Bridge Prioritization for Installation of Automatic Anti-icing Systems in Nebraska. Presented at Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium

During severe winter conditions bridges freeze before the surrounding roadways, often catching unsuspecting drivers off guard. Depending on weather and pavement conditions, automatic bridge deck anti-icing systems spray chemicals that prevent or minimize ice bonding to the pavement. The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) is interested in installing such systems on various bridges statewide. However, the presence of 2,193 bridges in Nebraska and availability of limited funding required candidate bridge prioritization for installation of automatic anti-icing systems based on relevant criteria. This research was undertaken with the objective of developing a decision-aid tool that could aid NDOR with the prioritization of bridges for installation of automatic anti-icing systems. The authors reviewed literature on automatic bridge anti-icing systems and the experiences of various transportation agencies. Factors considered important in the installation of automatic anti-icing systems included: accident history, bridge alignment, weather, traffic, and bridge distance from maintenance yard, among others. A methodology to build a database of relevant factors and a decision-aid tool that helped with narrowing the list of candidate bridges was developed