Abstract Manager

Innovative intersections and interchanges are more commonly being considered as viable alternatives during the planning and analysis phase of a project. Intersection types such as median U-turns, continuous flow intersections, and restricted crossing U-turns look to improve safety while also increasing vehicle throughput at signalized intersections, often reducing overall footprint or eliminating the need to grade separate. These intersections can be an optimal and effective solution to the challenges transportation practitioners solve every day. However, they do come with challenges of their own, especially in snow country.

Maintenance crews are not always included in the design review process and are left to figure out how to efficiently maintain our road improvements once constructed. It is also common for the roadway lane-miles to increase without an equivalent increase to the maintenance budget. This tends to lead to built in challenges for the maintenance crews to overcome after construction is complete.

Due to the unique geometric elements and change in traffic patterns, innovative intersections require rethinking the approach to plowing snow and managing the potential for ice. This presentation will provide several case studies demonstrating how designing for snow maintenance and preparing for the inevitable freezing weather conditions at innovative intersections can mitigate the challenges maintenance crews have to overcome. The presentation will provide best practices and implemented solutions to help winterize innovative intersections