Development of a Salt Spreader Controller Program Using Machine-Sensed Roadway Weather Parameters and Climate Data

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has recently completed a research project on leveraging the instrumented mobile road weather information system (RWIS), computer vision, and a new salt application model. The research was aimed at developing four critical aspects of the intelligent salt application system, including hardware (i.e., data collection I/O and power supplies system), software (i.e., data logging, synchronization, and data fusion), algorithm (i.e., road surface classification (RSC) algorithm), and model (i.e., the salt rate prediction (SRP) model) so that an optimized salt application decision can be provided to the actuator to treat the road surfaces. Through this study, a complete hardware/software system with automated RSC and SRP algorithms has been developed, pilot-tested, and validated with promising performance. The performance of the developed system showed good results. Once implemented in a more extensive fleet of MassDOT’s material spreaders utilized during winter operations, it could save a significant amount of salt. The goal of this research is to leverage the prototype system from the previous study and to implement 1) a fully validated spreader controller system that is operated in a fleet of MassDOT’s snowplowing trucks and 2) an intelligent salt treatment program that will include weather forecasting information to better prepare for challenging situations, such as freezing rain, black ice, etc.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $234,921.00
• Contract Numbers:

  128970

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Massachusetts Department of Transportation

  10 Park Plaza
  Boston, MA  United States  02116
• Project Managers:

  Flanary, Michael

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Massachusetts, Amherst

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  130 Natural Resources Road
  Amherst, MA  United States  01003
• Principal Investigators:

  Ai, Chengbo

• Start Date: 20250303
• Expected Completion Date: 20271231
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer vision; Deicing chemicals; Road weather information systems; Snow and ice control; Spreaders; Winter maintenance
• Geographic Terms: Massachusetts
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01953295
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Massachusetts Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 128970
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Apr 23 2025 4:15PM