By Dallas Hammit / ADOT Deputy Director for Transportation

ADOT crews are ready for what’s ahead this winter. In fact, they prepare year round for the snow and ice. The agency has 400 commercially licensed snowplow drivers and nearly 200 snowplows in its fleet.

While the work those snowplow drivers do is vital for keeping our roads drivable and safe all season, the decisions everyone else makes on the road are equally important.

Please take a moment to review the safety tips below and be sure to share with family and friends.

• Slow Down and Leave Extra Room: Adjust your speed to conditions. Driving slower and leaving space between your vehicle and others when snow and ice are present can improve your ability to brake and prevent skids.
• Leave Prepared: Dress for cold weather, bring extra clothes and gloves, be sure your cellphone is charged, and pack food, water and necessary medications. Make sure your vehicle is in good working condition, starting with the battery, heater/defroster, wiper blades, wiper fluid and brakes.
• Pack an Emergency Kit: For starters, take blankets, a flashlight, an ice scraper, a small shovel, a container of sand for traction and hazard lights or reflectors in case your vehicle becomes disabled.Beware of Black Ice: Black ice tends to form at night when melting snow freezes and is especially common on bridges.
• Stay Up to Date: Visit ADOT’s Travel Information site at az511.gov or call 511 to get the latest highway conditions, and pay attention to messages on overhead boards. ADOT’s Twitter feed (@ArizonaDOT) is an excellent source of information and answers about highway conditions.

Please find more winter driving information, including videos, infographics and blog posts at azdot.gov/KnowSnow.

Editor's Note: More safety messages from Dallas Hammit, ADOT's state engineer, are available at Driving Safety Home on azdot.gov.

By Kim Katchur / ADOT Communications

Hard as it may be to believe given the record temperatures we've had recently, this is still a season for snow in Arizona. Because of that, ADOT has snowplow drivers at the ready, including drivers of our new TowPlow.

Back in February, TowPlow inventor Bob Lannert came to the North-Central District to train our drivers. And as you’ll see in the video above, Mother Nature provided the drivers – and our video crew – a significant snowstorm that same weekend, making the experience even more valuable.

As we shared last month, the TowPlow is a steerable trailer with a 26-foot blade that’s attached to the back of a regular snowplow truck. The combination, able to plow a 24-foot-wide path, lets ADOT clear more lanes in less time using less fuel.

The TowPlow joins ADOT’s fleet of 200 traditional snowplows and is assigned to 20 miles of I-40 between Williams and Bellemont west of Flagstaff.

TowPlow drivers, as with those operating any ADOT snowplow, need cooperation from other motorists. That includes staying at least four car lengths behind snowplows, slowing down and being patient.

Get more driving tips and find useful information over on our “Know Snow” Web page. You can also check out our previous blog posts and videos for even more about how ADOT prepares for the snowy season.

When Arizona’s latest winter storm hit Sunday evening, ADOT crews went into high gear. Snowplow operators across northern Arizona and other areas where snow fell worked into the night and on through to Monday evening before the storm let up. Their efforts helped keep highways open and traffic flowing.

In ADOT’s North-Central District, based in Flagstaff, Maintenance Engineer Kurtis Harris says a combination of equipment, people, training and advanced planning make for a successful response to a winter storm. And that doesn’t include just the 100-plus snowplow operators on call when the storm hit.

Three motorist-assist groups were stationed on I-17 and parts of I-40 to respond to any drivers in need of help. These crews travel in four-wheel drive vehicles equipped with salt, cinder, shovels and other equipment to help motorists and quickly radio requests for DPS or tow trucks.

“They look for stranded motorists or those who have slid off the road,” Harris says. “Getting stuck vehicles off the road or moving again goes a long way in preventing road closures.”

The snowstorm also gave the North-Central District a chance to try out ADOT’s brand new TowPlow.

Never heard of a TowPlow? It’s a steerable trailer with a 26-foot blade that’s attached to the back of a regular snowplow truck. The combination, able to plow a 24-foot-wide path, lets ADOT clear more lanes in less time using less fuel. ADOT’s TowPlow joins a fleet of 200 traditional snowplows and is assigned to 20 miles of I-40 between Williams and Bellemont west of Flagstaff.

Harris also notes that during storm events, road-closure teams stand by, ready with cones and equipment to quickly and safely set up closures and detours when necessary.

During a winter storm, much of the action is out on the roads, but there’s also a ton of work and coordination happening behind the scenes.

“All of us have a responsibility for keeping the roads open and safe,” Harris says.

That of course extends to drivers, too.

For snow safety tips, visit azdot.gov/KnowSnow. You can also revisit our previous posts for more information on how ADOT prepares for the winter storm season (this video in particular is a good one to watch, if you want a behind the scenes look at how snowplow drivers train).

As those in the northeast endure a major snow storm, many might believe that Arizona has it pretty easy in the wintertime...

But, as anyone who lives here knows, there are some seriously snowy spots in this state. So snowy, in fact, that snow fences are utilized by ADOT in certain areas to help shield the roads from snow drifts.

Never heard of a snow fence? ADOT Highway Operations Supervisor Chris Massey explains that they are used by ADOT to help prevent wind-blown snow or snowdrifts from accumulating on the roads.

“It definitely serves a purpose,” he said. “The snow fencing limits the time we have to be out there in plow trucks.”

According to ADOT’s Winter Storm Management Operations Manual, snow fences are long, fixed standing structures that are strategically placed to control drifting snow and improve motorist visibility. Snow fences can minimize the amount of chemical additives or abrasives required and/or the amount of snow to plow.

Snow fences are designed to prevent snow from drifting across the highway.

