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Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 2.0

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Title:

Anti-icing and Pre-wetting: Improved Methods for Winter Highway Maintenance in North America

Abstract:

Through a project with the Pacific Northwest Snowfighters Association, the authors synthesized information obtained from a literature review and agency surveys on the advantages and disadvantages of anti-icing and pre-wetting for winter highway maintenance. The research indicates that compared with traditional methods for snow and ice control, anti-icing and pre-wetting lead to decreased applications of chemical products, reduced use of abrasives, decreased maintenance costs, improved roadway friction, and lower accident rates. The information in this paper will benefit maintenance agencies and transportation officials who seek to fully understand the benefits derived from improved winter maintenance technologies, identify areas for improvement within their own jurisdiction, and learn about related experiences from other agencies.

Source(s):

85th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting; Montana State University, Western Transportation Institute. For an electronic copy of this resource, please direct your request to WeatherFeedback@dot.gov.

Date: 2006

Author:

O'Keefe, Shi

Keywords:


Anti-icing/deicing
Benefits
Costs
Pavement condition
Pavement friction
Crashes
Safety

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