1 National Hydrometeorology Workshop, Silver Spring, MD Surface Transportation & Hydrometeorology Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Paul Pisano September 17, 2008

2 National Hydrometeorology Workshop, Silver Spring, MD Overview Requirements & Needs for the Surface Transportation System –Planning & Design –Construction –Operations & Maintenance Products

3 National Hydrometeorology Workshop, Silver Spring, MD Planning & Design Requirements –Design bridges that are structurally sound – i.e., withstand river flow, scour, etc. –Design roads that are structurally sound – i.e., water flows from road surface and subsurface –Design stormwater management systems Needs –Climatological Normals – precipitation (annual & monthly amounts, frequency, intensity, duration), river flow, storm surge –Extremes – precipitation, river flow, storm surge –Watershed maps and watershed planning –Flood maps

4 National Hydrometeorology Workshop, Silver Spring, MD Construction Requirements –Build roads and bridges as quickly as possible and without letting the weather affect structural integrity –Provide control practices that minimize impacts of highway stormwater runoff on water quality Needs –Precipitation predictions

5 National Hydrometeorology Workshop, Silver Spring, MD Operations & Maintenance Requirements –Keep ice & snow from bonding to the pavement –Keep traffic moving in all weather conditions Needs –Weather information at/on the road to know if water (snow, ice) will bond to pavement, or if flooding, ponding is going to occur High resolution (out to c.48 hours, km level) precipitation forecasts (areal extents, intensity, duration, type) Wind forecasts Accurate observations at/on roads at high resolutions

6 National Hydrometeorology Workshop, Silver Spring, MD Operations & Maintenance Needs (continued) –Asset management systems For retrofit, update, rebuild to match existing infrastructure and provide for future conditions –Watershed planning and modeling Understanding water quality impacts as it relates to highway operation and maintenance

7 National Hydrometeorology Workshop, Silver Spring, MD Products Maintenance Decision Support System –Relies on high resolution precipitation models QC’d Road Weather Observations –Fixed sensors – The Clarus System ( –Mobile sensors (emerging) Connected to Clarus (light green=Partially Connected) Pending Connection Considering Connection Canadian RWIN Participation Color Key