Treating Iowa's Marginal Aggregates and Soils by Foamix Process, HR-212, 1980

Quality granular materials suitable for building all-weather roads are not uniformly distributed throughout the state of Iowa. For this reason the Iowa Highway Research Board has sponsored a number of research programs for the purpose of developing new and effective methods for making use of whatever materials are locally available. This need is ever more pressing today due to the decreasing availability of road funds and quality materials, and the increasing costs of energy and all types of binder materials. In the 1950s, Professor L. H. Csanyi of Iowa State University had demonstrated both in the laboratory and in the field, in Iowa and in a number of foreign countries, the effectiveness of preparing low cost mixes by stabilizing ungraded local aggregates such as gravel, sand and loess with asphalt cements using the foamed asphalt process. In this process controlled foam was produced by introducing saturated steam at about 40 psi into heated asphalt cement at about 25 psi through a specially designed and properly adjusted nozzle. The reduced viscosity and the increased volume and surface energy in the foamed asphalt allowed intimate coating and mixing of cold, wet aggregates or soils. Through the use of asphalt cements in a foamed state, materials normally considered unsuitable could be used in the preparation of mixes for stabilized bases and surfaces for low traffic road construction. By attaching the desired number of foam nozzles, the foamed asphalt can be used in conjunction with any type of mixing plant, either stationary or mobile, batch or continuous, central plant or in-place soil stabilization.

State Forest Nursery 2013-2014 Seedling Catalog, 2013

The State Forest Nursery welcomes the opportunity to help you with your tree planting needs. Our goal is to provide low cost, native seedlings in order to help make your tree planting successful and affordable. We strive to produce the best stock in the industry, and our staff will do everything they can to help you achieve your planting goals. We want your tree planting to be successful, so please let us know how we can help! You can contact us www.iowatreeplanting.com By planting trees today you will leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren, as well as a legacy for your home state, its people and its habitat. Let us help you leave your mark on the state you love- your children and grandchildren will thank you!

Surface Improvement and Dust Palliation of Unpaved Secondary Roads and Streets, Progress Report, HR-151, 1971

A combined study of dust control and low-cost surface improvements of soil and aggregate materials for immediate (and intermediate) use as a treated surface course is being conducted in three concurrent phases: (1) laboratory screening of various additives thought to have potential for long-lasting dust palliation, soil-additive strength, durability, and additive retention potential; (2) test road construction, using those additives from the screening studies that indicate promise for performance and serviceability; and (3) observation and tests of constructed sections for evaluation of the additive's contribution to performance and serviceability as well as relationship to initial costs. A brief review is presented of the problem, some methods of measuring it, previously adopted approaches to it, project field tests and a portion of the results thus far, and portions of the laboratory work accomplished in the screening studies.

RFID Tags for Detecting Concrete Degradation in Bridge Decks, RB08-011, 2013

Steel reinforcing bar (rebar) corrosion due to chlorine ingress is the primary degradation mechanism for bridge decks. In areas where rock salt is used as a de-icing agent, salt water seeps into the concrete through cracks, causing corrosion of the rebar and potentially leading to catastrophic failure if not repaired. This project explores the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags as low-cost corrosion sensors. RFID tags, when embedded in concrete, will fail due to corrosion in the same manner as rebar after prolonged exposure to salt water. In addition, the presence of salt water interferes with the ability to detect the tags, providing a secondary mechanism by which this method can work. During this project, a fieldable RFID equipment setup was constructed and tested. In addition to a number of laboratory experiments to validate the underlying principles, RFID tags were embedded and tested in several actual bridge decks. Two major challenges were addressed in this project: issues associated with tags not functioning due to being in close proximity to rebar and issues associated with portland concrete coming in direct contact with the tags causing a detuning effect and preventing the tags from operating properly. Both issues were investigated thoroughly. The first issue was determined to be a problem only if the tags are placed in close proximity to rebar. The second issue was resolved by encapsulating the tag. Two materials, polyurethane spray foam and extruded polystyrene, were identified as providing good performance after testing, both in the lab and in the field.

