Sustainability Practices in Highway Winter Operations Webinar
- Sustainability Practices in Highway Winter Operations: A Renewed Perspective
- 02/17/2016
Presenter(s)
- Xianming Shi
Abstract
While investing in highway winter operations is essential to the economic competitiveness of U.S. and to the benefits of the public, sustainability in such operations has become a growing concern over the past decade or so. This is particularly true in light of the increasing usage of chloride-based products and the potential risks they pose to motor vehicles, transportation infrastructure, roadside soil, water, vegetation, and wildlife. Approximately 70 percent of U.S. roads are located in snowy regions, with nearly 70 percent of the population living in these regions. Since a consensus has been reached that the principles of sustainability should guide all transportation design and operations, highway agencies are under increasing pressure to integrate sustainability into their snow and ice control programs while balancing their priorities in economic, environmental, and social values with cultural, political, fiscal, technological and operational constraints. As significant advances have been made both in management and technology domains to enable sustainability practices, this talk will provide a high-level overview on: benefits and emerging challenges in highway winter operations; sustainability practices in the use of traction materials; strategic approach and management practices; technologies enabling the reduced usage of snow/ice control materials; and development of "greener" products. The talk will conclude with a look to the future, in terms of general trends, knowledge gaps, and emerging innovations.
Speaker Bio(s)
Dr. Xianming Shi, P.E. is an Associate Professor in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the Washington State University and directs a multidiscipinary group at WSU with a focus on green and smart infrastructure technologies. He has more than 20 years of experience in conducting cross-disciplinary research, with a demonstrated publication record (H-index of 14). He is a member of several expert committees under the Transportation Research Board (TRB), of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), and of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). During 2004 to 2014, Dr. Shi served as the Founding Director for the Corrosion and Sustainable Infrastructure Laboratory and the Winter Maintenance & Effects Program at the Western Transportation Institute. He won the Outstanding Research Award from the Montana State Univesity College of Engineering in 2005.
Dr. Shi's research has been sponsored by numerous DOTs and consortia, the USDOT, NCHRP, ACRP, and the private sector, with a total budget of over ten million dollars. Dr. Shi is trusted by numerous research sponsors and has provided extensive professional services. Two of his papers were the Highly Commended AwardWinner at the Literati Network Awards for Excellence (2012 & 2013). One of his papers was the Best Paper 2011-2012 by the ASCE Journal of Cold Regions Engineering. His research in sustainable winter roadway operations has been widely covered in national media, including NPR, Times, USA Today, Washington Times, and Scientific American.
