
Road construction season is in full swing: the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has announced nearly 180 road and bridge construction projects across the state, in addition to 51 projects that will affect airports, water ports, railroad crossings and transit infrastructure.
Raphael Stern, a scholar in the Center for Transportation Studies and civil engineering assistant professor in the College of Science and Engineering on the Twin Cities campus, talks about what to expect during construction season.
Q: Is there more road construction than usual this year?
Dr. Stern: Minnesota’s harsh winter weather means that most road construction has to take place in the spring, summer and fall months. The number of projects across the state varies each year based on repair or upgrade needs and funds available. This year, MnDOT alone is planning nearly 180 projects to improve roads and bridges in the state.
In addition to the projects conducted by MnDOT, many cities and counties also take advantage of the favorable weather conditions in the summer to make needed repairs and upgrades to their transportation infrastructure. The many different agencies across the state doing road work this summer makes it difficult to measure the exact volume, but several high-profile projects in the Twin Cities and Duluth will make this summer’s construction season seem particularly extensive for many people traveling on Minnesota roads.
Q: How long do road construction projects last?
Dr. Stern: The duration of a project really depends on its scope. Some projects are relatively minor, and can be completed in under a week. For example, updating the striping pattern on a roadway can take one to two days. However, other projects that require reconstruction of roadways may take the entire season, or even extend into next year due to the complexity of the work being done.
Q: It seems like some roads are under construction every year. Why is that?
Dr. Stern: There are several possible reasons for this. Often, multi-year projects are very complex, requiring cooperation between many different agencies such as utility companies and state and local officials. Completely shutting down a roadway to reconstruct or repair it may be too disruptive to people who rely on it for daily transportation needs. That’s why many projects are broken up into smaller components to decrease the impact on people who use the road. However, this means that the road construction may last several seasons.
Q: How can drivers stay safe around road construction?
Dr. Stern: The most important thing to do when driving in a construction zone is to slow down. Often, construction projects will cause traffic queues with fast-moving vehicles approaching slow-moving, or even stopped, traffic. These are very dangerous conditions, so it’s best to slow down as soon as you see signs warning you of construction.
Once in the queue, evidence suggests that it’s best to stay in your lane until you have to merge. This reduces the overall queue length by utilizing all lanes of traffic until the road closure, and minimizes the impact on other traffic. If you’re in the lane that continues on, make sure to let in merging traffic to form what traffic engineers call a “zipper merge,” where cars from each lane take turns one-by-one.
Q: How is the University of Minnesota advancing road safety, particularly around construction sites?
Dr. Stern: Transportation researchers at the University of Minnesota are looking at different ways to make roads safer and more efficient. This includes efforts to integrate higher resolution traffic data into decision-making tools to utilize the transportation infrastructure more efficiently. For example, I’m working on a project using data to improve traffic signal timing, as well as research to update ramp metering control to improve flow efficiency, and thus safety.
Raphael Stern, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geo- Engineering in the College of Science of Engineering at the University of Minnesota where he studies modeling and control of transportation systems as well as transportation data analysis. Before joining the University, Raphael was a postdoctoral researcher at the Technical University of Munich and a visiting scholar at Vanderbilt University. Raphael has all his degrees from the University of Illinois.
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About the Center for Transportation Studies
The Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota is a national leader in transportation research, engagement and education. CTS collaborates with public-sector, industry and academic partners to shape transportation systems that are sustainable, serve the needs of all users, support a strong economy and improve our collective quality of life. Learn more at cts.umn.edu.
About the College of Science and Engineering
The University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering brings together the University’s programs in engineering, physical sciences, mathematics and computer science into one college. The college is ranked among the top academic programs in the country and includes 12 academic departments offering a wide range of degree programs at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels. Learn more at cse.umn.edu.
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