Due to budget cuts to the state Department of Transportation, motorists should expect to be driving in more snow this winter during evenings and weekends, and on generally slicker roads.
Matt Boron, station foreman for DOT in Haines, said his crews aren’t authorized to work overtime this winter and will work strictly from a priority list to clear roads. In addition, a 16 percent cut to DOT’s Southeast region means crews will be using less sand on roads they maintain.
“If we get a (mild) winter like last winter, nobody will notice much of a difference. If it’s a normal winter, there may be six to eight inches on the highways people will be driving on and they aren’t going to like that. There will be some nasty conditions on weekends and late afternoons,” Boron said.
In previous winters, Boron could authorize overtime, including plowing on weekends and afternoons in advance of ferry dockings and mid-afternoon school bus runs. Now, he’ll have to seek permission from supervisors to send plows out after hours, including for weekend ferry dockings.
“People have to be prepared for slicker conditions and driving through deeper snow on weekends and afternoons because I don’t think they’re going to authorize me for much (overtime) except maybe on weekends,” Boron said. “I used to go out in front of the afternoon school bus, but those aren’t decisions I can make anymore.”
DOT crews here work from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily but typically start at 4:30 a.m. when it snows.
Under the state’s priority list, not even the Haines Highway merits the top level of winter maintenance, warranting removal of snow continually during a storm. The local highway and Main Street rank as “high-volume roads” at “service level 2,” calling for continual plowing during storms “on (the) regular shift,” and a goal of “fair winter driving conditions within 12 hours after (a) storm.”
The state’s lowest level of winter maintenance (service level 4) applies to “minor roads” including Small Tracts, Beach, Allen, Mosquito Lake and Piedad roads and Mud Bay Road beyond 6.6 Mile. On those roads, the state removes snow during storms “only when staff and equipment are available,” with a goal of “fair winter driving conditions within 72 hours after a storm.”
Also, use of sand on those roads may be used only on intersections, hills and curves.
Service level 3 or “major local roads” include the ferry terminal, Front Street, Klukwan Road, Lutak Road, and the Airport Spur Road. The state’s goal there is to provide fair winter driving conditions within 24 hours of a storm. On those roads, use of sand and chemical snowmelts must be approved by DOT’s regional maintenance manager.
Reductions in sanding are necessary in part because the price of it has gone up, Boron said. The local office uses about $200,000 per year for sand, which costs $20 per ton. “Commodities are a huge expense for us,” Boron said.
“Even during normal shifts, people will see slicker conditions because I can’t use the same quantity of sand,” Boron said.
Boron said despite the cuts, he feels lucky to not lose staff. Budget reductions have eliminated jobs at other road stations in Southeast, he said. The office will have five full-time and one part-time operator working this winter.
DOT spokesman Jeremy Woodrow said the agency took a 12.5 percent cut, which translates to a $34 million reduction in operations. Woodrow said the elimination of overtime will be most evident in Haines during heavy snow storms.
Woodrow said the reduced price of fuel hasn’t made much of a difference to the DOT budget because it precludes the agency from receiving additional funding triggered by high oil prices. “It sounds great, but it doesn’t really work.”
Resident Erica Merklin, who lives at 25 Mile Haines Highway, said her 15-year-old son takes the school bus to and from town. Fewer plows running in advance of the evening bus would be a concern for her, she said, as would a reduction in weekend plowing.
“It’s a safety concern, for sure. It makes for harder living,” Merklin said.
Priority rankings for winter road maintenance are based on traffic volume, speed, and connections to communities and other roads. To see a list of winter maintenance road rankings, go to http://www.dot.alaska.gov/wintermap.