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 improve safety, increase efficiency and save agencies money.

News & Events

New Podcast Episodes from Talkin Winter Ops

Check out these recent episodes from the Talkin Winter Ops podcast.

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.

Recent Research Results

New Clear Roads Research: Managing Liquid Deicing Storage Systems

Agencies selecting a new or replacement storage system for their liquid deicers have a lot to consider, such as safety, environmental impacts, and cost-effectiveness. This Clear Roads project examined transportation and public works agencies’ systems and developed a manual of best practices for agencies to consult when creating a new system or expanding their current system.

New Clear Roads Research: Dashboards for Improving Winter Operations

This Clear Roads project examined the use of dashboards among transportation agencies to assess current strategies and identify innovative and effective practices. The results offer guidance to transportation agencies that are considering implementing or expanding their dashboard use to enhance winter maintenance operations.

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 Resources

New Clear Roads Research: Managing Liquid Deicing Storage Systems

Agencies selecting a new or replacement storage system for their liquid deicers have a lot to consider, such as safety, environmental impacts, and cost-effectiveness. This Clear Roads project examined transportation and public works agencies’ systems and developed a manual of best practices for agencies to consult when creating a new system or expanding their current system.

New Clear Roads Research: Dashboards for Improving Winter Operations

This Clear Roads project examined the use of dashboards among transportation agencies to assess current strategies and identify innovative and effective practices. The results offer guidance to transportation agencies that are considering implementing or expanding their dashboard use to enhance winter maintenance operations.

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.