Recognizing that every transportation research project has the potential to strengthen Iowa's infrastructure and save lives, time, and resources, the Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB) has announced a limited-time campaign to solicit innovative Ideas and technologies that explore longer-range advances in any aspect of highway transportation. 

Ideas must be "high-risk, high-reward" in nature or basic research that can be further developed to provide new fundamental and substantive advances in highway transportation. 

Examples of previous IHRB-funded projects that started as Innovative Project awards include Corn Based Deicers, Bio-based Polymers for Use in Asphalt, and Self-Cleaning Box Culverts. 

A limited number of proposals from this campaign will be invited to present at the IHRB meeting on December 14 for consideration. Each idea is eligible to receive a maximum award of $60,000. 

For more information, visit the Campaign Site and submit your idea by noon on November 1.

International Walk to School Month, held each year throughout the month of October, highlights the importance of safe and pedestrian-friendly communities all over the world.  

Improving safety and mobility for pedestrians – and all road users – are key to our mission at Iowa DOT Research. Recently we’ve invested in research to investigate how self-heating pavements can be installed at crosswalks and bus loading areas to melt ice and make walkways safer. In addition, our ongoing work with the Fostering Innovation in Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Pooled Fund Study has helped us develop and implement a variety of innovations that benefit non-motorists across the state. 

Learn more about Iowa DOT’s efforts to make our state more safe for pedestrians, and submit your research ideas to help us understand the transportation issues important to you. Our summer research cycle will be accepting ideas until October 31! 

Roads and bridges are top of mind when most people think about transportation. But at Iowa DOT Research we’re just as passionate about other modes of transportation and the opportunities for innovation each kind presents.  

Regardless of whether products are moved by air, rail, water or road, it’s our job to discover more efficient and cost-effective ways to get them to Iowans across the state. 

Two special weeks coming in September – National Truck Driver Appreciation Week from September 12-18, and Rail Safety Week from September 20-26 – provide the perfect opportunity to spotlight our work in freight.  

As part of the Innovations in Freight Data Workshop, Iowa DOT collaborates with other states and industry experts to gain cutting-edge insight on data collection and application. This knowledge helps us make critical safety and operational decisions affecting travelers and transporters every day.  

Iowa DOT is also an active member of the Mid-America Freight Coalition, an organization of experts working to improve the efficiency, reliability and safety of transport. In partnership with other midwestern states, we coordinate our planning, operations and infrastructure improvements to meet the growing freight demands. 

So whether the products you rely on are coming by plane, train, ship, or truck, know that Iowa DOT Research is working behind the scenes to help them arrive quickly and safely. 

Behind every Iowa DOT research innovation is a real human being dedicated to helping ideas become reality. Here you can learn more about the Iowa DOT Research staff members and what makes them tick.  
 
Name: Brian Moore, Secondary Road Research Engineer  
Number of years in this role: 3 

 

What do you do in the Research & Analytics Bureau?   

As the Secondary Road Research Engineer I work as the liaison between the Iowa Counties and the Iowa Highway Research Board.  I work with the Iowa Counties to develop research ideas that will help solve their everyday challenges.   

I develop these research projects for the Iowa Highway Research Board.  I work with researchers to do projects and then upon completion, take the results and assist the counties in implementing the results of the research. 
 

Have you always been drawn to research? What has your career path been like?   

I have spent my career in local county government as a County Engineer in Iowa.

I served 3 years in Ringgold and Decatur Counties and then 17 years in Wapello County before taking the Secondary Road Research Engineer position.   

As a county engineer you are always trying to do more with less to maintain your road system.  This includes trying new research ideas.  In Wapello County I heard of a new product in 2002 called Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC).   

I was drawn to its potential, which led us to building the 1st highway bridge in North America using UHPC in 2005.  Now UHPC is used worldwide and I am still involved to this day on different initiatives involving UHPC. 
 

What’s your favorite part of your work?  

My favorite part of my job is being involved from the beginning on the cutting-edge of technology and ideas. Helping to shape this new idea or technology and implement it at the county level to help all the counties in Iowa solve their problems.  
 

What initiative on the horizon do you think will make a big impact for the research bureau?   

