1 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ An Update on FHWA Road Weather Management Initiatives Paul Pisano Federal Highway Administration Tuesday, 13 January 2009 Session 5A: Advances & Applications in Transportation Weather

2 25 th 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

3 25 th 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

4 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ 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

5 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ Clarus Participation Status

6 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ Clarus Regional Demonstration 5 Use Case Scenarios 1.Enhanced Road Weather Forecasting Enabled by Clarus 2.Seasonal Weight Restriction Decision Support Tool 3.Non-winter Maintenance & Operations Decision Support Tool 4.Multi-state Control Strategy Tool 5.Enhanced Road Weather Content for Traveler Advisories State Transportation Agency Partners

7 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ Mobile Sensing Probe Data Captured during 2008 Proof of Concept Demonstration

8 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ 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

9 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ Overwhelming Information! A 50% Chance of What??? Warning! Advisory! Watch!

10 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ MDSS: Overview

11 25 th 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

12 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ Wx-Responsive Traffic Management Advisory Control Treatment Variable Speed Limit Sign Variable Message Sign Access Control Highway Contraflow Operations Anti-Ice/Deicing Spray Systems Fog Dispersal System

13 25 th 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

14 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ Training & Outreach COMET’s “Weather and Road Management” Course: – NWS Road Weather Course: – Principles & Tools for Road Weather Management Web-based Course: – MDSS Deployment Guide – (EDL# 14439) –Send request to

15 25 th International Conference on IIPS, AMS Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ Contact Information Paul Pisano Team Leader, Road Weather Management Helpful Links: FHWA Road Weather Management – Clarus Initiative Site – Clarus Web Portal – MDSS Project –