(This is Part I of a two-part series on winter maintenance preparation in the Midwest. Part II will continue in the next Midwest edition of Construction Equipment Guide.)
As the sun’s golden orb slips lower in the sky, auburn leaves fall from the trees and long, cold nights close in on the Midwest, everywhere preparations for winter are underway. Not only are the squirrels gathering nuts, and birds trekking south – transportation departments are gearing up for what weather prognosticators predict will be the first snow-filled and potentially harsh winter season of the new millennium.
Because the last two winters have been unusually mild throughout the middle section of the country, Midwest Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are bracing for a less atypical season. Some have already seen substantial snow. But, like Santa checking his list, they conduct their routine inspections, training sessions, stockpiling of supplies and updating of equipment in order to offer the safest roads possible for travelers. What they’re doing this year:
Ohio
The Buckeye state has already had what the ODOT public information officer Robin Grant calls “decent snows. We had 3 inches in Cleveland already,” she said, “just before our annual dry-run.”
Typically, Ohio’s 12 districts gather for a dry run before the white snowflakes drift down, but this year’s event didn’t beat the weather. At the dry runs, local media is invited to observe equipment inspections and check the stores of salt while the DOT makes sure personnel is prepared for winter snow-clearing activity. ODOT’s 1,500 trucks and almost 3,000 on-call staff are prepared to treat roads with anti-icing agents salt and calcium chloride. These treatments are intended to stop ice before it forms, as well as break up existing ice on the road.
Additionally, ODOT applies grit to roads to improve traction for vehicles. Statewide, the department currently has about 410,000 tons (369,000 t) of salt stockpiled for this winter. In addition to salt supplies, this year ODOT will be using salt brine. Grant said the state is also experimenting with Ice Ban, an agricultural anti-icing corn by-product, in very limited quantities, predominantly in the northern part of the state, where temperatures are lower.
“When there’s high humidity and higher temperatures, Ice Ban tends to make the roads slicker,” Grant noted. “Temperatures vary throughout the season and throughout the state so much, we’re not convinced Ice Ban is the best solution. It also requires special storage, special trucks. We’re testing it now, but only in limited areas.”
Grant added that the department is excited about a strategic initiative to add the latest technology to its winter weather program. Pavement sensors are being used in limited deployment at this time – Cleveland, Toledo and Columbus – but Grant indicated that eventually the sensors will be installed statewide, giving site-specific information to county garages which can then tailor their response based on the data. The sensors will monitor pavement and air temperatures, conditions and visibility. They are linked to the state’s Web site, which provides a state map of the Ohio transportation system, indicating conditions.
The counties update information throughout the day, allowing the sensors to provide information in “real” time. “It’s a great tool,” Grant said. “Travelers can look at the Web site for conditions. That means I don’t have to take as many calls.” ODOT’s Web site is www.dot.state.oh.us. It links to road and weather information systems and lists roads closed due to weather.
Michigan
Every year the Michigan DOT purchases new equipment to keep its fleet updated. According to Dick Gould, spokesman for MDOT, because the workforce gets leaner each year, the equipment has to go farther.
“We’re buying more tandems,” he said. “We wanted a snow melter, but we can’t get one. There’s been so little snow the last few years, we can’t get the budget to buy a snow melter. We’re also one of the few states that has underbody blades on every vehicle.”
The underbody blades remove snow, cutting down on the need for snowplows. The blade is centered, distributing the weight equally. As Gould noted, the front blade on a snowplow can be very heavy. The underbody blades alleviate that problem.
“They can even cut ice when we apply enough down pressure,” he continued. “But we don’t do that too often – it tears up the roads.”
With Michigan’s “wide shoulder” policy, there’s a lot of surface to be cleared, and Gould said he believes the underbody blades are more efficient. Like most states, Michigan is experimenting with Ice Ban and other anti-icing materials.
“CMA (a calcium, magnesium combination) has a lower corrosion rate,” Gould explained. “There’s also a liquid version called C7. We’re trying a variety of products to cut down on the amount of salt we use. For instance, we have a $100 million mile-and-a-half concrete bridge that we can’t use salt on. We need alternatives.”
Although Michigan is beginning experiments with Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) systems, Gould said the Internet site is not designed to provide weather condition information to travelers. “There’s some roadway info on it,” he said. “Sometimes it’s accurate; sometimes it’s not. It’s just a spot look anyway.”
