Winter Maintenance
E-Newsletter
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May 2009
Produced by CTC & Associates
LLC
To be notified of new issues email, info@ctcandassociates.com
Past Newsletters: February 2009, November 2008, August 2008
News
AASHTO/TRB Maintenance Management Conference
The Maryland State Highway Administration is hosting the 12th American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Subcommittee/Transportation Research Board Maintenance Management Conference in Annapolis, Maryland. The meeting, slated for July 19 to 23, 2009, will include sessions on the management aspects of winter services. Details.
Conference on Cold Regions Engineering
The 14th Conference on Cold Regions Engineering is scheduled for August 29 to September 2, 2009, in Duluth, Minnesota. Sponsored by the Technical Council on Cold Regions Engineering of the American Society of Civil Engineers, with participation of the Duluth Section of ASCE, this conference will look at how prolonged cold weather affects the ways civil engineers do their jobs. Winter maintenance is among the conference topics. Details.
APWA International Public Works Congress & Exposition
The American Public Works Association’s 2009 International Public Works Congress & Exposition will take place September 13 to 16, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. This year’s Congress boasts more than 125 technical and professional development sessions and an extensive gathering of exhibitors that will showcase the latest products, services and technologies specific to public works. Details.
Snowplow & Equipment Roadeo
The Ohio Invitational Snowplow & Equipment Roadeo is slated for September 14, 2009, in conjunction with the 2009 APWA Congress in Columbus, Ohio. This event gives professional equipment operators a chance to showcase their skills on a specially designed course. All snowplow trucks and other equipment will be provided. Event sponsors: Ohio DOT and Ohio Chapter of APWA. Details.
TowPlow Optimizes Snow Removal
The TowPlow is a steerable plow that is pulled behind a tandem-axle snowplow truck and is able to swing out to one side, which doubles the plow width of a tandem-axle snowplow truck. A recent Missouri DOT Research Bulletin highlights MoDOT’s use of the TowPlow and its impact on labor and fuel costs. Article.
Evaluating Salt Skirts
A recent Minnesota DOT Maintenance Research Bulletin spotlights Mn/DOT’s evaluation of the salt skirt, a cup brush mounted about 1 inch below the spinner. District 7 is testing the salt skirt’s ability to save material, leave more material in the target area, and help prevent material scatter and bounce. Bulletin.
Bruce County Develops Innovative Hydraulic System
Frustrated by hydraulic leaks on their snowplows that escalated maintenance costs and idled equipment, mechanics at the Bruce County Highways Department in western Ontario developed a reconfigured hydraulic system that resulted in fewer hydraulic leaks, less hydraulic line maintenance, and less plow downtime. A recent Milestones article highlighted the new hydraulic system, winner of the 2008 Ontario Good Roads Association’s Better Practices Competition for Equipment Innovation. Article.
Research Reports
Evaluation of Alternative Anti-icing and Deicing Compounds Using Sodium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride as Baseline Deicers – Phase I
CDOT-2009-1, February 2009
Researchers evaluated potassium acetate, sodium acetate/formate-blend deicers, and potassium formate as alternatives to the anti-icing and deicing compounds currently used by Colorado DOT. The report describes a deicer composite index that would allow winter maintenance managers to numerically evaluate deicers based on their agency priorities or local needs and constraints. Report.
Version 2.0 of the RWIS ESS Siting Guidelines
FHWA-JPO-09-012, November 2008
In 2007 FHWA initiated an effort to evaluate and update the Road Weather Information System Environmental Sensor Station Siting Guidelines first published in 2004. A very limited number of changes were recommended for the recently released Version 2.0. The major change is an expanded metadata table showing Clarus metadata in three categories: required, recommended and optional. Guide.
Probabilistic Models for Discriminating Road Surface Conditions based on Friction Measurements
August 2008
This research investigates the feasibility of applying friction measurements and other available data to determine the probability that a road surface is in bare or snow covered condition. The statistical models proposed in the study were tested to estimate road surface conditions during three 2008 snow storms. The models provided 100 percent accuracy in distinguishing snow cover status. Report.
LED Emergency Lighting for Snowplows and Other Maintenance Vehicles
MN/RC 2008-29, August 2008
The safety and effectiveness of equipping Minnesota DOT snowplows with LED-based strobe lights is examined in this study. LED lights, more efficient and cost-effective than standard high intensity discharge strobe lighting, were found to be as conspicuous as HID lights for standard driving conditions and viewing angles. However, LED-based lights were found to less visible than standard HID strobes when approached from a variety of other viewing angles. Report.
Modeling Winter Maintenance Activities Using Classification Trees
Report No. HSB-039, June 2008
A new approach for modeling road salt usage is outlined in this study. Using automatic vehicle locator data, classification techniques and highway segment-specific data on an hourly basis, researchers modeled five different treatment modes using classification trees. Researchers’ results demonstrate the potential of classification trees to identify the weather conditions that result in specific salt application rates. Report.
Research in Progress
Laboratory Testing of Mixed Liquid Deicers and Use of Multiple Performance Characteristics for Deicer Selection/Design - UTC
The purpose of this project is to establish a decision-making process to assess deicer performance and impacts based on a robust set of laboratory testing procedures. Researchers will also illustrate how local priorities can be reflected in the decisions made by transportation agencies to select and formulate snow and ice chemicals. Sponsor: U.S. DOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration. Details.
Potential for Natural Brine for Anti-Icing and De-Icing
Researchers will evaluate the use of natural brine as an anti- and deicing agent for winter highway maintenance. A pilot study will collect real data to determine the impact of salt brine application. Brine application rates, impacts and costs will be evaluated and compared to roadways using other conventional methods, and a brine application database will be developed. Sponsor: New York State Department of Transportation. Details.
Winter Maintenance Improvements Phase III
This project will continue to find ways to improve the visibility of Nevada’s snowplow drivers and to investigate data transmission techniques for use in a Maintenance Decision Support System. Sponsor: Nevada Department of Transportation. Abstract.