Winter Maintenance News Roundup
Check out the recent news on winter maintenance from around the country.
News & Events
Winter Maintenance at the 2026 TRB Meeting
Clear Roads has prepared a listing of technical sessions and posters related to winter maintenance that were presented at the 2026 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. The list includes links to more than two dozen papers and posters on a wide range of winter maintenance topics, including materials, equipment, technology, and performance management.
Budgets and Timelines Added to Clear Roads RFPs
Estimated budgets and timelines for the seven new Clear Roads research projects have just been published.
New Clear Roads RFPs: Proposals due Dec. 16
Clear Roads is currently soliciting investigator proposals for seven new research projects. For all projects, the deadline to submit proposals is Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
Clear Roads Research is Now a Provisional Test Method
The Mechanical Rocker Test method, originally developed by Nebraska DOT more than a decade ago, was validated through Clear Roads research project 18-06 as a low-cost and repeatable method for determining the efficacy of liquid deicers. As a result of this work, all transportation agencies can objectively compare deicers on the market.
New Clear Roads Research: Designing Sheds for Storing Salt
Clear Roads project 20-06, Salt Shed Design Template, developed guidance for a set of scalable salt shed designs that can be used as a basic template depending on a DOT’s salt storage needs.
Winter Maintenance Research Roundup
Check out the recent research from transportation organizations around the country.
New Podcast Episodes from Talkin’ Winter Ops
Check out these recent episodes of the Talkin’ Winter Ops podcast:
Minnesota Evaluates Solar-Powered Snow Fences
To add year-round value to the state’s snow fences, the Minnesota Department of Transportation conducted a research study exploring the functional and economic viability of installing solar panels on the fences to create clean energy without using any additional land.
New Clear Roads Synthesis Report: Drones and Winter Maintenance
This new Clear Roads synthesis project surveyed maintenance professionals and reviewed published literature to identify opportunities in winter maintenance operations that could benefit from this emerging technology.