scholarly journals Assessment model of levels for winter road maintenance

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Ratkevičius ◽  
Alfredas Laurinavičius

The limited funding for the road industry leads to economizing in the planning of road network maintenance, to identifying the appropriate priorities of the activities with the greatest benefit for the society. The level of maintenance is the direct assessment of the road operation and maintenance service provided to the road users; it directly affects the road maintenance and for road users costs the better is road maintenance, the road users incur the fewerexpenses and vice versa. Insufficient road maintenance in the winter time causes not only the danger of traffic accidents but also worsens the driving conditions, increases the fuel consumption, vehicle depreciation, transportation becomes more expensive. Many results of studies showed that the current choice of maintenance levels in the winter time taking into account only the road category and traffic volume does not ensure the indicators of the most advanced world countries and road functional purpose. The principle of the minimal expenses for the society should be the main criterion in identifying the optimal levels of winter road maintenance. The experience of Lithuania and foreign countries helped in creating the model of assessment of winter maintenance levels for Lithuanian roads of national significance, which can be applied in the other foreign countries as well. This model could be an effective tool for the selection of the optimal maintenance levels, which would economically substantiate the winter road maintenance strategy, that best corresponds to the needs of the society.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Xu Wang ◽  
Lian Gu ◽  
Tae J. Kwon ◽  
Tony Z. Qiu

Inclement weather acutely affects road surface and driving conditions and can negatively impact traffic mobility and safety. Highway authorities have long been using road weather information systems (RWISs) to mitigate the risk of adverse weather on traffic. The data gathered, processed, and disseminated by such systems can improve both the safety of the traveling public as well as the effectiveness of winter road maintenance operations. As the road authorities continue to invest in expanding their existing RWIS networks, there is a growing need to determine the optimal deployment strategies for RWISs. To meet such demand, this study presents an innovative geostatistical approach to quantitatively analyze the spatiotemporal variations of the road weather and surface conditions. With help of constructed semivariograms, this study quantifies and examines both the spatial and temporal coverage of RWIS data. A case study of Alberta, which is one of the leaders in Canada in the use of RWISs, was conducted to indicate the reliability and applicability of the method proposed herein. The findings of this research offer insight for constructing a detailed spatiotemporal RWIS database to manage and deploy different types of RWISs, optimize winter road maintenance resources, and provide timely information on inclement road weather conditions for the traveling public.


2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 846-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrik Jonsson ◽  
Mats Riehm

Abstract There is significant interest among road authorities in measuring pavement conditions to perform appropriate winter road maintenance. The most common monitoring methods are based on pavement-mounted sensors. This study’s hypothesis is that the temperature distribution in a pavement can be measured by means of a nonintrusive method to retrieve the topmost pavement temperature values. By utilizing the latest infrared (IR) technology, it is possible to retrieve additional information concerning both road temperatures and road conditions. The authors discovered that surface temperature readings from IR sensors are more reliable than data retrieved from traditional surface-mounted sensors during wet, snowy, or icy road conditions. It was also possible to detect changes in the road condition by examining how the temperatures in wheel tracks and in between the wheel tracks differ from a reference dry road condition. The conclusion was that nonintrusive measurement of the road temperature is able to provide an increase in relation to the knowledge about both the road temperature and the road condition. Another conclusion was that the surface temperature should not be considered as being equal to the ground temperatures retrieved from traditional surface-mounted sensors except under conditions of dry, stable roadways.


