Talkin Winter Ops

The 2024 National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather gives organizations working in this space an opportunity to showcase their efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This episode features the Aurora Pooled Fund Study.   This series is produced in collaboration with the AASHTO Maintenance Committee, the Mai...

The 2024 National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather gives organizations working in this space an opportunity to showcase their efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This episode features the Maintenance Operations Technical Working Group of the Committee on Maintenance.    This series is produced in colla...

The 2024 National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather gives organizations working in this space an opportunity to showcase their efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This episode features the Winter Weather Management Technical Service Program. This series is produced in collaboration with the AASHTO Maint...

Each year, in cooperation with the AASHTO Committee on Maintenance, the Maintenance Operations Technical Working Group, and the Winter Weather Management Technical Service Program we sponsor a National Briefing on winter maintenance and road weather activities.  These briefings give organizations workin gin this space an opportunity to showcase their work for groups and agencies providing winter s...

The Guide for Snow and Ice Control was first published back in 1999 and with the exception of an addendum has remained unchanged since then.  Since then there has been a vast amount of research, field trials, and advancements in winter maintenance and road weather technologies.  In 2018 a project was launched through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program to rewrite the Guide incorporat...

In 2004 a group of 5 states got together and pooled their money to test winter maintenance materials, equipment and methods for use by highway maintenance operations.  The program has grown to 40 states and amassed a large collection of research and training.  The Clear Roads Pooled Fund Program is funded through a $25,000 annual contribution per subscribing state and is eligible for SP&R fede...

Twenty years ago in 2004 “Where The Weather Meets The Road” was published by the National Academy of Science and it proposed a research roadmap over the next 20-years to advance road weather services.  Now in 2024 the future described in Where The Weather Meets The Road is here Paul Pisano, Chair of the TRB Road Weather Committee and Dr. Gina Eosco, Division Chief, Science, Technology, and Society...

Full scale testing of modern snowplow blades can be a difficult and often unrepeatable proposition depending on the weather and where your test track is located.  In this episode Alex Klein-Paste of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) set about to design  scale model testing of a particular snowplow blade design in a laboratory setting.  Alex demonstrated that these tests clo...

You would think that it wouldn’t be difficult to see something as big as a snowplow but during a winter storm event at night you’d be surprised how hard it is recognize a slow moving maintenance vehicle.  In this episode Jeff Pifer, Director of the Equipment Division at the West Virginia Division of Highways discusses techniques that are being used to make snowplows and other maintenance vehicles...

Whenever you mix snowplows, winter storms, and motorists on the same stretch of pavement everyone needs to be at the top of their game in vehicles equipped for conditions.  Most of the time folks get where there headed and the roads get cleared without incident. But, there are times when vehicles get tangled up with a snow plow and the outcomes can be catastrophic.  On this episode we’ve got Jed F...

When it comes to liquid deicing products how do you know you’re getting what you paid for and that it’s likely to perform as promised?  The Nebraska DOT has been working on developing a easy to run, repeatable, and cost effective test method to determine the ice melting capacity of liquid deicing products. Mike Mattison and Jasmine Dondlinger of the Nebraska DOT take us on the journey this test me...

There’s lots of discussion going on these days regarding artificial intelligence or AI.  Like it or not you’re probably using or at least taking advantage of AI applications right now and you might not even know it.  Winter operations takes place in an environment well suited for AI applications to provide assistance across a broad spectrum of activities from road weather forecasting to decision s...

Public works agencies have struggled for years recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce. These challenges have reached critical levels for many agencies since the pandemic. In this episode were Talkin’ Winter Ops with the City of Columbus Department of Public Service Human Resource Officer Lauren Hunter and Infrastructure Operations Coordinator Scott Lucas about a recruiting program that takes...

Part 3 of our workforce recruiting and retention series showcases a grass roots program the Washington State DOT launched a few years back to encourage high school students to consider a career in transportation maintenance.  Pasco Bakotich, State Maintenance Engineer for the Washington State DOT explains the program, the benefits they’ve seen, and success they’ve witnessed by bringing these young...

Part 2 of the workforce series focuses on the No Boundaries synthesis Innovation strategies in Recruiting and Retention with Sandi Sauter, Deputy Director of Operations for the Maryland State Highway Administration. This episode zeros in on recruiting and retention and steps that some states are taking to include all segments of the applicant pool. Check out the No Boundaries synthesis at this lin...

The topic of workforce, recruiting, and retention has dominated the discussion for years, but nowadays the issue seems particularly acute. In Part 1 of a 4 part series on workforce we’re focusing on a domestic scan conducted by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) recently conducted titled Leading Practices in Strategic Workforce Management by Transportation Agencies.  During...

Introducing the transformation of SICOP to the AASHTO Winter Weather Management Technical Service Program and SICOP Talks Winter Ops to Talkin Winter Ops.  With the re-branding of SICOP we're re-branding the podcast as well.  Same program, same podcast, with a new look. Sign up for email notifications on future episodes and other communications associated with winter maintenance and winter we...

There’s a lot of ways we use salt in winter operations from solids to pre-wet, brines straight up or blended, and combinations of all of the above.  regardless how you use it there a lot of chemistry going on when you put it on a snow packed or about to be snow packed road.  Our guest for this episode is Dr. Scott Koefod who's an inorganic chemist with 30 plus years of experience researching...

4th National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather give organizations working in the severe weather and maintenance operations space an opportunity to showcase their recent efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This briefing features the FHWA Road Weather Management Program. This briefing series is produced i...

4th National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather give organizations working in the severe weather and maintenance operations space an opportunity to showcase their recent efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This briefing features the No Boundaries Pooled Fund Study. This briefing series is produced in col...

4th National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather give organizations working in the severe weather and maintenance operations space an opportunity to showcase their recent efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This briefing features the  Northwest Passage Pooled Fund Study. This briefing series is produced i...

4th National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather give organizations working in the severe weather and maintenance operations space an opportunity to showcase their recent efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This briefing features the American Meteorological Society's ITS and Surface Transportation Co...

4th National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather give organizations working in the severe weather and maintenance operations space an opportunity to showcase their recent efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This briefing features the American Public Works Association (APWA) Snow and Ice Committee. This br...

4th National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather give organizations working in the severe weather and maintenance operations space an opportunity to showcase their recent efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This briefing features the Professional Snowfighters Association. This briefing series is produced...

4th National Briefing on Winter Maintenance and Road Weather give organizations working in the severe weather and maintenance operations space an opportunity to showcase their recent efforts to advance the state of the practice through collaboration, research, technical support, and implementation.  This briefing features the PIARC Winter Service Technical Committee This briefing series is produce...