Ice Control
The topic of winter maintenance is a hair's breadth from being perhaps the apex topic for transportation agencies, notably in the Midwest. In an effort to be ready for whatever Mother Nature hurls at them this winter, the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) has announced it intends on hiring...
Officials with the city of Syracuse, N.Y., have announced the city's intention to expand its winter maintenance regimen by adding 20 miles of sidewalks to its regular plowing and snow removal schedule.
The area has traditionally contended with fairly weak snow removal laws, and city officials...
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has announced plans to begin using rock salt to augment its use of magnesium chloride solution for ice and snow control on roads across the state.
Specific problem areas, such as steep hills, will get the rock salt to speed melting and improve...
Photo source: MDOT via Mining Journal
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is banking on connected vehicle technology to help clear snow and ice from roadways faster. GPS-based automatic vehicle location devices, which the agency began installing on its winter road maintenance equipment in 2013, report where each truck is,...
The only road leading to Alaska’s North Slope oil fields is at risk of severe flooding during the coming spring thaw. Climate experts believe the conditions will be similar to those that intermittently closed portions of the remote highway for more than two months in 2015.
State transportation...
News
December 30, 2015
Officials within the Alaska Department of Transportation (ALDOT) are looking at budget cuts outlined in Governor Bill Walker's recently published state budget proposal in advance of a pending legislative session. Cuts that may well have a significant impact on the agency’s ability to address...
The deicer remains free flowing, even at colder temperatures.
While the town of Winfield, N.Y., sits a short distance from major thoroughfares, the quiet, upstate village of 2,200 people still sees its fair share of traffic. And its share of icy winter roadways that need to be safe for motorists. The town’s main roads surround the school district, and...
Workers in Wisconsin load the briner maker.
A few years ago, the City of Wauwatosa implemented a brine program for anti-icing and pre-wetting salt. As a pilot program, city officials were cautious when it came to investing in the upfront costs for an in-house brine maker without first seeing the results. Rather than batch their own brine,...
Photo courtesy of the Virginia DOT.
During the winter season the state of Vermont becomes a playground drawing people from across the country to enjoy activities such as skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. Unfortunately, the very same snow and ice that creates a winter wonderland in the mountains also creates a winter gauntlet on...
Article
March 06, 2013
Road weather sensors are widely used in road weather information system (RWIS) applications and, to a lesser extent, as components of recent weather-responsive advanced transportation systems.
Sensors that focus on the condition of the roadway pavement are generally of two types: in-pavement and...
Article
November 07, 2011
The Massachusetts Bay Transit Agency (the MBTA, or the T) will be running fewer trains in severe winter weather conditions to avoid the miscues of last winter, when thousands of passengers were stranded in the snow and cold because of equipment failures and track problems, the Boston Globe...
Article
March 26, 2010
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is boldly going where no other state department of transportation has gone: solar.
In December 2009, the department entered a contract with Pave Guard Technologies Inc., Lee’s Summit, Mo., to install solar-warming systems on two bridges located on...
Article
February 12, 2008
Combine 140,000 vehicles crossing the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis every day with almost 5 ft of average annual snowfall, and the likelihood of spinouts, rear-end collisions and fender benders increases exponentially. For years, public transportation managers have battled snow, freezing rain and ice...
Article
April 18, 2005
Picture this fictional scenario: A customer purchases a new Humvee largely because the salesman says it’s a new hybrid version that can get up to 40 miles per gallon. After a few days of routine driving around town, the customer notices the gas gauge is on empty even though only 100 miles clicked...
Article
April 16, 2003
When the snow starts to fly--and it always does--the
residents of Indianapolis still need to go about their daily routine regardless
of the conditions. Ice, snow and sleet bringing the city to a standstill is
simply not an option. And the assumption made by the public that the roads will
be clear...
Article
January 04, 2002
For the melting of snow and ice from roadways, drives, walks
and entrances to private and public buildings the use of chemicals has become a
common practice. The basic objective is to achieve safe surfaces in the
shortest time with the minimum cost.
There are several chemicals available on the...
Article
October 04, 2001
The 2002 North American Snow Conference is scheduled for April 14-17 in the city of Columbus, Ohio, which happens to be the homThe 2002 North American Snow Conference is scheduled for April 14-17 in the city of Columbus, Ohio, which happens to be the home city of the new chair of the American...
Article
October 04, 2001
The management of the Cypress Bowl ski area, near Vancouver, BThe management of the Cypress Bowl ski area, near Vancouver, B.C., has been able to cut its winter maintenance costs by 34%, while reducing the amount of chlorides released into the environment by 73%. The key is use of liquid chemicals...
Article
October 04, 2001
Roadway weather information systems (RWIS) have been in use in the URoadway weather information systems (RWIS) have been in use in the U.S. for many years and have become an important tool for decision makers who call the shots in winter snow and ice removal. There are a number of manufacturers of...
Article
October 04, 2001
Will the world of high tech enter the snow and ice industryWill the world of high tech enter the snow and ice industry? Whoever thinks it will not has not viewed prototype or concept snow and ice equipment in service or in the computer-aided design stage. At the turn of the 20th century, horses...
