Cost Effective Selection of Snow Plow Blades

One current challenge to effective plowing is that there is no substantial information available to those who make policy and practice decisions on snow plow blade usage region wide. It would be very helpful to have empirical data - hard numbers. What types of blades exist? What is the advantage/disadvantage of each? What blades/practices are most cost effective for each surface type or condition? Are there ways to increase the life of the blades? Do those changes affect the quality of the end product? This research will try to provide some guidance in this area. While the Utah Department of Transportation has experimented with products and practices across the state, there have been no effort to collect, analyze, and verify what is thought and what has been learned. Further, there has never been a systematic approach to evaluating products (known and unknown) side by side in a way that produces definitive results. If this research is completed, it will provide this, giving guidance and tools to help develop more effectively plowing practices. Decisions can then be made with clear objectives and trade-offs known in advance. A savings on material and labor costs can be made. Downtime can be decreased giving plows more time on the road which will keep more lanes open and increase safety during snow events.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $10000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  8RD1205H

  UT11.206

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Utah Department of Transportation

  4501 South 2700 West
  Project Development
  Salt Lake City, UT  United States  84114-8380
• Project Managers:

  Scovil, Russ

  Stevens, David

• Performing Organizations:

  Utah Department of Transportation

  4501 South 2700 West
  Project Development
  Salt Lake City, UT  United States  84114-8380
• Principal Investigators:

  Bernhard, Lynn

  Klenk, Brandon

• Start Date: 20111003
• Expected Completion Date: 20160630
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 28909

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Best practices; Blades (Machinery); Cost effectiveness; Snow and ice control; Snow removal; Snowplows; Winter maintenance
• Geographic Terms: Utah
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01472109
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Utah Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 8RD1205H, UT11.206
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 13 2013 1:00AM