Held every year in January, the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) is always a major event in the transportation research community, routinely attracting thousands of scientists, researchers, and other professionals from across the country and around the globe. 

This year’s event, like so many others recently, will be held virtually. And while the business meetings and technical programs that comprise TRB’s 2021 Annual Meeting may be conducted a bit differently as a result, the ability to attend without traveling and incurring related expenses will mean an increase in the number of participating agencies and volume of shared expertise. 

Iowa DOT is a frequent participant and presenter at TRB’s annual meetings, contributing to the event’s valuable information exchange. Thirty-seven Iowa DOT staff members currently serve on 75 TRB committees, meaning Iowa holds a pivotal role in the national transportation scene. 

This year will be no exception, as Iowa DOT staff will lead presentations on innovative bridge design and construction projects and winter maintenance technologies, in addition to participating in several panels discussions and conducting committee work.

Involvement in transportation research at the national level helps Iowa stay abreast of cutting-edge developments and ensures our state has a voice in national transportation discussions.  

Iowa DOT staff who don’t typically attend the TRB Annual Meeting are encouraged to take advantage of this year’s unique online format. There is no charge for Iowa DOT employees to attend the TRB annual meeting, which runs throughout January, but advanced registration is required. 

Learn more about how Iowa will contribute to the 2021 TRB meeting later this month and how Iowa works with TRB.

Iowa DOT has partnered for decades with the national Transportation Research Board (TRB), a nonprofit and nonpartisan group dedicated to advancing transportation research.  

Working together provides a variety of mutual benefits: As a leader in transportation research, Iowa DOT shares its research results with other professionals around the country and helps shape transportation research at the national level.

In exchange, Iowa DOT can access TRB’s deep well of shared knowledge and apply it to projects and programs at home in Iowa. 

Learn more about Iowa DOT’s partnership with TRB.

Since our fall research cycle opened on November 1, Iowa DOT has received 8 exciting new ideas (and counting)! 

These submissions offer innovative approaches and potential solutions to a variety of challenges related to all aspects of transportation in our state: design, construction, materials, operations, maintenance, safety, the environment, and more.

You can read more about all of the recently submitted ideas on Iowa DOT’s new Research Ideas website.  

Then, share your feedback to help these ideas become even better and to improve their chances of being selected for further development. 

And if you’re inspired, submit your own idea by February 28, 2021 to have it considered as part of the fall 2020 cycle.

2020 was a busy year for us at Iowa DOT Research, and we’re proud to share highlights of our efforts in the new FY2020 Research At-A-Glance report. 

We worked on more than 200 transportation research projects throughout the year, reflecting our four key priorities: safety, mobility, sustainability, and technology. 

These projects provided us with a wealth of new information on a variety of topics. For example, we now have a better understanding of the relationship between travel speed and fatality rates, which will help us determine whether speed limits can be safely increased. We’re also developing a cutting-edge pavement formula that will improve our energy efficiency by using recycled tires instead of new materials. 

The At-A-Glance also outlines our process for gathering research ideas and developing our program through our new Research Ideas website and highlights our outreach and partnership efforts. 

Among other noteworthy statistics, the “By the Numbers” pages of the report show that we received 75 new ideas for research projects and that more than two-thirds of these have already moved on to the development stage! 

Interested in learning more about what Iowa DOT Research did in 2020, how we did it, and what’s next? Check out the full 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: Cheryl Cowie, Research Program Planner. 
Number of years in this role: 5 

What do you do in the Research & Analytics Bureau? 
As some of my co-workers are jokingly fond of saying…. If it has dollar signs attached to it, then if falls under my purview. 

I track and provide accounting for State and Federal Funding earmarked for research projects. This includes analysis of program budget information, and planning to ensure that funding is available for projects pursued by the department as well as administering federal funding transfers in and out of Iowa. 

I initialize projects, track and update commitments, and contributions from partner states within the Federal Financial Management Information System. 