I think the new research platform will engage our stakeholders better and will assist in getting more folks involved in the research process. 
 

What do you like to do in your time off?  

A little-known fact about me: for the past 16 years I have been a women's college basketball official, working games at all levels all over the Midwest. 

National Aviation Day, which takes place every year on August 19 in honor of Orville Wright’s birthday, celebrates the advancement of mechanical flight. 

Aviation has come a long way since the early flying machines; today, unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, represent the latest in aviation technology. At Iowa DOT Research, we’re exploring how we can use UAS technology to improve safety and mobility for the people of Iowa. 

One of our current research projects explores how routine environmental assessments could be conducted using drones outfitted with special cameras and other equipment. These assessments, which evaluate the impact of potential construction on a natural area, are typically done manually and require significant time in the field. By using UAS to scan the area from the air, the job could be done faster with less cost. 

It’s likely beyond what the Wright Brothers had dreamed, but thanks to National Aviation Day we have an annual reminder of where we started and how far we’ve come.  

Since our summer research cycle opened on July 1, Iowa DOT has received submissions addressing a range of transportation issues, from advanced imaging technologies that could make roadways safer (pictured) to strategies for engaging the next generation of transportation professionals.   
 
You can read more about all of the recently submitted ideas on Iowa DOT’s Research Ideas website.   
 
Help these ideas achieve their full potential by sharing your feedback. Your input can make the submissions better and improve their chances of being selected for further development.  
 
Share your insight or submit your own idea for consideration in the summer cycle by October 31, 2021. 

In the months since the fall research cycle closed on March 1, Iowa DOT Research and a variety of practitioner and industry experts have been hard at work evaluating each submitted idea, whittling the list of submissions down from dozens to just those few that offer the most promising solutions and greatest impact for Iowans across the state.  

Next, Iowa DOT determines which program and source of funding would best apply to each project: the Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB) provides money for research that benefits Iowa’s cities and counties; State Planning & Research (SPR) funds are the core federal program to support research; and federal State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) funding helps state transportation agencies advance their transportation-related innovation initiatives. 

Each of these three programs then identifies their top choices to receive funding.  

At its June 4 meeting, the 15-member IHRB selected four ideas to advance to the next stage in Iowa’s research development process. (SPR and STIC funds are considered by their own, separate committees.) IHRB chose these four research ideas:
 

• Fly Ash Quality and Alternative Materials. Fly ash is a by-product of burning coal, which can be added to concrete to make it stronger and more durable. But as power plants transition from coal to more renewable energy sources, demand for fly ash exceeds supply. This project would investigate possible fly ash alternatives.
   
• Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) to Repair Steel Bridge Girder Ends. Instead of cutting and removing parts of a steel bridge that are deteriorating, federal research has shown these costly repairs can be avoided by encasing the damaged areas in this highly durable concrete. Whether or not this a viable option for bridges in Iowa has not yet been well studied. 
   
• Effect of Vibration on Concrete Mixtures. Vibration is an important part of mixing concrete, as it helps to release air bubbles that could otherwise weaken the final structure. The proposed research would conduct a variety of tests to give practitioners a better understanding of how vibration affects different mixtures and how much is too much.
   
• Helical Pile Foundation Implementation for Bridge Structure. Helical piles are often used to stabilize foundations for commercial construction, but they have not been frequently applied to bridges. This research would examine the feasibility and develop specifications for use in bridge designs.

While these ideas have already come a long way since they were submitted, they still have a way to go before they become funded research projects. Each idea will need its own Project Champion and Project Development Group to provide guidance and help develop its scope. Then, a preliminary review of published research will show what advancements have already been made in these areas. For ideas that are still viable after all that, Requests for Proposals (RFPs) will be written and extended. 

Click here to be notified when new RFPs are posted. 

Have a research idea but haven’t had a chance to get in on the idea submission process? The summer cycle opened on July 1! 

Summer is in full swing, and your idea could become the hottest thing in transportation research! Submit it now to be considered during Iowa DOT’s summer research cycle, which opened today, July 1.

Submitting an idea at the start of the new research cycle means it will have the most time in the discussion and evaluation phase and a better chance at becoming a reality. 

