Weather and Highways. Report of a Policy Reform

This publication describes how weather has a huge impact on the performance of the highway system. Huge benefits could potentially be realized if weather information was used more effectively by road operating agencies and the public. Given this fact, what has or has not been done to promote surface transportation weather services, what opportunities are emerging, and what impediments are in place that have impacted progress to date? What policies, if any, are needed at the federal and/or state levels? In order to explore these questions, the Atmospheric Policy Program of the American Meteorological Society developed a two-day forum on how to improve the safety and operations of the nation’s highway system through better application of weather information. The forum brought together representatives of the weather information providers; transportation managers and users; and policy makers knowledgeable about the nation’s highway system. Representatives came from the public and private sectors at the national, state, and local levels. The forum focused on present and near-term potential in providing weather information to improve the highway system, public and industrial development of strategies to effectively respond to weather information, and policy issues in implementing effective application of weather services to the management of the nation’s highway system. The forum discussions led to the following six recommendations directed at improving the safety and efficiency of the roads for the ultimate benefit of the traveling public.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Underwriters for the project were ITT Industries and Raytheon. Support provided by the Federal Highway Administration and the National Science Foundation.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Meteorological Society

  Atomospheric Policy Program, 1120 G Street, NW, Suite 800
  Washington, DC  United States  20005
• Publication Date: 2004

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Appendices; References;
• Pagination: 23p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ground transportation; Highway operations; Highway safety; Information dissemination; Information systems; Policy making; Weather conditions; Weather forecasting; Weather radar
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01055696
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 23 2007 1:35PM