For the Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB), 2021 was a year jam-packed with innovative transportation research.  

With efforts focused on helping Iowans at the local level, the IHRB brings together stakeholders from public transportation agencies, academia, and the private sector to identify and fund high-value transportation projects using contributions from the Iowa DOT and Iowa’s cities and counties. 

In 2021 the IHRB worked on dozens of projects, with goals that include saving taxpayer dollars by improving the performance of unpaved roads, increasing mobility by reducing the detrimental effects of flooding on highways, and enhancing sustainability by investigating alternative materials and more efficient methods and processes. 

Learn more about the IHRB and its accomplishments last year.

When a winter storm hits, time is of the essence as soon snow and ice can accumulate quickly and make for hazardous driving conditions.  

To help determine where snow-clearing and deicing treatments are needed most, Iowa DOT uses high-tech systems that monitor pavement surfaces and collect weather data. But conditions can vary, even between monitored locations. 

To make informed maintenance decisions even when data is unavailable, Iowa DOT led a coalition of 18 other states to investigate how still images taken by highway cameras might help.  

By manually labeling more than 20,000 images depicting wintry road conditions, researchers developed computer algorithms that can accurately differentiate between precipitation types and identify visibility challenges and ground conditions that may impact safety on the road’s surface. 

Learn more about this project in Iowa DOT’s new research brief, and check out other Iowa DOT research efforts on the News & Publications page. 

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.

Each May, Clean Air Month serves to remind us that our respiratory health is directly impacted by the air we breathe. 

Committed to both innovation and sustainability, Iowa DOT Research is always on the lookout for cutting-edge solutions to the state’s transportation challenges that simultaneously protect and improve the quality of Iowa’s air. Some of these upcoming and in-progress projects include:  

• Battery Electric Bus Feasibility and Deployment Research. Before communities introduce zero-emissions buses into their fleets, decision-makers need to understand all of the costs and variables so that they can make better-informed choices. This proposed project would investigate public perceptions and develop mathematical formulas to show how buses powered by alternative fuels could realistically reduce carbon emissions.      

• Beneficial Use of Iowa Waste Ashes in Concrete Through Carbon Sequestration. When coal-burning power plants lower their temperatures to cut carbon emissions, the waste ashes have different characteristics than the fly ash produced at higher temperatures and commonly used in concrete. This new research aims to study the waste ashes as well as the costs and benefits of treatments that could be applied to make the ashes usable in concrete materials. 

• Improvements to the Infrastructure Carbon Estimator (ICE). While biking, busing, and walking are all great ways to lower an individual’s carbon footprint, the energy consumed and emissions produced from constructing and maintaining the infrastructure that supports these activities can reduce the savings. The ICE was developed in 2014 to help public transportation planners across the United States quantify all of the lifetime environmental costs and benefits of transportation infrastructure. In collaboration with other state departments of transportation, Iowa DOT is working to modernize and update the tool to ensure a project’s intended carbon-emissions goals are realized.   

Learn more about these and other sustainability-focused projects on Iowa DOT Research’s Ideas site. 

On October 30, 2019, a fire broke out in a homeless encampment beneath the I-29 northbound bridge over Perry Creek in Sioux City, Iowa. The fire intensified when a propane tank became engulfed in the flames.  

The incident gave Iowa DOT a real-life case study to better understand how visible damage may correlate with a bridge’s serviceability and strength, as well as an opportunity to update the agency’s tools and resources for evaluating fire damage in the future.  

The research results can help guide Iowa’s state and local transportation agencies as they make repair or replacement decisions for a bridge that’s damaged by fire.  

Learn more about this project in Iowa DOT’s new research brief.  

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.

The Iowa Transportation Program Management System (TPMS) has been in use since 2001, allowing cities and counties across the state to manage construction projects using a shared system that all stakeholders can access.  

The system contains details on thousands of active and completed projects and is designed to allow users from Iowa’s cities and counties, as well as those from state and federal transportation authorities and private businesses, to work together on shared projects. But after roughly 20 years, as technology has vastly improved and the way people work has evolved, it was clear the system needed an overhaul.  

To create a modern program that works for everyone involved, a team from the Iowa County Engineers Association Service Bureau (ICEASB), which maintains the TPMS, crisscrossed the state over several years to consult with thousands of users. With input collected from designers, contractors, builders, project managers, and others, the ICEASB unveiled TPMS 2020 in July 2021. 

New and improved features include real-time updates to ensure data is current, greater security against modern threats, additional automation of routine tasks, a more user-friendly interface, and a modular framework to make future updates easier.

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

Iowa DOT Research’s innovative use of crowdsourced data to detect and respond to highway incidents was recognized in the May/June 2023 issue of Innovator, the Federal Highway Administration’s bimonthly newsletter. 
 
Through partnerships with high-tech companies like Waze, Iowa DOT is able to access to travel-related data that can indicate real-time changes in estimated travel times. While members of the public often use the free navigational app to avoid slow-downs, Iowa DOT can use the data to identify where crashes, heavy traffic and adverse weather are occurring and respond quickly. Thanks to this partnership, emergency response times have increased to save lives and make travel safer for everyone.  
 
