A Benefit-Cost Analysis Toolkit for Road Weather Management Technologies

Highway agencies face increasing demands and customer expectations regarding mobility and safety during inclement weather, while confronting unprecedented budget and staffing constraints and a growing awareness of environmental challenges related to the use of chemicals and abrasives. To address these different issues, benefit-cost analysis is typically employed before making investment decisions. In the winter maintenance context, where the costs and benefits of road weather management tools can vary greatly, this presents a significant challenge to managers. This work presents an overview of a new benefit-cost analysis tool developed for winter maintenance practitioners to evaluate different equipment, operations and materials, including road weather management tools, in a streamlined, web-based environment. The toolkit was used to conduct two case studies of the use of Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) and Maintenance Decision Support Systems (MDSS) for road weather management. The first case study examined the current use of RWIS statewide in Iowa and found that it produced an agency-specific benefit-cost ratio of 3.8 and a total ratio of 45.4. A second case study examined the potential use of MDSS in one subdistrict in Indiana found that a benefit-cost ratio for the agency would be 1.5, while the total ratio would be 3.0.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784413326.022
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780784413326
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  1801 Alexander Bell Drive
  Reston, VA  United States  20191-4400
• Authors:
  • Veneziano, David
  • Shi, Xianming
  • Ballard, Lisa
  • Ye, Zhirui
  • Fay, Laura
• Conference:
  • International Symposium of Climatic Effects on Pavement and Geotechnical Infrastructure 2013
  • Location: Fairbanks Alaska, United States
  • Date: 2013-8-4 to 2013-8-7
• Publication Date: 2014-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Pagination: pp 217-230
• Monograph Title: Climatic Effects on Pavement and Geotechnical Infrastructure

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Decision support systems; Environmental impacts; Highway safety; Road weather information systems; Weather conditions; Winter maintenance
• Identifier Terms: Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS)
• Geographic Terms: Iowa
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; I10: Economics and Administration; I62: Winter Maintenance;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01526027
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780784413326
• Files: TRIS, ASCE
• Created Date: May 28 2014 3:22PM