Clear Roads

Many transportation agencies already use automatic vehicle location (AVL) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies to track equipment and collect data related to vehicle operation and maintenance. However, these same technologies don’t always work well when it comes to keeping track of liquid and solid material usage and application rates.

Due to states’ limited financial and staff resources, winter maintenance managers are continually tasked with doing more with less. Innovative tools and strategies may offer efficiencies and better performance, but identifying the best solutions for a particular agency can be challenging.

Providing real-time road condition information can help the traveling public make better decisions and improve safety for everyone on the roads. Though conditions have traditionally been evaluated manually, new and emerging technologies offer automation and prediction to give even more timely, accurate and efficient updates than ever before.

Check out the most recent episode of the Talkin’ Winter Ops podcast! Communicate, Coordinate, Cooperate – the I80 Corridor Coalition (Episode 144): The Interstate 80 Corridor Coalition has become the second longest corridor coalition, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This episode dives into the background and evolution of this coalition. March 2026. Podcast.

Clear Roads held its spring business meeting in Lexington, Kentucky from April 21-23. Documents from the meeting, including the agenda, budget and minutes, are now available on the Clear Roads Meetings page. Clear Roads’ next in-person meeting will be held in Mystic, Connecticut in September; details will be announced at a later date.

An addendum has been posted to the Clear Roads project Materials and Guidance to Maximize the Value of a Weather Services Contract, which is currently soliciting investigator proposals. The duration of the project is now correctly identified as 15 months. To view the details of this RFP, visit MnDOT’s Professional Technical Consultant Services. The the deadline to submit proposals is Friday, August 28, 2026.

Clear Roads is currently soliciting investigator proposals for three additional research projects: Transitioning the Annual Survey of State Winter Maintenance Data to a Web-based Tool Identifying an Appropriate Friction Test Method for the Qualified Products List In-Depth Cost Analysis of Liquid and Solid Deicing Materials To view the details of these RFPs, visit MnDOT’s Professional Technical Consultant Services.

Clear Roads is currently soliciting investigator proposals for two new research projects: Materials and Guidance to Maximize the Value of a Weather Services Contract Laboratory Assessment of Pre-Wetting Application Rates To view the details of these RFPs, visit MnDOT’s Professional Technical Consultant Services. For both projects, the deadline to submit proposals is Friday, August 28, 2026.

Vegetation that grows along roadside areas can shade the pavement and slow the melting of snow and ice. So it stands to reason that removing the vegetation and increasing sunlight exposure could increase snow and ice melt, and potentially reduce the need for chemical deicers.

Clear Roads has just published its 11th Annual Survey of State Winter Maintenance Data, which compiles winter resources, material and cost data from 39 states for the 2024-2025 winter season. The spreadsheet includes all submitted data, as well as calculated statistics, winter severity index data, and a United States map that displays many of these metrics.