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:

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...

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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 ...

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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...

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Load and Resistance Factor Rating Methodology Recommendations for Missouri Bridges

Traditionally, MoDOT performed bridge load ratings using the Load Factor Rating (LFR) methodology. With the adoption of Load and Resistance Factor Design based Load and Resistance Factor Rating (LRFR) methodology, MoDOT is migrating to LRFR for rating bridges.  The primary goal of this study is to develop and recommend load posting polici...

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Developing Implementation Strategies for Risk Based Inspection (RBI)

This project's goal was to improve asset management through Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) practices. The research was intended to amplify the results of prior research that produced the Proposed Guidelines for Reliability-Based Inspection Practices. Under the new provisions of the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS), bridge owners that implem...

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Safety Impacts of Fluorescent Yellow-Green Signs on Pedestrians

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) specifies the use of yellow sheeting for pedestrian or bicycle signs and fluorescent yellow-green (FYG) for school signs, with an option for the use of FYG sheeting for pedestrian or bicycle warning signs. However, switching from yellow or fluorescent yellow (FY) to FYG for pedest...

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