Weather and Winter Mobility Weather and Winter Mobility Program OverviewProgram Overview
U.S. Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administration
Paul Pisano
Weather & Winter Mobility Coordinator
Office of Transportation Operations
Affects transportation Affects transportation outcomes of:outcomes of:
•SafetySafety•MobilityMobility
•ProductivityProductivity•Environmental qualityEnvironmental quality
Impacts of Adverse WeatherImpacts of Adverse Weather
• Direct costs– $2 billion for snow & ice control– $5 billion for infrastructure repair
• Indirect costs– c.7,000 fatalities, 450,000 injuries– Traffic delays– A one-day highway shutdown due to snow costs from $15
to $76 million in lost time, productivity & wages.– Excessive use of chemicals and abrasives affects water
and air quality
Emergency Manager
Weather affects all road Weather affects all road users and operatorsusers and operators
PersonalTraveler
Planner
TransitOperator
CommercialOperator
MaintainerTraffic Manager
Builder
Benefits of Road Weather Benefits of Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS)Information Systems (RWIS)
• Return on investment for RWIS ranges from 6:1 to 10:1 for winter maintenance practices (per Minnesota DOT)
• RWIS and anti-icing reduces salt use– Wisconsin DOT estimates a reduction of
37,500 tons of salt over one season, which equals about $1.1M saved
… … the Weather & Winter Mobility Program aims the Weather & Winter Mobility Program aims to extend these benefits beyond winter maintenanceto extend these benefits beyond winter maintenance
Program GoalsProgram Goals
• Reduce the impacts (i.e., direct & indirect costs) of adverse weather by:– Developing weather information systems that
meet the demands of all users and operators– Developing improved maintenance tools and
technologies for winter mobility– Developing road weather management
practices for all types of weather
Program MeasuresProgram Measures
• Achieving the goals will lead to improvements that align with the FHWA strategic plan:– Mobility (hours of delay)– Productivity (operating expenses, freight shipments)– Safety (# of fatalities, crashes)– Environment (reduced chemical usage)
Program ObjectivesProgram Objectives
1. Strengthen the relationship between the transportation and meteorology communities
2. Improve the processing & display of weather data (esp. decision support systems)
3. Develop advanced maintenance technologies
4. Develop road weather management practices
5. Develop outreach and training material
Program ActivitiesProgram Activities
Overview of some of the projects and related activities taking place within the
Weather & Winter Mobility program
Road Weather RequirementsRoad Weather Requirements
• In 1999 we embarked on an effort to document road weather information requirements
• Enables us to:– work more effectively with the weather community
– develop weather-based decision support systems
– enhance the ITS Architecture to better reflect weather
• First phase focuses on winter maintenance– Ver 1.0 done in 2/00; Ver 2.0 due in 7/00
Decision Support SystemsDecision Support Systems
• Objective - prototype and field test decision support systems for weather-based decision making
• Start with Winter Maintenance– Future efforts for
Travelers, Traffic & Emergency Managers
Foretell - Field TestForetell - Field Test
… … combines advanced road condition prediction combines advanced road condition prediction with other types of traveler informationwith other types of traveler information
Screen Capture of the Foretell System
Automated Spraying SystemsAutomated Spraying Systems
Road Weather ManagementRoad Weather Management
Incorporating weather information into traffic operations...
Hurricane Related ActivitiesHurricane Related Activities
• Post-storm efforts– State assessments– FEMA study on Hurricane Floyd
• Next steps– Regional workshop – June, 2000– Traffic control plans
• Interstate lane reversal• Standardizing evacuation operations• Update existing evacuation routes
– Information sharing - internal & cross-agency– Improving web sites
Outreach EffortsOutreach Efforts
• Eastern Snow and Ice Conference– September 6-7, Roanoke, VA– In conjunction with the TRB 5th Symposium on Snow
Removal and Ice Control Technology• Developing RWIS Training Material with
AASHTO Snow and Ice Cooperative Program• Peer-to-peer technical assistance & information
exchange• Revising and expanding our web page
FY2000 ProjectsFY2000 Projects
• Prototype Maintenance Decision Support System• Assimilation of Road Condition Observations• Environmental Sensor Station Investment and
Road Condition Forecasting• Expansion of Road Weather Requirements
For Further Information…For Further Information…
Paul PisanoFHWA, HOTO-1400 7th St., SWWashington, D.C. 20590
www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov
