Assessment of winter maintenance performance using weather, mobility, and maintenance information

Transportation agencies are tasked with maintaining safety and mobility during adverse winter weather conditions. Agencies accomplish this objective by deploying snow and ice control strategies through their winter maintenance operations programs. These programs often entail use of decision support systems, maintenance vehicles for plowing and de-icing chemical applications, and, at times, road access restrictions. These agencies must assess their performance to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for improvement, and threats to future success in maintaining optimal levels of service, mobility, and safety. This study assesses the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s winter maintenance operations performance during nine snowstorms during the 2023–24 winter season. Performance is assessed for each snowstorm for 20 road segments across Nebraska, with a focus on 12 segments along the Interstate 80 corridor. This analysis leveraged meteorological information (e.g., snowfall accumulation, wind conditions), traffic mobility insights (i.e., vehicle speeds), and winter maintenance operation activities (e.g., the amount of materials used, duration of operations) to understand and quantify the performance of winter maintenance operations. It was found that time, or duration, was the most meaningful performance metric. For example, the duration of snowfall or the duration of blowing snow conditions had stronger correlation with the duration of mobility disruptions or duration of maintenance operations than the amount of snow accumulation. The most important conclusion of this study is that a holistic consideration across multiple metrics offers the greatest benefit in the assessment of winter maintenance operations.