Talkin Winter Ops

Latest Episodes:

Episode 49: 6 Summertime projects for winter maintenance Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

For those of us in the business of winter operations there are 2 seasons, winter and getting ready for winter. In this episode we’re visiting with Paul Brown of Road Tech and formerly the winter maintenance guru at the Mass DOT about 6 summertime projects you should consider in order to be prepared for next winter.
For more information on these 6 summertime projects for winter maintenance and other insightful tips you can contact Paul Brown at roadteck@comcast.net

Sign up for email notifications on future episodes and other communications associated with winter maintenance and winter weather management by clicking on subscribe on the Talkin' Winter Ops website at TalkinWinterOps.com
Thanks for listening in and stay safe out there!

Episode 48: Not all pavements are equal when it comes to winter maintenance Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

Not all pavements are equal when it comes to winter maintenance. Different pavements and pavement designs respond differently to winter maintenance strategies. A recent research project looked at the various performance aspects of open graded, ultra thin permeable friction course surfaces that have been used by transportation agencies for many years. While they have lots of advantages, in the wintertime they tend to freeze more rapidly, deicing and anti-icing chemicals drain off more readily, and they tend to retain snow and ice for longer periods of time. In this episode we’re going to look into winter maintenance operations on permeable friction courses with Michelle Akin formerly of Washington State University and Laura Fay from the Western Transportation Institute.

Check out the report “Understanding the chemical and mechanical performance of snow and ice control agents on porous or permeable pavements” by clicking on the link https://clearroads.org/project/12-03/

Episode 47: Public Affairs, a key ingredient for successful winter operations. May 17, 2021

Show notes

When it comes to winter operations it’s easy to become focused on the tasks at hand but getting information to the motoring public is critical to helping them make smart decisions about travel during difficult conditions. Thats where public affairs can be your most important partner. In this episode we’re talking with Anne Meyer, MnDOT Public Affairs, about the role they play in getting the winter operations message out to the masses. Anne talks about the relationship with maintenance and tools, tips, and techniques they use to get out the winter maintenance message.

Check out the MnDOT videos on the Minnesota DOT YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJkXcazb32HwAihN9CGHO_Q

or for more information about winter maintenance public affairs at MnDOT you can reach out to Anne Meyer at anne.meye@state.mn.us directly.

Episode 46: Ways to improve winter resilience of roads Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

What are some key elements to improve winter resilience of roads to severe winter conditions? In 2020 Mark Corbin, Highways Key Route Network Manager at Transport for West Midlands, received a Winston Churchill Fellowship to investigate winter resilience in several countries and bring his findings back to the UK. During his visits to Canada, Finland, and Sweden he interviewed over 50 interviews with winter maintenance professionals zeroing in on key themes to enhance resiliency during wintertime. While his focus was on UK roads his findings are relevant across the sector regardless of your jurisdiction or country.

You can view more information about Mark Corbin and download his Winston Churchill Fellowship Report “Improving Winter Resilience on UK Roads” at this link: https://www.wcmt.org.uk/fellows/reports/improving-winter-resilience-uk-roads

Episode 45: Qualified Product List for Deicing Chemicals Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

How do maintenance managers know what’s in deicing chemicals and do they meet the specifications? Many years ago a group of states in the pacific northwest region of the US banded together as the The Pacific Northwest Snowfighters (PNS) and one of their objectives was to collectively test deicing chemicals and share best practices in purchasing materials that are effective deicers and also protective of the environment. The PNS created the Qualified Products List (QPL) to review, test, and approve products used by the Pacific Northwest states.

PNS and Clear Roads have partnered to refresh the QPL and make it relevant for agencies across the nation. In this episode SICOP Talks Winter Ops with Patti Caswell, Maintenance Services Section Manager at the Oregon DOT and chairs the Clear Roads subcommittee that oversees the QPL.

