TRB conducted a webinar on Wednesday, February 22, 2017, from 2:00PM to 3:30PM ET on springtime damage to roads and seasonal load limits. Low-volume roads in seasonal frost areas are susceptible to damage from heavy vehicles during the spring thaw. The maintenance-free life of a low-volume road in a seasonal frost area averages less than half that of a similar road in a nonfrost area. Some transportation agencies apply spring load restrictions, which restrict allowable loads during those times when the roads are most susceptible to damage. Because these restrictions can cause local economic hardships, it is critical to optimize the load restriction window. This webinar discussed the background of seasonal thaw and load restrictions. The presenters also demonstrated some of the websites transportation agencies use to allow users to check local road thawing conditions.
This webinar was organized by the TRB Standing Committee on Seasonal Climatic Effects on Transportation Infrastructure.
Unfortunately, we were not able to provide Professional Development Hour credits for this webinar as initially advertised. TRB apologizes for any inconvenience.
Contact Reggie Gillum at
RGillum@nas.edu for instructions on receiving a copy of the recorded webinar.
Here are the slides.
Webinar Presenters
- Maureen Kestler, USDA Forest Service
- Tim Andersen, Minnesota Department of Transportation
- Gregg Larson, Applied Research Associates
Moderated by: David Orr,
Cornell University
Webinar Outline
- Basic thaw weakening theory
- Overview of methods used to determine thaw weakened conditions.
- Prediction models incorporating measured/computed subsurface conditions and weather forecasts.
- Demonstrations of websites
- Frozen or thawed pavement conditions
- Thaw predictions
- Question and answer session
The first 60 minutes of the webinar will be for presentations and the final 30 minutes will be reserved for audience questions. The Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP) categorizes this webinar activity as relating to health, safety, and welfare including core technical.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Understand the reasons for thaw weakening
- Understand the need to predict a window in time during which the road will be most susceptible to damage from heavy loads.
- Understand how to predict when to restrict or limit heavy loads to reduce pavement damage to asphalt surfaced roads and to prevent resource damage caused by non-paved roads
Registration Information
There is no fee for employees of
TRB Sponsors or
TRB Sustaining Affiliates who register using their work email address. In addition to employees of TRB sponsor organizations, the following are eligible to receive complimentary webinar registration:
- TRB and National Academies employees;
- Chairs of TRB standing committees, sections, or groups;
- Members of the media;
- Employees of tribal governments; and
- Members of Congress or their staff.
Other sites must pay $55 per site. View our
pricing page for details.
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Registration questions? Contact Reggie Gillum at
RGillum@nas.edu.
