New RFPs: Proposals Due Sept. 14
Clear Roads is currently soliciting investigator proposals for five new research projects:
- Entry-Level Driver Training (CDL) for Maintenance Equipment Operators
- Understanding the NaCl Phase Diagram
- Expanded Use of AVL/GPS Technology
- Using GIS to Highlight Highway Segments Sensitive to Deicing Materials
- Salt Shed Design Template

Winter Maintenance Research Roundup

- Weather Event Reconstruction and Analysis Tool, Clear Roads Project 16-05, January 2020: A web-based tool that gathers online weather data from multiple sources into a single comprehensive report for a specific location and time. Final report and research brief.
- Correlation Analysis of MDSS and NEWINS, Nebraska DOT, April 2020. Research report.
- Research in Progress: Snowplow Operations Management System, Texas DOT. Project description.
- Research in Progress: Evaluation of Fatigue on Snow Plow Drivers and of Aids to Assist Drivers in Recognizing and Dealing with Fatigue, Minnesota DOT. Project page.
- Research in Progress: Effect of Deicing Agents and Environmental Conditions on Performance of Asphalt Pavements in Cold Regions, Mountain-Plains Consortium. Project description.

Clear Roads Selects 2020 Research Projects

- Entry-Level Commercial Driver Training
- Understanding the NaCl Phase Diagram
- Indoor Automated Stockpile Measurement
- Expanded Use of AVL/GPS Technology
- Using GIS to Highlight Highway Segments Sensitive to Deicing Materials
- Salt Shed Design Template
- AWSSI Enhancements, Phase 2 (continuation of Project 16-02)

Winter Maintenance Research Roundup

- Research in Progress: Road Salt Impact Assessment, Maine DOT. Project description.
- Research in Progress: Promoting the Adoption of Snow Fences Through Landowner Engagement, Minnesota DOT. Project description.
- Expanding Landowner Adoption of Snow Control Measures Through a Better Understanding of Landowner Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices, Minnesota DOT, January 2020. Project page.
- Iowa DOT Office of Maintenance Snowplow Optimization, Iowa DOT, February 2020. Project page.
- Biomimetic Antifreeze Molecules: A Novel Solution to Deicing Salts and Air-Entraining Admixtures, NCHRP IDEA Program, December 2019. Research report.
- In “Asleep at the Wheel—Fighting Driver Fatigue,” Director of the Cornell LTAP Dave Orr discusses the latest research and guidance for state DOTs. April 2020. Podcast.
- In “Nordic Experiences,” Clear Roads TAC Chair James Morin compares the approaches that Washington State DOT and the Norwegian Road Authority take to winter maintenance. March 2020. Podcast.

Research Roundup – Winter Maintenance at the TRB Annual Meeting


National Survey Compiles Five Years of Winter Maintenance Data


MnDOT Shares Training Resources on Sustainable Salt Use

- Equipment training, including training videos on spreader operation and fabrication instructions for salt chutes and air foils.
- Calibration of spreaders and liquid application equipment.
- Decision-making, including using maintenance decision support systems (MDSS) and selecting materials and methods.
- Material handling and storage.

Winter Maintenance Research Roundup

- Improve and Gain Efficiency in Winter Operations, Indiana DOT. Project description.
- Evaluation of Slurry Box, Underbody Scraper, and Two-Way Reversible Plow, Minnesota DOT. Project page.
- Weather-Responsive Management Strategies, Texas DOT. Project page.
- Reducing Uncertainties in Snow Fence Design: Development of Methods for Estimation of Snow Drifting and the Snow Relocation Coefficient, Iowa DOT. Project description.
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Guidelines for Using Photogrammetric Tools on Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Support the Rapid Monitoring of Avalanche-Prone Roadside Environments, Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium. Project page.

Winter Maintenance Research Roundup
Check out these recent reports from agencies around the country:

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Update of the Class 8 Truck Study, Utah DOT, October 2019. Research report.
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Road Weather and Creative Safety Messaging on Dynamic Message Signs, Minnesota DOT, October 2019. Research report.
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Validation of the Mechanical Rocker Test Method for Ice Melting Capacity (MRT-IMC), Nebraska DOT, 2019. Research report.
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Brine Application Equipment and Methodology, Caltrans, January 2019. Research report.

Call for Presentations: 2020 International Road Weather and Winter Maintenance Conference & Peer Exchange