For more information on the QPL you can visit the QPL website at

https://clearroads.org/qualified-product-list/ or contact Patti at patti.CASWELL@odot.state.or.us

Episode 44: Let's break the ice Jan 31, 2021

Show notes

There are many different alternative methods and equipment available to perform winter maintenance. In this episode Jed Falgren and Jeff Perkins from the Minnesota DOT talks about a new strategy to break up ice pack on the roadways without the use of any chemicals at all. Mechanical ice breakers make short work of ice pack in an environmentally friendly way. This equipment is another tool in the winter maintenance arsenal.
Listen in as SICOP Talks Winer Ops with Jed Falgren and Jeff Perkins with the Minnesota DOT. Want to see an ice breaker in action? Check out the MnDOT Minute showcasing the IceBreaker at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbD9iJ-dzD0 or a more detailed video on the IceBreaker at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPgHKh1tpkw
Contact Jed Falgren at jed.falgren@state.mn.us or Jeff Perkins at jeff.perkins@state.mn.us for more information.

Episode 43: What's new in FHWA Road Weather Management? Nov 26, 2020

Show notes

The Federal Highway Administration Road Weather Management Program plays an important role in winter maintenance across the nation. Contributing significant work in the development of Maintenance Decision Support Systems and the use of Road Weather Information Systems to improve safety for the motorists and efficiencies for the DOT’s the Road Weather Management Program continues to help advance programs the DOT’s rely on during winter operations like Pathfinder, Integrated Mobile Observations, and Automated Driving Systems in inclement weather.
Listen in as we discuss advancements at the FHWA Road Weather Management Program. If you would like to learn more about this technology follow this link to the FHWA Road Weather Management Program:
https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/index.asp

For more information you can contact Team Leader David Johnson at david.Johnson@dot.gov or Tony Coventry at Tony.Coventry@dot.gov

Episode 42: Whats up with the weather? Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

What is El Nino and how do the trade winds influence the weather on the east coast? We’ve all heard the terms atmospheric rivers, the polar vortex, Siberian Express and others, but what are they really. SICOP Talks Winter Ops sits down with Mike Alger, Chief Meteorologist at KTVN, 2 News in Reno, Nevada to talk about what these weather phenomena really are, what sets them in motion, and what do they mean for the maintenance crews.

Mike is no stranger to winter highway maintenance. Many years ago when the Nevada DOT began creating their Road Weather Information System network and the precursor to 511, Mike provided a conduit and explanations to his viewers on the RWIS information and road weather forecasts to improve winter-time commutes in northern Nevada. Find out more about Mike at https://www.ktvn.com/story/6059462/mike

Episode 41: Latest word on alternate methods for deicing Oct 04, 2020

Show notes

There are many different alternative methods and equipment available to perform winter maintenance. In this episode Laura Fay from the Western Transportation Institute at the University of Montana talks about a recently completed project for the Clear Roads Pooled Fund Study dealing with Alternative Methods for Deicing. This project helps maintenance managers dealing with snow and ice obtain a better understanding of the performance and impacts of various alternate methods through case studies.

Listen in as we discuss this project Laura Fay. If you would like to learn more about this project and its final report follow this link to the Clear Roads website for this project https://clearroads.org/project/18-05/ or contact Laura Fay at laura.fay1@montana.edu

Episode 40: Smart Salting for Sustainability Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

Having sustainable winter maintenance practices is one of the Top 10 things for a world class winter maintenance program. Environmental considerations is one of the three pillars of sustainability along with budgets and societal needs. In this episode we’re visiting with Connie Fortin of Fortin Consulting about environmental considerations for winter maintenance. Of all the water on the planet only 2.5% is freshwater. Once salt is introduced its very difficult to remove it. Listen in as SICOP Talks Winter Ops with Connie and hear about smart salting from the environments perspective.

There are several good resources regarding salt (chlorides) and water. Connie mentioned this site from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/chloride-salts and follow the link to Salt Applicators for Smart Salting training and success stories.

Fortin Consulting is active in promoting smart salting through Salt Symposiums (https://fortinconsulting.com/salt-symposium/) and several training programs (https://fortinconsulting.com/training-and-presentation-calendar/). For more information contact Connie Fortin at connie@fortinconsulting.com

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