WINTER MAINTENANCE GOES HIGH TECH

The Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota Departments of Transportation are using advanced winter maintenance trucks that feature everything from global positioning systems to fiber-optic lighting. The vehicles are a product of a research consortium formed by the three states in 1995. The consortium collected information on the latest snow and ice control technologies and then conducted focus groups to help determine the most desirable features for the truck. Once the design was developed, a prototype vehicle was assembled for each of the states by March 1997. The Michigan truck has a chassis-mounted material spreader and brine tank, while the Iowa and Minnesota trucks have dump boxes. All three trucks have front, wing, and underbody plows. The trucks' features include liquid and granular spreading equipment that can dispense dry, prewetted, or liquid materials for deicing or anti-icing operations; fiber-optic lighting that provides increased visibility during storms and whiteout conditions; and a newly designed friction measuring device that measures and records the friction of the road surface. The trucks received a full tryout during the winter of 1997-1998 and performed very well. The states are working on building a second generation vehicle for use in 1999-2000.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/11660022
• Corporate Authors:

  Scranton Gillette Communications

  380 E Northwest Highway, Suite 200
  Des Planes, IL  United States  60016-2282
• Authors:
  • Krylowski, T
• Publication Date: 1998-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 14
• Serial:
  • Roads & Bridges
  • Volume: 36
  • Issue Number: 12
  • Publisher: Scranton Gillette Communications
  • ISSN: 8750-9229
  • Serial URL: http://www.roadsbridges.com/rb/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Deicing chemicals; Deicing equipment; Fiber optics; Friction; Global Positioning System; Lighting; Measuring instruments; Research projects; Snow and ice control; Snow removal; Snowplows; Snowstorms; Spreaders; State departments of transportation; Tandem axle loads; Technological innovations; Trucks; Vehicle components; Vehicle design; Winter maintenance
• Geographic Terms: Iowa; Michigan; Minnesota
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Motor Carriers; Research; Vehicles and Equipment; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00759671
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 7 1999 12:00AM