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21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies
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Collaboration Across the Road Weather Enterprise: The Pathfinder Project

APPENDIX B. MAKING THE CASE FOR AN INVESTMENT DECISION

OPERATIONAL POLICIES AND CONSTRAINTS

Operational policies for road weather management activities vary from State to State, both in terms of their detail and their formality. Many State transportation agencies have documented policies and procedures that describe strategies for conducting winter and non-winter maintenance activities under various adverse weather conditions. Similar guidelines for the management of traffic operations under adverse weather conditions appear to be less widespread but are gaining ground because of the efforts of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Weather- Responsive Traffic Management initiative, among other efforts. In many instances, the documented policies and procedures appear to be derived from personnel experience and informal rules of practice. It also appears that documented operational policies are supplemented with undocumented practices.

According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), State transportation agencies are increasingly adopting the use of performance- based management approaches. All State Departments of Transportation track asset condition and safety data. The majority of States provide comprehensive performance data to decision makers to increase accountability and achieve the best possible transportation system performance under current levels of investment. The definition of the performance measures and the formality of reporting again vary from State to State, but weather-related metrics, particularly relating to snow removal during winter storms, are not uncommon. Overall, no operational policies related to road weather management are common across the United States.

This is a photo of a slide with the title 'Economic Impact of Road Weather Events.' The next line says "economic impact in Utah (24 hour statewide winter storm). The total economic impact was $66.36 million. The wages and salaries were $42.81 million; retail sales were $18.26 million; Federal taxes were $3.32 million; and State and Local taxers were $1.98 million.

Figure 12. Photo. Economic Impact of Road Weather Events.
(Source: American Highways Users Alliance performed by IHS Global Insight)

Table 4. Weather-Related Crash Statistics.

Road Weather

Weather-Related Crash Statistics

Conditions

Annual Averages

Average Annual Percentages

Wet Pavement

907,831

crashes

16%

of vehicle crashes

73%

of weather-related crashes

352,221

persons injured

15%

of crash injuries

80%

of weather-related injuries

4,488

persons killed

13%

of crash fatalities

77%

of weather-related fatalities

Rain

573,784

crashes

10%

of vehicle crashes

46%

of weather-related crashes

228,196

persons injured

10%

of crash injuries

52%

of weather-related injuries

2,732

persons killed

8%

of crash fatalities

47%

of weather-related fatalities

Snow / Sleet

210,341

crashes

4%

of vehicle crashes

17%

of weather-related crashes

55,942

persons injured

3%

of crash injuries

13%

of weather-related injuries

739

persons killed

2%

of crash fatalities

13%

of weather-related fatalities

Icy Pavement

151,944

crashes

3%

of vehicle crashes

13%

of weather-related crashes

38,770

persons injured

2%

of crash injuries

9%

of weather-related injuries

559

persons killed

2%

of crash fatalities

10%

of weather-related fatalities

Snowy / Slushy Pavement

174,446

crashes

4%

of vehicle crashes

14%

of weather-related crashes

41,597

persons injured

2%

of crash injuries

10%

of weather-related injuries

538

persons killed

2%

of crash fatalities

10%

of weather-related fatalities

Fog

28,533

crashes

1%

of vehicle crashes

3%

of weather-related crashes

10,448

persons injured

1%

of crash injuries

3%

of weather-related injuries

495

persons killed

2%

of crash fatalities

9%

of weather-related fatalities
(Source: Ten-year averages from 2004 to 2013 analyzed by Booz Allen Hamilton, based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data)
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