Original MnROAD Test Sections (PG 64-22, PG 58-28)
1999 MnROAD Test Cells (PG 58-28, PG , PG 58-40)
HMA examples for polymer binders.
Pre Superpave, MnROAD thermal cracks were about every 25 feet. 500’ / 20 cracks = 25’ crack spacing.

6. Jan. 4, F in Embarras, MN
Weather facts are not Boasting or complaining. Just our story.
Our challenge, Design for loads, Design for the environment
(northern half of the state) Colder than 96% of the world’s population.
Statewide temps Jan. 4, F in Embarras, MN
Superpave -34 binders work!!
-34C = -29.2F
Duluth this winter 74 days below ZERO. A nice run of 23 consecutive days below zero.
XX days below zero in the winter of
The worst winter in the Twin Cities since
Note International Falls -41

7. Outline

8. MSU report for FHWA with LTPP data base
Drainable bases had a significant positive impact on pavement performance in Wet Freeze zone.
Sections in WF performed the worst vs other three climate regions.
Fhwa-hrt

12. National Pavement Preservation Study
Mille Lacs County
Rum River Bridge
RP 189.9
US-169
High Volume Road
4 mile section
Pease
CSAH 8
Low Volume Road
2.5 mile section
MnROAD
RP 185.3

13. Northern Low Traffic Preservation CSAH-8
High Traffic
Preservation
on US-169
Current experiment design of northern MnDOT sections
21 treatments on US 169
22 treatments on CSAH 8 13

14. National Pavement Preservation Study
Goals
National Study (Climatic zones)
Provide consistently collected data / analysis
Quantify the life extending benefits
Improve and/or extend the pavement life
Cost effectiveness
LIFE EXTENDING BENEFITS
THIS IS MY MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE STUDY
THIS IS WHY THE HARD WORK

15. PreTreatment Condition US-169 Northbound Lanes
Smoother than CSAH 8
Surface cracking

18. Cells 25, 26, and 27 were milled with a 7’ wide head.
Cell 25, first 115’ was about 1”+ deep. Filled this area with type III micro surfacing, CQH-1hP

19. PreTreatment Condition CSAH-8 East and Westbound Lanes
Very good tight HMA surface.
Transverse cupped cracks.

21. EXPLAIN RIDE NUMBERS
Single, double, triple.
With fibers.
With a rejuvenating emulsion.
Under microsurfacing.
Under Thinlay.

22. Nov 30, CHAS 8 cell 18

23. MICRO MILL AND THINLAY or CHIP SEAL or microsurface
16, 17, 18 were half lane wide micro mill head

24. Open Graded Friction Coarse“OGFC”
OGFC/PCC conventional tack OGFC/PCC ultrafuse tack
OGFC/HMA ultrafuse tack OGFC/HMA conventional tack
August 2016 – Hardrives Contractor 24

25. New
NEW LOGO

26. Thomas Harris McDonald Commissioner of Public Roads 1939 – 1953
“It was not our wealth that made our highways possible; rather it was our highways that made our wealth possible”,
Thomas Harris McDonald Commissioner of Public Roads 1939 – 1953
October 24, 2013

27. Thank You
Jerry Geib

29. ADT I US MN total % >2,000 - 866 4,314 5,180 43.6 2-5,000 1,084
2,059
3,143
26.4
5-10k
162
600
784
1,546
13.0
10-50k
521
693
571
1,785
15.0
50-100k
135
1.1
>100k 96
0.8
CENTERLINE MILES 11,885.
About 15% has <1,000 ADT

30. St. Louis CR 4 & 16
CR , 30% RAP. Cracked every 50’ during the 1st winter.
CR , 20% RAP. No cracking during the 1st winter.
Start of Projects.

31. 69% of State Highways contain an average crack spacing < 50’
THIS PHOTO Airport International Falls
Year paved 1979,sealed,saw cuts added 1983 this picture is 1988
temp ?
Crack spacing runway is about 1 mile long 150 ft wide original crack spacing was about 160 ft apart These saw cuts were put in to hopefully reduce movement at each crack but after about 5 years these saw cuts really opened up!
Other fun info 20 inches full depth on clay subgrade

32. Survive the environment
Minnesota’s Story
(about 20 years ago)
Design for the loads
(and Hope to)
Survive the environment
(thermal cracking)
Outline.
Design for the loads. Design for the environment. Doing much better at both. Thermal cracking is the challenge.
I will explain.
Hope wasn’t working. Polymer is working.

33. Design for the environment
Minnesota’s Story
(today)
Design for the loads
Design for the environment
Outline.
Design for the loads. Design for the environment. Doing much better at both. Thermal cracking is the challenge.

34. MINNESOTA ALABAMA
MN has I-35, I-90 and I-94 and the Twin Cities beltway.
AL has I-59, I-65, I-85, I-10, I-20, I-22, and bypasses

35. MINNESOTA ALABAMA Total area 12th 30th 86,935 sq. mi. 52,420
Population
22nd th
5,519, ,863,300
Lane miles
5th !! th
285, ,068
The FUN facts are about pavements. I am a strong left brainer. I like to put things into context.
If it wasn’t for all of the road construction, you could really get around in the summer.
Square miles is land and water. 87 counties.
Hennepin County ~ 1.2 million – Minneapolis. St Paul, our capitol is in Ramsey County 527, 000
19 counties with a population under 10, counties under 20,000 (44%) counties under 50,000 (78%).
4,055 Interstate line miles
14,339 roadway miles
Most Miles TX, CA, IL,KS, MN

36. MINNESOTA ALABAMA
DOT Lane miles
21th th
29, , Interstate lane miles
4, ,558

37. Remember the 49th parallel.
About 72% of Canadians live SOUTH of the 49 parallel.
Half live south of 45 42’ A few miles north of St. Cloud, MN miles N of the St. Cloud office.
OK not all Canadians who live South of Minnesotan’s are warmer, but most are ….

38. Auburn dew points 70-74F Very Humid, quite uncomfortable
75-80F Extremely uncomfortable, fairly oppressive
Over 80F Severely high, deadly for asthma
Summer of ~ 70+ dew points from June 15 – Sept 11.
MN 12 days total over 70+
Jan days below 0, Feb 12 days below 0