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

Clear Roads Research is Now a Provisional Test Method

The Mechanical Rocker Test method, originally developed by Nebraska DOT more than a decade ago, was validated through Clear Roads research project 18-06 as a low-cost and repeatable method for determining the efficacy of liquid deicers. As a result of this work, all transportation agencies can objectively compare deicers on the market.

New Clear Roads Research: Designing Sheds for Storing Salt

Clear Roads project 20-06, Salt Shed Design Template, developed guidance for a set of scalable salt shed designs that can be used as a basic template depending on a DOT’s salt storage needs.

Winter Maintenance Research Roundup

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

New Podcast Episodes from Talkin’ Winter Ops

Check out these recent episodes of the Talkin’ Winter Ops podcast:

Recent Research Results

Clear Roads Research is Now a Provisional Test Method

The Mechanical Rocker Test method, originally developed by Nebraska DOT more than a decade ago, was validated through Clear Roads research project 18-06 as a low-cost and repeatable method for determining the efficacy of liquid deicers. As a result of this work, all transportation agencies can objectively compare deicers on the market.

New Clear Roads Synthesis Report: Managing Videos and Images

This recently completed Clear Roads synthesis project surveyed member states and other winter maintenance professionals and reviewed relevant literature to help transportation agencies implement effective policies and best practices for properly managing video and image data.

New Clear Roads Research: Designing Sheds for Storing Salt

Clear Roads project 20-06, Salt Shed Design Template, developed guidance for a set of scalable salt shed designs that can be used as a basic template depending on a DOT’s salt storage needs.

New Resources

Clear Roads Research is Now a Provisional Test Method

The Mechanical Rocker Test method, originally developed by Nebraska DOT more than a decade ago, was validated through Clear Roads research project 18-06 as a low-cost and repeatable method for determining the efficacy of liquid deicers. As a result of this work, all transportation agencies can objectively compare deicers on the market.

New Clear Roads Synthesis Report: Managing Videos and Images

This recently completed Clear Roads synthesis project surveyed member states and other winter maintenance professionals and reviewed relevant literature to help transportation agencies implement effective policies and best practices for properly managing video and image data.

New Clear Roads Synthesis Report: Drones and Winter Maintenance

This new Clear Roads synthesis project surveyed maintenance professionals and reviewed published literature to identify opportunities in winter maintenance operations that could benefit from this emerging technology.