Talkin Winter Ops

Maintenance operations during extreme events is far more complex than salt and snowplows.  Historically we thought of the motorist as a consumer of maintenance’s efforts but in reality they are an active participant who’s actions have implications on the operations of the network.  In this episode Wilf Nixon, President of the Professional Snowfighters Association, joins the discussion of how we op...

The 16th PIARC World Winter Service and Road Resilience Congress is just around the corner.  Being able to exchange knowledge and learn from winter service and road resilience professionals from around the world is a valuable takeaway from participating in this event.  The technical program offers papers from a diverse body of authors from around the world ranging from practitioners showcasing the...

The City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada has had to adapt to a variety of circumstances from changing weather patterns to changes in mobility needs and travel patterns brought on by the Pandemic.  These challenges are not unique as cities, counties, states, and countries who provide winter service can attest.  This heightens the relevance of the upcoming PIARC World Winter Service and Road Resilience...

In 2022 winter maintenance professionals from around the world will be focusing their attention on Calgary, Alberta, Canada, host of the World Winter Service and Road Resilience Congress.  In this episode Chris Hewitt, Manager of Roads Maintenance at the City of Calgary, discusses winter operations at the city and the unique challenges they face in a large urban environment subjected to some uniqu...

Back in 1969 Permanent International Association of Road Congresses or PIARC held a World Winter Maintenance Congress in Berchtesgaden, Germany.  Reuniting every 4 years in a different country, winter maintenance professionals from around the world have turned this world Congress into the grandaddy of them all.  Hosted by Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the next international gathering of winer maintena...

You might not know that there is an International Winter Maintenance committee that mirrors SICOP.  The Permanent International Association of Road Congresses (PIARC) houses a Winter Service Technical Committee that in a lot of ways mirrors SICOP in advancing winter service. Interaction with with the international winter maintenance community through international scanning tours and participation...

SICOP has been busy this past year and on this episode Steve Lund, State Maintenance Engineer for the Minnesota DOT and Chair of SICOP spends some time filling us in on several activities SICOP has worked on this past year and what’s in store for the next.  He introduces the Strategic Initiatives contained in the 2021-2023 Strategic Plan recently approved by the Steering Committee and available at...

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 ot...

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 wi...

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 wint...

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...

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 protec...

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...

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 p...

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 t...

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 b...

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...

The Covid pandemic has dramatically altered the way we do business and maintenance has not been immune.  In this episode we’re having a discussion with the leadership of the AASHTO Maintenance Committee - Maintenance Operations Technical Working Group on the impacts they’re seeing in maintenance operations in response to Covid safety guidelines while still maintaining mobility across the roadway n...

In this episode of SICOP Talks Winter Ops were visiting with Frank Rizzardo, President of Emcon Services, an employee owned construction company, with maintenance contracts across Canada that includes providing winter service in some of the harshest environments in North America.  Frank shares his story of how British Columbia transitioned from an agency that self-performed maintenance into one th...

Road Weather Information Systems or RWIS provides invaluable data about road weather and the real-time condition of the roadway during winter events.  When RWIS began to be deployed back in the 1990’s the big question was, and still is 30 years later, how many sensor stations should be installed and where should they go.  The Aurora consortium has been looking at this question and recently complet...

Maintenance Decision Support Systems or MDSS are an excellent tool to help maintenance managers evaluate all the important information about a storm including the output from advanced forecasting tools and make better decisions regarding optimal treatment strategies.  On this episode Dave Huft of the South Dakota DOT will give us some insight into these systems and how DOTs utilize them in their w...

Colorado DOT and Front Range Community College collaborated in the creation of the first Highway Management Program in the nation.  Developed strictly for current highway maintenance personnel this two-year degree program is an excellent way to advance your career in highway maintenance.  Listen in as the programs director, Susan Baillargeon, explains how it came about and what students can expect...

The most important element of a successful winter maintenance program are the employees.  Having a well trained, efficient, and alert workforce is a key to success.  However, working long hours during a emergency without opportunities to refresh can lead to dire consequences.  For example, when you’ve been awake for 24 hours your performance can be similar to someone with a blood alcohol content o...

Lots can be learned from see how others approach winter operations.  James Morin of the Washington State DOT had the opportunity to interact with the Norwegian Road Authority and compare notes.  On this episode James shares his observations on the similarities and differences between the two winter operations.  Some key elements during our conversation included equipment, materials, relationships...

One of the primary missions of SICOP is to promote work advancing winter maintenance operations.  Clear Roads is a consortia of states conducting practical research in winter maintenance.  In this episode we’re going to spend some time with Paul Brown , a long time member of Clear Roads, discussing a recently completed project 15-01: Synthesis of Material Application Methodologies for Winter Opera...