Browsing by Subject "Technological innovations"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Evaluate and Develop Innovative Pavement Repair and Patching: Taconite-Based Repair Options
    (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2016-01) Zanko, Lawrence M.; Hopstock, David M.; DeRocher, Will
    In support of a broader MnDOT effort to evaluate current practices, materials, and policies for pavement patching and repair for both asphalt and concrete pavements, the University of Minnesota Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) conducted additional evaluation, refinement, field testing, and performance monitoring of two taconite-related approaches to pavement repair that rely on mixes/techniques that contain (or are enhanced by) taconite mining byproducts and co-products. The first taconite-related approach to pavement repair uses a rigid pavement/pothole repair compound formulation developed and patented by NRRI that is fast-setting, taconite-based, and contains no petroleum or Portland cement. Depending on the formulation, the repair compound can be water-activated or activated by a chemical solution. A water-activated formulation referred to as Rapid Patch was the focus of the investigation. The second taconite- related approach to pavement repair employs a high-power (50kW), vehicle-based (truck-mounted) microwave system for in-place pothole/pavement repair/recycling in which magnetite and/or magnetite-containing aggregate (taconite rock) can enhance microwave absorption and therefore the system’s performance. The two repair alternatives evaluated during this project merit further development and consideration, as the field performance of both suggests they have long-term potential for more widespread use. Based on feedback from maintenance personnel who used and/or observed both repair alternatives during the project, both alternatives would benefit from operational modifications that would reduce the deployment time required to complete a repair and increase the number of repairs that can be accomplished during a single shift. Doing so would likely lead to greater acceptance and more widespread use.
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    The Urban Partnership Agreement: A Comparative Study of Technology and Collaboration in Transportation Policy Implementation
    (Center for Transportation Studies, 2011-04) Bryson, John M.; Crosby, Barbara C.; Stone, Melissa M.; Saunoi-Sandgren, Emily; Imboden, Anders S.
    The problems faced by today's public managers are often too large to be solved by a single entity and require collaboration across government, nonprofit, and business sectors. As new technologies and systematic approaches transform the transportation field, cross-sector collaboration has become an increasingly important policy development and implementation approach. Particularly within the transportation field, an assemblage of technologies is often critical to implementing system-wide strategies aimed at, for example, mitigating traffic congestion. In many cases, designers and implementers of effective transportation policies must combine a variety of technologies with deft relationship building and management. Through the development of comparative case studies of three of the Urban Partnership Agreement initiatives, this research study will examine how technology and collaborative processes may be combined to achieve important transportation goals and create public value more generally.