Best Practices for Road Weather Management
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 3.0 June 2012 Acknowledgments While many individuals deserve recognition, the authors want to particularly acknowledge all the staff at the participating state departments of transportation who provided materials and were generous with their time and expertise. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Highway Administration. Notice This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document. Quality Assurance Statement The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement. ii Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. FHWA-HOP-12-046 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date June 2012 Best Practices for Road Weather Management, Version 3.0 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Co-Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Ray Murphy, FHWA; Ryan Swick, Booz Allen Hamilton; Gabe Guevara, FHWA 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) 11. Contract or Grant No. 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Transportation Operations Washington, DC 20024 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes 16. Abstract On average, there are over 6,301,000 vehicle crashes each year. Twenty-four (24) percent of these crashes – approximately 1,511,000 – are weather-related, resulting in 7,130 fatalities and 629,000 injuries. In spite of these statistics, there is a perception that transportation managers can do little about weather. However, three types of mitigation measures may be employed in response to environmental threats: advisory; control; and treatment strategies. Advisory strategies provide information on prevailing and predicted conditions to both transportation managers and motorists. Control strategies alter the state of roadway devices to permit or restrict traffic flow and regulate roadway capacity. Treatment strategies supply resources to roadways to minimize or eliminate weather impacts. Many treatment strategies involve coordination of traffic, maintenance, and emergency management agencies. These road weather management strategies are employed in response to various weather threats including fog, high winds, snow, rain, ice, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, and avalanches. This report contains 27 case studies of systems in 22 states that improve roadway operations under inclement weather conditions. Each case study has six sections including a general description of the system, system components, operational procedures, resulting transportation outcomes, implementation issues, as well as contact information and references. Appendix A is an acronym list. 17. Key Word 18. Distribution Statement adverse weather, traffic management, emergency management, winter maintenance, traveler information 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price 92 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized iii Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Alabama DOT Low Visibility Warning System ............................................................................ 2 Alaska DOT&PF Temperature Data Probe Program .................................................................. 3 Arizona DOT DUST Warning System ........................................................................................11 California DOT Fog Detection and Warning System .................................................................15 California DOT Icy Curve Warning System ...............................................................................19 Colorado DOT One Pass Clearing Operations ..........................................................................23 Colorado DOT Variable Speed Management System ...............................................................27 Florida DOT Bridge Wind Speed Alerting System .....................................................................29 Idaho TD Winter Maintenance Performance System .................................................................32 Iowa DOT Salt Use Dashboard .................................................................................................34 Iowa DOT WeatherView Road Weather Traveler Information System ......................................36 Kansas City Scout Advanced Traffic Management System .......................................................38 Kansas DOT Road Weather Information for Travelers System .................................................41 Maryland DOT Emergency Truck Parking Portal .......................................................................44 Michigan DOT Measurement of Regain Time ...........................................................................47 Minnesota DOT I-35W Smart Lanes: Active Traffic Management .............................................49 Montana DOT Equipment Vehicle Management System ...........................................................55 Montana DOT Traveler Information System ..............................................................................57 New Mexico DOT Dust Control System ....................................................................................58 Pennsylvania DOT Interstate Restriction System ......................................................................60 South Carolina DOT Hurricane Traffic Evacuation Operations ..................................................63 South Dakota DOT Maintenance Decision Support System ......................................................66 Tennessee DOT Low Visibility Warning System ........................................................................69 Texas DOT High Water Detection System ................................................................................73 Texas DOT Pump Station Monitoring System ...........................................................................75 Utah DOT Traveler Information Weather ...................................................................................77 Vermont Agency of Transportation: Transportation Operations Center .....................................80 List of Appendices Acronym List ......................................................................................................................... A-1 iv List of Figures Figure AL-1 Screen shot of low visibility warning system ........................................................... 2 Figure AK-1 Thermistor string and temperature probe casing .................................................... 5 Figure AK-2 Boring hole for temperature probe .......................................................................... 5 Figure AK-3 Top sensor on a wire lead ...................................................................................... 6 Figure AK-4 Diagram on the vertical thermistor spacing ............................................................. 6 Figure AK-5 Example of a posted weight restriction ................................................................... 7 Figure AK-6 Areas and corridors of Alaska with TDP sites ......................................................... 7 Figure AK-7 Anchorage-Homer corridor with available TDP sites .............................................. 8 Figure AZ-1 Visibility sensor in ADOT DUST warning system ...................................................11 Figure AZ-2 Dynamic message sign with warning message......................................................12 Figure CA-1 Sensor array .........................................................................................................15 Figure CA-2 Road weather information system at Fredonyer East ICWSs ................................19 Figure CA-3 Schematic of Fredonyer Pass and Icy Curve Warning System ..............................20 Figure CO-1 Truck with 14 ft. wide front plow ............................................................................23 Figure CO-2 Tow plow being loaded with salt ...........................................................................23 Figure CO-3 RWIS Snowmass Canyon ....................................................................................27 Figure CO-4 Alert of wet roads ..................................................................................................27 Figure FL-1 FDOT bridge wind speed monitor installation .........................................................29 Figure ID-1 RWIS installation at Goose Creek Summit .............................................................32