DOT says safety will come first

Robert Monteith

November 20, 2008.

Department of Transportation (DOT) Communications Director Roger Wetherell contacted the Pilot regarding concerns over a memo that stated plowing would be limited to between the hours of 5 AM and 4 PM on state-owned roads. Wetherell said that costs of snow melting chemicals were forcing the department to reanalyze their approach to road safety.

“What I found out is that we’re in a challenging winter maintenance season because of our budget conditions. A lot of that has to do with supply and commodity costs that have risen. What we’re facing now is an impact from those escalating costs,” he said.

Wetherell pointed to the popular snow melting agent magnesium chloride, which has risen 40% in price over the past five years. DOT budgets are also regionally distributed and Juneau’s 264 highway lane miles take up more magnesium chloride than anywhere else in the state.

Regardless, Wetherell maintained that the basic level of service and staffing levels would be on par with last year. He also said that plows would be active after 4 PM if the roads posed a public safety risk.

“It’s not absolutely that cut and dry. We can’t do that. We can’t tell the public that safety comes second because it doesn’t. Worrying about overtime would come second. Obviously we need to worry about operating within our budget, but there will be times, it’s pretty much a given, that they (the plows) will be called out during hours other than those specified in the winter,” he said.

Maintenance crews have been instructed to maintain roads as efficiently as possible with an eye on public safety. To that end, DOT has come up with a list of priorities for local crews. Airports and main roads connecting to them and ferry terminals take precedence, followed by roads on the school bus route. Residential roads take the last spot.

“Emergency personnel services need to be able to use the roadway safely. School busses…if you still have a commute after 4 PM, we need to keep those roadways clear,” said Wetherell.

To help DOT maintain their budget, Wetherell is also asking the public for help.

“At the same time, we’re asking people to plan ahead when driving in winter weather. We’ll be trying to conserve overtime and resources like sand and chemical deicers, so we’re asking people to take it slow on winter roads and keep a safe distance from any plow trucks. You know, we’re hoping we have a mild winter,” he said.