Iowa DOT Research solicits transportation-related ideas throughout the year, during its spring, summer and fall research cycles. Eleven innovative ideas have so far been submitted since the fall cycle opened on November 1. 

Many of the submissions offer environmental solutions in line with Iowa DOT’s commitment to sustainable transportation, from using waste products like eggshells in construction materials to strategies that could limit the carbon emissions of newly built bridges. 
 
Read more about these and all of the recently submitted ideas on Iowa DOT’s Research Ideas site, and share your feedback to help these ideas become even better.  
 
Let us know what transportation-related issues are important to you! The fall cycle will accept ideas through February 28, 2022. 

Since it launched 18 months ago, Iowa DOT Research’s Ideas site has revolutionized Iowa’s system of collecting, developing and funding great transportation ideas. The site has allowed more than a thousand users from across the state to submit and discuss ideas online, dramatically reducing the amount of time the process takes and allowing for more timely responses. Ideas that are selected to advance are then matched with an appropriate research program or partner for funding. 

Most of Iowa’s research projects are funded through the Iowa Highway Research Board, State Transportation Innovation Council or with federal State Planning & Research funds, but a variety of other research programs are available as well. Last year, the Iowa Transportation Commission added Transportation Safety Improvement Program (TSIP) to this list, allowing Ideas site submissions to be considered for TSIP funds. While it may seem like a small administrative change, the move has expedited the TSIP process and made it possible for $500,000 in traffic and roadway safety improvements to be awarded to safety-specific research efforts more quickly. 

Now, submitting your idea through the Ideas site means an even better chance that it could be developed into a funded project.   

Each January, thousands of scientists, researchers and other professionals attend the Transportation Research Board (TRB)’s annual meeting to learn and share cutting-edge practices and developments in transportation-related research. 

As an active leader and frequent participant in TRB activities, Iowa DOT will send staff members to the 2022 TRB meeting to give presentations and represent the state at the national level.  

This year, Iowa DOT staff will lead discussions on innovative bridge preservation techniques, asset management practices, and pavement technologies, in addition to attending a variety of panel presentations and conducting committee work.

Involvement in transportation research at the national level ensures our state has a voice in national transportation discussions. Learn more about how Iowa’s long-standing partnership with TRB helps Iowans across the state.

To keep local roadways in good condition for the traveling public, Iowa county engineers monitor pavement conditions and analyze a wealth of pavement data to predict when and where maintenance will be needed. Now, a new tool developed through a research project for the Iowa Highway Research Board will help streamline this complex process.  

Developed through extensive analysis of past pavement performance data from Iowa roadways, the Iowa Pavement Analysis Techniques (IPAT) tool will help engineers accurately and efficiently estimate the remaining service life (RSL) of individual pavement sections or roadway networks. Armed with reliable RSL estimates, engineers can plan and prioritize maintenance treatments and rehabilitation projects to make the best use of limited county funds. The IPAT tool will be implemented across the state in the coming months. 

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

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. 

With the new spring season comes another chance to share the next great transportation-related idea! When the new research cycle opens on March 1, submit your idea to give it the best chance to blossom into a fully developed proposal!   
 
The start of the new research cycle is the best time to submit, since ideas will spend more time in the discussion and evaluation phase. 
 
With more feedback and engagement, ideas become better and more likely to be selected for further development.   
 
Even if you don’t have a submission of your own, you can still help others improve their ideas by voting or adding your comments. Feedback is a critical part of helping every idea succeed, and comments and suggestions for ideas submitted during the spring cycle will be accepted until July 25, 2022.   
 
Our annual research calendar illustrates the year-long cycle, and the Ideas site is the best place to learn more and get involved in Iowa‘s transportation research process. Check it out and help ideas grow!

Iowa DOT Research’s innovative use of virtual reality to increase community engagement was recognized in the March/April issue of Innovator, the Federal Highway Administration’s bimonthly newsletter.

Public engagement is essential to developing transportation projects that reflect the needs and interests of the local community. Traditionally, details about a project’s scope and shape are communicated through maps and artists’ renderings – 2D visuals that don’t always evoke excitement or interaction among community members. To increase participation and help members of the community become more actively engaged in the project development process, Iowa DOT Research partnered with researchers from Iowa State University to create a one-of-a-kind, virtual reality demonstration – a 3D, immersive experience of the I-74 Mississippi River Bridge replacement project. By providing users with the ability to explore the bridge and surrounding areas virtually, the technology helped to showcase project details, increase public engagement and generate valuable feedback. 

The success has inspired Iowa DOT to consider using virtual reality for a variety of interactive and educational demonstrations in the future, such as driving near work zones or flooded roadways and passing bicycles safely.

Learn more about how Iowa DOT is using virtual reality to increase safety and enhance community engagement in the new issue of Innovator.

Each year, spring’s warmer weather can be a welcome change after months of winter. However, the rain and melting snow that accompany the higher temperatures can also pose a seasonal flood risk for some areas in Iowa.   