Indiana
Deputy Commissioner for Highway Operations in Indiana Bryan Nicol said the Hoosier state is trying new anti-icing compounds. “Anti-icing is the new thing,” he stated, “and we like to be on the cutting edge. We’re in a freeze-thaw zone, with temperatures up and down. It makes a lot more work for our crews, who have to be out there during freeze/thaws. Indiana is the crossroads: The Interstates have to be kept open. We have 30,000 lane miles to clear, and only about 2,200 people across the state to do it.”
To prepare for the weather, a winter operations team was formed last summer. The group shares views on equipment, activities and materials, trading tips on procedures, training and service. Equipment inspections were carried out in the autumn and salt has been stockpiled. Indiana spends $11 million annually on salt, but that isn’t the only material used to keep roads clear. Nicol explained that some of the state’s seven districts use salt brine, which is effective at lower temperatures and costs less than other products. Four have tanker systems. He said he believes it’s important to have “another tool in the toolbox.”
All seven districts are performing anti-icing activities, according to Nicol. Ice Ban is being used in limited areas. Nicol said the environment-friendly product is used to pre-treat roads to prevent ice from forming. It is also used to wet salt, enhancing the performance of the salt. Another new product is being evaluated in limited areas: Caliber. Nicol said his crews are testing the liquid for performance.
Keeping the toll roads in northern Indiana clear is especially important, and Nicol stated that the South Bend and La Porte districts have purchased four 1,000-gal. (3,785 L) tankers and 3-lane sprayer systems. Greenfield and Crawfordsville have also purchased sprayer systems.
This year Indiana has added technology to its armory. An ITS system is being installed in limited areas, with cameras at specific interchanges reporting to a central monitoring station. Message boards are another tool the state has adopted.
The DOT’s Web site also provides updated information about weather and road conditions, much of which is gathered from the ITS system. It can be accessed by the public at www.ai.org/dot. “Every year we prepare for the worst and hope for the best. You just don’t know what Mother Nature’s going to bring,” Nicol commented.
Missouri
Missouri’s 10 districts are also prepared for the winter ahead. Each district conducts its own training on the equipment – driving the trucks, using the plows, spreading the salt. MoDOT budgets for additional seasonal help, while regular employees brace themselves for required overtime if the weather is severe. Equipment inspections are completed by early fall.
The state is changing its approach to winter road maintenance in the new millennium. For years the DOT has manufactured its own snowplows, but this year, for the first time, the state will purchase eight to 10 plows from various manufacturers to evaluate, according to MoDOT Spokesperson Melissa Black.
“We’re going to see if other plows are more durable, less expensive and do a better job,” she said. “Our whole organization is restructuring, and that’s one of the new things we’re trying.”
Other equipment ready to be implemented in the 2000-2001 winter season include computer spreader systems. “They’re on many of our trucks,” Black noted, “but not all yet. The computer systems decrease cost. They use less material because the computer decides how much to use based on the speed of the truck. If the truck is going 60 mph, it’s going to put out more material than if the truck is going 25 mph. It produces a more even spread, instead of too much salt being put on certain areas.”
MoDOT also is incorporating information from truck-mounted pavement sensors that report temperatures. An infra-red light mounted on the rearview mirror, the sensor detects air temperatures which aids maintenance crews in determining how to treat the roads. The information is transmitted to MoDOT’s Web site: www. modot.state.mo.us. Travelers can check out the weather conditions before they leave home. The site has a state map with site-specific temperatures and conditions, a text report by route number, and links to other sites reporting winter road conditions.
Missouri is one state that has rejected Ice Ban after trials in the ’97-’98 season. The manufacturer has contacted MoDOT about conducting further evaluations, but no decision has been made at this time. For now, it’s salt and salt brine for Missouri.
Iowa
Preparation and communication are important to Iowa DOT Winter Operations Administrator Dennis Burkheimer. “By October 15, we need to be ready to go,” he said. “We have a pre-season checklist. It’s a ritual. We require equipment inspections and training of personnel. We train people to understand the tools and strategies so they can make decisions based on the weather information. It’s always a guessing game, but if they have the knowledge, they can make an educated decision.”
Once that decision is made, it helps travelers only if it gets communicated. Burkheimer explained that all supervisors have laptops in their trucks so they can access and relay information. That information is on Iowa’s Web site: www.dot.state.ia.us. “We’re putting more information on the Internet for travelers and maintenance staff. Plus, others can learn what we’ve done,” he said.
Weatherview serves both aviation and road systems, complete with atmospheric and road condition reports. Text reports and a map help travelers quickly find information about their route, with 50 roadway sensors throughout the state providing site-specific information.
