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!

Since September, Iowa DOT has launched seven new research projects to help advance transportation in the state. These initiatives include: 
 

• Sustainable Dust Suppressants for Gravel Roads - As vehicles and other heavy equipment travel along Iowa's gravel roads, the loose aggregates on the surface are often crushed and released into the air as fine particulates. Not only is less material left on the roads, but the airborne dust can lower drivers’ visibility and pose a serious health threat to road users and those living and working in the vicinity. This research, which will conclude in June 2025, aims to find a lower-cost and more environmentally friendly alternative to chemical stabilizers. Subscribe and receive project updates here.
   
• Connected Vehicle Technology for Road Weather Management - Existing road weather information systems collect data from various sources to help transportation agencies decide how, when, and where snowplows and other road maintenance resources are needed. Gaps in data coverage persist, however, and as the lead state of the Aurora pooled fund program Iowa DOT is working with other states to identify communication methods that effectively reach road users in real time. The research is expected to conclude in April 2024. Subscribe and receive project updates here.
   
• Crowdsourced road friction data - Keeping winter roads clear is resource intensive. In addition to costs for deicing materials, maintenance crews and equipment, state departments of transportation (DOTs) must have capabilities to deploy crews to the locations that need them the most. Road weather information systems, which measure actual road conditions, are expensive and provide limited spatial coverage. This research project, set to end in July 2024, will explore alternative sources for this valuable data. Subscribe and receive project updates here.

• Alerting Drivers to Adverse Road Conditions - Smartphones and onboard vehicle computers provide access to changing traffic patterns, road closures, and weather updates to help drivers make informed planning decisions. Iowa DOT envisions a high-tech system that could respond to a driver’s spoken request for this information, ensuring their focus remains on the road ahead. The research is expected to conclude in April 2025. Subscribe and receive project updates here.
   
• Winter Weather Road Condition Indices - State agencies protect travelers by providing up-to-date information on weather and road conditions. But climates vary significantly across the country, and there is currently no standardized guideline or index that connects these different state weather information systems. This gap raises concerns about driver safety and the response to weather events that affect multiple states. In this research, Iowa DOT will work with other state to investigate a uniform framework for indexing and communicating weather conditions to travelers. The project is expected to conclude in April 2025. Subscribe and receive project updates here.
   
• Assessing Roadway Safety Hardware - Safety hardware devices designed for use in roadways – such as barriers, breakaway signs, and crash cushions – undergo rigorous tests before they’re deployed on a roadway. Once on the road, collision and maintenance helps Iowa DOT assess the performance of these devices in real-world conditions. But data coming from a variety of sources, such as police and road maintenance crews, is often in different formats, making analysis challenging. This project, which is slated for completion in June 2024, will explore different data collection methods with the goal of developing a uniform process. Subscribe and receive project updates here.
   
• Improving Asset Management with Building Information Modeling - Transportation agencies generate volumes of data for designing, building, and maintaining transportation infrastructure. Iowa DOT leads the Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Infrastructure pooled fund, a multiyear effort that will develop recommended standards and processes for data exchange and digital workflows, geographic information systems applications, and asset inventories. The multiyear effort will develop recommended standards and processes for data exchange and digital workflows, geographic information systems applications, and asset inventories. The research is expected to conclude in December 2027. Subscribe and receive project updates here.
   

Want to get involved? Learn how Iowa DOT staff, industry stakeholders and members of the public can all help advance research in Iowa.  

And find out more about other Iowa DOT research efforts on the News & Publications page.

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!

Like other states, Iowa has traditionally taxed fuel purchases at the pump to help finance the necessary maintenance and construction work on the state’s roads and bridges. But as people drive less and vehicles become more fuel-efficient, Iowa needs to find other sources of funding to keep pace with rising costs.  

To review the solutions used by other states and determine the most equitable course of action, Iowa DOT launched a research project that evaluated a number of potential revenue sources and the financial, administrative, and political viability of each. 

The results offer promising ideas for generating revenue through alternative means as well as practical strategies for adopting them. The information will help the agency engage with stakeholders and elected officials and choose the best methods to ensure Iowa’s roads and bridges are properly funded for years to come. 

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

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.

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.  

Penetrating sealants show great promise for protecting concrete from the negative impacts of deicing salts.  

Many sealers are available on the market, each with different chemical compositions and performance attributes.  

The challenge for Iowa’s city and county engineers is selecting the appropriate sealer.  

Iowa DOT funded laboratory and field testing to better understand how to select the right sealant for each application and to determine the best way to evaluate the sealer’s effectiveness.  

As a result of this research, engineers have a better understanding of which types of sealers are formulated to address common durability problems.  

They also have a set of recommendations on the best tests for assessing key categories of sealers. Additional field testing is underway to assess the long-term impacts of sealers on concrete joints.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

From the time of construction, concrete bridge decks are exposed to a wide range of mechanical and environmental stressors. Adding fibers and modifying the concrete mixes used for bridge decks can transform their strength and durability, while minimizing the need for maintenance and repair over time.  

To enhance the performance and longevity of bridge decks, researchers investigated the use of fibers and other additives to improve the conventional concrete mixes and mitigate cracking issues. This project involved testing a number of concrete mixes, varying the types and amounts of fibers and other ingredients to identify the combinations that produce a stronger, more durable, and yet workable concrete.  

Bridge engineers across the state can use the newly developed fiber-reinforced concrete mixes as a cost-effective solution to minimize bridge repair and reconstruction needs and give Iowa’s drivers a better travel experience with fewer disruptions.  

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

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.

Iowa’s aggregate roads are designed to keep rural communities connected and support the state’s farming economy. But freezing and thawing temperatures and use by heavy equipment can quickly damage the roads, requiring costly repair and maintenance every year.  

To make these roads more durable and longer-lasting, the Iowa Highway Research Board initiated a research project to test 13 different construction and maintenance techniques under real-world conditions for two years. The results give engineers in Iowa’s 99 counties greater flexibility when it comes to building these important roads and keeping them in good working condition.    

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. 

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.

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.

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: 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. 

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.

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.

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.

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: Lee Bjerke, Secondary Roads Research Engineer 
Number of years in this role: 1 
 
What do you do in the Research & Analytics Bureau?   

I am the Secondary Roads Research Engineer. My role is to be the liaison between the counties in Iowa, their engineers, and the Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB). It is my responsibility to bring the ideas for research to the IHRB, work with the academics on research that benefits the counties and then help the counties to effectively implement the research. 
 
Have you always been drawn to research? What has your career path been like?   

I have always found research interesting. I have spent 23 years as the Winneshiek County Engineer and experienced first-hand the difficulty the counties face with upkeep and improving the secondary road systems. I served on various technical advisory committees and have implemented research such as Otta Seals, using railroad flat cars for short span bridges, and Internal Curing Concrete. One of the biggest issues I saw for counties was the damage done by the large rain events experienced by Iowa in recent years. I championed the research in using roads as impoundment structures to slow rainwater and reduce the damages they can cause. 
 
What’s your favorite part of your work?   

My favorite part of this job is seeing great ideas, regardless of where they come from, become a truly effective tool for the counties to use in improving the Secondary Road System. 

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

I see two big ones: the AASHTO bridge rating software and the On-Road Impoundment structures. Both of these will have huge advantages to the public in ensuring their ability to traverse the roadways in Iowa in the most efficient and cost-saving manner possible. 
 
What do you like to do in your time off?   

My wife and I love the water. Boating is our favorite pastime; whether it is pulling kids on tubes, putzing along on a pontoon, or sitting in a chair on a beach, time on the water is easily our number one place to be.