A Benefit-Cost Analysis Toolkit for Road Weather Management Technologies David Veneziano 1 , Ph.D.; Xianming Shi 2 , M. ASCE, Ph.D., P.E.; Lisa Ballard 3 , P.E.; Zhirui Ye 4 , Ph.D.; Laura Fay 5 , M.Sc. 1 Research Scientist, Western Transportation Institute, P.O. Box 174250, Bozeman, MT 59717-4250; david.veneziano@coe.montana.edu; * Corresponding author 2 Research Professor at the Civil Engineering Department and Program Manager at the Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University, P.O. Box 174250, Bozeman, MT 59717-4250; xianming_s@coe.montana.edu 3 Principal, Current Transportation Solutions, PO Box 5651, Missoula, MT 59806-5651; lballard@currenttransportation.com 4 Professor at Southeast University, China; Research Scientist, Western Transportation Institute, P.O. Box 174250, Bozeman, MT 59717-4250; jared.ye@coe.montana.edu 5 Research Scientist, Western Transportation Institute, P.O. Box 174250, Bozeman, MT 59717-4250; laura.fay@coe.montana.edu Veneziano, D., Shi, X., Ballard, L., Ye, Z., Fay, L. (2014). A Benefit-Cost Analysis Toolkit for Road Weather Management Technologies. Climatic Effects on Pavement and Geotechnical Infrastructure: pp. 217-230. ASCE Construction Institute. DOI: 10.1061/9780784413326.022 ABSTRACT: Highway agencies face increasing demands and customer expectations regarding mobility and transportation safety, especially during inclement weather, while confronting unprecedented budget and staffing constraints and a growing awareness of environmental challenges related to the use of chemicals and abrasives. To address these different issues, benefit-cost analysis is typically employed before making specific investment decisions. In the winter maintenance context, where the various costs and benefits of road weather management tools can vary greatly, this presents a significant challenge to managers. This work presents an overview of a new benefit-cost analysis tool developed for winter maintenance practitioners to evaluate different equipment, operations and materials, including road weather management tools, in a streamlined, web-based environment. The toolkit was used to conduct two case studies of the use of Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) and Maintenance Decision Support Systems (MDSS) for road weather management. The first case study examined the current use of RWIS statewide in Iowa and found that it produced an agency-specific benefit-cost ratio of 3.8 and a total ratio of 45.4. A second case study examined the potential use of MDSS in one subdistrict in Indiana found that a benefit- cost ratio for the agency would be 1.5, while the total ratio would be 3.0. 1