Research Section

Mission

We deliver knowledge solutions and innovations so that MoDOT can make informed decisions. Research staff administer contract research to outside organizations to solve organizational challenges.

Research projects are focused on how MoDOT can change processes, products or materials in order to do our jobs in the most efficient and economical manner.

The Research Section falls under the Construction and Materials Division within MoDOT and is located in the Central Laboratory building.

What We Do

We develop an annual research program, focusing on strategic areas such as Safety, Bridges, Pavements, Materials, Geotechnical Issues, Erosion Control, Maintenance, Multimodal Transportation, Best Practices and Customer Satisfaction.

The Research Section is also responsible for other activities:

Consultant Support for Intelligent Compaction and Paver-Mounted Thermal Profiling Projects in 2024-2025

The 2024 MoDOT IC-PMTP Annual Report highlights achievements and challenges in implementing Intelligent Compaction (IC) and Paver-Mounted Thermal Profiling (PMTP) technologies. Key updates included aligning data validation tools with updated PMTP specifications and addressing challenges such as contractor’s paving boundary data manipulation and dat...

View Final Report

A Roadmap for Missouri: Assessing Needs an Implementation Framework for Incorporating Environmental Product Declarations

This report details the Missouri Department of Transportation’s activities within the Federal Highway Administration’s Climate Challenge program. The purpose of the program was three-fold, 1) to increase knowledge of environmental product declarations (EPDs) within the Missouri asphalt and concrete industry, 2) to assess the current state of Missou...

View Final Report

Implementation of Balanced Mixture Design in Missouri Test Sections with Modifiers

The overarching goal of this study was to advance the deployment of innovative pavement technologies prevalent in the state of Missouri. In this study, the focus was on evaluating recycled polymers for use in asphalt mixtures and Balanced Mixture Design (BMD) implementation. Nine test sections were constructed on I-155 near Hayti, MO. Six sections ...

View Final Report

TITAN – An Interactive, Web-based Framework for Transportation Data Integration and Analytics – Phase 2

The TITAN project, now in its second phase, is a cutting-edge, interactive web-based framework designed for the warehousing, integration, analytics, and visualization of transportation data. This phase has successfully implemented resilient and scalable database architectures, enabling rapid storage and retrieval of massive datasets, which are crit...

View Final Report

HFST Review

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has implemented High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) in various locations across the state to reduce roadway departure crashes by improving pavement friction. To prevent premature failure and to ensure that the HFST performs adequately throughout the design life, this study evaluates the pavement ...

View Final Report

Effective Methods to Safely Communicate with Commercial Motor Vehicles

One critical aspect of a proactive approach to improving the safety of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) involves how to communicate with CMV drivers safely and effectively through an electronic notification system (ENS). The objectives of this project are to: 1) conduct a review of existing ENS methods in use by CMV drivers, trucking companies, and...

View Final Report