The Clear Roads Research Program

brings together transportation professionals and researchers from around the country to drive innovation in the field of winter maintenance. By evaluating materials, equipment and methods in real-world conditions, the program identifies the most effective techniques and technologies to save agencies money, improve safety and increase efficiency.

News & Events

Clear Roads’ National Survey Compiles Tenth Year of Winter Maintenance Data

Clear Roads has just published its tenth Annual Survey of State Winter Maintenance Data, which compiles winter resources, material and cost data from 41 states for the 2023-2024 winter season.

Clear Roads Featured at TRB Annual Meeting

To help spread the word about Clear Roads and its work to support innovations in winter maintenance planning and operations across the country, Clear Roads advocates traveled to Washington D.C. earlier this month to present an informational poster to thousands of transportation professionals during the Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board.

Winter Maintenance Research Roundup

Check out the recent research from transportation organizations around the country.

New Clear Roads Research: Training Module Development for Evaluation of Storm Severity Index and Winter Severity Index Variables

Clear Roads project 18-03, Evaluation of SSI and WSI Variables, produced a step-by-step guide and flowchart tool to help agencies identify or develop severity index methods to fit their needs and available data sources. As estimating the impact of weather on roadway maintenance resources is becoming an increasingly important issue for agencies across the country, a recently completed Clear Roads project, 21-04, produced additional training modules geared toward three key audiences: division directors, snow and ice managers, and supervisors.

Recent Research Results

New Clear Roads Research: Training Module Development for Evaluation of Storm Severity Index and Winter Severity Index Variables

Clear Roads project 18-03, Evaluation of SSI and WSI Variables, produced a step-by-step guide and flowchart tool to help agencies identify or develop severity index methods to fit their needs and available data sources. As estimating the impact of weather on roadway maintenance resources is becoming an increasingly important issue for agencies across the country, a recently completed Clear Roads project, 21-04, produced additional training modules geared toward three key audiences: division directors, snow and ice managers, and supervisors.

New Clear Roads Research: Update to CR 13-04 – Best Practices for Protecting DOT Equipment from the Corrosion Effect of Chemical Deicers

Maintenance equipment exposed to chloride deicers can quickly corrode, presenting a common challenge for transportation agencies across the country. In 2015, Clear Roads project 13-04 published a Manual of Best Practices to compile the various products agencies use as well as guidance for preventing corrosion on highway maintenance equipment.

New Clear Roads Research: Tools to Maximize Snowplowing Efforts

This Clear Roads project developed a methodology for calculating plow cycle times considering road type, road width, weather conditions, traffic volume, and other factors. This could form the basis for a map-based visualization tool that agencies can format with their own electronic data to make real-time operational decisions.

New Resources

Winter Maintenance at the 2025 TRB Meeting

Clear Roads has prepared a listing of technical sessions and posters related to winter maintenance that were presented at the 2025 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. The list includes links to more than two dozen papers and posters on a wide range of winter maintenance topics, including materials, equipment, technology, and performance management.

Clear Roads’ National Survey Compiles Tenth Year of Winter Maintenance Data

Clear Roads has just published its tenth Annual Survey of State Winter Maintenance Data, which compiles winter resources, material and cost data from 41 states for the 2023-2024 winter season.

New Clear Roads Research Webinars

Clear Roads’ webinars give you greater insight into cutting-edge research at your convenience. Check out the just-posted recordings below to learn more about a newly completed project and two exciting examples of Clear Roads research at work in the real world.