Establishment of the Road Dust Institute and Website - UTC

The main objective of this project is to establish an organization dedicated to improving road dust management and a website that collects and disseminate information about the issue.

Dust control is a major challenge for transportation agencies that manage the estimated 1.6 million miles of unpaved roads in the United States. This dust can contribute to impaired visibility for drivers, reduced roadway longevity, reduced vehicle life, and environmental health issues. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, road dust is a major source of particulate matter in the atmosphere. WTI worked with numerous public and private partners to coordinate and host the first Road Dust Management and Future Needs Conference in 2008. WTI also hosts all information and outcomes from the event on its website. Two of the problem statements developed at the conference called for the development of an association to advance road dust issues and an information clearinghouse to support education, training, and outreach efforts. Through this project, WTI will coordinate the establishment of the Road Dust Institute as an association dedicated to improving road dust management in rural transportation. In addition, the research team will develop a website to house dust-related information, as well as to engage the road dust abatement community as a whole. The main objective of the website is to create a forum for storing and disseminating research and other related information while establishing outreach efforts to improve the state of the practice.