Collaboration Across the Road Weather Enterprise: The Pathfinder Project

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Contact Information: Operations Feedback at OperationsFeedback@dot.gov

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Operations
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

FHWA-HOP-16-086

December 2016

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[Quality Assurance Statement]

[Notice Statement]

[Technical Report Documentation Page]

[List of Acronyms]

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Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• Chapter 1. Understanding Weather's Impact on the Nation's Roadway System
• Chapter 2. Applying Road Weather Forecasting in Your State
• Chapter 3. Making the Investment Case for Road Weather Forecasting and Decision Support Services
• Chapter 4. The Pathfinder Project
• Chapter 5. Introduction to Pathfinder Concepts
• Chapter 6. Guidance for Pathfinder Project Standup
• Chapter 7. Pathfinder Guidance
• Chapter 8. Next Steps
• Appendix A. The Pathfinder Project - Background
• Appendix B. Making the Case for an Investment Decision
• Appendix C. Examples of Shared Impact Messages
• Appendix D. Specific Collaboration Examples of Pathfinder Teams
• Appendix E. Federal Related Initiatives
• Appendix F. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices by State
• Appendix G. Partner Collaboration and Relationships
• Appendix H. Event Data Archiving Checklists
• Acknowledgements
• References

List of Figures

• Figure 1. Photo. Plowing is One of Many Treatment Strategies for Adverse Weather
• Figure 2. Photo. Road Weather Information Helps Maintenance Activities Run Smoothly
• Figure 3. Photo. Fog is a Common Weather Condition Affecting Visibility
• Figure 4. Chart. Weather-Related Crashes, Fatalities, and Injuries
• Figure 5. Photo. A Large Number of Crashes Each Year Are Related to Adverse Weather
• Figure 6. Graph. Weather-Related Impacts on Arterials and Freeways
• Figure 7. Photo. I-80 Corridor Shown Across Various Weather Forecast Offices, Department of Transportation, and Weather Service Provider Operational Boundaries
• Figure 8. Chart. Weather, Roads, Timing, and Motorists Affect Impact
• Figure 9. Photo. Traffic Operations Center
• Figure 10. Photo. A Snow Plow and Other Vehicles Driving in the Snow
• Figure 11. Photo. Weather Forecasting Offices County Warning Areas in the Project Region
• Figure 12. Photo. Economic Impact of Road Weather Events
• Figure 13. Photo. National Weather Service Image Shared via Facebook, 12/23/14
• Figure 14. Photo. National Weather Service Image Shared via Twitter, 12/23/14
• Figure 15. Photo. Wyoming Department of Transportation Traffic Management Center Dynamic Message Sign Updated 12/24/25
• Figure 16. Photo. National Weather Service Graphic (1) for Expected Christmas Winter Event
• Figure 17. Photo. National Weather Service Graphic (2) for Expected Christmas Winter Event
• Figure 18. Chart. National Weather Service Graphic (3) for Expected Christmas Winter Event
• Figure 19. Photo. National Weather Service Graphic (4) for Expected Christmas Winter Event
• Figure 20. Photo. Utah Weather Story Example
• Figure 21. Graph. Aggregate Vehicle Miles Traveled vs. Time of Day
• Figure 22. Photo. National and Regional National Weather Service Headquarters
• Figure 23. Chart. Schematic of Idealized, Event-specific Communication Flow for Case 1
• Figure 24. Chart. Schematic of Idealized, Event-specific Communication Flow for Case 2
• Figure 25. Chart. Schematic of Idealized, Event-specific Communication Flow for Case 3
• Figure 26. Chart. Schematic of Idealized, Event-specific Communication Flow for Case 4a
• Figure 27. Chart. Schematic of Idealized, Event-specific Communication Flow for Case 4b

List of Tables

• Table 1. Typical Responsibilities of a State Department of Transportation
• Table 2. Typical National Weather Service Operational Responsibilities
• Table 3. Typical Private Sector Responsibilities
• Table 4. Weather-Related Crash Statistics
• Table 5. Level 3 and Level 4 - Most Mature - Road Weather Operations Program Components
• Table 6. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices by State
• Table 7. National Weather Service Archiving Checklist for Events
• Table 8. Department of Transportation Archiving Checklist for All Events