Evaluation of the Confirmation Light System at Signalized Intersections in Medium to Large Iowa Communities to Reduce Red Light Running Violations”, TR-657, 2015

Red light running continues to be a serious safety concern for many communities in the United States. The Federal Highway Administration reported that in 2011, red light running accounted for 676 fatalities nationwide. Red light running crashes at a signalized intersections are more serious, especially in high speed corridors where speeds are above 35 mph. Many communities have invested in red light countermeasures including low-cost strategies (e.g. signal backplates, targeted enforcement, signal timing adjustments and improvement with signage) to high-cost strategies (e.g. automated enforcement and intersection geometric improvements). This research study investigated intersection confirmation lights as a low-cost strategy to reduce red light running violations. Two intersections in Altoona and Waterloo, Iowa were equipped with confirmation lights which targeted the through and left turning movements. Confirmation lights enable a single police officer to monitor a specific lane of traffic downstream of the intersection. A before-after analysis was conducted in which a change in red light running violations prior to- and 1 and 3 months after installation were evaluated. A test of proportions was used to determine if the change in red light running violation rates were statistically significant at the 90 and 95 percent levels of confidence. The two treatment intersections were then compared to the changes of red light running violation rates at spillover intersections (directly adjacent to the treatment intersections) and control intersections. The results of the analysis indicated a 10 percent reduction of red light running violations in Altoona and a 299 percent increase in Waterloo at the treatment locations. Finally, the research team investigated the time into red for each observed red light running violation. The analysis indicated that many of the violations occurred less than one second into the red phase and that most of the violation occurred during or shortly after the all-red phase.

Mission-Oriented Dust Control and Surface Improvement Processes for Unpaved Roads, HR-194, 1981

Six subject areas prompted the broad field of inquiry of this mission-oriented dust control and surface improvement project for unpaved roads: • DUST--Hundreds of thousands of tons of dust are created annually by vehicles on Iowa's 70,000 miles of unpaved roads and streets. Such dust is often regarded as a nuisance by Iowa's highway engineers. • REGULATIONS--Establishment of "fugitive dust" regulations by the Iowa DEQ in 1971 has created debates, conferences, legal opinions, financial responsibilities, and limited compromises regarding "reasonable precaution" and "ordinary travel," both terms being undefined judgment factors. • THE PUBLIC--Increased awareness by the public that regulations regarding dust do in fact exist creates a discord of telephone calls, petitions, and increasing numbers of legal citations. Both engineers and politicians are frustrated into allowing either the courts or regulatory agencies to resolve what is basically a professional engineering responsibility. • COST--Economics seldom appear as a tenet of regulatory strategies, and in the case of "fugitive dust," four-way struggles often occur between the highway professions, political bodies, regulatory agencies, and the general public as to who is responsible, what can be done, how much it will cost, or why it wasn't done yesterday. • CONFUSION--The engineer lacks authority, and guidelines and specifications to design and construct a low-cost surf acing system are nebulous, i.e., construct something between the present crushed stone/gravel surface and a high-type pavement. • SOLUTION--The engineer must demonstrate that dust control and surface improvement may be engineered at a reasonable cost to the public, so that a higher degree of regulatory responsibility can be vested in engineering solutions.

Automated Traffic/Truck Weight Monitoring Equipment (Weigh-in-Motion), HR-282, 1988

This report documents work undertaken in the demonstration of a low-cost Automatic Weight and Classification System (AWACS). An AWACS procurement specification and details of the results of the project are also included. The intent of the project is to support and encourage transferring research knowledge to state and local agencies and manufacturers through field demonstrations. Presently available, Weigh-in-Motion and Classification Systems are typically too expensive to permit the wide deployment necessary to obtain representative vehicle data. Piezo electric technology has been used in the United Kingdom and Europe and is believed to be the basic element in a low-cost AWACS. Low-cost systems have been installed at two sites, one in Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavement in Iowa and the other in Asphaltic Cement Concrete (ACC) pavement in Minnesota to provide experience with both types of pavement. The systems provide axle weights, gross vehicle weight, axle spacing, vehicle classification, vehicle speed, vehicle count, and time of arrival. In addition, system self-calibration and a method to predict contact tire pressure is included in the system design. The study has shown that in the PCC pavement, the AWACS is capable of meeting the needs of state and federal highway agencies, producing accuracies comparable to many current commercial WIM devices. This is being achieved at a procurement cost of substantially less than currently available equipment. In the ACC pavement the accuracies were less than those observed in the PCC pavement which is concluded to result from a low pavement rigidity at this site. Further work is needed to assess the AWACS performance at a range of sites in ACC pavements.