Made from aluminum or sometimes steel, the snow fences work because they create a disturbance in the wind, which then causes the snow to drop from the air in front of the fence, as opposed to other areas (like on the highway).

These aren’t just useful during snow storms. It can be a sunny day, but if the wind picks up and there’s snow on the ground, snow fences can help prevent snow accumulation on the roads.

Accurate placement of the fencing is important – otherwise it won’t do its job. Massey explains that the distance from the fence to the road must be 35 times the height of the fence (they’re roughly 12-14 feet tall). ADOT uses the fences on sections of SR 260 and SR 273 and they’re located based on the predominant direction of the wind.

The snow fences are secured to the ground with deadman anchors and, as you’d imagine, they take quite a beating from the wind. Regular maintenance and year-round attention is important to keep the fences functional.

In the news
You might have heard that nearly $400,000 worth of snow fencing was stolen from ADOT in the White Mountains. Check out this recent news release for more details, including information on how you can contact law enforcement if you have any information.

Transportation Defined is a series of explanatory blog posts designed to define the things you see on your everyday commute. Let us know if there's something you'd like to see explained ... leave a comment here on the blog or over on our Facebook page!

The official start of winter is approaching, but the cold weather is already here!

Over the past few weeks, we’ve told you how ADOT prepares for the snowy conditions common this time of year in Arizona’s high country.

Getting the snowplows ready, along with plenty of deicer ready, along with closing down certain low-traffic/heavy snow routes are vital steps, but there’s an additional action ADOT takes each year as the temperatures start to dip …

Every winter ADOT has to suspend work on projects in the state’s high country. This is necessary because it is too cold to pour concrete or place asphalt pavement (rubberized asphalt is especially sensitive to temperature variations).

But that doesn’t mean our crews just drop what they’re doing!

Work is stopped at a logical point and the work zone is generally left in a condition that doesn’t impede traffic. Drivers may notice some barricades and should be aware as they’re driving through project sites.

And as for the actual crews…ADOT workers who manage or inspect the projects either switch gears to next-year’s planning or are reassigned to maintenance for the season.

Here’s a list of projects that have either already been suspended for the winter, or will be stopped in the next week or so:

• SR 64 roadway and streetscape improvements in Tusayan
• I-17 Munds Park traffic interchange
• US 93 repaving north of Kingman (top layer of rubberized asphalt will be finished in the spring)
• US 93 repaving south of Wikieup
• SR 260 passing lanes between Overgaard and Show Low
• US 60 repaving between Springerville and the New Mexico state line
• I-40 repaving through Holbrook
• SR 87 repaving north of I-40

Snow-covered, icy highways get swift attention from ADOT crews each winter, but some routes face factors so severe, that completely closing the road down for a few months is the best option.

A handful of state routes are annually shut down because they’re located in areas where HEAVY snowfall is common. These routes typically see little traffic – so it makes sense for ADOT to use its resources to keep more heavily traveled highways open.

When ADOT closes a road for the winter, maintenance crews will set up barricades at the closure points and then drive the roads to make sure no vehicles are in the closed sections.

So far, a few routes have already been closed, or are scheduled to close within a few weeks …

A portion of SR 366, also known as “The Swift Trail,” was closed on Nov. 15. This is the scenic highway that leads to Mount Graham – the closure begins at the end of the paved highway, just beyond the turnoff to Shannon Campground. ADOT may need to close the highway at lower elevations as necessary to allow for snow removal (this highway is too narrow to allow traffic to pass the snowplow). The Swift Trail should open up again in mind-April, unless conditions require it to be closed longer.

SR 67 – between Jacob Lake (US 89A) and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon – closed on Nov. 28. This portion of the route won’t be cleared of snow during the winter since the visitor accommodations at the North Rim are closed. Expect this road to re-open around mid-May.

SR 473 to Hawley Lake is slated to close Nov. 30.

SR 261 – between Big Lake and five miles south of SR 260 – is scheduled to close on Dec. 19.

A five-mile segment of SR 261 from the junction of SR 260 south toward Big Lake may be left open until Jan. 16, depending on the amount of snowfall.

SR 273 between Sunrise Park and Big Lake will close Dec. 19. The segment of SR 273 between SR 260 and Sunrise Park will remain open to provide access to the ski area.

It’s important for motorists to drive with caution as they encounter winter conditions. Check out ADOT’s “Know Snow” web page for maps and tools to assist you this season. You can also stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions by visiting az511.gov or by calling 511.

Driving a snowplow is a lot harder than it looks …

Luckily, ADOT has about 395 employees trained and ready to operate the nearly 200 snowplows in Arizona’s fleet.

To give the public a better idea of what it takes to drive one of these machines, ADOT invited members of the local media over to a Phoenix equipment services yard this morning for an up-close look. 

Reporters not only learned about ADOT’s winter storm prep, but they saw several plows on display and were even able to try out ADOT’s snowplow simulators. 

A bit on the snowplows 

The snowplows on display this morning are brand new! ADOT has added 15 new snowplows to its fleet this year. This new equipment will be deployed soon to different districts around the state in time for the snowy season. The new plows are replacing older plows that have reached the end of their life cycles (the old snowplows will be sold at an auction in the spring).

Practice makes perfect 

The snowplow simulators made available to reporters this morning are a valuable training tool for ADOT snowplow operators. The simulators might look like a sophisticated arcade game, but they’re not. The equipment helps drivers learn how to operate a snowplow and gives them a good idea of some of the hazards they may face on the road. The simulators can output everything from different weather conditions to locked brakes and failed headlights. 

For more information on driving in Arizona during the snowy season, check out ADOT’s Know Snow Web page.