Managing Alaska’s Road-Dust Problem: A Model for Road Dust–Impacted Regions
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 146, Issue 4
Abstract
Poor air quality in Alaska’s remote communities due to road dust is one of the top environmental concerns of residents in these communities. Most communities are disconnected from the road network, with community roads that are predominantly unpaved. In Alaska, high costs limit widespread paving of roads, leaving communities to rely on alternative dust control strategies. The goals for this study were to assess the magnitude and impact of the dust problem in rural Alaska and use a diversity of experience, including regulatory, research, engineering, and cultural, to develop a road-dust management approach for rural Alaska. The plan incorporates different levels of dust management: institutional controls, road watering, chemical dust suppressants, and road surface stabilization. Geographical zones where use of each different dust management level will be most appropriate are identified based on rainfall frequency. Approximately 50% of Alaska’s communities can manage road dust with institutional controls and road watering. Many of the road-dust management ideas presented are transferable to other global regions that experience similar economic and community access challenges as Alaska.
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Data Availability Statement
All data and codes generated or used during this study are available from the corresponding author by request (high-volume sampling results, precipitation data, and potential dust days spreadsheet).
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©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Oct 30, 2018
Accepted: Jul 26, 2019
Published online: Feb 5, 2020
Published in print: Apr 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Jul 5, 2020
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