Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 2.0
Title:
The Use of Average Traffic Speeds to Indicate Level of Roadway Snow and Ice Control Operations
Abstract:
A method for the use of the average traffic speeds to indicate the level of snow and ice control operations during a winter storm event is proposed. The winter roadway snow and ice control decision making process is conventionally based on subjective field observations made by the winter maintenance personnel. Almost half of the about 170 RWIS stations deployed in Ohio have pavement sensors which measure the average traffic speeds and the traffic counts in addition to the standard road weather parameters. Driver's were surveyed during winter storm events and the results were used to relate the level of snow and ice control operations to the traffic speeds expressed as a percentage of the average speed during dry conditions in winter as measured by the RWIS pavement sensors. Recommendations relating the percentage ranges of the average RWIS dry surface winter speeds to the level of snow and ice control operations are proposed. Average RWIS traffic speeds can be used to establish a more uniform and consistent level of winter maintenance decisions on an almost real time basis. It will also help to make winter maintenance activity evaluations more comparable across the state of Ohio.
Source(s):
86th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, Ohio University, Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment. For an electronic copy of this resource, please direct your request to WeatherFeedback@dot.gov.
Date: 2007
Author:
Zwahlen, Suravaram
Keywords:
Winter maintenance
Snow
Ice/Frost
Mobility
Pavement condition
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