I facilitate approval and payment of expenditures for the projects. When I’m not “following the money,” I publish newly contracted projects to the “Research in Progress” and Project Final Reports on the Transportation Research Board’s Website and submit Final Reports to the State Library of Iowa for publication.  
 
Have you always been drawn to research? What has your career path been like? 

I initially started my career with the State working for the Department of Human Services, in their Child Support Recovery Unit. For two years I worked with the Attorney General’s office assisting in establishing paternity, and securing child support orders. 

I switched direction in 2003 and began working for the Department of Transportation as a Geographic Information Specialist. After 15 years in GIS, a position in the Research Bureau opened up. I was approached and accepted the offer to fill the position and hope to stay until I retire.    
 
What’s your favorite part of your work? 

I think my favorite part of my work is the Research team itself. I’ve enjoyed every minute of working with the engineers and support staff.  
 
What do you like to do in your time off? 

My time off is filled with various crafts and spending quality time with my five children and 10 grandchildren. 

I’m looking forward to retirement so I can devote more time to being with them. I recently purchased my first teardrop camper and have been enjoying my first full season of camping trips and learning all the ins and outs of setting up--and tearing down--my campsite. 

I’ve been lucky in that my best friend, and her husband, are avid RVers and have helped me with any learning curves I’ve run into (such as learning how to back up a travel trailer). 

This year I’ve camped fairly close to home, but I'm hoping next year to become brave enough to travel out of state to visit family and perhaps camp closer to the ocean.

It’s an exciting time at Iowa DOT Research as we gear up for the fall research cycle, beginning November 1!

If you have a great transportation-related idea, early in the new cycle is always the best time to submit for maximum exposure. 

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 for helping it succeed.

The more feedback and engagement an idea receives, the better chance it has to be selected for further development. 

Even if you don’t have a submission of your own, you can help others improve their ideas by voting or adding your comments. Feedback for this fall cycle will remain open until March 25, 2021. With three research cycles throughout the year, ideas are always in progress at Iowa DOT research.

Check out the annual research calendar to see the process, and mark your calendar for November 1 to see what’s new or submit your own idea! 

The federal State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) Incentive program rewards states for creative thinking.

With awards of up to $100,000 each year, states can use STIC Incentive funds to explore new and innovative ideas to address transportation-related challenges.

Since 2014, Iowa has used more than $600,000 of this funding to identify and develop technologies, processes, and materials that might otherwise be out of reach using state taxpayer dollars alone.

From expanding the use of virtual reality techniques in public outreach to implementing new tools that help engineers understand what environmental obstacles exist underground, STIC funds bring innovations to Iowans across the state.

Learn more about Iowa’s STIC and its STIC projects.

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: Khyle Clute, SPR Research Engineer, Research & Analytics Bureau. 
Number of years in this role: 3 

What do you do in the Research & Analytics Bureau? 

I manage the research portion of the federally funded State Planning and Research program.  

This involves research idea development, contract and finance coordination, project oversight and closeout, and implementation and promotion of results in Iowa and around the nation. 

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

My draw to research started in college while pursuing seemingly disjointed degrees in Psychology and Civil Engineering. I was drawn to the apparent disagreement between drivers’ perceptions of their abilities versus actual behavior and resulting crashes. 

I was able to explore this during my six-month co-op experience with Iowa DOT’s Traffic and Safety Bureau beginning in July 2006. My interest and involvement in crash data analysis led to a 21-month shared research student position between Iowa DOT and Iowa State University’s Institute for Transportation. 

In the fall of 2008, I was able to take advantage of Iowa DOT’s Transportation Engineer Associate program, which allowed for students in their last year of study to accept a full-time position pending graduation and certification requirements.  

I was offered a position in the Methods Section of the Design Bureau, where I focused on work zones, pavement markings and supporting design decisions based on crash analysis and research. After becoming a licensed Civil Engineer, this expanded to include roadside design, safety hardware and inclusion in some of the initial asset management and in-service performance evaluation efforts for Iowa DOT. 

