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The National Academies

NCHRP 20-44(37) [Active]

Workshops on Performance Measures in Snow and Ice Control Operations
[ NCHRP 20-44 (NCHRP Implementation Support Program) ]

  Project Data
Funds: $225,000
Staff Responsibility: Patrick Zelinski
Research Agency: ICF Incorporated LLC
Principal Investigator: Deepak Gopalakrishna
Effective Date: 3/23/2022
Completion Date: 9/23/2024

BACKGROUND: Monitoring the performance of snow and ice control operations has become an increasingly important task for highway agencies and contractors because of growing stakeholder expectations in terms of levels of service and cost efficiency. Although different performance measures have been used in the United States with varying degrees of success, there have been no widely accepted measures applicable to the various roadway classifications, storm characteristics, or traffic conditions. NCHRP Project 14-34, “Performance Measures in Snow and Ice Control Operations,” identified approaches for monitoring the performance of snow and ice control activities by public agencies and a core set of performance measures that can be customized and used by agencies to meet their snow and ice control objectives. The project final report, published as NCHRP Research Report 889: Performance Measures in Snow and Ice Control Operations contains a guide document to facilitate implementation of these performance measures, and explores the capabilities required by public agencies to adequately monitor these measures and use relevant information to support decision-making processes and report on the effectiveness of snow and ice control operations. The guide is supplemented with a Microsoft Excel-based tool that provides insight into which performance measures are applicable to an agency and a user manual to facilitate the implementation of the guide. There is a need to facilitate deployment of the research findings to ensure that state departments of transportation (DOTs) are familiar with the research recommendations. These actions will assist in developing a performance framework for snow and ice control management that will help decision-makers identify appropriate adjustments for managing resources effectively.

 

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project is to develop and hold a series of workshops for state DOT personnel to share information on performance measures in snow and ice control operations, and how these measures can be customized and used by the DOT to report on the extent of meeting the snow and ice control objectives. All workshops shall be in-person. Accomplishment of the project objective will require at least the following tasks.

 

PHASE I: (1) Based on the information contained in NCHRP Research Report 889, develop and conduct a workshop, designated Workshop 1, of snow and ice control managers from six DOTs from AASHTO Region 1. The purpose of this workshop is to (1) provide an overview of the core set of performance measures and required data and resources and (2) guide participating DOTs into identifying readily available as well as lacking data and resources and how to acquire the information needed to report the desired performance measures. The workshop should be structured to allow interaction among participants. (2) Develop and conduct a workshop, designated Workshop 2, for those DOTs that participated in Workshop 1 and acquired and analyzed all required data during the 2022/2023 winter season. The purpose of the workshop is to review each DOT’s results of the performance measures reporting process, and identify the successes that were realized and obstacles encountered. (3) Prepare a summary of the findings of Workshops 1 and 2. (4) Prepare an updated, detailed work plan, to be executed in Phase II, to conduct three workshops, designated Workshops 3, 4, and 5, for snow and ice control managers from selected state DOTs in the other three AASHTO regions. These workshops are intended to build on the experience and findings from Workshops 1 and 2 and use the material developed for these workshops to provide an overview of the core set of performance measures and required data and resources, and illustrate how lacking data and resources can be identified and acquired to accomplish the desired performance measure reporting. The plan shall identify those DOTs in each region proposed for participation in these workshops and the rationale for their selection. (5) Prepare an interim report that documents the work performed in Tasks 1 through 4. Following review of the interim report by the NCHRP, the research team will be required to make a presentation to the NCHRP project panel. Work on Phase II of the project will not begin until the interim report is approved and the Phase II work plan is authorized by the NCHRP. The decision on proceeding with Phase II will be based on the contractor’s documented justification of the updated work plan.

 

PHASE II: (6) Develop and conduct the approved three in-person workshops, and prepare a summary of the findings of the workshops. (7) Prepare a final deliverable that documents the entire work effort. The deliverable shall describe the workshop events and their findings and include an evaluation of the workshops based on feedback from the participants. The information/materials developed for the workshops shall be supplied as a stand-alone deliverable in a format appropriate for use in future workshops or other dissemination forums. The deliverable should also include a brief article highlighting the workshops and their findings as well as recommendations for enhancing implementation activities for possible publication in TR News.

 

STATUS: Research in progress. The final report is expected September 2024.

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