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
325th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ
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
1125th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ
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
1225th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ
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 [email protected]
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Contact Information
Paul PisanoTeam Leader, Road Weather [email protected], 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/