NDOT says its ready for winter snow season

With the potential for the first significant storm of the season due to arrive Sunday into Monday, the winter season in Northern Nevada is about to kick in. Nevada Department of Transportation says it has finished its annual winter preparations, employing new technology and more than 80 snow plows and other equipment to help keep roads clear through the upcoming season.

“Roadway safety and mobility are our top priorities,” NDOT Director Rudy Malfabon explained. “Last winter, NDOT crews dedicated more than 22,000 hours to removing snow and ice from state roads in the Truckee Meadows. We’ll be out there again throughout this winter to clear roads of ice and snow.”

Winter Preparation
NDOT begins annual winter preparations in August by readying the snow plows and other pieces of snow and ice equipment for use in snow removal across northwestern Nevada.

More than 32,000 thousand cubic yards of salt and sand has been stockpiled, ready to be spread on winter roads for increased traction and safety. The sand is combined with salt and wetted with brine to create more dense sand that keeps roads ice-free at lower temperatures and will not as easily bounce off roadway surfaces. NDOT sand trucks calibrate the amount of salt and sand, spreading the mixture on roadways with extreme precision and efficiency.

“Drivers will also see our NDOT vehicles spraying a liquid brine on the roads prior to certain storms,” NDOT Assistant District Engineer for Maintenance Mike Fuess explained. “The brine is a solution of approximately 25% salt that we produce in-house at a substantial cost savings. Sprayed just before storms, the brine helps reduce how quickly the ice forms and sticks to the road.”

Winter Operations
NDOT has 153 maintenance staff in northwestern Nevada. The department also has hired 11 temporary winter maintenance personnel, with 15 temporary job positions still available through late November.

As storms move in, maintenance personnel closely monitor professional meteorological forecasts detailing wind, rain, snow, ice and other weather on state roads. Staff also utilize more than 30 Road Weather Information System meteorological stations located along northwestern Nevada roadways to provide detailed reports of current air and pavement temperature, as well as any moisture. The updated weather readings help pinpoint precise sections of roads needing brine, salt and sand or snow removal.

During major winter storms, crews work in 12 hour shifts, rotating personnel to provide 24 hour-a-day snow removal.

New Technology
NDOT has installed automatic anti-icing systems on four bridges on Interstate 580 between Reno and Carson City to help delay and prevent ice formation on bridge surfaces. When potentially freezing conditions set in, pavement sensors on each bridge activate spray disks embedded within the concrete. Each recessed disk sprays a potassium acetate anti-icing solution to help delay formation of ice.

NDOT will also use new tow plows on I-580 between south Reno and north Carson City. The tow plow is a second, steerable snowplow blade towed like a trailer behind a traditional snowplow. The tow plow swings out to the lane next to the lead snowplow to clear a second lane of snow, saving an estimated $78 per hour compared to a single plow.

Winter Driving Safety
On average, more than 2,000 crashes occur statewide every year due to unsafe driving in snow, ice and other wet conditions, such as driving too fast for conditions, following too closely, or failing to maintain a lane and overcorrecting. In winter weather, motorists are reminded to drive slowly for conditions and leave space between their vehicle and others. Wearing a seat belt and focusing on the road are other important driving tips for any type of weather.

Updated state road conditions, from winter road closures to traffic and road incident information, are available by dialing “511” or logging on to nvroads.com before driving. Drivers can also check nevadadot.com to view live traffic cameras. Winter driving safety tips are available at nevadadot.com/winter.