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Thursday,
August 7, 2003
Contact: Jim Pinkelman, 202-366-0660
FHWA 26-03
FHWA
Plans 8th Annual Winter Symposium and Equipment Exposition
The
U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will
join with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the University of
New Hampshire's Technology Transfer Center to co-host the eighth annual
"Eastern Winter Road Maintenance Symposium & Equipment Expo" on
Sept. 3-4, 2003, at the Center of New Hampshire Holiday Inn in Manchester, NH.
"Safety
and mobility are top priorities at the Federal Highway Administration, and we
recognize all too well that winter weather often affects both the safety and the
efficiency of our nation's roads," FHWA Administrator Mary Peters said.
"This annual symposium is a great opportunity for state and local
officials who operate and maintain the region's transportation systems to learn
about the latest winter maintenance techniques, new products and equipment, and
ways to plan for and direct all aspects of storm management."
The
symposium this year will feature more than 82 exhibitors and the display of 25
new snow-fighting vehicles such as snowplows, snow blowers, and anti-icing
sprayers, as well as pothole patchers for maintenance work that inevitably comes
in the spring. The symposium
provides a forum for the exchange of information and technologies available to
predict and combat the effects of winter on roads, bridges, and other
transportation facilities.
The
symposium is mainly for winter maintenance managers and other public works
practitioners from cities, townships, counties and states, as well as other
public agencies and private sector partners east of the Mississippi River.
It also serves as a companion to the American Public Works Association's
Western Snow & Ice Conference, held annually in Colorado in late September.
The
event offers the latest in anti-icing and winter maintenance techniques; new
products, equipment, and other tools; emergency communications with the public,
the media, between jurisdictions, and within organizations; and tips on planning
and directing all aspects of storm management.
The symposium this year features, among others, sessions on the
environmental effects of abrasives; environmental concerns over maintenance
operations; the use of warning lights in winter; salt storage, fueling, and
vehicle washing; and winter maintenance liability and storm insurance options.
The
event has grown from the initial program held in 1996 in Washington DC and
featured 81 exhibits, 19 pieces of equipment on display and 700 attendees, to
the 2002 event in Charleston, WV, which included 134 exhibits, 25 pieces of
equipment and 1,266 attendees.
The
symposium is free, but those attending must pre-register.
For more details and to register online, visit the web site at http://www.easternsnowexpo.org
or call Deborah Vocke at FHWA's Resource Center, (410) 962-3744.
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