How far in the future do you plan your road maintenance costs? Many county officials only make it through the next year, responding to needs as they arise. They track annual road maintenance costs using those numbers to make decisions going forward. But even with such a short-sighted view, it’s easy to see the challenges ahead: rising maintenance costs, stagnating …
NASA’s Approach to Third Rail Deicing
Your current approach to third rail deicing doesn’t work as well as NASA’s. Here’s why. In 2019, Chicago’s Metra commuter rail system gained notoriety for appearing to set their railway tracks on fire. Of course, the tracks weren’t literally set on fire. But the video footage caused quite a stir. That January, temperatures hit a shocking 50 below, with windchill. To …
Life on the Side of an Unpaved Road
The Stories and Science Behind the Plague of Fugitive Gravel Road Dust Google “residents complain about road dust” and you’ll get over 17 million results, with lists of local news articles citing community complaints about the detrimental effect of gravel road dust. If you’re a county or municipal official who has anything to do with county or township road management, …
DEBUNKED: 4 Reasons Water is NOT Sufficient for Mining Dust Control
If you are still using water for dust control in your underground mine, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Water is an extremely temporary solution that, in the long run, both wracks up costs and wears away the surfaces it’s used on. As a reactive mining dust control measure, you are likely spending far more on it than you imagine. …
A Prison of Dust — the Impact of Unpaved County and Township Roads on Rural Communities
For rural towns in Alaska and Canada, unpaved roads present a tangible threat to the very community itself. Residents are, in some places, literally confined to their houses during particularly dry seasons. Fugitive dust from unpaved roads shuts down tourism, affecting the local economy. It causes damage to vehicles, therefore requiring more repairs, increasing the financial burden on families. And the …