At its 2023 spring meeting, the Clear Roads Technical Advisory Committee reviewed new research proposals and selected projects to fund. This year, the committee selected eight projects:
Development of a Public Service Announcement Library
Quantifying the Economic Value of Snow and Ice Operational Success
Update to CR 14-02: Quantifying the Impact that New Capital Projects will have on Roadway Snow and Ice Control Operations
Solar Radiation Benefits / Chloride Reduction Potential Associated with the Use of Vegetation Management Practices Near Roads
Computer-based Training for the Clear Roads ELDT Modules
Synthesis: Management of Video Recordings and Images taken from Truck-mounted Cameras
Synthesis: Brine-making Practices
Synthesis: UAV Uses for Winter Maintenance
More information about these projects is available in the 2023 All Proposed Projects summary. Requests for investigator proposals for the new projects will be posted this summer.
The agenda, budget and minutes from the spring meeting are available on the Clear Roads Meetings page.
A variety of factors can affect a snowplow blade’s long-term performance, making it difficult for an agency to determine which blades are the most cost-effective overall. By developing a field test protocol and cost-benefit analysis methodology, the new research will make it easier for Clear Roads agencies to evaluate and compare blades in the future using the same standard procedures used in this project.
Approximately 50% of roads in Minnesota are gravel. The performance and long-term sustainability of such roads depend on the quality of the surface layer. Unbound large particles can form an unstable road surface that becomes rough, developing potholes and corrugations as this material is scattered by vehicles or washed away by rain. As a result, more frequent maintenance and reconstruction is required, which becomes very expensive for Minnesota counties.
Interested in sharing your knowledge, experience, and vision for the future? Organizers of the 2024 North American Snow Conference are looking for public works professionals with new perspectives, solid best practices or innovative twists to winter maintenance, workforce development, and operations.
AASHTO’s SICOP Talks Winter Ops podcast tackles a variety of topics about winter road maintenance in three new podcasts. Listen to conversations with experts and practitioners who have real-life experience maintaining roads under snow and ice.
Clear Roads has posted a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a new research project: pH Waiver for Deicing Products and the Qualified Products List. The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, April 7, 2023.
AASHTO’s SICOP Talks Winter Ops podcast tackles a variety of topics about winter road maintenance in four recent podcasts. Listen to conversations with experts and practitioners who have real-life experience maintaining roads under snow and ice.
This article was originally posted on Catalyst, November 2022.
Snow fences are a useful tool for controlling snow and ice on Minnesota’s roads. However, installing them relies on the cooperation of landowners. An ongoing collaboration between U of M researchers and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) aims to develop outreach tools that can be used to attract more landowners to the MnDOT snow fence program.
Have a research idea? This year, Clear Roads is inviting members of the winter maintenance and research communities to submit ideas for consideration as future Clear Roads research topics. We welcome great ideas from anyone!
Some rural landowners maintain snow fences to prevent blowing snow from reaching highways, decreasing the resources MnDOT spends on winter maintenance. A recent project provided new information and updated tools to encourage more landowners to adopt this alternative snow control method.
Crossroads 