The transition to my current position as the SPR Research Engineer began in fall of 2017 when I accepted a position back at the Institute of Transportation to fulfill an in-house consulting opportunity for Iowa DOT’s Research and Analytics Bureau.  

Early this year, I followed the position to the Iowa County Engineers Association Service Bureau where I remain as the SPR Research Engineer.

What’s your favorite part of your work? 

I really enjoy developing the foundation of an idea into a project and trying to locate or determine the need to gather supporting data to serve as the basis of existing conditions and forming it in such a way that as we capture data during the project, we’re able to make the needed connections.  

Doing so allows us to determine what is actually taking place during the study such that we’re able to appropriately associate successful outcomes and shape operational changes accordingly. Being able to share these outcomes with other partners in Iowa and around the country is a wonderful payoff. 

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

As an increasing number of vehicles on the road become equipped with smart technology, we are going to enter a data expansion like we’ve never seen in the transportation industry. The trick will be forming the relationships between the departments of transportation and the vehicle users and manufacturers that enable for two-way communication that benefit both parties.  

The DOTs stand to gain real-time data gathering of the roadway network, traffic conflicts and maintenance needs. Vehicle users stand to gain advanced notice of potential traffic issues, route optimization opportunities and roadway crash history and lane departure warnings.  

Harnessing this data will be a massive undertaking but the benefits could transform the DOT-user relationship in a way that hasn’t been seen before. 

What do you like to do in your time off? 

As the father of two boys that are always on the go, there are always video games to be played, bikes to be ridden and make-believe monsters to be captured.

Iowa DOT relies on applied research to solve the state’s most pressing problems and to identify, test, and pilot new products and process improvements. 

But with so many transportation-related avenues of inquiry, it is difficult and cost-prohibitive to explore every possibility.  

Pooled funds offer a smart solution: By working with other state departments of transportation (DOTs) interested in doing the same research, Iowa DOT can share the cost of a project—sometimes in the hundreds of thousands of dollars—without sacrificing any quality. 

Every participating agency can achieve the same results at a fraction of the cost and influence the direction and scope of the research. 

This means Iowa DOT is able to invest in more projects per year, getting significantly more value and insight from its research budget. 

Iowa DOT serves as lead agency for more pooled funds than any other state DOT in the nation, positioning Iowa as a nationally recognized leader in transportation-related research and bringing new and exciting innovations to Iowans in every part of the state. 

Learn more about Iowa DOT’s pooled funds.

Iowa DOT’s role as a world leader in advancing transportation research is possible thanks to its many partnerships with a variety of experts.

These relationships—with university researchers, technical authorities, industry professionals and others—have been key in helping the Iowa DOT drive improvements to transportation systems across the globe. 

One partnership stands apart for its longevity and success: For the past 24 years the Iowa DOT has collaborated with the Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University, or InTrans, for research assistance, technical support, asset management and more. 

With an annual average of 160 active research projects for Iowa DOT, highlights include:
 

• Design and Performance Verification of a Bridge Column/Footing/Pile System for Accelerated Bridge Construction, led by InTrans principal investigator Sri Sritharan.
   
• Development of Granular Roads Asset Management System, led by Bora Cetin.
   
• Iowa DOT Office of Maintenance Snowplow Optimization, led by Jing Dong. 

InTrans’ commitment to improving transportation efficiency, safety and reliability makes for an ideal partner.

And with laboratories and testing facilities dedicated to pioneering research in methods, materials and technologies, InTrans is well positioned to help the Iowa DOT accomplish its own similar goals for the future.

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: Vanessa Goetz, State Research Program Manager – Iowa Highway Research Board
Number of years in this role: 9 

What do you do in the Research & Analytics Bureau? 

I manage Iowa's state-funded research programs. I also serve as the executive secretary to the Iowa Highway Research Board, which has a long history of delivering solutions to Iowa’s transportation research needs.

In addition, I am the point of contact for the bureau for the Federal Highway Administration’s innovation programs, including the State Transportation Innovation Council, Accelerated Innovation Development (AID) Demonstration, and Every Day Counts. 