Ideas become better with more feedback and engagement, which in turn makes them more likely to be selected for further development.   

You don’t even need a submission of your own to help out! Vote or add your comments to help others improve their ideas. Feedback for the summer cycle will remain open until November 25, 2021.   

Check out our annual research calendar to see how the whole process works throughout the year, and our Ideas site to learn more and get involved!

Iowa DOT is committed to advancing transportation research, but it can’t do it alone

Since 2003, Iowa DOT has partnered with the University of Iowa for help in achieving its research goals.  

Specializing in a variety of transportation issues such as hydraulics, public health, virtual reality and advanced computing, connected and autonomous vehicles, and driver behavior, the University of Iowa has provided research assistance and technical support on more than 40 Iowa DOT research projects. Some of these include: 

• Development of Self-Cleaning Culverts, led by principal investigator Marian Muste. 
• Traumahawk: Improving Treatment for Crash Victims Using Photos and a Smartphone App, led by Daniel McGehee.
• Passenger Restriction Waiver Impact on Young Driver Crash Rates, led by Michelle L. Reyes.

With each collaboration, Iowa DOT gains insight into the cutting-edge innovations and strategies that can be implemented to enhance the safety and mobility of Iowa’s traveling public.  

Thanks to its relationship with the University of Iowa – as well as other university researchers, technical authorities and other industry professionals – Iowa DOT Research has earned a reputation around the world as a leader in transportation research.

Iowa’s research into the viability of using corn-based deicers—an alternative to traditional chloride- and acetate-based solutions—to keep snow and ice from the state’s roadways has earned accolades from peer states in the Midwest and national recognition. 

Each year, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) honors the best transportation research projects from each of its four regions with a prestigious AASHTO “Sweet 16” award.  

This year, Iowa’s research into the environmental benefits of using agro-based deicing blends was deemed to be innovative and worthy of this award by the agency’s eight peers in AASHTO Region 3: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.  

Iowa is no stranger to the Sweet 16 award, having earned 7 of these awards since 2013, including one just last year for its Remote Controlled Hydrographic Survey System, a boat with data collection equipment that engineers can control remotely to quickly and safely survey Iowa bridges.

AASHTO’s Research Advisory Committee will recognize all 2021 winners during its summer meeting in July. Winners will also participate in a poster session dedicated to high-value research projects at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, DC in January 2022.

Every Iowa DOT research project relies on a team of individuals to represent different perspectives and priorities during every stage of development. 

While every team is different, there are four key roles on every project’s team that help take the research from idea to final completion. These are: 

The Project Champion who assembles the stakeholders and subject matter experts, and who will provide valuable input as the project’s scope and goals are developed. 

Members of the Project Development Group who determine the purpose and objectives of the project at the outset, and who evaluate the project’s final results to ensure success. 

The Technical Advisory Committee which consists of experts and representatives from the federal and municipal governments to lend support and assistance as needed. 

The Research Liaison who provides administrative and oversight support throughout the project. 

When your expertise is needed, we hope you’ll jump at the chance to contribute to transportation research in our state.

Behind every Iowa DOT research innovation is a real human being dedicated to helping ideas become reality. Here you can learn more about the Iowa DOT Research staff members and what makes them tick. 

Name: Tammy Bailey, Research Administrative Assistant 
Number of years in this role: 7 
 
What do you do in the Research & Analytics Bureau?  
I provide support for the Research & Analytics Bureau, Process invoices for all Research Contracts, Coordinate all travel arrangements including airline tickets, hotel reservations, conference registration and ground transportation.  Prepare agendas, minutes and other items for the Iowa Highway Research Board. 
 
Have you always been drawn to research? What has your career path been like?  
I have worked with the State of Iowa for 34 years. I started with Iowa Beer & Liquor, I went to Iowa DOT in the accident department, then transferred to the Iowa Department of Human services with Foster Care recovery, then went back to the Iowa DOT with the Ames Drivers License Station and ended up in the Iowa DOT Research Department. 
 
What’s your favorite part of your work? 
The Research Team is one of the Best teams I have worked with, they are so knowledgeable and have explained and taught me so much about the process. Research is changing all the time so nothing is the same; there are always new and interesting projects.

