PHOENIX – With another winter storm blowing in on New Year’s Eve, Arizona Department of Transportation snowplow operators will work 12-hour shifts to clear snow and ice from highways.

And they need your help to do their jobs effectively and safely.

ADOT’s certified snowplow drivers, operating the agency’s nearly 200 plows, need room to work. For your safety and theirs, stay at least four vehicle lengths behind and never pass a working plow until the driver pulls over to let traffic pass.

Never assume a snowplow operator knows you are nearby. If you can’t see the plow driver, there is a good chance the driver can’t see you.

Here are some other safety tips from ADOT snowplow drivers:

• Consider putting off travel during a storm and waiting until ADOT’s plows have cleared highways of snow and ice. It’s much more difficult for snowplows to do their jobs when a highway is jammed with vehicles stopped by slide-offs and crashes on the slick surface.
• To avoid interfering with snowplows, drivers of large trucks should heed signs on steep uphill grades telling them to stay in the right lane or right lanes. One example is eastbound Interstate 40 on Ash Fork Hill approaching Williams.
• If approaching an oncoming snowplow, slow down and give the plow extra room.
• Leave space when stopping behind a snowplow. The driver might need to back up.
• Just because a plow has been through an area, don’t assume the roadway is completely clear of snow and ice.

In addition, motorists traveling in the high country should be ready to slow down and allow extra braking distance behind all vehicles.

If you decide to travel during a snowstorm, be prepared for delays and the possibility that you will spend extended time in winter conditions due to slowing and closures caused by the weather. Pack an emergency kit that includes warm clothes and gloves, blankets, healthy snacks, water and a first-aid kit including all necessary medications, and a fully charged cellphone. Make sure your gas tank is full or close to it.

Be sure to check highway conditions before hitting the road and look at the latest weather forecast. Visiting ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov or calling 511 will alert you to incidents as well as snow and ice on the road. For Interstate 17 travelers, ADOT’s message boards now provide estimated travel times to Flagstaff, Prescott and other popular high-country destinations.

The free ADOT Alerts app, available for iOS and Android devices at ADOTAlerts.com, will notify users about weather-related delays and closures. 

For more tips on respecting the plow and other winter-driving essentials, visit azdot.gov/KnowSnow.

 

PHOENIX – With another round of winter storms approaching, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s snowplow fleet includes 25 new, high-tech vehicles ready to clear state highways of snow and ice.

These snowplows have lighter, flexible blades that ADOT’s trained drivers can adjust from inside the cab to efficiently clear highways, such as when conditions warrant a tighter curl or different angle. The new plows also provide easier handling and improved visibility.

The new Freightliner snowplow trucks, replacing older plows that are no longer part of ADOT’s fleet of nearly 200, are being used almost exclusively on wider interstate highways, including I-17 and I-40 in the Flagstaff area. While many other existing snowplows have 11-foot wide steel blades up front, the flexible blades on these plows measure 12 feet across.

ADOT purchased the snowplows, each costing $280,000 and weighing 65,000 pounds fully loaded with equipment and deicing materials, as part of a program to maintain a fleet of reliable machines that keeps the traveling public as safe as possible when winter weather strikes.

The bit, or bottom edge section of a flexible snowplow blade, includes a shock-absorbing rubber insulator that improves contact with the highway’s surface. The plow blade acts much more like a squeegee along the pavement, increasing the removal of snow and ice from lower, worn spots created by heavy traffic.

Inside the cab, several high-tech tools help snowplow operators negotiate often-challenging conditions. Joysticks control the blade’s movements. A computerized monitor provides weather data and pavement temperatures as well as information about deicing agents that are distributed from the plow’s dump truck bed. Another screen shows images from separate rear- and side-mounted cameras.

A laser light system guides drivers as they also operate a separate blade called a wing plow, which can extend from right side of the vehicle and increase the amount of snow cleared. The laser’s beam, which shines ahead to match where the outside edge of the wing plow will travel, lets drivers know if they need to merge away from objects such as guardrails.

Any snowplow operator, whether in a new or older plow, has a lot to focus on while clearing snow from highways. It’s important that other highway drivers give snowplows plenty of room to operate. Try to avoid passing a snowplow while it’s clearing snow and stay at least four vehicles lengths behind it.

The new snowplows aren’t limited to use during the winter season. With plow-related equipment removed, they provide year-round flexibility when used as dump trucks for highway maintenance work.

PHOENIX – When a couple of October storms dropped early snow on Arizona’s high country, the Arizona Department of Transportation and its plows were ready because the agency prepares year-round  for winter weather.

Now it’s time for you to equip yourself and your vehicle for snow.

