Equity consideration in road treatment prioritization after winter storms: A Case study for Kansas

Abstract: Extreme weather events, including winter storms, are becoming more severe and frequent in recent years. Winter storms caused about $104.2B of CPI-adjusted damage in the United States during 1980-2024. Winter storms typically accumulate snow and ice on roads, directly impacting the ability of communities to access essential services post-storm and delaying or preventing emergency services from responding to urgent situations. Therefore, road treatment (snow and ice) prioritization decisions are critical for vulnerable populations, including people of color and those with limited mobility and income. The prioritization strategies may disproportionally impact disadvantaged communities with higher levels of transportation insecurity as they commonly lack the necessary resources to protect themselves or respond effectively during weather events. To address this, it is important that cities consider the equity dimension in their road treatment policies. However, most existing entities do not have clear guidelines or documentation for considering equity. This study uses data collected from a survey sent out to public officials in Cities and Counties in Kansas (a total of 122 unique places as defined by the US Census) with equity in post-winter storm treatment prioritization. Using the data, we have developed two different models, logistic regression and ordered logit model, to answer the following research questions: 1) What influences the likelihood of cities and counties incorporating equity in post-snow/ice storm road clearance prioritization policies? And 2) What influences the level of importance that equity plays in such policies? Findings show that certain demographic characteristics of the populace, such as age and poverty status, have a significant impact on the likelihood of cities and counties incorporating equity into post-snow/ice storm road clearance prioritization policies, while community-specific characteristics, such as average annual snowfall and total population, influence the level of importance that equity plays in such policies.