The Grainger College of Engineering
Illinois Center for Transportation

New ICT-IDOT projects

4/13/2026 McCall Macomber

Illinois Center for Transportation is pleased to announce the start of new Illinois Department of Transportation-sponsored projects, from most recent start date.

R27-SP80: Statistical Evaluation of Illinois Modified AASHTO T161 Freeze-Thaw Testing Following Laboratory Relocation
Nishant Garg, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Andrew Stolba, Illinois Department of Transportation

Freeze-thaw cycles may cause concrete in pavement or bridges to expand, crack and deteriorate, reducing its durability.
Freeze-thaw cycles may cause concrete in pavement or bridges to expand, crack and deteriorate, reducing its durability.

A critical way to build high-performing pavements and bridges is to evaluate a mixture’s freeze-thaw performance in the lab to ensure it meets performance parameters. The aim of this project is to calibrate and validate new equipment for freeze-thaw testing at IDOT’s Central Bureau of Materials.

Researchers will test aggregate samples using IDOT’s new and existing freeze-thaw equipment, ensuring the new equipment produces consistent and replicable results. They will also create calibration guidelines that will help to establish a repeatable framework when replacing future freeze-thaw testing equipment.

The project will end December 2026.

R27-288: Modernization and Web-Based Implementation of the Illinois Pavement Feedback System
Hong Lang and Imad Al-Qadi, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
John Senger, Illinois Department of Transportation

The Illinois Pavement Feedback System is a research-grade pavement management system developed by IDOT’s Bureau of Materials and Physical Research several decades ago that allows engineers to store, retrieve and analyze pavement data.
The Illinois Pavement Feedback System is a research-grade pavement management system developed by IDOT’s Bureau of Materials and Physical Research several decades ago that allows engineers to store, retrieve and analyze pavement data.

This project will modernize IDOT’s Illinois Pavement Feedback System, a pavement management system that contains detailed construction history, performance data and traffic data of the Illinois interstate system. Researchers will transition the database from a mainframe-based system into a secure, web-based pavement data management and analysis platform.

Transitioning to a web-based platform will provide IDOT with an easy way to access the data, monitor interstate sections, and make informed maintenance and rehabilitation decisions. The system will also have a detailed dataset on Illinois’ interstate system available to researchers.

The project will conclude February 2028.

R27-SP81: Audible Warning System on TMA and Maintenance Trucks
Yanfeng Ouyang, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Meiwu An and Greg Gurski, Illinois Department of Transportation

Truck-mounted attenuators, which are attached to the back of work trucks, protect highway workers by helping to absorb the impact of potential crashes.
Truck-mounted attenuators, which are attached to the back of work trucks, protect highway workers by helping to absorb the impact of potential crashes.

The project aims to increase the safety of truck-mounted attenuators by developing a system that uses automated audible and visual warnings to detect potential collisions and notify drivers. Researchers will optimize the design of audible warning devices based on physical, engineering and human factors to increase performance in complex operating environments.

The research will help IDOT build and test prototypes in real-world conditions, especially around work zones, helping to reduce collisions, damage to equipment and traffic disruptions.

The project will conclude November 2026.

R27-SP83: Ladle Slag Properties When Blended with Dolomitic Underutilized Quarry Materials
Erol Tutumluer and Nishant Garg, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Andrew Stolba, Illinois Department of Transportation

Photo credit: Brian Rice. Underutilized materials at a quarry in Illinois. Illinois quarry producers estimated the amount of underutilized quarry materials in Illinois is expected to reach as high as 950,000 tons annually, according to a <a href="https://apps.ict.illinois.edu/projects/getfile.asp?id=3507" target="_blank" aria-label="2015 study; Link opens in new tab">2015 study</a> led by Tutumluer. 
Photo credit: Brian Rice. Underutilized materials at a quarry in Illinois. Illinois quarry producers estimated the amount of underutilized quarry materials in Illinois is expected to reach as high as 950,000 tons annually, according to a 2015 study led by Tutumluer. 

Dolomite, a mineral commonly found in Illinois quarries, may be used to improve the durability and stability of road foundations when stabilized with other materials.

This project explores the use of ladle furnace slag, a material formed when making steel, as a way to reduce cement content in dolomitic materials while maintaining performance. Researchers aim to optimize the ratio of cement content, ladle furnace slag and fine-grained dolomite to create more durable road foundations.

Effectively determining the ratio will help to reduce the cost of cement within dolomitic materials as well as open a market for underutilized quarry materials.

The project will end November 2026.