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

Yes, I have been involved in research in various ways since college.

Unlike most of my colleagues who are civil engineers, I’m actually an industrial engineer.

Among my jobs before I came to Iowa DOT was working in a private R&D lab researching cat litter.

Another job was assisting research on improvements for K-12 curriculums through the College of Education at Iowa State University.

I started with Iowa DOT in 2003, in what was then the Office of Materials, working with manufacturers of epoxy-coated reinforcements.

When I moved to research, I became the secondary road research engineer and served as the liaison between Iowa’s 99 counties and the research program. I was later promoted to my current position. 

What’s your favorite part of your work? 

The best part is that it’s never the same—no two projects are ever alike.

There are always new challenges that need innovative solutions to meet the needs of Iowa’s transportation and the public. 

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

Our new website, ideas.iowadot.gov. It will bring more transparency to our program since people will be better able to see where new ideas are in our development timeline.

It will also serve as a new communication tool to help us work better with our stakeholders and partners.

Now, instead of needing multiple spreadsheets and platforms to track a project, the entire process—from idea to active and closed project—will be housed in one place. 

What do you like to do in your time off? 

I like to go camping, travel and spend time with family.

I also really like personal construction projects—it seems we’re remodeling, rebuilding or tinkering with something on our property, and usually doing the work ourselves.

Thanks to a $1 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Iowa DOT is implementing new construction methods to partner with county road departments across the state to replace aging infrastructure.

The funds come from FHWA’s Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration program, which helps states improve safety and efficiency of roads and bridges using cutting-edge materials, techniques, and technology.

Iowa DOT qualified for the AID grant with its plan to use "bridge bundling," ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) as a joint material and the use of pre-fabricated box beam components and other efficiencies to save time and money.

Another goal of the project is for local public agencies to become familiar with UHPC and its many benefits. 

Working closely with several Iowa counties, Iowa DOT first evaluated county bridges of similar size and condition across the state.

The agency had previously developed design standards for box beams (pictured) using funding from the Iowa Highway Research Board and input of more than 50 county and industry experts. 

A group of Iowa DOT and county stakeholders identified 14 Iowa bridges across the state eligible for this project.

The project includes using a materials contract with added options bidding to bundle the new box beams and the UHPC materials to maximize the number of possible bridges built with the grant funds.

Eight of the 14 bridges were included in the final contract. 

Reconstruction on five of the bridges will be complete by fall of 2020, with the remaining three finished in 2021. 

A series of videos highlight the building process at different sites across the state.

Two ground-breaking projects championed by Iowa DOT were recently selected for awards from the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). 

Research on the Remote Controlled Hydrographic Survey System (pictured) was completed in fall of 2019.

For this project, researchers equipped a remote-controlled boat with data collection equipment to allow engineers to quickly and safely survey Iowa bridges.  

In the past, divers might have to inspect underwater bridge elements, or field staff would have to squeeze into hard-to-reach places or wade into fast-moving water.

But the comparatively small boat, which cost about $50,000 to develop, has GPS, a compass, and sonar, and can enter tight spaces with ease—meaning engineers will have more data without ever having to get into the water.

The project earned Iowa DOT an AASHTO 2020 Sweet Sixteen award, an honor selected by Midwestern state DOT research directors who deemed this project to be of exceptionally high value. 

In addition, an AASHTO 2020 Supplemental Award for Maintenance went to Iowa DOT for its Snowplow Optimization project, which increased snowplow route efficiency, saving both time and material costs.  

Iowa DOT was honored with both awards at the RAC annual summer meeting in July 2020.

Iowa DOT’s new Research Ideas website—a complement to our existing site—offers information on new and in-progress research in an easy-to-navigate format.

The new site allows keyword searches, as well as the ability to filter information according to an idea.  

We’re also excited to bring you more news and program highlights to help you better understand what it is we do and why we’re so passionate about it.

Here is some of what you’ll find here:  

Driven by you. We love great ideas, but getting a concept to go from “good” to “great” takes lots of input and development.

