Plowing Denver metro-area highways this winter will be similar to past years despite an economic downturn that has affected some state agencies.
The Colorado Department of Transportation said Thursday in a news release that it will have 245 employees on winter duty in the metro area working in 12-hour shifts to clear 3,850 lane miles of ice and snow.
“We will operate with the same number of employees and snowplows as we did last year so we can continue to provide the same level of service,” said CDOT executive director Russ George in the release.
“Safety remains our No. 1 priority and that means that crews will be working days, nights, weekends and holidays during inclement weather to help ensure motorists reach their destinations safely.”
In all, 131 pieces of equipment will be used, including 112 snowplows that apply liquid and/or solid de-icers, three 6,000 gallon tankers that apply liquid de-icers and 16 brooms to sweep or pick up material after a storm.
Five snowplows use the Maintenance Decision Support System, which will help drivers determine the appropriate treatments for a roadway.
According to CDOT, the MDSS combines weather and road conditions with rules for anti-icing and de-icing to dictate actions on a route-by-route basis.
The MDSS system allows crews to input real-time conditions, including road and ambient temperature, type of snow- removal products being used and the application rate. After comparing the information to 15 weather reports, the system suggests treatments based on the information and models. The system then suggests to the operator that he re-treat the road at a later time, apply different products at different rates or continue the current procedures.
Last year, CDOT used approximately 916,000 gallons of liquid de-icer and more than 10,000 tons of Ice Slicer — a solid de-icer — in the metro area.
The agency spent just under $4.7 million in the Denver metro area between July 2008 and June 2009, which was down 15 percent from July 2007 through June 2008, when CDOT spent $5.5 million.
Motorists can help, the agency said, by giving the plows plenty of room and not passing them on the right.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
