Research Project:

An Investigation of User Costs and Benefits of Winter Road Closures

Principal Investigator | External Project Contact | Project Objective | Project Abstract | Task Descriptions, Milestones, and Dates | Student Involvement | Relationship to Other Projects | Technology Transfer Activities | Potential Benefits of the Project | Budget | TRB Keywords

Final Report

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Principal Investigator

Tom Maze
Iowa State University
(515) 294-9523
tmaze@iastate.edu

External Project Contact

Dennis Burkheimer
Iowa Department of Transportation
(515) 239-1355
Dennis.Burkheimer@dot.state.ia.us

Project Objective

To better quantify the logistics’ costs of reducing level of service and closure of intercity highway routes because of winter weather. It will also determine safety implications and traffic pattern changes due to weather-induced road closures, and if feasible, identify measures of user cost due to winter storm-induced road closures and severe winter storms.

Project Abstract

This project explores the user costs and benefits of winter road closures. Severe winter weather makes travel unsafe and dramatically increases crash rates. When conditions become unsafe due to winter weather, road closures should allow users to avoid crash costs and eliminate costs associated with rescuing stranded motorists. Therefore, the benefits of road closures are the avoided safety costs. The costs of road closures are the delays that are imposed on motorists and motor carriers who would have made the trip had the road not been closed. This project investigated the costs and benefits of road closures and found that evaluating the benefits and costs is not as simple as it appears.

To better understand the costs and benefits of road closures, the project investigates the literature, conducts interviews with shippers and motor carriers, and conducts case studies of road closures to determine what actually occurred on roadways during closures. The project also estimates a statistical model that relates weather severity to crash rates. Although, the statistical model is intended to illustrate the possibility to quantitatively relate measurable and predictable weather conditions to the safety performance of a roadway. In the future, weather conditions such as snow fall intensity, visibility, etc., can be used to make objective measures of the safety performance of a roadway rather than relying on subjective evaluations of field staff.

The review of the literature and the interviews clearly illustrate that not all delays (increased travel time) are valued the same. Expected delays (routine delays) are valued at the generalized costs (value of the driver’s time, fuel, insurance, wear and tear on the vehicle, etc.), but unexpected delays are valued much higher because they result in interruption of synchronous activities at the trip’s destination. To reduce the costs of delays resulting from road closures, public agencies should communicate as early as possible the likelihood of a road closure.

Task Descriptions, Milestone, and Dates

• Organize the Project, May 2003
• Literature Review, July 2003
• Revise Work Plan, August 2003
• Develop an Outline For Motor Carrier Case Studies, August 2003
• Apply and Revise the Case Study Outline, August 2003
• Conduct Motor Carrier Case Studies, November 2003
• Identify Corridor and Storm Events, September 2003
• Collect and Summarize Data, November 2003
• Summarize the Costs of Severe Winter Storms and Road Closures, February 2004
• Develop a Framework for Application, April 2004
• Prepare Final Report, May 2004

Student Involvement (e.g., Thesis, Assistantships, Paid Employment)

One Graduate Student

Relationship to Other Projects

All evaluations of the research requirements to promote the use of transportation asset management (TAM) have identified the need to document the relationships between investment, level of service, and user benefit. For example, at the recent FHWA Infrastructure Research and Technology working group meeting in Chicago, three requirements for new information to support TAM were given the highest priority. One of these requirements was to create better information on the relationship between infrastructure investment and user benefit information. The research proposed here intends to partially fill this void.

Technology Transfer Activities

Technology transfer will partially take place through the project advisory committee. It is expected that the results will be used by the Iowa DOT as part of their decision-making process when allocating resources to winter maintenance. Reports to the AURORA Board of Directors are anticipated. The AURORA board includes representatives from several snow-belt state departments of transportation, two Canadian provinces and the country of Sweden. In addition, papers will prepared for presentation at the Transportation Research Board meetings and other similar forums.

Potential Benefits of the Project

The CTRE study could lead to the conclusion that instead of devoting resources to controlling snow and ice during a winter storm, safety interests might be better served by closing roads and doing more to educate drivers, teaching them to take greater caution during winter weather. However, not enough information exists to make the tradeoffs between mobility, safety, and expenditures on winter maintenance. Further, almost no information exists on the logistic costs of delaying and diverting traffic due to winter road closures.

Budget

$118,232 (one-year project)

TRB Keywords

Winter maintenance, intercity traffic operation, commercial traffic, roadside safety device asset management, level of service, infrastructure investment, maintenance investment, user benefit