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 maintenance professionals is planned for February 7-11, 2022 as a virtual event.  On this episode we’re visiting with Nadia Lappa, Project Manager for this 16th Congress to find out all about this event, what to expect, and what you can take away from this quadrennial world-wide gathering of winter maintenance and road resilience professionals.For more information about the PIARC 16th World Winter Service and Road Resilience Congress happening February 7-11, 2022 you can check out its website at https://www.piarc-calgary2022.org.

SICOP Talks Winter Ops

Episode 52: 16th World Winter Service Congress is coming to Calgary in 2022

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 on the PIARC Winter Service Technical Committee (TC) has jumpstarted the introduction of several winter maintenance strategies and tools like the use of liquids and RWIS.On this episode Steve Lund and Paul Pisano join Rick Nelson, all three English Speaking Secretaries on the PIARC Winter Service TC, to discuss PIARC and why our participation on this TC is important to the winter maintenance community here in the US.  Every 4-years PIARC conducts a worldwide winter maintenance conference and in 2022 the 16th World Winter Service and Road Resilience Congress: Adapting to a Changing World will be hosted by Calgary.  Registration is open and more information can be found at https://www.piarc-calgary2022.org 

Episode 51: PIARC Winter Service Technical Committee: What's in it for me?

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 https://sicop.transportation.org/strategic-plan/ .  Steve makes a special announcement regarding the SICOP leadership at 32:16.

Episode 50: The year in review

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 other insightful tips you can contact Paul Brown at roadteck@comcast.net

Episode 49: 6 Summertime projects for winter maintenance

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 wintertime they tend to freeze more rapidly, deicing and anti-icing chemicals drain off more readily, and they tend to retain snow and ice for longer periods of time.  In this episode we’re going to look into winter maintenance operations on permeable friction courses with Michelle Akin formerly of Washington State University and Laura Fay from the Western Transportation Institute.    Check out the report  “Understanding the chemical and mechanical performance of snow and ice control agents on porous or permeable pavements” by clicking on the link https://clearroads.org/project/12-03/

Episode 48: Not all pavements are equal when it comes to winter maintenance

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 winter operations message out to the masses.  Anne talks about the relationship with maintenance and tools, tips, and techniques they use to get out the winter maintenance message.  Check out the MnDOT videos on the Minnesota DOT YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJkXcazb32HwAihN9CGHO_Q or for more information about winter maintenance public affairs at MnDOT you can reach out to Anne Meyer at anne.meye@state.mn.us directly.

Episode 47: Public Affairs, a key ingredient for successful winter operations.

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 with winter maintenance professionals zeroing in on key themes to enhance resiliency during wintertime.  While his focus was on UK roads his findings are relevant across the sector regardless of your jurisdiction or country.  You can view more information about Mark Corbin and download his Winston Churchill Fellowship Report “Improving Winter Resilience on UK Roads” at this link: https://www.wcmt.org.uk/fellows/reports/improving-winter-resilience-uk-roads

Episode 46: Ways to improve winter resilience of roads

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 protective of the environment. The PNS created the Qualified Products List (QPL) to review, test, and approve products used by the Pacific Northwest states.PNS and Clear Roads have partnered to refresh the QPL and make it relevant for agencies across the nation.  In this episode SICOP Talks Winter Ops with Patti Caswell, Maintenance Services Section Manager at the Oregon DOT and chairs the Clear Roads subcommittee that oversees the QPL.For more information on the QPL you can visit the QPL website at https://clearroads.org/qualified-product-list/ or contact Patti at patti.CASWELL@odot.state.or.us

Episode 45: Qualified Product List for Deicing Chemicals

Listen in on conversations with experts in the field of road weather and winter road maintenance as they explain how their work helps make roads safer and passable during winter storm events.

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SICOP Talks Winter Ops

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