ADOT offers Know Snow safety tips at azdot.gov/KnowSnow such as slowing down, leaving extra room behind the vehicle ahead, having a fully charged cellphone, taking along warm clothing, blankets, food and water, and packing an emergency kit. Check your vehicle before heading out in winter weather, making sure – at a minimum – that the tires, heater and windshield wipers are in good shape.

Before traveling, research weather conditions to determine whether it would be smarter to sit out a storm so ADOT’s nearly 200 snowplows can clear highways. Check road conditions by calling 511 or visiting az511.gov. ADOT’s Twitter account (@ArizonaDOT) and Facebook page (facebook.com/AZDOT) provide real-time information and interaction. And the free ADOT Alerts app available at ADOTAlerts.com will send critical information, including alternate routes, should snow and ice close a major highway.

ADOT’s preparations for winter weather include ensuring a well-maintained snowplow fleet. With that in mind, the agency has replaced 25 older plows with new models that are more cost-efficient, require less maintenance and feature technology that helps operators do their jobs more efficiently during 12-hour shifts.

These new plows include auxiliary cab heaters to keep drivers warm while not idling and wasting fuel; heated windshields to prevent wipers from freezing and getting stuck; backup cameras and a camera and laser guidance system to help guide operators; state-of-the-art lighting packages; and front flex plows that can bend in different configurations to remove snow.

ADOT’s fleet also includes two Tow Plows that operate along Interstate 40 between Flagstaff and Williams. Tow plows are separate steerable plows on trailers pulled by snowplows, allowing one driver to clear two lanes in a single run along a highway.

Standing ready to operate ADOT snowplows are 400 certified operators who train throughout the year to help keep people and commerce moving when winter weather strikes.

While ADOT’s snowplow operators are ready to help you, you should help them in return. Always respect the plow. Avoid passing a snowplow that’s clearing a highway until the driver pulls over to let traffic pass, and never assume a snowplow operator knows your vehicle is nearby. If you can’t see the plow driver, there’s a good chance the driver can’t see you.

Remember: The safest place on a highway when it’s snowing is trailing a safe distance behind a snowplow.

Another way to help is making an informed decision about traveling when snow is forecast or already falling. The safest choice always is waiting until snow is no longer falling and until ADOT’s plows have cleared highways. It’s also the most efficient decision, as a highway takes much longer to plow when it’s jammed with vehicles that shouldn’t be traveling on a roadway that’s slick with snow and ice.

So do you Know Snow in Arizona? If not, now’s the time to start learning with a trip to azdot.gov/KnowSnow.

PHOENIX ‒ Three Arizona Department of Transportation employees working to keep highways open in recent storms avoided serious injury when vehicles struck two ADOT snowplows in separate crashes. The drivers of the other vehicles came out fine as well.

One of the plows wasn’t so lucky, however, when a semi rear-ended and severely damaged it Jan. 21 on Interstate 40 near Seligman. In addition to sending the two ADOT employees aboard to the hospital with minor injuries, the crash hindered ADOT’s efforts to clear snow and ice along that route.

In the other crash, an SUV suffered serious damage Jan. 19 when it hit a snowplow clearing State Route 89A between Prescott Valley and Jerome. The plow and its operator were able to continue working, but only after losing precious time dealing with the crash.

“During storms, drivers need to slow down and give plows plenty of space,” said Alvin Stump, district engineer in ADOT’s Northwest District, where both of the incidents occurred. “Plows require a large work area to remove snow.”

It isn’t easy driving a snowplow on slippery roads with limited visibility, and other drivers make that job dangerous when they don’t give ADOT’s operators plenty of room to work. So respect the plow! It starts with staying at least four car lengths behind and never passing a working plow until the operator pulls over to let traffic by.

Gabriel Alvarado, who has plowed Interstate 40 for 13 years out of ADOT’s Seligman operation, said he likes seeing a line of vehicles making the sensible decision to follow his snowplow.

“It’s the best possible scenario to have a plow right in front of you,” he said.

But several times during a 12-hour shift a passenger vehicle or semi will make the ill-advised decision to pass Alvarado’s snowplow in an unplowed lane, raising the potential for a collision.

“Sometimes it gets really, really close,” Alvarado said.

Alvarado said it isn’t uncommon for him to later come upon those who’ve passed him stuck in the snow after sliding off the roadway.

Other tips from ADOT’s snowplow drivers:

• Never assume a snowplow operator knows you are nearby. If you can’t see the plow driver, there is a good chance the driver can’t see you.
• Plowed snow can create a cloud that reduces visibility, and spreaders on trucks throw de-icing agents or sand that can damage vehicles, so stay back.
• Leave space when stopping behind a snowplow. The driver might need to back up.
• If approaching an oncoming snowplow, slow down and give the plow extra room.
• Just because a plow has been through the area, drivers shouldn’t assume the roadway is completely clear of snow and ice.

For more tips on snowplow safety and other winter-driving essentials, visit azdot.gov/KnowSnow.