Safety ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Aleksander Pedersen ◽  
Tanita F. Brustad

Road conditions during the winter months in Nordic countries can be highly unstable. Slippery roads combined with heavy haul traffic and ordinary road users can create dangerous, even lethal, situations if road maintenance is unsuccessful. Accidents and critical road conditions may lead to blocked roads, putting strain on a limited number of main roads in many regions, and may in the worst case isolate areas entirely. Using sensors in winter road assessment has been a popular topic for over 20 years. However, with today’s developments connected to smaller and cheaper sensors, new opportunities are presenting themselves. In this study, we performed preliminary experiments on a variety of sensors, both commercial and experimental, to evaluate their benefits in possible hybrid sensor technology, which can give a more complete characterization of the road surface than what is possible from just one sensor. From the collected data and visual analysis of the results, the idea of a hybrid sensor seems promising when considering the differences in the tested sensors and how they may complement each other.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jitka Hegrová ◽  
Lubomír Prokeš ◽  
Petr Anděl ◽  
Martina Bucková ◽  
Vilma Jandová ◽  
...  

Abstract Monitoring of pollution in the vicinity of roads connected to winter road maintenance is one of the important tools for optimising winter maintenance technology and reducing its environmental impact. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between winter road maintenance and the increased concentration of sodium ion to characterize the harm caused by the de-icing agents on selected types of individual components grown in the Norway Spruce ecosystem. The model area is located in the immediate vicinity of the D1 motorway connecting Prague and Brno (Czech Republic), at 103rd kilometer. The area is thus exposed to long-term contamination from automobile transport and the monitoring was carried out for three consecutive years. A clear effect of the de-icing agents on conifers near the road has been demonstrated by the symptoms of salt damage visually observed in close proximity to the road (at a sampling distance of 5 m). The needles of these spruce trees also showed increased sodium concentrations, regardless of the age of the needles. The study also confirms that sodium accumulates in all selected components of the analysed ecosystem (moos, humus, soil). The sodium concentration has been found to decrease with increasing distance from the road for all of the components.


Author(s):  
Shuoyan Xu ◽  
Tae J. Kwon

Snowplowing is an indispensable part of winter road maintenance because it contributes to improving drivers’ mobility and safety. Most prior studies, however, limit focus to operational aspects without considering interaction with road users. This paper aims to minimize travel time in the traffic system while still maintaining the efficiency of plowing activities. The k-truck plowing with the precedence model was formulated to link road users with snowplow activities. The tabu search algorithm then followed to optimize the order of precedence of snowplow routes. Furthermore, the discrete-event simulation was used to quantify the effectiveness of the proposed method based on different scenarios and fleet sizes, and to illustrate the potential benefit of integrating both the operators’ and users’ perspectives. The methodological framework developed herein can be used to design a routing strategy that improves the performance of the snowplow trucks by reducing both plowing completion and road users’ total travel time.


Author(s):  
Т. В. Самодурова ◽  
О. В. Гладышева ◽  
Н. Ю. Алимова ◽  
Е. А. Бончева

Постановка задачи. Рассмотрена задача моделирования отложения снега во время метелей на автомагистралях с барьерными ограждениями в программе FlowVision . Результаты. В качестве опытного участка рассмотрен участок автомагистрали, проходящий в насыпи. Создана геометрическая модель участка автомагистрали. Обоснованы информационные ресурсы для создания гидродинамической модели обтекания насыпи автомагистрали с барьерными ограждениями снеговетровым потоком во время метелей. Проведено моделирование процесса снегонакопления на опытном участке с использованием программного комплекса FlowVision во время метелей с различными параметрами. Выводы. Сделан вывод о возможности применения программного комплекса FlowVision для совершенствования методики назначения снегозащитных устройств и определения параметров снегоочистки при зимнем содержании автомобильных дорог. Statement of the problem. The problems of snow deposit modeling on the highways with crash barriers during blizzards in the FlowVision was discussed. Results. The highway section passing in the embankment as an experimental section has been considered. The geometric model of the highway section was created. The information resources for designing a hydrodynamic model of a snowflow stream of highway embankment with barriers during blizzard were identified. The modeling of the snow deposit process in the experimental section using the FlowVision software during blizzards with different parameters was carried out. Conclusions. It was concluded that it is possible to use the FlowVision software to improve the methodology for snow protection designing and determining snow removal parameters for winter road maintenance.


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