Production of Acetic Acid for CMA Deicer, HR-304, 1988

Although the overall objective for undertaking this project is to help decide on the best way to produce CMA, the tasks to be performed deal primarily with acetic acid itself. The objectives of our part of this project can be restated here: A. Evaluate the cost and composition of potential low-cost fermentation substrates that are available in large quantity at central locations in Iowa. B. Compare the nutritional and physiological properties of a variety of homoacetogenic bacteria relative to acetic acid production, based on information available in the literature. C. Using both of these pools of information, evaluate the possibilities for use of substrates for acetic acid production that are significantly cheaper than the previous sugar, starch hydrolysate or whole corn based studies; also, compare the different acetogens encountered with the most commonly discussed acetogen, Clostridium thermoaceticum; arrive at conclusions on 1-3 of the best agriculture-derived substrates that should be further examined, and on 1-3 of the best organisms to evaluate experimentally. D. Collect experimental data at the tube and fermentor scale on 1-2 of the possibilities in C above. E. Comment on our understanding of acetic acid production possibilities from our perspective as microbiologists, and provide all this above information to Paul Peterschmidt for him to consider for his portion of this report. F. In addition, we would like to point out the possible advantage of examining the use of an agricultural by-product, corn steep liquor, as a direct, non-fermented feedstock for a non-acetic acid deicer.

Wireless Sensor Networks for Infrastructure Monitoring, TR-611, 2010

A good system of preventive bridge maintenance enhances the ability of engineers to manage and monitor bridge conditions, and take proper action at the right time. Traditionally infrastructure inspection is performed via infrequent periodical visual inspection in the field. Wireless sensor technology provides an alternative cost-effective approach for constant monitoring of infrastructures. Scientific data-acquisition systems make reliable structural measurements, even in inaccessible and harsh environments by using wireless sensors. With advances in sensor technology and availability of low cost integrated circuits, a wireless monitoring sensor network has been considered to be the new generation technology for structural health monitoring. The main goal of this project was to implement a wireless sensor network for monitoring the behavior and integrity of highway bridges. At the core of the system is a low-cost, low power wireless strain sensor node whose hardware design is optimized for structural monitoring applications. The key components of the systems are the control unit, sensors, software and communication capability. The extensive information developed for each of these areas has been used to design the system. The performance and reliability of the proposed wireless monitoring system is validated on a 34 feet span composite beam in slab bridge in Black Hawk County, Iowa. The micro strain data is successfully extracted from output-only response collected by the wireless monitoring system. The energy efficiency of the system was investigated to estimate the battery lifetime of the wireless sensor nodes. This report also documents system design, the method used for data acquisition, and system validation and field testing. Recommendations on further implementation of wireless sensor networks for long term monitoring are provided.

Road Safety Audit for County Road X-37, from the Intersection of G-62 to the East Corporate Limits of Columbus City in Louisa County, Iowa, 2009

A road safety audit was conducted for a 7.75 mile section of County Road X-37 in Louisa County, Iowa. In 2006, the average annual daily traffic on this roadway was found to be 680 vehicles per day. Using crash data from 2001 to 2007, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) has identified this roadway as being in the highest 5% of local rural roads in Iowa for single-vehicle runoff- road crashes. Considering these safety data, the Louisa County Engineer requested that a road safety audit be conducted to identify areas of safety concerns and recommend low-cost mitigation to address those concerns. Staff and officials from the Iowa DOT, Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, Federal Highway Administration, Institute for Transportation, and local law enforcement and transportation agencies met to review crash data and discuss potential safety improvements to this segment of X-37. This report outlines the findings and recommendations of the road safety audit team to address the safety concerns on this X-37 corridor and explain several selected mitigation strategies.

Road Safety Audit for County Road W-55 in Washington County, Iowa, 2009

A road safety audit was conducted for a seven-mile section of County Road W-55 in Washington County, Iowa. In 2006, the average annual daily traffic on this roadway was found to be 1,290 vehicles per day. Using crash data from 2001 to 2007, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) has identified this roadway as being in the top 5% of Iowa secondary rural roads with the highest density of serious (fatal and major injury) crashes for single-vehicle run-off-road incidents. Considering these safety data, the Washington County Engineer requested that a road safety audit be conducted to identify areas with safety concerns and to recommend low-cost mitigation to address those concerns. Staff and officials from the Iowa DOT, Iowa State Patrol, Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, Federal Highway Administration, Institute for Transportation, and local law enforcement and transportation agencies met to review crash data and discuss potential safety improvements to this segment of W-55. This report outlines the findings and recommendations of the road safety audit team to address the safety concerns on this W-55 corridor and explain several selected mitigation strategies.

Road Safety Audit for IA 150/US 52 from I-380 to the Minnesota Border, 2009

On June 9, 2009, the Northeast Iowa Highway 150/52 Coalition met with the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) in Cedar Falls, Iowa to discuss concerns regarding roadway conditions and safety which has become a concern because of the potential economic development in the area. In response to the issues raised by the coalition, the Iowa DOT requested that a road safety audit be conducted on the corridor to identify where low-cost improvements could be beneficially applied to address safety concerns.

Evaluation of Iowa's Driver Improvement Program, 2009

This study examines the effectiveness of Iowa’s Driver Improvement Program (DIP), measured as the reduction in the number of driver convictions subsequent to the DIP. The analysis involved a random sample of 9,055 drivers who had been instructed to attend DIP and corresponding data on driver convictions, crashes, and driver education training history that were provided by the Iowa Motor Vehicle Division. The sample was divided into two groups based on DIP outcome: satisfactory or unsatisfactory completion. Two evaluation periods were considered: one year after the DIP date (probation period) and the period from the 13th to 18th month after the DIP date. The evaluation of Iowa’s DIP showed that there is evidence of effectiveness in terms of reducing driver convictions subsequent to attending the DIP. Among the 6,790 (75%) drivers who completed the course satisfactorily, 73% of drivers had no actions and 93% were not involved in a crash during the probation period. Statistical tests confirmed these numbers. However, the positive effect of satisfactory completion of DIP on survival time (that is, the time until the first conviction) was not statistically significant 13 months after the DIP date. Econometric model estimation results showed that, regardless of the DIP outcome, the likelihood of conviction occurrence and frequency of subsequent convictions depends on other factors, such as age, driver history, and DIP location, and interaction effects among these factors. Low-cost, early intervention measures are suggested to enhance the effectiveness of Iowa’s DIP. These measures can include advisory and warning letters (customized based on the driver’s age) sent within the first year after the DIP date and soon after the end of the probation period, as well as a closer examination of DIP instruction across the 17 community colleges that host the program. Given the large number of suspended drivers who continued to drive, consideration should also be given to measures to reduce driving while suspended offenses.

05007-003 Hewitt Creek Watershed Final Report

The goal of this project is to help residents of the Hewitt Creek watershed identify themselves as a watershed community and use cost-effective approaches to control non-point source nutrient and sediment contaminants according to collective science-based environmental goals. The project will tap the low-cost, high-return human resources of local knowledge and resident leadership for economical and sustainable solutions. A watershed council will implement an incentive program to engage their watershed community in locally-acceptable practices and performance (outcome) measures for environmental stewardship that have reasonable cost and are linked with accountable crop and livestock management decisions. The Iowa and Dubuque County Farm Bureau have supported one year of management practice incentives. The performance incentive program will take this effort to the next level, to focus on outcomes.