What initiative on the horizon do you think will make a big impact for the research bureau?  
The Research team is always coming up with amazing tools to create new communication, like the new website, ideas.iowadot.gov. 

What do you like to do in your time off? 
I spend a lot of time with my family, I love camping, Hallmark movies, having sleepovers with my grandbabies, crafts, and I love to take short adventure trips.

In and around work zones, drivers are asked to alter their behavior – by slowing down, changing lanes, or taking other precautionary steps to keep everyone safe.  

To promote awareness of the life-saving measures drivers should take and to increase safety for all road users, the Federal Highway Administration established National Work Zone Awareness Week, which will take place this year from April 26-30. 

While this special week helps highlight the seriousness of work zone safety, for Iowa DOT it’s an issue that’s top of mind every day. 

Over the years, dozens of people have been killed in work zones along Iowa’s roadways. To improve these statistics, Iowa DOT, along with the state departments of transportation in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, started a pooled fund in 1999 to share the costs of research specifically focused on making work zones safer. 

Now, after more than 20 years and 100 research projects, the pooled fund has drawn additional support from other state DOTs while Iowa DOT remains at the helm.  

Recently, the group developed the Smart Work Zone Activity app, which gives real-time updates for construction work zones. Thanks to this app, Iowans have more timely and accurate work zone information to make better-informed decisions regarding their travel and safety. 

Learn more about Iowa’s commitment to work zone safety.

Earth Day, which takes place annually on April 22, reminds us to evaluate our collective impact on the environment and to consider the steps we can take to reduce our footprint.  

Here at Iowa DOT Research, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to protect our natural resources.

One of the things we can do is protect our watersheds. Culverts, like the one pictured here, are designed to help water flow beneath a road, railroad, or other type of structure. When a culvert is situated in an erosion-prone location, sediment can wash in and quickly build up – disrupting the flow and causing damage upstream. 

Culvert monitoring and maintenance is an important part of Iowa DOT’s work, but it’s not the only solution. 

Dedicated to keeping our waterways clean, Iowa DOT went back to basics in 2009 to reassess every aspect of traditional culverts in an effort to find room for improvement. This work, which involved testing a variety of culvert formations over several years, culminated in an all-new culvert design that restricts sediment from entering and virtually eliminates the need for cleaning. The efforts also resulted in a prestigious national award in 2016. 

To build on these achievements, Iowa DOT has partnered with three other state departments of transportation – Mississippi, New Mexico, and Utah – to address these ongoing challenges related to culverts. By sharing the costs of research, participating states can explore alternative culvert designs and other mitigation strategies for far less than each would spend on its own.  

Learn more about Iowa DOT’s other environmental efforts, including reducing erosion at construction sites and creative recycling solutions.

Every year, World Meteorological Day falls on March 23 – a day spotlighting the link between our atmosphere and its impact on our daily life.  

But for Iowa DOT, focusing on weather is more than a one-day event – weather affects the work we do throughout the year.  

As lead state of the Aurora pooled fund study, Iowa is instrumental in developing high-tech Road Weather Information Systems, or RWIS, that sense and anticipate potential hazards – such as foggy, icy, or flooded roads – and convey that information to maintenance crews and travelers in real time.  

This important work is funded by 18 state departments of transportation and other public and private-sector interests around the world. As a result, Iowa DOT gets major research findings and state-of-the-art solutions for far less than it would by funding studies on its own.  

To see Iowa DOT Research’s RWIS technology in action, check out our Weatherview app and see how weather is affecting roads in your area!

Iowa’s Statewide Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) is currently soliciting ideas for innovations and technologies eligible for STIC Incentive Funds. Projects eligible for STIC funding under this current solicitation include, but are not limited to, projects that advance the implementation of Every Day Counts (EDC) Innovations. For information on ideas eligible for STIC funds and a link to the current EDC Innovations eligible for funding, please visit https://ideas.iowadot.gov/subdomain/stic-incentive-funds/end/ideas?qmzn=...

STIC Incentive Funds are available up to $125,000 per federal fiscal year for awards. 

