Guide to Converting Distressed Low-Volume Paved Roads to Unpaved Roads

Summary:

In rural Minnesota and across rural counties in other states, many low-volume roads constructed in the 1970s and 1980s have aged and deteriorated, requiring significant maintenance. However, local agency budgets have tightened and cannot accommodate all rural roads in need of resurfacing. The conversion of severely distressed low-volume paved roads to engineered unpaved, or gravel, roads has been practiced throughout the country, though there is little literature about the practice. A 2015 National Cooperative Highway Research Program synthesis presents this practice in detail. Minnesota's Local Road Research Board wanted to present material from this study relevant to Minnesota in an accessible, succinct guide for road managers to make this road conversion process an acceptable part of low-volume road management. Researchers created a guide that addresses the common questions road managers ask and presents the conversion process clearly and logically. Local road managers can consult the guide and accompanying video to determine if conversion of distressed low-volume roads to better, economically engineered unpaved roads is an appropriate solution for them.

Final Deliverables:

• Webinar: A Guide to Successfully Convert Severely Distressed Paved Roads to Engineered Unpaved Roads (Video #2019-42W)
• A Guide to Successfully Convert Severely Distressed Paved Roads to Engineered Unpaved Roads - Final Report (Report #2019-42)
• A Guide to Successfully Convert Severely Distressed Paved Roads to Engineered Unpaved Roads - Guidebook (Guidebook #2019-42G)
• Converting Severely Distressed Low Volume Paved Roads to Engineered Unpaved Roads - Power Point (Slide Presentation #2019-42P)
• Guide for Converting Distressed Low-Volume Paved Roads to Unpaved Roads (Research Summary)

Related Materials:

• Guide for Converting Distressed Low-Volume Paved Roads to Unpaved Roads  (Blog Post)
• Example letter for communicating with public  (Other)
• Unpaving fact sheet  (Other)
• Checklists and forms  (Other)
• Webinar: A Guide to Successfully Convert Severely Distressed Paved Roads to Engineered Unpaved Roads  (Video/Webinar)

Related Research:

Project Personnel:

Principal Investigator:  Laura Fay

Co-Principal Investigator:  Ashley Kroon, David Jones

Technical Liaison:  Tim Stahl

Project Coordinator:  Brent Rusco

Panel Members: 
Bruce Hasbargen - Beltrami County
Darrick Anderson - Cass County
Eddie Johnson - Materials & Road Research
Elliot Keyes - Project Management and Technical Support
Gregory Johnson - Materials & Road Research
Guy Kohlnhofer - Dodge County
JinYeene Neumann - Carlton County Transportation Department
Joel Ulring - Materials & Road Research
Kaye Bieniek - Olmsted County Public Works
Paul Nolan - Materials & Road Research
Stephen Schnieder - City of Worthington
Terrence Beaudry - Materials & Road Research