What Are the Benefits of Using Road Weather Management Strategies?
There are three types of road weather management strategies that can be used to mitigate the impacts of rain, snow, ice, fog, high winds, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, and avalanches:
- Advisory strategies provide information on prevailing and predicted conditions to both transportation managers and motorists. Posting fog warnings on Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) and listing flooded routes on web sites are examples of advisory strategies.
- Control strategies alter the state of roadway devices to permit or restrict traffic flow and regulate roadway capacity. Reducing speed limits with Variable Speed Limit (VSL) signs and modifying traffic signal timing based on pavement conditions are examples of control strategies.
- Treatment strategies supply resources to roads to minimize or eliminate weather impacts. The most common treatment strategies are application of sand, salt, and anti-icing chemicals to pavements to improve traction and prevent ice bonding.
Over thirty (30) case studies of such strategies are documented in Best Practices for Road Weather Management. Each case study includes an introduction, system components, system operations, benefits (i.e., transportation outcome), implementation issues, as well as references and contact information.
The benefits of road weather management strategies include:
- Improved safety due to reduced crash risk
- Increased mobility due to restored capacity, delay reductions, and more uniform traffic flow
- Increased productivity due to reduced labor, treatment material, and equipment costs
Some benefits are documented in the Road Weather Management section of the "ITS Benefits Database".
More specific information on weather events and related road weather management strategies can be found in the following areas of this web site:
