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Title:

Performance Measures for Snow and Ice Control in the Province of Alberta

Abstract:

As part of the move to asset management, Alberta Transportation has implemented performance based planning and monitoring of the provincial highway network. Three performance measures, based upon technical measurement, have been adopted which characterize network condition, functional adequacy and utilization. However, Alberta, like the rest of Canada, is a winter province yet no clear suite of performance measure has been developed for snow and ice control. Traditionally, agencies have measured inputs (such as salt or sand) or outputs (such as plowing frequencies), but none of the existing measures address effectiveness. This paper presents the results of a project to develop winter performance measures that address both the planning and operations of a large rural highway network. Preliminary results indicate that traffic volumes and speed data can be used to identify major storm events and as such may hold promise as repeatable, robust, relevant and responsive performance measures.

Source(s):

85th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting; University of Calgary and Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation (Canada). For an electronic copy of this resource, please direct your request to WeatherFeedback@dot.gov.

Date: 2006

Author:

Cowe Falls, Jurgens, Chan

Keywords:


Ice/Frost
Winter maintenance
Productivity
Mobility
Speed
Volume
Institutional issues

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