That’s why we encourage feedback and hope you’ll weigh in on proposed ideas—because when more opinions come together, the better the final result will be.

Go to our Ideas page to find out how you can help.

A transparent process. Ideas move through one stage at a time.

Learn more about how it works: from submission to discussion/evaluation to development, you can track the progress of any idea in the system and identify related projects in development.

More news and updates. We think what we do is pretty interesting, and we hope you will too.

Our regular news posts will help keep you informed and give us a chance to showcase the work we think you’ll be most excited about.

When earth is moved during construction, it can more easily wash away to areas it doesn’t belong and adversely affect farmland and wildlife.

Not only is erosion a problem for the environment, but minimizing its negative effects is the law—Iowa state and federal laws require erosion and sediment control (E&SC) measures to protect the delicate natural balance.
 
Iowa DOT has a variety of time-tested E&SC practices in place, but it wasn’t clear whether these were the most effective or whether there were other approaches that could be undertaken to achieve better or cheaper results.

Over two construction seasons, researchers studied a range of E&SC methods and determined which worked best and what needed improvement.
 
Highlights of the findings include cost-effective new techniques for building wattles (low-lying barrier rolls, pictured) and fabric fences to maximize stability and erosion control.

Research also showed that water retention ponds might not be as effective as had been previously thought, leading to important new areas of inquiry.
 
Look for new E&SC specifications in 2021.

Other findings and greater details are available in Iowa DOT's new research brief, as well as the investigators’ final report and technology transfer summary.

Iowa DOT Research is constantly looking for ways to keep Iowa’s transportation system on the cutting-edge of safety, mobility, sustainability, and technology.

Before a project can begin, it must follow a thorough development process. Here’s how it works and how you can help:
 

1. Submission. Research topics can be submitted by anyone (within or beyond the department) at any time through our Research Ideas website.
    
2. Discussion and Evaluation. While ideas are in the open feedback state, anyone can provide written comments or vote on a proposed topic and help make it better.
   
   This state takes place three times per year, according to the annual research calendar.
   
   After the open feedback period closes, Iowa DOT Research Department staff and other stakeholders review the topics and all of the input received to gauge interest and determine which ideas should move forward.
    
3. Development. Next, the Project Development Group, consisting of two to five team members, takes the originally submitted idea and builds it into a more robust request for proposal (RFP).
   
   The RFP is posted to the Research Request for Proposal page and anyone who has subscribed to these notifications will receive an email.
   
   After the RFP submission period has ended, the Project Development Group reviews all of the responses and chooses the one that will earn the project.
   
   The winning proposer is notified and funding for the project is requested.
    
4. Active Project. Contracts are drawn up and signed, and the research begins!

A visual timeline details the entire process.

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 Worrel, Research Program Manager, Research & Analytics Bureau.
Number of years in this role: 5


What do you do in the Research & Analytics Bureau?

As the Research Program Manager, I oversee and coordinate all of the individual research programs so that we’re all working together and moving in the same direction.

I also serve as the voice for Iowa on several national transportation research initiatives, including AASHTO’s Research Advisory Committee.

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

I started my career with Iowa DOT while in grad school, with a job as a bridge rating engineer.

I worked in the Bridges and Structures Bureau for 10 years before moving to research.

What’s your favorite part of your work?

I really like how the research bureau touches every section of the DOT.

The nature of our work means we come in contact with every bureau and section and get the chance to understand how each plays into the bigger picture.

As an engineer I love learning; working in the research bureau means I’m always discovering something new.

The best part of my work is when we get to work with a new individual or bureau that hasn’t been involved with us before, and we spark an interest and work together towards a successful first project.

We help someone see the value of the research and make it worth the effort for them.

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

I’m excited for our new ideas website and the new level of engagement that we can achieve – both internally at DOT and externally with our stakeholders, industry partners, and with the public.

What do you like to do in your time off?

I like playing board games with family and friends. I also enjoy spending time outside, and I could watch pretty much any sci-fi movie or TV show.