Funding/Research Supports
Ontario Ministry of Transportation/ Minist猫re des Transports de l鈥橭ntario
Project Status
Active
Project Overview
Safety and efficiency of Ontario highways may be greatly compromised in winter seasons due to dramatically deteriorated driving conditions caused by snowfall and ice formation. The objective of this research is to continue our previous efforts in evaluating alternative winter maintenance materials, equipment, and application methods. The project is motivated by the need to seek the most sustainable ways to maintain the safety and mobility of Ontario’s highway system. While MTO has established maintenance service standards and best practices for winter road maintenance, there is a need for developing innovative materials and technologies for reduced material application and increased effectiveness.
This research is to support MTO’s initiatives to evaluate innovative ideas on winter maintenance materials, application methods and equipment. While the exact scope of the research will be determined with MTO maintenance group, one of the focusing areas could be the development of optimal application rates for new environment friendly de-icing materials such as potassium acetate for Northern Ontario.