Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 2.0
Title:
Managing Winter Traction Materials on Roadways Adjacent to Bodies of Water: Challenges and Opportunities
Abstract:
Winter traction materials, if not handled properly, may pose negative impacts on water bodies adjacent to roads. Highway runoff carrying chemicals and abrasives from winter maintenance activities has been identified as a source of non-point source pollution and the Montana DOT is committed to environmental stewardship to mitigate such pollution. A research project was funded by the DOT to develop a comprehensive document for the management of winter traction materials on Montana highways so that the impacts on the adjacent aquatic resources from winter traction materials will be minimized. This paper outlines the key findings from the research, featuring a cold region and rural transportation perspective. Wherever possible, a combination of both structural and non-structural best management practices (BMPs) should be employed to minimize the environmental impacts of winter traction materials. Structural BMPs treat or mitigate highway runoff after it goes off the roadways, and non-structural BMPs reduce the amount of traction materials applied on roadways while maintaining winter mobility and public safety. Strategies may vary, depending on the specific climate, site, and traffic conditions. The crux is selecting an appropriate suite of BMPs that can function most effectively for a given set of conditions.
Source(s):
83rd Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, Montana State University. For a copy of this resource, please direct your request to WeatherFeedback@dot.gov.
Date: 2004
Author:
Shi, Staples, Stein
Keywords:
Winter maintenance
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