Problem
State Departments of Transportation are under constant pressure to justify their snow and ice program budgets and to look for new approaches to saving money, such as hiring private contractors and reducing level of service. However, all stakeholders need a better understanding of the total cost of winter operations in order to make informed decisions.
Objective
To effectively defend current budgets and request additional needed funds, winter maintenance professionals needed a better understanding of the costs associated with their operations, how these costs compare with other similar states, and opportunities for reducing spending that would not negatively impact level of service.
Results
A better understanding of what data would be needed to accurately measure and compare winter maintenance costs between storms and agencies. The project also developed a tool that allows users to analyze and compare the labor and material costs of up to four different storm events.
This final presentation webinar took place on December 18, 2013.