Author: Brian Casey

Call for Presentations: Organizers of the 2020 International Road Weather and Winter Maintenance Conference & Peer Exchange are looking for practical and innovative presentations on best practices in road weather management and winter maintenance operations. Presentation abstracts are due March 2; the conference and peer exchange will be held September 21-23 in Atlanta. Details and conference registration.

QPL Update: The Clear Roads Qualified Products List has resumed accepting product checklists and samples from vendors. For details on the submission process, visit the QPL page.

Check out these recent reports from agencies around the country:

• Synthesis of Safety Applications in Winter Weather Operations, Texas DOT, November 2019. Research report.

• Relationships Between Weather and Roadway Safety, Iowa DOT, September 2019. Research report.

• Modeling the Macroscopic Effects of Winter Maintenance Operations on Traffic Mobility on Washington Highways, Center for Advanced Multimodal Mobility Solutions and Education, September 2019. Research report.

• Cost-Effectiveness of Constructing Minimal Shelter to Store INDOT Equipment (Weather Protection), Indiana DOT, February 2019. Research report.

In training news, Iowa DOT recently posted an update to the agency’s popular Winter Operations Training video series. The new series includes 13 videos on topics such as plowing techniques, preseason preparation, and how deicing chemicals work.

Save the date! The Pacific Northwest Snowfighters will hold their 2020 conference on June 2 and 3 in Portland, Oregon. For details on past conferences, see the PNS website.

Other upcoming events:

• TRB Annual Meeting (January 12-16, Washington, DC)
• APWA Snow Conference (April 19-22, Cleveland, Ohio)
• National Winter Maintenance Peer Exchange (week of September 21, Atlanta)

Hope to see you there!

As temperatures drop, industry magazines are turning their focus to winter maintenance. The October issue of APWA Reporter features an article on Clear Roads training materials:

• Video training on plowing intersections and interchanges
• Video training on using liquids for anti-icing and deicing
• Snowplow Operator and Supervisor Training: 22 customizable instructor-led training modules

For more winter maintenance news, check out Roads & Bridges’ annual Winter Maintenance issue. Article topics include mobile sensors, smarter salt spreaders, and corrosion mitigation.

Check out these recent reports from agencies around the country:

• NCHRP Research Report 889: Performance Measures in Snow and Ice Control Operations, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, 2019. Research report.
• Snow and Ice Control Performance Measurement: Comparing “Grip,” Traffic Speed Distributions and Safety Outcomes During Winter Storms, Vermont Agency of Transportation, April 2019. Research report.
• Bio-Based Renewable Additives for Anti-Icing Applications (Phase II), Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates, January 2019. Research report.
• Evaluating Potential Effects of Deicing Salts on Roadside Carbon Sequestration, Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates, January 2019. Research report.

As we work to restructure the product submittal process for the Clear Roads Qualified Products List (QPL), we are requesting that no product checklists or samples be submitted until further notice. We hope to be able to start receiving products by October 14. Thanks for your patience as we make this transition.

Please share this information with anyone who may need it. For more information about the Clear Roads QPL, please visit the QPL page.

In September 2020, the National Winter Maintenance Peer Exchange will merge with the quadrennial conference held by TRB’s Winter Maintenance and Surface Transportation Committees to become the 2020 International Road Weather and Winter Maintenance Conference and Peer Exchange. Sponsored by TRB, Aurora, Clear Roads and the Snow and Ice Pooled Fund Cooperative Program (SICOP), this event will be held the week of September 21, 2020, at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead.

For more details, see this announcement from the conference organizers. You can also view presentations and other materials from past peer exchanges on the SICOP website.

For many years, the Qualified Products List (QPL) maintained by the Pacific Northwest Snowfighters association has served as a resource for agencies across the country, identifying deicing chemicals and additives that meet established standards for corrosiveness and impact on the environment. As the QPL continues to grow, Clear Roads will be overseeing the product testing and administration for the list, which is now called the Clear Roads QPL. For an updated version of the CR QPL and a Letter to Vendors about the transition, visit the Clear Roads QPL page.