News

News and Updates: September 2019

Clear Roads members are heading to Burlington, Vermont, next week for the group’s fall meeting, where they will review investigator proposals for 2019 projects. Minutes will be posted on the Meetings page. In other news:

  • Time is running out to submit presentation proposals for APWA’s 2020 North American Snow Conference (proposals due September 30) and Public Works Expo (proposals due October 14). More information.
  • The SICOP Talks Winter Ops podcast recently kicked off its third season. This week’s episode features Laura Fay, research scientist with the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University.

Save the Date: 2020 Winter Maintenance Peer Exchange

Group of people at a site tour wearing hard hats and reflective vests

Group of people at a facility tour wearing hard hats and reflective vests

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.

New RFPs: Proposals due Sept. 6

Clear Roads is currently soliciting investigator proposals for five new research projects:

  • Expanding Application Rate Guidance for Salt Brine Blends for Direct Liquid Application and Anti-Icing
  • Measuring the Efficiencies of Tow Plows and Wing Plows
  • Recruitment and Retention of Highway Maintenance Workers
  • Synthesis of Technical Requirements and Considerations for an Automated Snowplow Route Optimization RFP Template
  • Comparison of Performance of Traditional Chain Conveyor Spreader and Auger-Driven Spreader for Distributing Prewet Salt

Please see the RFP page for more information. For all projects, the deadline to submit proposals is Friday, September 6, 2019.

Clear Roads Now Overseeing Qualified Products List (QPL)

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.

Clear Roads Selects 2019 Research Projects

Tow Plow

Tow Plow

The Clear Roads Technical Advisory Committee met April 16-18 in Indianapolis to select research projects for 2019 funding. The following projects were selected:

  • Expanding Brine Recipes and Their Use
  • Synthesis: Retention and Recruitment of Highway Maintenance Workers
  • Comparison of Performance of Prewet Road Salt Distributed by Traditional Chain Conveyor Spreader vs. Auger-Driven Slurry Spreader
  • Measuring the Efficiencies of Tow/Wing Plows
  • Specifications for Automated Snowplow Route Optimization

More information about these projects is available in the 2019 All Proposed Projects summary.

National Survey Compiles Fourth Year of Winter Maintenance Data

Clear Roads has published its fourth Annual Survey of State Winter Maintenance Data, which compiles data on winter resources, materials and costs from 35 states for the 2017-2018 winter season. The spreadsheet-based tool includes a United States map that displays many of these metrics. The tool includes four years of data, and displays averages and … Read more

Clear Roads Publishes Two New Synthesis Reports

Storm activation synthesis cover

Storm activation synthesis coverClear Roads has published two new synthesis reports. Effective Snow and Ice Personnel and Equipment Management for Storm Activation explores how state DOTs determine when to activate and deactivate winter maintenance crews, and Accuracy of Deicer and Abrasive Material Application Equipment examines state DOTs’ practices for calibrating their deicer application equipment.