A review of environmental impacts of winter road maintenance

Vignisdóttir, Hrefna Rún; Ebrahimi, Babak; Booto, Gaylord Kabongo; O’Born, Reyn Joseph; Brattebø, Helge; Wallbaum, Holger; Bohne, Rolf André

doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2018.10.013

Cited by 44 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Maintenance activities on Arctic roads affect soil, air, water, vegetation and biodiversity [17]. Adverse weather, such as low temperature, heavy precipitation, strong wind, fog and clouds influence road traffic volume and risk of accident [14].…”

Section: Causal Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, hard crust formation can be prevented and physical ice and snow removal will be easier. Sodium chloride (NaCl), magnesium chloride (MgCl2), calcium chloride (CaCl2), potassium formate (KCOOH), and calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) are some common anti-icing and de-icing chemicals with different effectiveness and environmental impacts in accordance with precipitation, temperature, and land topology [17]. Hence, determining the appropriate amount and type of chemicals at the right time to obtain the highest effectiveness with respect to low environmental impacts is a critical issue in operation and maintenance of roads in the Arctic [18], [19].…”

Section: Anti-icing and De-icing Chemicalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from the traffic, operations and maintenance is responsible for around half of the emissions from a road over its lifetime, in which a third of that is due to pavement and regular winter-related maintenance activities. Winter road maintenance also contributes to some other environmental impacts such as stratospheric ozone depletion, acid rains, emissions of toxic chemicals, and so on [17], [38]. Moreover, the growing demand for mobility and the increased users' expectations to make the roads free of ice and snow early after each weather event have resulted in frequently use of maintenance machineries as well as chemicals and consequently more air pollution and other environmental impacts.…”

Section: Emissions From Roads In the Arcticmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Meanwhile, factors like rolling resistance and road roughness are significantly influenced by ice and snow. Therefore, taking into account the climatic factors in the design phase enhances safety of journeys and longevity of roads and reduces the frequency of structural maintenance and pavement [17]. For instance, icing on a road due to surface waters (e.g., shallow groundwater, stream, and springs), and damages due to stormwater from heavy rain or melted snow and ice during the breakup period in spring can be mitigated by improving the design.…”

Section: Structure and Design Of Roads In The Arcticmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Road Transportation Challenges in the Arctic

2020

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Despite all efforts to mitigate global warming, its rate and magnitude are still rising where transportation is considered to be an important contributor. In the Arctic regions however, unstable weather conditions, strong seasonal variations, and long harsh winters result in additional challenges to transportation in different ways such as those related to environment, human health, safety, and economy. This study deals with challenges related to road transportation in the Arctic regions. With this aim in mind, firstly the effects of weather-related factors, including precipitation, temperature and wind on road transportation are presented. Then, to investigate challenges, a causal analysis utilizing the approach of fault tree analysis (FTA) is conducted in which the related impacts are classified into three categories: environment, health/safety and economy. Accordingly, the critical causes are discussed and mitigating measures are addressed. It is suggested that the holistic review presented in the paper will be useful in identifying the most sustainable ways to decrease negative effects from road transportation in the Arctic.

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Section: Causal Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Anti-icing and De-icing Chemicalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Emissions From Roads In the Arcticmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Structure and Design Of Roads In The Arcticmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Road Transportation Challenges in the Arctic

2020

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“…Winter road maintenance in cold regions is essential for the accessibility of the traffic system, but at the same time, the maintenance emissions account for one-third of the total environmental impact [15]. Studies conducted to optimise route planning for maintenance vehicles and to minimise the use of chemicals have proven effective in terms of both safety and reduced environmental impact [7,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large‐scale implementation of floating car data monitoring road friction

Sollén

Casselgren

2021

IET Intelligent Trans Sys

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In Sweden today, friction measurements are performed manually, often using methods generating spot-wise measurements. Because the low numbers of measurements provided by these methods are insufficient to follow up on the friction requirements set by the Swedish Transport Administration, the Administration has initiated the Digital Winter project. In Digital Winter, floating car data (FCD) are utilised for road friction estimation. The focus in this investigation is on coverage, and on whether the FCD detects harsh weather conditions with decreasing road friction. Two different methods-one continuous and one slip-based-are implemented in this investigation. Furthermore, different approaches on how to build the vehicle fleet to collect the FCD have been applied using different combinations of commercial and private vehicles. The results showed that both methods detect low-friction events, and for roads with high annual average daily traffic (AADT), the data collection using slip-based methods and larger fleets gives more data points than for smaller fleets using continuous methods, and the reverse is true for lower AADT. The results showed differences between the two fleets in terms of coverage for the weekly and daily distributions, but overall, the method of using FCD for road friction estimation seems promising for the follow-up of winter road maintenance.

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Toxicological impacts of roadway deicers on aquatic resources and human health: A review

Nazari

Potapova

McIntyre

et al. 2021

Water Environment Research

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During winter, snow and ice on roads in regions with cold weather can increase traffic crashes and casualties, resulting in travel delays and financial burdens to society. Anti‐icing or deicing the roads can serve a cost‐effective method to significantly reduce such risks. Although traditionally the main priorities of winter road maintenance (WRM) have been level of service, cost‐effectiveness, and corrosion reduction, it is increasingly clear that understanding the environmental impacts of deicers is vital. One of the most important problems in this regard is environmental contamination caused by cumulative use of deicers, which has many detrimental effects on the aquatic systems. Among the deicers, the chloride‐based ones raise the most toxicological concerns because they are highly soluble, can migrate quickly in the environment and have cumulative effects over time. In this review, we summarize and organize existing data, including the latest findings about the adverse effects of deicers on surface water and groundwater, aquatic species, and human health, and identify future research priorities. In addition, the data provided can be used to develop a framework for quantifying some of the variables that stakeholders and agencies use when preparing guidelines and standards for WRM programs. Practitioner points Pollution from the increasing use of roadway deicers may have detrimental effects on the environment. Of particular concern are the acute and cumulative risks that chloride salts pose to aquatic species. Chloride salts are water‐soluble, very difficult to remove, highly mobile, and non‐degradable. Deicers cause water stratification, change the chemicophysical properties of water, and affect aquatic species and human health. Current guidelines may not be appropriate for environmental protection and need to be revised.

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A review of environmental impacts of winter road maintenance

Cited by 44 publications

References 74 publications

Road Transportation Challenges in the Arctic

Road Transportation Challenges in the Arctic

Large‐scale implementation of floating car data monitoring road friction

Toxicological impacts of roadway deicers on aquatic resources and human health: A review

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