As winter weather arrives in Michigan, researchers in Lansing have their eyes on four concrete slabs that, they hope, will one day make the state’s roads safer during the snowy season — not to mention easier and cheaper to maintain.

These aren’t just any concrete slabs, though. Each was made with a different mixture of a proprietary formula designed to melt ice and snow. Each will be rigged with wires to give Michigan State University team members readings about its durability and performance.

“This concrete is the future, and it could revolutionize the infrastructure for urban communities by reducing maintenance costs and for rural communities that need safer, sustainable solutions,” said Quingxu “Bill” Jin, the MSU assistant professor who developed the new concrete. “We can’t wait to see how the concrete performs on campus this winter.”

Jin and his team will monitor what MSU calls “self-heating and self-healing bendable” concrete throughout the winter as the slabs do battle with the snow, sleet and ice, as well as pedestrian foot traffic.

In October, MSU personnel celebrated the launch of the pilot test with a public demonstration where MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz placed a small, square piece of concrete cast with the MSU Spartan helmet logo next to the four test slabs.

“Every journey, no matter how long, must begin with small steps, and it’s no small thing to advance the state of the art in pavement materials engineering when it comes to Michigan’s notoriously punishing climate — especially with ever-escalating costs of repairs and materials,” Guskiewicz said in a press release issued by MSU following the event.

“Today, we showcase our College of Engineering’s research excellence and MSU’s impact in our own backyard and beyond.”

Michigan ranks 31st in the country in terms of road conditions, according to U.S. News & World Report. The state is setting aside about $2 billion each year to fix state and local roads, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in October, after signing the state’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget into law.

The state’s cracked and bumpy roadways aren’t just costly for the government, they also cost motorists a little under $3,000 a year due in vehicle depreciation, repair costs, time spent waiting in traffic and other factors, according to a study by TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on transportation issues. The organization found that 40% of the state’s locally and state-maintained roads are in poor or mediocre condition.

Officials at MSU are hopeful Jin’s innovative concrete formula can one day help improve the state’s roadways.

“This novel concrete project is a great example of MSU’s economic relevance strategy, which fosters innovation and entrepreneurship, contributions to regional economic development and aligning research with state economic needs,” said John Papapolymerou, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “There are numerous applications on how this concrete will play a role in the infrastructure improvement strategy shared by our city and local government leaders and provides an opportunity to support national security.”

The concrete developed at MSU is considered “self-heating” because it can store heat from the sun, then release it when temperatures drop to freezing levels, the university said. It’s considered “self-healing” because initial testing showed that “cracks thinner than a human hair can repair themselves,” the MSU release said.

Jin, who developed the formula with graduate student Xiaoqiang “Antonio” Ni, also is talking with state and local organizations and businesses about future applications for the concrete, the university said.