Road surface conditions
Slick
or slippery pavement, reduced visibility, and potholes all play roles in making
driving hazardous in bad weather or in areas where roadways are not regularly
maintained. Below are two examples of ways to maintain safe operating conditions
despite adverse weather. One uses anti-icing strategies before a storm hits and
the other uses Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)—a computerized motorist
information system—to warn drivers of bad weather and dangerous road conditions.
Iowa DOT's anti-icing strategies—a simple solution
goes a long way
Overview
Like
most Midwestern states, Iowa experiences severe winter weather conditions, and
in 1994, the state began to expand its anti-icing activities. Unlike most jurisdictions
that use the traditional salt-and-sand combination, Iowa is experimenting with
a liquid solution of salt and water. It is a preventative treatment applied before
a storm, thus ensuring that roads remain less slippery. According to a state Department
of Transportation (DOT) official, 40-50 pounds of solution is equivalent to 100
pounds of salt. Using a liquid solution makes sense because
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Highway maintenance workers are able to control where the applications go.
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It does not get "kicked off" the road by fast-moving
trucks and other vehicles.
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While the start-up
fees may be high, moving to this system appears to be cost-effective in the long
run.
The state has made extensive training
available to garages, ensuring that highway maintenance personnel understand the
scope of the problem and how it is better treated with the liquid solution.
A
weather report of an incoming storm gets the process rolling. A set of procedures
and operational requirements is followed to alert garages to send their salt solution
trucks out on the highways.
Results
Since 1999, the entire interstate system in Iowa—800 miles—has been
treated with the liquid solution; prior to that time, the effort was restricted
to Iowa's larger cities. In 2000, special emphasis will be placed on project evaluation
and refinement.
While there is nothing quantifiable
to date, vis-à-vis crash reduction statistics, the state DOT has noted
that the state highway patrol is happy with the results and DOT plans to expand
the program to the state's industrial and commercial network—6,000 lane miles—over
the next two years.
Contact
Iowa
Department of Transportation, Office of Maintenance Safety Services, (515) 239-1355
North Dakota's Advanced Transportation Weather Information
System (ATWIS) saves lives.
Overview
Created
in 1996 by the University of North Dakota and supported by the private sector
and the FHWA, this weather-reporting project provides travelers with weather forecasts
and road conditions based on specific route numbers, directions, and mile markers.
Travelers can access the system through their cellular phones (#SAFE) throughout
the Dakotas. Updates are provided every three to six hours. All cell phone carriers
in the state participate in the #SAFE program.
Results
As
the nation's first and only rural, en route weather information system, ATWIS
is breaking new ground for the rural ITS. Approximately 43,397 users took advantage
of the system from November 1997 through October 1998. A telephone and mail survey
conducted by the University of North Dakota indicated that #SAFE users found the
information accurate, and most people did alter their travel plans as a result.
Most respondents also agreed that the system was beneficial for travelers during
bad weather.
The University of North Dakota is providing
similar services to the state of Minnesota, and discussions are under way with
Montana and Wisconsin to set up similar cellular phone systems.
Contact
University of North Dakota, Regional Weather Information Center, (701) 777-2479
Safety/Traffic Engineer, FHWA North Dakota Division Office, (701) 250-4348
website: www.rwic.und.nodak.edu/Research/atwis-dist