With a winter budget averaging $34 million per year (although last year’s mild winter drained the kitty of only $26 million), Iowa expends about $5 to 6 million on materials alone. Ice Ban is being used in limited areas, and is typically mixed with liquid salt. In addition, Burkheimer indicated that the DOT is working with a grain processing company that offers a similar product derived from corn. The state of Iowa also has purchased about 100 new pieces of anti-icing equipment, brining the total number of pieces in use for anti-icing to roughly 275. Trailers for liquid application are due by February.
To combat blowing and drifting snow, the Iowa DOT erects 1,000 mi. (1,609 km) of snow fence. They also implemented programs to pay farmers to leave standing corn in strategically situated fields. “They’re six-foot sticks,” laughed Burkheimer. “We only do it where we have big problems with blowing and drifting. We also plant switch grass as a snow fence. It’s a tall, stiff prairie grass that has a potential side benefit of being a good form for energy. It’s a different wrinkle. We have to think of other strategies to reduce the amount of time our people are out there. If we’re making progress clearing snow, we’ll run 24 hours. If the winds are blowing too much for us to make progress and it’s very cold, we won’t stay out. But we need to keep the interstates open 24 hours, so any strategy we can think of to help us out is good.”
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin winter concept vehicle project is modeled upon the Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan DOT consortium that was established in 1995 to develop a winter concept vehicle. “We’re piggybacking off of the consortium,” said WisDOT Winter Operations Engineer Tom Martinelli. “Last year we developed three, and this year we’ll develop five concept vehicles – one for each district.”
Joint funding up to a maximum of $60,000 is provided by the County Highway Departments that volunteered to field-test a concept vehicle and WisDOT. The evaluation period will extend over two or three winter seasons. Both safety and operational concepts will be explored, and efficiency systems will be developed. An anti-icing dispensing system, with liquid storage tank and spray bar, an on-board pre-wetting system, a GPS system, and infrared air and pavement temperature sensors are some of the items under development.
Wisconsin is trying several new items this year. The Joma 6000, a new blade by Black Cat, is a carbide insert blade covered in rubber. Rather than a traditional six-foot blade, it consists of individually mounted separate pieces, each isolated with rubber to reduce friction, to help it conform better to the pavement.
Another new product Wisconsin is using is a Swenson spreader, with a precision placement system. This zero-velocity spreader uses a wind row down the center of the road, using traffic and the slope of the road to help spread the salt. This is a cost-saving device that helps keep more salt on the road than traditional spreaders.
But because using salt alone works best when temperatures stay above 20 degrees, concessions have to be made for those cold winter days when the mercury dips below 20. With a lot of frost – particularly in the southern part of the state – anti-icing precautions have to be taken.
“We pre-wet the salt. Liquid is sprayed on to help hold the salt on the road. It also helps the brine action when the temperatures are 5-10 degrees. We’ve purchased more liquid applicators; we’ll probably use them in 30-40 storm events,” Martinelli explained.
He noted that WisDOT is also experimenting with bridge deck anti-icing procedures, using spray nozzles to spray less corrosive chemicals such as magnesium chloride, or agricultural by-products such as Ice Ban onto the bridge deck when needed. “It’s a research project,” he said. “Is it worth the cost? We’re not sure yet.”
To combat blowing and drifting snow, particularly in the central part of the state, WisDOT employs living snow fences, including pine trees and fast-growing shrubs.
WisDOT maintains a Web site for travelers who want to check road conditions. The site, www.dot.state.wi.us provides both text reports and a color-coded map of Wisconsin’s highways. Reports can also be accessed by phoning (800) ROAD-WIS. According to Martinelli, Wisconsin is the only state that contracts 100 percent of its road maintenance to its counties.
Lori Lovely
Lori Lovely is an award-winning journalist, editor and author of the children's book Isadora's Dance. She has worked for newspapers, magazines and niche publications, covering a wide-ranging list of topics that includes motor sports, construction, MSW, energy, environmental issues, water, animal rights and issues, history, Native American issues and people, real estate and home decor, farming and more. Her degrees in History taught this dedicated professional to research thoroughly and ask detailed questions in order to winnow interesting facts that convey the essence of the story. As a seasoned writer and compassionate storyteller, she accurately portrays the subject in a manner that entrances the reader.
When she's not working on assignment, Lori is tending to her historic Indiana farm, where she raises alpacas. An inveterate animal lover, this vegetarian enjoys spending time with her animals and working in her garden.
Read more from Lori Lovely here.
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