Category: News & Events

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Clear Roads’ National Survey Compiles Ninth Year of Winter Maintenance Data

We’ve published our ninth Annual Survey of State Winter Maintenance Data, which compiles winter resources, material and cost data from 41 states for the 2022-2023 winter season. The spreadsheet includes all submitted data, as well as calculated statistics, winter severity index data, and a United States map that displays many of these metrics. The spreadsheet also includes data from the previous seven surveys (winters 2014-2015 through 2021-2022) and displays averages and changes across winter periods.

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New Podcast Episode of Talkin’ Winter Ops

Now in its seventh season, AASHTO’s Talkin’ Winter Ops podcast hits the ground running with an all new episode.

  • Shaken Not Stirred – the Rocker Ice Melting Test Method (Episode 96): Mike Mattison and Jasmine Dondlinger of the Nebraska Department of Transportation explain the science behind the Rocker AASHTO Provisional Test Method and how agencies can use it to determine the ice melting capacity of different deicing products. February 2024. Podcast.

Sign up to be notified when future episodes are posted by at https://subscribe.talkinwinterops.org

Image source: Nebraska DOT

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Winter Maintenance at the 2024 TRB Meeting

Clear Roads has prepared a listing of technical sessions and posters related to winter maintenance that were presented at the 2024 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. The list includes nearly two dozen papers and posters, with links to presentation materials. The sessions covered a wide range of winter maintenance topics, including materials, equipment, technology and weather.

Download the list: Winter Maintenance at the 2024 TRB Annual Meeting

Compendiums from prior years are available on Clear Roads’ TRB Papers on Winter Maintenance page.

Note: TRB requires a login to access full papers and presentation materials. If you are having trouble accessing these materials, check with your DOT or other transportation library.

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Winter Maintenance Research Roundup

Check out the recent research from transportation organizations around the country:

  • Cooperative Automation Driving System (C-ADS) with Road Weather Management (RWM) with a Lane Closure, Federal Highway Administration, December 2023. Fact sheet.
  • Field Test & Evaluation of a Solar Snow Fence, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, May 2023. Research report.
  • Snow Depth Retrieval with an Autonomous UAV-Mounted Software-Defined Radar, Colorado DOT, April 2023. Research report.

Image source: Colorado Department of Transportation

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Winter Maintenance Research in Progress

New research is underway! Learn more about some of the winter maintenance issues that Clear Roads and other transportation organizations around the country are exploring now:

  • Automating Variable Speed Limits Using Weather, Traffic, and Friction Data, Aurora Pooled Fund. Anticipated completion date: January 2025. Project description.
  • Developing a Collision Warning and Collision Avoidance System for WYDOT Snowplows, Wyoming DOT. Anticipated completion date: April 2024. Project proposal.
  • Development of a Public Service Announcement Library, Clear Roads Pooled Fund. Anticipated completion date: March 2025. Project description.
  • pH Waiver for Deicing Products and the Qualified Products List, Clear Roads Pooled Fund. Anticipated completion date: April 2025. Project description.

Image source: Michigan Department of Transportation

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New Clear Roads Research: Efficacy, Cost and Impacts of Non-Chloride Deicers

Salt products used during winter maintenance can corrode vehicles, damage vegetation and contaminate road-side wells and waterways. Non-chloride deicers could potentially serve as viable substitutes, but their pros and cons have not always been been well understood.

To help agencies compare and choose the right deicer for their needs, this Clear Roads project synthesized the benefits and drawbacks of non-chloride deicers. The research also produced data sheets for deicers in four categories, and may inform changes to Clear Roads’ Qualified Products List in the future.

Download the final report and two-page brief: Efficacy, Cost, and Impacts of Non-Chloride Deicers, December 2023.

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Winter Maintenance Research Roundup

Check out the recent research from transportation agencies around the country:

  • Improving Roadway Friction Measurements, Iowa DOT, September 2023. Research brief.
  • Snowplow Route Optimization for the Kansas Roadway System, Kansas DOT, September 2023. Technical Summary.
  • Crowdsourcing/Winter Operations Dashboard Upgrade, Indiana DOT, August 2023. Research report.
  • Evaluation of a Portable Snow Melter for Use in Caltrans Maintenance Yards, Caltrans, July 2023. Research report.
  • Salt Monitoring and Reporting Technology (SMART) for Salt Stockpile Inventory Reporting, Indiana DOT, July 2023. Research report.

Image source: California Department of Transportation

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New Podcast Episodes from Talkin Winter Ops

Check out these recent episodes from AASHTO’s Talkin Winter Ops podcast:

Help is On the Way (Episode 95): Artificial intelligence has become a big part of winter maintenance. In this episode, Tom Brummet, a software engineer with the National Center for Atmospheric Research talks about his work with AI and what advancements may be on the horizon. November 1, 2023. Podcast.

2nd Chances (Episode 94): In the final installment of the four-part workforce series, Lauren Hunter, City of Columbus Department of Public Service Human Resource Officer and Infrastructure Operations Coordinator Scott Lucas discuss their efforts to address staffing shortfalls through a vocational program partnership with the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio. October 17, 2023. Podcast.

It’s Not Just a Job (Episode 93): In part 3 of this series on workforce issues, Pasco Bakotich, State Maintenance Engineer for the Washington State DOT describes the successes and benefits of the agency’s program to attract high school students to careers in transportation maintenance. September 30, 2023. Podcast.

Why’s that Snowplow Pink? (Episode 92): Snowplows have traditionally been operated by men. But as recruiting and retaining qualified operators becomes more challenging, transportation agencies across the country are getting creative to change this occupational stereotype. In the second installment of the podcast’s series on workforce issues, Sandi Sauter, Maryland SHA’s Deputy Director of Operations, discussed the importance of diversity and why her agency may paint the blades on its women-driven snowplows a bright shade of pink in an attempt to encourage more women to drive plows. September 14, 2023. Podcast.

This Ain’t Your Dad’s Workforce (Episode 91): In the first installment of a four-part series on workforce issues in winter maintenance, Bill Lambert from New Hampshire DOT and Lee Wilkinson from the Iowa DOT discuss their involvement with the NCHRP Domestic Scan project “Leading Practices in Strategic Workforce Management by Transportation Agencies,” and what the scan team learned. September 6, 2023. Podcast.

Where’s SICOP? (Episode 90): Back in August, the Snow and Ice Pooled Fund Cooperative Program (SICOP) announced its transition to the Winter Weather Management Technical Service Program. In this episode, program coordinator Rick Nelson briefly explains what has changed with the rebranding effort and what will continue to stay the same. August 23, 2023. Podcast.

Image source: Rhode Island Department of Transportation