WEATHER: A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR SURFACE TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS

Even though highway construction is a highly structured, well-planned process, highways exist in a natural setting still subject to the environmental impacts of the weather. The significance of weather is that it crosscuts almost every goal, use, and operation of highways, and this is why it is at risk of becoming lost; it has no single organizational focal point within the highway community. This article looks at the weather as an important dynamic factor affecting a number of aspects of highway transportation including maintenance, traffic flow, and disaster response, among others. Areas and topics covered include weather and highways, weather and operations, and the weather research agenda as it affects surface transportation.