Winter Maintenance Takes Center Stage at Eastern Snow Expo
Automated bridge deicing systems and new snow plow technologies were
just two of the hot topics featured at the Ninth Annual Eastern Winter
Road Maintenance Symposium and Equipment Expo. Sponsored by the Tennessee
Department of Transportation's (TDOT) Maintenance Division, Tennessee
Transportation Assistance Program, and the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA), the event was held September 8-9, 2004, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The symposium and expo drew more than 600 attendees from 31 States
and over 60 vendors. "The event was a success despite many last
minute cancellations due to Hurricane Frances," says Joe Holt of
TDOT.
Holt notes that the event offers maintenance workers at all levels
a chance to improve their understanding of the latest products and services.
"Attendees are the front-line snow fighters, truck drivers, and
supervisors."
Keynote speaker Tom Maze of Iowa State University spoke about the impacts
of winter weather on highway operations. "Most people don't understand
how driving in snowy weather can be so dangerous," he noted, despite
accident rates that are 13 times higher than those during normal weather
conditions.
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| Equipment featured at the Eastern Snow Expo included TDOT's
salt brine semitrailer and examples of the latest in snow plows. |
Symposium sessions looked at how to reduce those impacts and better
treat and maintain roads and bridges during winter weather. Sessions
were divided into three tracks-environment, safety, and operations-with
each track offering three different topics. "Hot Truck Technologies,"
for example, highlighted the latest developments in snow plows, such
as plows that include a heads-up display offering up-to-date weather
information. "Automated Bridge Deicing Systems" provided information
on these increasingly popular systems, which feature special plumbing
installed in a bridge that can automatically spray deicing chemicals
across the surface of the structure. The process is triggered by temperature
sensors in the pavement. "Traveler Information Systems Advances,"
meanwhile, focused on new ways in which highway agencies are providing
updated weather information to travelers, including online postings
and the automated 511 phone service.
Attendees also received an introduction to the Maintenance Decision
Support System (MDSS) software, which was developed under FHWA's Road
Weather Management Program. The consortium of partners participating
in the development included State highway agencies, academia, the private
sector, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Center for Atmospheric
Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Lincoln Laboratory,
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The MDSS integrates
state-of-the-art weather forecasting and data fusion and optimization
techniques with computerized winter road maintenance rules of practice
(see September 2004 Focus). The result is a software system that can
provide maintenance managers with a forecast of road surface conditions
and customized treatment recommendations for plow routes.
For more information about the Eastern Snow Expo, contact Joe Holt
at TDOT, 615-532-3825 (email: joe.holt@state.tn.us).
To learn more about road weather technologies and FHWA's Road Weather
Management Program, visit http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/index.asp.
For more information about the MDSS, contact Paul Pisano at FHWA, 202-366-1301
(email: paul.pisano@fhwa.dot.gov),
or look online at www.rap.ucar.edu/projects/rdwx_mdss/index.html.
Mark your calendars now for next year's Eastern Snow Expo, which will
be held September 7-8, 2005, in Connecticut. For more information, contact
Pat Rodgers at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, 860-594-2624
(email: patrick.rodgers@po.state.ct.us),
or Donna Shea at the Connecticut Transportation Institute, 860-486-0377
(email: donna.shea@uconn.edu).
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