LTPP InfoPave - Overview

: Non-LTPP

Overview

MnROAD includes two test roadways, located along westbound I-94 between Albertville and Monticello, Minnesota. It is owned and operated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation in cooperation with its National Road Research (NRRA) partners. MnROAD test roadways have over 80 unique pavement test “cells” designed to investigate the performance of different pavement designs and materials and exposed to actual vehicles and Minnesota climate. Their performance is monitored by sensors within the road structure, as well as many non-destructive and surface tests, such as ride quality testing, deflection measurements (falling-weight deflectometer), and visual distress surveys. In addition to the two test roadways, several other test sections on other roadways are tracked and evaluated within the MnROAD system.

Here is how you can use this MnROAD data portal:

Select sections using attributes of your interest.
View the data using several available features.
Download data by selecting the desired tables and file format.
Click here for a quick help video.

Section ID

MnROAD data is presented by Section ID. Section ID is comprised of the cell the study is in, which lane the data applies to, and the start year of the Section ID. A new start year for a section ID is given when a layer is added or a new study begins. For example, data for the driving lane of cell 5 that received microsurfacing in 2012 is in Section ID 5-D-2012.

The roadways within the MnROAD system are:

MnROAD Mainline – Interstate 94 is a 3.5-mile-long roadway that receives high-volume traffic diverted from I-94 original westbound.
MnROAD Original – Interstate 94 is the original I-94 westbound alignment, which receives traffic when the MnROAD Mainline is closed for evaluation or maintenance. This Interstate highway consists of a concrete pavement built in 1973.

MnROAD Low Volume Road is a closed 2.5-mile-long loop that is loaded by a dedicated truck with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 80,000lb. Since 2007, only the inside lane has been loaded.
US-169 and CSAH 8 are two road segments near Pease, MN, used as test sections to investigate different preventive maintenance materials. CSAH-8 is a county road with low traffic, and US-169 is a state highway with much higher traffic. Research is conducted in partnership with NCAT (National Center for Asphalt Technology).
TH-13, TH 27, and TH 60 were concrete pavement test sections on Minnesota state roads (trunk highways) that were investigated with regards to the effect of coefficient of thermal expansion of their large aggregates in the concrete mix on their behavior and long-term performance.
MnROAD Stockpile Area contained the “Farm Loop” to investigate the effect of farm equipment on simulated low-volume pavements.
MnROAD Parking Lot and MnROAD Side Walk are pervious concrete test sections.
MO TH-55 Low Volume Road is a Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) pavement with surface texture. This test section is located on a frontage road adjacent to the northbound lanes of Interstate 55, just south of Scott City, Missouri.
Elk River US-169 is a study with ultra-thin concrete overlay on asphalt test sections.
MnROAD 70th Street is composed of several in-place recycling test sections.
TH-6 is a rejuvenated asphalt mix research study containing several test sections.

Data that has been collected for MnROAD sections constructed during 2022 is not yet available on the MnROAD Data Portal. Currently, this data must be requested directly from MnDOT. Please contact ben.worel@state.mn.us for more information.