Learn how Wx Horizon enhances winter maintenance practices with accurate sensor data.
140-mile road network.
17 snow routes.
Cranberry Township in Butler County, Pennsylvania, took on a challenge to reboot its winter road maintenance practices. Now, they’re sharing their experience deploying Wx Horizon with GroundCast sensors. Read on.
2024 update
Watch the full video on CBS News Pittsburgh YouTube channel: Pavement sensors help Cranberry Public Works Department maintain winter roads - YouTube
Since implementing Wx Horizon and two GroundCast pavement sensors in the winter of 2023, Cranberry Township has expanded its network to seven GroundCast sensors. They now cover all quadrants of the township, including the municipal parking lot, collecting vital road and weather data such as road temperature, road condition, salt levels, and more.
The decision to expand was driven by the early successes of Wx Horizon. In the first year, Cranberry Township avoided 10 callouts using localized data and forecasts from the system, saving nearly $100,000 in operating costs. In the second year, they avoided 16 callouts, saving taxpayers nearly $200,000.
During a freezing rain event in February 2025, Cranberry Township once again avoided a callout thanks to the accurate data provided by Wx Horizon. Kelly Maurer, Director of Public Works, recalled the event, stating, “We were thankfully just on the fringe. We did get ice on vehicles and driveways, but roadway temperatures stayed above freezing, and we did not need to call our crews out.”
Challenge: Striving for maximum maintenance efficiency
Before, when it was precipitating, and temperatures were near freezing, Winter Maintenance Crews were sent out. And each time they do this, it is a significant cost in labor and materials to the Township.
Being conscious of the environmental harm salt can do to the local environment, they were keen to minimize salt usage by targeting it to when and where it is needed.
“Previously, I would have driven into work, and I would have seen that it was sleeting off my windshield. And if all I had was forecast air temperature, I would have panicked and sent my crew out to go salt their routes and that would have cost us a lot of money. This morning, our state DOT had their crews out and we did not, because we knew the temperature of the pavement was 40 degrees and forecasted to go up. So, it's saving us time, material, and equipment wear and tear, and there are also environmental benefits.
Bob Howland, Manager of Streets & Fleet, Cranberry Township
Solution: Road weather forecasts based on local data
Cranberry’s existing solution provided camera images along with a paid forecast service. However, they were interested in pavement sensors, and they decided to give Wx Horizon a try.
Wx Horizon is a road weather subscription service for winter maintenance professionals. It uses in-pavement sensors to generate enhanced road weather forecasts. Wx Horizon was an attractive alternative since it provides additional data using in-ground pavement sensors. This data, which includes temperatures at various levels, the state of the road – dry or wet, and the amount of salt on the road, can be used to enhance forecasts on the local roads.
By using Wx Horizon, Cranberry has taken its winter maintenance up another notch and increased its efficiency. This past winter, they avoided 10 callouts using Wx Horizon, saving them over $100K. The number doesn't factor in limiting salt and/or labor in other scenarios.
“We could see where we had a storm, and as the rain started you saw the residual salt levels go down — that was the residual salt on the road being washed away. So I could see how we would know when our crews need to go back out again, invaluable information to us and really it does pay for itself. Not only the environmental benefits but also the costs.
Kelly Maurer, Director of Public Works - Cranberry Township, PA
