PULASKI COUNTY | October 22, 2024
The Arkansas Department of Transportation’s (ARDOT) Winter Weather Strike Team will conduct a training exercise in the central Arkansas area from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 23.
The drill will consist of training drivers, performing equipment checks, road-testing snowplow trucks, and communicating with the Department’s Emergency Operations Center which will operate in an exercise mode for the event.
“It is crucial that we do everything we can to be prepared when winter weather hits,” explained Michael Kelly, ARDOT Staff Maintenance Engineer and Emergency Management Liaison Officer. “This exercise will help us see both our strengths and areas for improvement. It’s our job to keep our roadways safe, and we take that responsibility seriously.”
Dozens of field personnel from ARDOT’s statewide maintenance crews will comprise the Winter Weather Strike Team.
During an actual winter weather event, the Winter Weather Strike Team supplements other ARDOT maintenance forces by clearing snow and ice from the Interstates and Highways during 24-hour operations across Arkansas and communicates roadway conditions directly to the Maintenance Division, located at the Central Office in Little Rock.
In preparation for winter weather, ARDOT stores approximately 75,000 cubic yards of salt at locations across the State. According to Deric Wyatt, ARDOT State Maintenance Engineer, ARDOT refills salt storage facilities during the summer months so that they are fully stocked at the beginning of the winter season.
ARDOT has approximately 600 snowplows across the State at ARDOT County Maintenance Headquarters and District Offices.
“As deicing material costs continue to increase, we are always looking for ways to be more efficient and effective, which is leading us to use more liquids for deicing during and after an event,” Wyatt said. “The use of technology is also playing a bigger role in our operations to document our activities and provide real time data and feedback to make needed changes in a more timely manner to keep traffic moving and clear our roadways as quickly as possible.”
Weather Sensor Stations are mounted on approximately 36 bridge structures across the State that report air temperature, pavement temperature, and presence of moisture (liquid or frozen) on bridge decks and pavements.
Maintenance staff report road conditions which are displayed to the public through IDriveArkansas.com. Changes in road conditions are updated every two hours until the route is clear. ARDOT also has almost 400 live traffic cameras across the State through the IDriveArkansas.com website and smartphone app that are viewable by the public to see current road conditions.
In addition to the Winter Weather Strike Team, ARDOT approaches winter weather proactively by holding regular preparedness meetings and conducting tests of the winter weather features on IDriveArkansas.com.