Determining Ideal Time to Treat Winter Roads
Determining Ideal Time to Treat Winter Roads
State Department of Transportations (DOTs) spend more than $1B annually on snow and ice control and need improved predictions of weather and road conditions and guidance on how to optimize wind maintenance operations.
Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS)
Atmospheric science and civil engineering research led to the development of the winter MDSS that predicts pavement condition (ice, snow, wet, etc.) and provides detailed snow and ice control maintenance guidance to State DOT officials.
This technology has been adopted by private sector firms and State DOTs saving states millions of dollars annually in anti-icing materials and staff time. A USDOT benefits study indicated that the annual net benefit of using MDSS outweighed the costs, by significant amounts, ranging from $2.68 million to $488,000 in New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Colorado. Indiana DOT saved $12M in one winter using the MDSS.