Best Practices for Dust Control in Minnesota

Summary:

More than 50 percent of the road network in the United States are gravel roads, underscoring their crucial role in the transportation system. However, one of the drawbacks and biggest complaints of gravel roads is the dust they generate when vehicles pass, causing inconvenience for residents from dust that settles on homes, yards, and parked cars. Dust can also reduce the safety for drivers due to impaired vision. To control the dust on gravel roads, local agencies apply various dust suppressants on their roadways. Recently, counties have received calls from residents inquiring about environmental, health and corrosion concerns with dust and dust control suppressants. This document investigates these additional questions as well as reviews and updates previous LRRB reports on dust control.

Final Deliverables:

• Best Practices for Dust Control in Minnesota (Guidebook #2024RIC07)
• Appendix A: Survey Questions and Responses (Appendix #2024RIC07A)
• Appendix B: Sample Dust Control Specifications (Appendix #2024RIC07B)
• Chloride Deposition from Salt Application Calculator (Spreadsheet #2024RIC07S)

Related Materials:

Related Research:

• Evaluation of Gravel Stabilizer Used on Gravel Roads and Gravel Shoulders
• Best Practices for Dust Control on Gravel Roads
• Aggregate Roads Dust Control: A Brief Synthesis of Current Practices
• Best Practices for Dust Control on Aggregate Surfaced Roads