Learn more about how Iowa DOT’s partnership with Waze can benefit all road users.  

The staff in Iowa DOT’s Research Section accomplished a lot during the past fiscal year, and we’re proud to share highlights of our efforts in the new FY2021 Research At-A-Glance report.  
 
By overseeing nearly 200 research projects, we were able to investigate and test exciting new methods and materials throughout the year. From designing better ways to keep blowing snow off Iowa’s roadways to biodegradable pavements and high-tech tools that allow us to “see” and prevent potential dangers, we worked to make transportation better for Iowans across the state -- in keeping with our priorities of safety, mobility, sustainability, and technology.  
 
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.  
 
Interested in learning more about what Iowa DOT Research did in 2021, how we did it, and what’s next? Check out the full report!

Iowa DOT is part of a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) project identifying high-impact communications strategies for research conducted by Midwestern state DOTs.  

Iowa’s project Holding Strategies for Low Volume State Routes rose up as one example of valuable research with potential for wide dissemination and tech transfer. 

The two-phase Iowa DOT research project evaluated the effectiveness and costs of a variety of pavement preservation techniques, giving Iowa’s engineers better decision-making power when it comes to making the state’s asphalt roads last longer with available funds. 

To help spread the word about these research findings and impacts, the NCHRP effort included the creation of a short video featuring Iowa’s research project. You can view it on the Iowa DOT Research YouTube channel. 

Learn more about NCHRP Project 20-44(28), and check out what else Iowa DOT is working on at the Ideas site. 

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.

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. 

The federal Every Day Counts (EDC) program provides tools and resources to help states put proven transportation-related technologies and innovations into practice.

Every two years, the EDC program unveils a new innovations cycle, including timely transportation topics and strategies for implementing the innovations locally.  

Since the program began 12 years ago, Iowa DOT Research has worked closely with EDC to leverage the available resources to solve dozens of transportation challenges across the state. Some of the EDC contributions to Iowa include:

• Faster emergency response times. Iowa DOT’s Mobile Architecture for Communications Handling software offers an array of maps and communications tools to help local law enforcement, agencies and emergency responders coordinate in real time.
• Streamlined construction processes. Thanks to EDC, Iowa DOT became the first state transportation agency in the country to require digital signatures on all construction contracts. And all of Iowa DOT’s construction projects have been 100% paperless since 2016.
• A diversified workforce. Iowa DOT has used EDC strategies to improve its recruitment, training and placement services so that women, minority groups and other non-traditional construction workers have the skills needed for long-term careers in transportation.

The EDC recently announced its seventh round of innovation topics, and Iowa DOT Research will collaborate with Iowa transportation stakeholders to attend a virtual kickoff event next month. The event will highlight the new resources available and how they can benefit Iowans across the state.

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.

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!

Each January, Iowa DOT staff travel to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) annual meeting in Washington D.C., to share ideas and research results and learn from others in the international transportation community.    

Learn more about Iowa’s work at the 2024 TRB meeting in our new interactive Storymap.

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.

Concrete is a common construction material for many Iowa bridges. The use of conventional concrete in bridge components, however, requires periodic maintenance and repair to address damage caused by heavy traffic loads, weather, and chloride deicers. But closing bridges to repair or replace damaged concrete creates hardships for drivers across the state.  

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has the potential to significantly reduce these issues. UHPC is much stronger and more durable than conventional concrete, meaning repairs are needed less often. But due to its proprietary nature, UHPC has historically been cost-prohibitive for many bridge applications.  

A recent Iowa DOT research project could change that. Researchers at Iowa State University developed a set of nonproprietary UHPC mixtures using readily accessible—and more affordable—materials. Testing indicated that the nonproprietary mixtures’ strength and durability were comparable to proprietary mixtures and at one-third of the cost, offering a promising alternative for Iowa bridge structures.  

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

Iowa DOT recently applied for and won $3.5 million in federal funds to offset the costs of deploying new strategies.  

In August, the Federal Highway Administration awarded Iowa DOT two grants of $1 million each. The funds were provided under the Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration program, which aims to help states quickly put innovative technologies into practice.  

Iowa DOT will use one of these grants to map the state’s system of gravel roads and identify areas where maintenance is needed most. The other award will go toward an asset management pilot project that will employ cutting-edge technologies to streamline processes in design, construction and maintenance.

In November, Iowa DOT was awarded an additional $1.5 million through the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law program, which promotes technologies that reduce delays and cost overruns on transportation projects. As one of only 10 states to receive this funding, Iowa will use the funds to more effectively manage the state’s roads and bridges and serve as a model for other transportation agencies to follow in the future. 

Thanks to these federal funds, Iowa’s taxpayers will reap the benefits of having infrastructure that is cost-effective and high-performing without using the state’s budget to buy and deploy the necessary technologies.