Winter Road Maintenance
Actionable insights for more efficient winter road maintenance
Winter weather is a threat to safe and efficient travel, and it can cause damage to road networks. To make informed road management decisions, you need effective monitoring solutions and timely access to accurate surface condition data and accurate road weather forecasts for snow and ice events.
Get actionable insights and experience confident proactive operations to deploy scarce resources efficiently, increase road mobility and reduce the environmental impact. Meet budgetary and performance metrics while increasing worker safety and decreasing their time spent on the road.
Highly accurate data when you need it the most
- Ice or snow formation
- Frost on bridges
- Black ice or refreezing of moisture
- Depth of water or snow
- Friction or grip
- Chemical concentration
- The freeze point of surface
World-class sensors and forecasting deliver actionable insights
Vaisala offers a comprehensive suite of road weather solutions, including proven sensors and systems, IoT infill sensors, and mobile sensors. These can be combined to meet the unique needs and challenges of any road network, in a cost-effective way.
Our end-to-end solution combines data from all the local sensors with Vaisala's advanced road weather forecasting and intuitive visualization tools, delivering data-driven insights into both current and future weather conditions across your entire network.
How modern tools support sustainable strategies in winter road maintenance
Variable application rates
Optimize the application rate with a maintenance decision support system (MDSS) or decision matrix chart.
Win: Reduce salt use up to a factor of 7 compared to a single application rate.
Forecasts
Hyperlocal weather + road weather forecast data makes all the difference.
Win: Save time and materials while keeping the roads safer.
Technology
Major advancements help you use precise applications and amounts.
Win: Save 30% - 40% in material usage, and boost efficiency and communication.
Revolutionizing Winter Road Maintenance with Dynamic Spreading
Optimize your road treatment strategy with cutting-edge dynamic spreading technology, powered by the Vaisala Mobile Detector MD30. Dynamic spreading takes salt application to a new level and the benefits are clear: enhanced road safety, cost efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Products and Systems
Vaisala GroundCast
Whether you are just getting started or looking to cover some of the blind spots in your current observation network, Vaisala GroundCast provides the road weather measurements that matter the most.
Vaisala TempCast
The new Vaisala TempCast, part of our Xweather family of subscription based products, is easy to install anywhere — even in places that have previously been challenging, such as on bridges.
Mobile Detector MD30
Remote Road Surface Temperature Sensor DST111
Remote Surface State Sensor DSC211
Road Sensor DRS511
Present Weather Detectors and Visibility Sensors PWD Series
WINDCAP Ultrasonic Wind Sensor WMT700
HUMICAP Humidity and Temperature Probe HMP155
Wx Road Insights
Vaisala Wx Road Insights is a Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) framework that provides accurate, reliable and consistent road weather data which can substantially change and improve your road maintenance practices.
Downloads
Frost & Ice
Frost and ice are different from other winter hazards because they form directly on the road surface with or without precipitation - often invisibly
Winter maintenance salt treatment suggestions
| Grip | .82 - .60 | .50 - .60 | .40 - .50 | .40 - .45. | .30 - .40 | <. 30 |
| Pavemement temperature | 30 – 34° F -1 – 1° C | 25 – 32° F -4 – 0° C | 20 – 25° F -7 – -4° C | 15 – 20° F -9 – -7° C | 15 – 20° F -9 – -7° C | 15 – 20° F -9 – -7° C |
| Roadway description | Dry to generally wet | Slushy to snow covered | Snow covered, perhaps wheel tracks | Snow covered, perhaps packed | Slippery, likely icy | Icy covered |
| Action: Rising pavement temperature | None | 50 – 100 lbs/lnm 14 – 28 kg/lkm | 100 – 150 lbs/lnm 28 – 42 kg/lkm | 150 – 200 lbs/lnm 42 – 56 kg/lkm | 200 – 300 lbs/lnm 56 – 85 kg/lkm | 350 – 400 lbs/lnm 99 – 113 kg/lkm |
| Action: Falling pavement temperature | 50 – 100 lbs/lnm 14 – 28 kg/lkm | 100 – 150 lbs/lnm 28 – 42 kg/lkm | 150 – 200 lbs/lnm 42 – 56 kg/lkm | 250 – 300 lbs/lnm 71 – 85 kg/lkm | 250 – 300 lbs/lnm 71 – 85 kg/lkm | 400 lbs/lnm 113 kg/lkm |
Resources
Success stories
Contact Us
Ready to see how Vaisala’s sensing technology can be put to work for you? We’re here to help! Please contact us and our industry experts will be in touch quickly to discuss your weather and environmental monitoring challenges.