The Iowa Highway Research Board will rank STIC ideas in April. Selected ideas will be submitted to FHWA for funding consideration. The STIC will work with DOT offices and Local Public Agencies to fully develop the selected project into an application to be submitted to FHWA for funding.

For additional information, please visit FHWA's STIC Incentive Program Guidelines.

For additional information on Every Day Counts 6, please visit FHWA's EDC-6 Website.

It feels like spring at Iowa DOT Research! This new season is nearly here, bringing an exciting time of growth and change. March 1 marks the start of our new research cycle as well! 

You may have the next great transportation-related idea; submit it now to give it the best chance to grow into a fully developed proposal!  
 
Submitting an idea at the start of the new research cycle means it will have the most time in the discussion and evaluation phase – a critical step toward helping it succeed. 
 
With more feedback and engagement, ideas become better, making them more likely to be selected for further development.  
 
Don’t have a submission of your own? No problem! You can help others improve their ideas by voting or adding your comments. Feedback for the spring cycle will remain open until July 25, 2021.  

Our annual research calendar shows how the whole process works throughout the year, and our Ideas site is the place to learn more and get involved. Check it out and see what ideas are growing at Iowa DOT Research!

Traditional chloride- and acetate-based deicers are widely used in maintenance operations to clear snow and ice from roadways.  

These deicers are cost-effective, but they can damage concrete and steel and have adverse effects on soil and aquatic ecosystems. 

While not yet widely available, agro-based deicers formulated using corn extracts offer a potential deicing solution that is effective for snow and ice removal and less harmful to infrastructure and the environment.  

Researchers tested a series of corn-based deicer blends to find the combinations that exhibited enhanced freezing-point depression, minimized corrosion, and melted ice at low temperatures. 

The top-performing deicers used different mixes of salt brine and three different types of corn-derived alcohols. 

While cost and logistics issues must be explored further, this research demonstrates that corn-based deicers, in terms of performance, may be viable for road maintenance use. 

Learn more about this project in Iowa DOT’s new research brief and the investigators’ technical brief and final report. 

Behind every Iowa DOT research innovation is a real human being dedicated to helping ideas become reality. Here you can learn more about the Iowa DOT Research staff members and what makes them tick. 

Name: Peggi Knight, Director of Research & Analytics Bureau
Number of years in this role: 8 

What do you do in the Research & Analytics Bureau? 
Iowa DOT’s Research and Analytics Sections each operate independently without a lot of overlap in their daily work. With 13 staff members, my role as director is to break down barriers and provide whatever is needed to make sure things keep rolling.  

Have you always been drawn to research? What has your career path been like? 

I hold a bachelor’s degree in survey engineering and a master’s in civil engineering, both from Iowa State University. 

I started at Iowa DOT in 1988 as a transportation engineer; my first job was implementing GIS technology within the DOT. From there I became a manager in what is today called the Analytics Section, working with transportation data.

I then became Director of the Office of Public Transit, then Director of Transportation Data. I’ve been Director of the Research & Analytics Bureau since it was formed eight years ago.

What’s your favorite part of your work? 
I enjoy helping people continuously improve their work so that they can enjoy their job even more. I like to help my staff identify a vision for where they’d like to see their work transformed in the future, and then work with them to develop a plan to get there. 

What initiative on the horizon do you think will make a big impact for the Research & Analytics Bureau? 
Our new Ideas website provides the potential to have everything in one place – which will allow us to track and manage projects and develop performance measures. It’s great because when everything is all in one place you can follow the project’s progress and see how it’s meeting its goals. 

What do you like to do in your time off? 
I enjoy reading and spending time with my husband and two adult children, one of whom plays soccer for Grand View University and the other is a chemical engineer and lives in Texas.

Since early 2019, Iowa DOT has led a research-focused committee made up of state departments of transportation (DOTs) from around the Midwest. 

The nine states—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin—represent Region 3 of the Research Advisory Committee (RAC), just one of many committees within the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Under Iowa’s leadership, the committee has identified previously unexplored opportunities for collaboration, including Region 3 peer exchanges and an innovative regional technology transfer program designed to help DOTs share research successes and avoid duplication.

Learn more about Iowa DOT’s involvement with RAC Region 3.