Iowa DOT employs new method to fill gaps in pavement temperature data

December 18, 2020

Winter in Iowa often means snow and ice, making getting around by vehicle a little tricky. The Iowa Department of Transportation is using more data than ever to find better, more effective ways to treat roads, helping drivers get around more safely and easily.

One of the most critical data points we collect is pavement temperature. Tina Greenfield from the Iowa DOT’s Maintenance Bureau, says, “As you might expect if pavement temperatures are very cold, precipitation and moisture can freeze on the roads causing our treatment options to be different than when pavement temperatures are warmer. Having this accurate data guides our winter operations.”

Weigh-in-motion systems save industry time and money, make roads safer for everyone

November 19, 2020

Large trucks carry goods to every corner of the globe. Without dedicated commercial drivers and the companies they work for, we wouldn’t have access to the items we depend on every day. But with all that truck traffic comes wear and tear to our roads. Over the years, engineers have developed specifications for roadbuilding that can accommodate the weight of these large trucks, but trucks that exceed the design weight can cause extensive damage to the roads, making for unsafe conditions and costing us all taxpayer dollars for repairs.

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Enforcement is a team of certified peace officers dedicated to motor carrier safety. Part of that mission includes weighing large trucks to ensure they don’t exceed prescribed weight limits. New technology being utilized by Iowa DOT’s MVE includes mobile technology to allow officers to “weigh-in-motion.”

Collaboration leads to more efficient replacement of county bridges

November 17, 2020

If there’s one thing we’ve solidified in 2020, it’s that we’re all in this together, no matter what “this” might be. Old boundaries have been broken down and new collaborations have been formed that will benefit us for generations to come.

One such collaboration between the Federal Highway Administration, Iowa Department of Transportation, and county road departments allows federal funding for new construction methods utilized on the construction of new county bridges.

New 511 site improvements with your comments in mind

November 9, 2020

Getting you there – that’s what we’re all about at the Iowa Department of Transportation. For nearly two decades, our online traveler information system, 511, has provided winter road conditions, summer construction detours, and general information about incidents or other diversions that impact travel both online and over the phone. Over the years the website has undergone many refinements and a recent update is making significant changes to make the 511 experience better based on input from users like you.

Precision is the key to successful winter maintenance

October 29, 2020

If you’ve driven in Iowa (or any other cold-weather state) in the winter, you’ve probably noticed that snowplows are equipped to spread salt in the form of either solid crystals or brine to help break up snow and ice. New calibration tools are helping Iowa DOT staff get their equipment ready for winter. The tools assure the correct amount of material is being applied.

Tina Greenfield of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Maintenance Bureau said, “With decades of experience under our belts and data to back up our decisions, highway maintenance supervisors and technicians know the roads well and have tried and true methods to keeps those roads as safe as possible when winter weather hits.”

Iowa finds new tools to control stormwater erosion and sediment at construction sites

October 21, 2020

At the Iowa Department of Transportation, the preservation of limited natural resources is one element we look at when planning construction projects. When we’re constructing or moving a road, we often need to move earth. As good stewards of the land, we take precautions to assure that the disturbed ground does not erode, or the sediment wash away only to end up in another area.