Iways Projects

Thompson Pass Smart Snowplow & Snow Blower

"The Smart Snowblower system will allow us to perform the difficult task of keeping Thompson Pass open during the winter months in a much safer manner for both the equipment operator and the traveling public."
  Mike Coffey, Northern Region
  Maintenance Manager, ADOT&PF

Alaska's severe winter weather conditions and the lengthy winter nights can produce some of the most hazardous driving conditions in America. This combination can reduce visibility to the point where the efficiency of snow removal operations is greatly affected and can result in collateral damage to infrastructure (i.e. guardrails, signs, milepost markers, equipment, etc.) as well as increase the likelihood of collision with other vehicles. As the efficiency of snow clearing operations declines there is a corresponding deterioration of driving conditions, which can ultimately result in the closure of highways. Highway closures affect the public's ability to access essential services, prevent public safety agencies from responding to emergencies, and result in substantial economic impact to the affected communities.

photo Smart Snowplow & Snow Blower
Thompson Pass Smart Snowplow

Advanced Technology Applied to a snow blower/snowplow: The Smart Snowblower/Snowplow is snow blower and/or a snowplow outfitted with sophisticated instruments to keep the driver in the lane. The main purpose is to avoid other vehicles and obstacles such as guardrail during low visibility caused from blowing snow, fog and darkness.

The vehicle-mounted portion of the system combines a recent advancement in, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), called Real Time Kinematics (RTK), and collision avoidance technology. The supporting infrastructure includes a base station and additional signal repeaters to extend coverage to more than 20 miles of highway. The system relies on a highway model that is generated using Geographic Information System (GIS) based survey methods that depicts the entire infrastructure, hazards, and the highway alignment within the right of way for this segment of the highway. See highway model below.

Vehicle positioning, collision avoidance, and the driver interface constitute the primary components of the Smart Snow blower/Snowplow. Vehicle positioning is accomplished through a combination of a DGPS - geo-spatial database. Collision warning and avoidance is accomplished with radar sensors and signal processing techniques, which take advantage of information returned by the vehicle positioning system. Finally, information is provided to the driver via the driver interface system, which will employ graphical, haptic, and auditory interfaces (or any combination thereof as deemed appropriate by the human factors work) to provide an optimal information path to the driver.

Thompson Pass Test Site: The proposed test site extends from milepost 12 to milepost 45 on the Richardson Highway in south central Alaska near the city of Valdez. The test site includes portions of the highway on either side of Thompson Pass, a 20-mile section of highway characterized as high alpine, in the heart of the Chugach Mountains. This site was chosen because of the severe environmental conditions (over 450" of snowfall annually) that are common to this portion of the Richardson Highway during the winter months.

Smart Snowblower Benefits:
  • Reduction in accidents
  • Improve response time to incidents
  • Allow snow blower operators to keep roads open and reopen sooner if closed
  • Improve safety for the traveling public and operators>
  • Reduce driver stress

Deployment Schedule: The University of Minnesota Intelligent Vehicles Laboratory Program in collaboration with the ADOT&PF has outfitted one snowplow and one snow blower in Thompson Pass area with sophisticated instruments in January/February 2004. ADOT&PF M&O personnel are testing the system through winter 2006/07. Upon successful completion, ADOT&PF will decide to purchase additional technology to outfit other snowplows and/or snow blowers.

 

 

Contact:  Mike Coffey
   ADOT&PF State Maintenance Engineer
  Phone(907) 465-3904
 

 

 

Questions about the Iways program or website?
Lisa Idell-Sassi
emaildot.iways@alaska.gov
Phone 907-465-8952