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Changing weather patterns and increases in extreme weather events has led to the deployment of more weather responsive traffic management strategies. As the transportation system moves towards a connected vehicle environment, questions arise as to how connected vehicle technology can support weather responsive systems. The presentation will discuss the use of connected vehicles in a rural environment as providers of mobile weather data. Two projects will be highlighted - a recently completed research project using passenger vehicle CAN-BUS data as weather surrogates, and the ongoing USDOT CV Pilot Deployment Project in Wyoming.

Dr. Rhonda Young, P.E. is an associate professor in the department of civil engineering at Gonzaga University. Dr. Young has worked extensively in the field of roadway operations in adverse weather conditions, including development of operational control logic and safety effectiveness of implemented strategies. Previous research projects led by Dr. Young have developed weather- and speed behavior-based variable speed limit system operational strategies for four VSL corridors in Wyoming. Two current research projects are applicable to adverse weather research. The first involves the evaluation of connected vehicle data as mobile weather sources for use in operational control strategies during adverse weather events. The second area is the adaptation of car following and lane changing driver behavior models for adverse weather conditions within traffic simulation models in order for those models to be sensitive to weather-based operational strategies. Dr. Young is a member of the team working on the Wyoming Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment project for the USDOT, which has a freight vehicle and weather focus. Dr. Young is a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Road Weather Committee (AH010) and is active internationally on the Standing International Road Weather Commission.