Feature
A benefit-cost approach to level of service standards for winter road maintenance
Authors
Max Perchanok Research Coordinator, Maintenance Standards Section, Design and Contract Standards Office, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Canada
Heather McClintock Section Head, Maintenance Standards Section, Design and Contract Standards Office, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Canada
Liping Fu Professor, department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
Lalita Thakali PhD Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
Tina Greenfield Huitt RWIS Coordinator, Iowa Department of Transportation, USA
This study combines previously developed road safety models with empirical characterizations of road surface conditions over a winter season to estimate the relative costs and benefits of winter maintenance on the highway network in Ontario. Case studies are used to illustrate the influence of service level and winter severity on the benefit: cost consideration in adjusting operating resources. The purpose of this study is to develop an analytical framework which can be used to establish a balance between direct costs and indirect benefits in service standards for winter maintenance.