125th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ

An Update onFHWA Road Weather

ManagementInitiatives

Paul PisanoFederal Highway Administration

Tuesday, 13 January 2009

Session 5A: Advances & Applications in Transportation Weather

225th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ

Overview

• Road Weather Management– The Road Weather Problem– Congressional direction

• U.S. DOT Initiatives– The Clarus Initiative– Mobile Sensing– Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS)– Weather-responsive Traffic Management

• Training & Outreach• Contact Information

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The Road Weather Problem• Safety

– 1.57± million weather-related crashes/year• 7,400 fatalities; 690,000 injuries

– 24% of all crashes occurred on slick pavement or under adverse weather

• Mobility: Cost of congestion is $9.45 billion/yr for the 85 major urban areas (causes ~25% of non-recurrent delay on freeways)

• Productivity: Weather-related delay adds $3.4 billion to freight costs annually

• Environment: Chemicals effect watersheds, air quality and infrastructure

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Congressional Direction – 5308• Establish a Road Weather R&D program:

– Follow NRC report, Where the Weather Meets the Road

– Promote Technology Transfer– Expand Research & Development

• Multi-disciplinary stakeholder input:– Natl. Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)– National Science Foundation– AASHTO– Private sector– Non-profit organizations

• Funding: $5 million/yr for 4 years

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Clarus Participation Status

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Clarus Regional Demonstration5 Use Case Scenarios

1. Enhanced Road Weather Forecasting Enabled by Clarus2. Seasonal Weight Restriction Decision Support Tool3. Non-winter Maintenance & Operations Decision Support

Tool4. Multi-state Control Strategy Tool5. Enhanced Road Weather Content for Traveler Advisories

State Transportation Agency Partners

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Mobile Sensing

Probe Data Captured during 2008 Proof of Concept Demonstration

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Weather Data Translator

• WDT processes– Collect vehicle-based

probe data– Quality check &

remove biases or outliers

– Integrate with supplemental data

– Create road segment based observations of weather & pavement conditions

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Overwhelming Information!

A 50% Chance

of What???

Warning!

Advisory!Watch!

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MDSS: Overview

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MDSS Benefits & Costs• City/County of Denver

– Total direct savings realized: $165,000+ for one event

• Illinois DOT found during one storm– Total direct savings realized: $92,000+ for one

event

• Western Transportation Institute found an 8:1 Benefit/Cost ratio in New Hampshire, Colorado & Minnesota

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Wx-Responsive Traffic ManagementAdvisory Control Treatment

Variable SpeedLimit Sign

Variable MessageSign

Access Control

Highway ContraflowOperations

Anti-Ice/DeicingSpray Systems

Fog Dispersal System

1325th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ

Using the new Self-Evaluation & Planning Guide:

• TMC team evaluates their needs and opportunities for enhanced weather integration– Identify weather conditions– Understand weather impacts– Identify TMC needs for weather information

• The software sorts through the information provided by the TMC and identifies potential integration strategies

• The team then develops a practical plan to implement those integration strategies

Integrating Road Weather Into TMCs

1425th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ

Training & Outreach

• COMET’s “Weather and Road Management” Course:– www.meted.ucar.edu/dot/

• NWS Road Weather Course:– www.wdtb.noaa.gov/courses/RoadWeather/

• Principles & Tools for Road Weather Management Web-based Course:– www.citeconsortium.org

• MDSS Deployment Guide– www.its.dot.gov/library.htm (EDL# 14439)– Send request to WeatherFeedback@dot.gov

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Contact Information

Paul PisanoTeam Leader, Road Weather ManagementPaul.Pisano@dot.gov, 202-366-1301

Helpful Links:• FHWA Road Weather Management

– www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/index.asp• Clarus Initiative Site

– www.clarusinitiative.org• Clarus Web Portal

– www.clarus-system.com• MDSS Project

– www.rap.ucar.edu/projects/rdwx_mdss/