Flood damage to roads, bridges or other infrastructure is often easy to see; however, other adverse effects, such as road closures that limit mobility or detours that require longer travel times, are less visible and harder to gauge. 

To gain a more complete understanding of a flood’s impact and how the state’s finite resources should be allocated for maximum benefit, Iowa DOT Research partnered with researchers from Iowa State University on two research projects that concluded in 2021: 
 

• Asset Management, Extreme Weather and Proxy Indicators. Studying flood-prone areas in Iowa, researchers used simulations to identify the roads and bridges most at risk of flood-related closures, as well as the structures that serve the most traffic and keep communities connected.
• Assessing and Enhancing the Transportation Resilience for the State of Iowa. This study evaluated how well transportation systems in Iowa will be able to adapt and recover after a major flood event.

Together, these two projects provide a more holistic view of all the potential effects a flood could have on a community and which structures might be most vulnerable. Leveraging the information, Iowa DOT is better equipped to prepare for the next flood and prioritize the state’s resources where they’re most needed.

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 High Value Research award.  

As members of Region 3, Iowa and eight other states – Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin – will face off for 2022 awards. The projects Iowa has submitted for consideration this year are:
 

• Self-Heating Electrically Conductive Concrete Demonstration Project (E-Con). This project represents the largest-to-date field study of electrically conductive heated concrete, using electrodes embedded in the concrete to melt snow and ice on the surface. The results could one day be used to target ice-prone areas like bridge decks without repeated salting.

• Bio-Based Polymers for Use in Asphalt - Phase II. In phase I of this study, researchers developed renewable materials from vegetable and soybean oil that can replace the dangerous binding material traditionally used in asphalt paving mixtures. In phase II, researchers built a pilot facility capable of producing enough biopolymers to support field demonstration projects that showcase the materials’ performance and cost-effectiveness.

• Economic Impacts of Atmospheric Rivers in the Transportation Sector: Methodology and Case Studies. As lead state of the Aurora Pooled Fund, Iowa and other state DOTs worked together to learn more about atmospheric rivers, their role in producing extreme weather and effects on transportation systems.

• Investigation of Autonomous/Connected Vehicles in Work Zones. This research, produced by the Iowa-led Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative (SWZDI), used simulations to explore how driverless vehicles programmed to follow a lead vehicle could interact with surrounding traffic around work zones, where speed reductions and lane changes are common.

 
After reviewing all of the Region 3 submissions, AASHTO’s Research Advisory Committee will choose the winning projects to be recognized at the committee’s 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 2023.

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. 

World Bicycle Day, held each year on June 3, celebrates the many health and environmental benefits that bicycling can offer.

As the number of Iowa’s bicyclists continues to grow each year, research can help identify infrastructure improvements to make riding safer and more enjoyable for everyone. 

But research can be expensive. To find cutting-edge yet affordable solutions that enhance the bicycling experience while increasing safety, Iowa DOT collaborates with 13 other states through the Fostering Innovation in Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Pooled Fund Study.  By sharing the costs of research, each state stands to benefit from the findings with less financial investment than they would incur individually.  

Learn more about Iowa DOT Research’s commitment to non-motorized transportation on the Ideas site. 

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 High Value Research award.   
 
This year, Iowa’s largest-to-date field study of electrically conductive heated concrete was selected for the award by the agency’s eight peers in AASHTO Region 3: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. 

The research evaluated the performance of concrete heated with embedded electrodes – constructed in the parking lot at Iowa DOT’s headquarters in Ames – over the course of three years. The concrete, which can melt snow and ice without the use of deicers, could one day be a sustainable option for icy trouble spots like sidewalks that are not easily cleared during winter storms.     
 
Iowa is no stranger to the High Value Research award, having earned eight of these awards since 2013, including one just last year for its research into corn-based deicers as an alternative to traditional chloride- and acetate-based solutions for keeping snow and ice from forming on the state’s roadways.  
 
AASHTO’s Research Advisory Committee will recognize all 2022 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 2023.

While snowplows and deicing chemicals work well to clear Iowa’s roadways of ice and snow much of the time, these strategies have drawbacks: plowing is difficult and time-consuming work and deicers can cause damage to pavements and roadside vegetation. Certain locations are especially challenging, like bridge decks and exit ramps that require frequent reapplication of deicers and pedestrian sidewalks that are not easily cleared during snow events. 

Researchers have recently begun to explore a new approach that could help with these trouble spots: heating pavements and sidewalks with electrically conductive concrete to melt the snow and ice on the surface. 

To determine the benefits that electrically conductive concrete could offer, researchers needed a place to conduct field tests under real-world conditions. Now, the parking lot at Iowa DOT’s headquarters in Ames is home to the world’s largest installation of electrically conductive concrete, embedded with carbon fibers and a variety of differently sized and shaped electrodes in a range of configurations. 

For the past three years, researchers have monitored the pavement’s performance and have data to show its success. While questions regarding costs and operational logistics remain, the research shows that electrically conductive heated concrete could one day be a viable solution in some applications. 

