nws-udot pathfinder i-80 coal

UDOT Weather Operations Organization

Pathfinder Project Kickoff Meeting – April 2014

Road Weather Operations

Travel Weather Information

Road Weather Information

System (RWIS)

UDOT’s Focus & Collaboration

UDOT’s Four Strategic Goals: Preserve Infrastructure

Zero Fatalities Optimize Mobility

Strengthen the Economy

NorthWest Weathernet’s Specialized Understanding:

Meso/Micro-scale meteorology Road and soil conditions

UDOT resource limitations

NWS’s Knowledge and Resources: More/better meteorological

information Greater direct access to

media/public

Unified, meaningful message to the traveling publicPathfinder Project Kickoff Meeting – April 2014

UDOT/NWS Collaboration Info Flow

Weather Stations/Camera Images/

Model DataPlow CrewsUHP

UDOT Departments

Media

Public

Storm SpottersCitizen Reporters

Various Agencies

UDOT Weather Program/NorthWest Weathernet NWS

Collaboration Call

“Not how much snow will fall but how that snow will impact the roads”What When Where

Overarching Message

Type of storm and

how intense

When will it impact the

state

Highlight specific areas

of travel concern

Provide tools to Influence safe

traveling behavior

Generating the Content

Maintenance Forecast

Weather Briefings

Traffic Operations Messaging

Social Media

UDOT Storm Resource Allocation

Optimizing crews/equipment Determine effectiveness of treatment

strategiesStaffing Long-term material needsPortable RWIS trailer deploymentDevice maintenance prioritizationMedia outreach

NorthWest Weathernet/UDOT Timeline

Pre-storm VMS Signs Posted – 530 PM

22 Interactions11 Alerts – 10 NWS

ChatsMaintenance Forecast

– 200 AM

Maintenance Forecast – 200 PM

Fri – 11 JanThu – 10 JanWed – 9 JanMon – 7 Jan Tue – 8 Jan12 Interactions

5 Alerts – 8 NWS Chats

50 Interactions 28 Alerts – 10 NWS

Chats


Chats


Chats

Alerted All District Engineers – 552 PM

Statewide 511 Messages - 530 PM

Road Weather Alert – 400 PM

TOC Weather Briefing – 315 PM



UHP Alert – 356 PM

TOC Alert – 300 PM


Maintenance Forecast – 200 AM


4 Regional Conference Calls – 1045 to 1130 AM


TOC Wx Briefing - 10 AM

Meeting with UDOT Senior Leaders and

Communications – 500 PM

Twitter Alert – 352 PM


Road Weather Alert and 511 – 158 PM

Briefed Port of Entries - 135 PM




Snow Signal Timing plans activated - 515

PM

Road Weather Alert - 11 AM

Briefed Communications

Department – 245 PMBriefed

Communications Department – 449 PM

Snow Signal Timing plans activated – 737

AM


Maintenance Forecast – 200 PMMaintenance Forecast – 2

PM


















Updated VMS timing - 6 AM

Snow Signal Timing plans activated - 515

PM





Briefed Incident Management - 1054 AM

Briefed Provo Canyon Avalanche - 1156 AM


Road Weather Alert – 9 AM

Briefed UHP – 737 AM



Twitter Alert - 627 AM

Twitter Alert - 1111 AM

Statewide 511 Messages – 6 PM

Statewide 511 Messages – 7 AM

Road Weather Alert - 100 PM

Statewide 511 Messages - 500 PM


1230 PM Conference Call





*12 shared reports *7 shared reports

Sample NorthWest Weathernet Phone Log

No ice here yet.

Date/Time Office User Client Region Area Name Call Type Message Feedback

UDOT Collaboration Rules of Thumb

Focus on the “message”, not the meteorologyGather concerns from various UDOT

departmentsHow has media represented the event thus far?Don’t instruct the public, give them tools to

make the best decisionDetail road specific impactsShare UDOT’s plan of action (outreach,

products, etc.)Report back to UDOT NWS’s plan of action

(watches, warnings, etc.)

Break between 5c and 7a/b powerpoints

UDOT Operations Blueprint

UDOT Weather ProgramOperations Budget$355,000 a year

Operational Forecasting

UDOT Weather Manager and

Research Meteorologist

Road Weather Information System

(RWIS) Maintenance

ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) Funding

UDOT Weather Program

Variable ITS Budget

Travel Weather Services Project$121,000 a year

RWIS UpgradesRWIS New

Installations (additional

construction funding)

UDOT Benefits of Collaboration

Unified Message Optimize Mobility

Decrease congestion Increase snow plow effectiveness

UDOT’s goal of “Zero Fatalities” Promote safety though messaging

Minimize impact on commerce

Relationship with the National Weather Service Share weather observations

Weather spotters Snow plow reports Citizen Reporter program Traffic cameras

Share resources NWS high resolution local modeling UDOT pan/tilt/zoom camera access Portable RWIS trailers

Negligible costs

UDOT Collaboration Improvements

Get media more involved Hosted media event last fall

One on one conversations followed Set “Q and A media sessions” following NWS/UDOT

Collaborations?UDOT Travel Weather Web Briefing

Mimic “SLC NWS Web Briefing” Emphasize unified message Solely focused on transportation needs

Relationship building with Grand Junction NWS office Office visits

More consideration for freight carriers

NorthWest Weathernet Inc. Operations

UDOT Maintenance Forecast Twice daily shed-specific

forecasts Field operations calls/alert TOC

operators to concerns Traveler Information

Issue products to public detailing impacts

Maintain storm report folders RWIS

Preventative/Response Maintenance

Siting Reports Portable Deployments Data Management/Programming

1296

2647

3225

4213 42453938

4766

4192

49925386

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Benefits of Collaboration

Coordination keeps client happy UDOT requests collaboration in contract Increases effectiveness of the weather program

Continue to develop public/private partnership Show enhanced benefits of working together in

products Get a valued opinion from a source outside the agency

Challenges

Time Storm days, and those leading up to it, are the busiest

Knowledge of each agencies goals UDOT providing optimized mobility and safe travel NWS is protecting life and property

Knowing criteria of each agency Watch/warning criteria not the same as UDOT

operational parametersFinding a middle ground

Consider the concerns of both agencies into a unified message

Challenges with Criteria

Direction of winds are crucial to UDOT while speeds meet NWS criteria

Construction concerns usually begin well below watch/warning criteria are met

1/2” of road snow during the evening commute can create a greater impact than 4” overnight

UDOT alerts for standing water/flooding, rock fall, fog/reduced visibilities, mudslides, blowing dust/snow which may or may not meet NWS criteria

nws-udot pathfinder i-80 coal

Documents