Plowing Denver-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 today in a news release that CDOT will have 245 employees on winter duty in the metro area working in 12-hour shifts to clear ice and snow from 3,850 miles of roads.
“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 number one 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 of the snowplows have the Maintenance Decision Support System, which will help drivers determine the appropriate treatments for a roadway.
According to CDOT, the decision support system 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 will then provide suggested treatments based on the information and models. The system will then suggest the operator to 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 about 15 percent from July 2007 through June 2008 when CDOT spent $5.5 million.
Motorists can help, said the agency, by giving the plows plenty of room and not passing them on the right.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
