Welcome

This website is the home for tools and resources that can assist you in keeping your state and local roads clear of blowing and drifting snow and ice.

Background

The topography, land-use characteristics, and winter climate for much of Minnesota cause this area to be particularly vulnerable to blowing and drifting snow on roadways. This can reduce driver safety, degrade road quality, and increase snow removal costs. Research has shown that snow fences act as windbreaks, causing blowing snow to deposit on the landscape rather than on the roads. When comparing the cost of snow removal with living snow fences, an average benefit/cost ratio of 17:1 exemplifies the efficiency of this method, validating use in Minnesota.

News

Sponsors

This website is developed and maintained by the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies, with sponsorship from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Cost Benefit Web Tool

This online tool allows transportation agencies to estimate the return on investment of implementing blowing snow control practices such as living snow fences or standing corn rows on private lands.

Use the Cost Benefit Tool

Design Web Tool

Snow fences can help maintain clear roadways by capturing blowing snow upwind of a problem area and storing that snow over the winter season.

Use the Design Tool to design your own snow fence