Iowa DOT is excited about this promising new technology, and other states are taking notice as well. This project was recently honored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) as a High Value Research project, and this technology was also selected by the AASHTO Innovation Initiative as a Focus Technology for its potential to significantly benefit agencies nationwide. 

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

Do you have the next big idea in transportation research? Share it now to be considered during Iowa DOT’s summer research cycle, which opened on 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 will be more likely to be selected for further development.    
 
You can help advance transportation research even if you don’t have a submission of your own. Vote or add your comments to help others improve their ideas. Feedback for the summer cycle will remain open until November 25, 2022.    
 
See how the process works throughout the year with our annual research calendar, and check out our Ideas site to learn more and get involved! 

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.

As a national organization representing state departments of transportation (DOTs) from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the umbrella group for dozens of smaller committees that focus on a range of specific topics. For those working in transportation research, the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) serves as a network and forum for sharing ideas and addressing common challenges.

As the AASHTO RAC is organized into four smaller regional committees, Iowa DOT interacts most with other Midwestern states in RAC Region 3. But each summer, the RAC Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for all members – from every state in the country – to come together to learn from each other. 

As a frequent participant and presenter at RAC annual meetings, Iowa DOT’s efforts produce tangible benefits for the state. By exchanging tried and tested strategies with other states, Iowa is able to identify cutting-edge solutions early and put them to work sooner. And involvement in RAC saves Iowa’s taxpayers money, since Iowa DOT can gain efficiencies by coordinating its research goals with federal and other agencies’ transportation initiatives.

The event also offers a place to recognize and reward states’ research innovations. Iowa DOT will share details of its largest-to-date field study of electrically conductive heated concrete, which was selected for AASHTO’s prestigious 2022 High Value Research Award.

Learn more about Iowa’s work with RAC Region 3.

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’s unpaved roads are essential for keeping rural communities connected and agricultural products moving. National Farm Safety and Health Week – which will take place this year from September 18-24 – is the perfect time to highlight Iowa DOT Research’s efforts to increase the roads’ safety and durability. 

These roads are designed to have a thick aggregate top layer, but heavy equipment and extreme temperature fluctuations can break down the materials on the surface and cause potholes and other distresses to form prematurely.  

Engineers have long known that keeping the aggregates in place is key to longer-lasting roads, but finding a solution that’s both economical and environmentally friendly hasn’t been easy. 

Quarry fines—the small particles left after larger rocks and materials are removed from a quarry—are both cheap and plentiful.  

To learn whether adding these fines to the aggregates on a road’s surface would help the road last longer, researchers evaluated various fines and aggregates in the laboratory to find types that interlock well together and identify the ideal proportions of each for a successful mixture. The researchers then constructed seven test sections on unpaved roadways that experience heavy equipment traffic, using fines from five quarries across the state. Through a variety of durability tests and comparisons with two control sections, the team evaluated the fines’ impact on the performance of each section over several seasonal freeze-thaw cycles.  

The efforts showed that while all five types of fines worked well to keep the surface aggregates in place, local road managers will need to carefully consider a number of factors, including the costs to buy the materials and haul them to the jobsite, to determine if adding waste quarry fines makes sense for a specific project. 

Learn more about this project in the new research brief from Iowa DOT. 

We all know seat belts save lives, but have you ever considered that they can save money as well? 

Costs for hospital stays and physical rehabilitation after a crash can quickly add up. 

Ahead of Child Passenger Safety Week and National Seat Belt Day, which will be held this year from September 15-21 and on November 14 respectively, a new Iowa DOT Research project aims to provide more insight into the financial benefits of wearing a seat belt.  

By reviewing and analyzing the vehicle crashes that occurred in Iowa between 2012 and 2016, researchers will consider a variety of crash characteristics, including the extent of the occupants’ injuries and whether seat belts were used.  

With a greater understanding of the safety – and financial – benefits seat belts provide, experts hope to be able to convince drivers and passengers to make sure their seatbelts are fastened every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.  

Learn more about this and other projects Iowa DOT Research is funding on the Ideas site. 

When animals attempt to cross a roadway, the results can be hazardous for everyone. In Iowa, crashes between vehicles and large wildlife like deer can pose a serious threat. But dangers also exist when vehicles swerve to avoid an animal in the road, or when drivers stop to help an animal across.

Even lesser known are the risks for smaller animal species like reptiles and amphibians. For these populations, roads that bisect a natural habitat can inhibit migration and affect animals' habits during mating season.  

World Animal Road Accident Awareness Day – this year on October 10 – serves as an annual reminder of the importance of keeping animals off roadways, for the health and safety of humans and animals alike.  

Since 2017, Iowa DOT Research has partnered with other transportation agencies in the United States and Canada on the Wildlife Vehicle Collision Reduction and Habitat Connectivity Pooled Fund. Together, the group works to identify potential solutions for keeping animals off roadways without restricting safe passage – such as tunnels, fences, and noisemakers – as well as strategic messaging that can effectively increase driver awareness.  

By sharing the costs of research, each agency can benefit from the findings with less financial investment than they would spend on their own.   

Learn more about Iowa DOT Research’s commitment to safety for all road users on the Ideas site.