Talk of the Rockies, Mcgraw-Hill Construction blog

CDOT Recovers from Rough Winter

CDOT Recovers from Rough Winter
Posted by melissa_leslie at 5/30/2008 3:52 PM CDT @ www.colorado.construction.com
Though the Denver metro area did not experience the back-to-back blizzards that plagued the city in late 2006 and into 2007, areas around the state have experienced record numbers of snowfall that has kept the Colorado Department of Transportation busy well into the spring.
CDOT plowed 7.4 million mi this winter, with just over 6 million plowed through mid-March. This is up from the 7.1 million mi plowed last winter and the 5.2 million mi plowed during the 2005-06 winter season.
“This season has been record setting and is the most expensive season we have ever had,” said CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman. “It’s definitely challenging in that we’ve seen record amounts of snowfall as well.”
Typically, CDOT re-opens Independence Pass on State Highway 82 for the season on the Thursday before the Memorial Day weekend. The pass is 12,095 ft above sea level along the Continental Divide. This year, with the snow pack well above average, crews set a new target opening date for sometime in June.
“Our crews are working extremely hard to open Independence Pass and Mt. Evans, but the large amount of snow combined with the potential for more snowstorms and the need to conduct avalanche control work is slowing us down,” said Fred Schulz, CDOT maintenance superintendent, who oversees crews on Mt. Evans.
Crews on both the east and west sides of Independence Pass have been working since the week of April 21 to clear the roadway. Crews on the east side are working with snow pack at 230% of average, measuring 12 to 15 ft high on the road in some areas.
On the west side, snow pack is up over 200% of average, with 12 ft of snow on the roadway.
“Typically, the snow has warmed by this time of year and we’re able to bring it down and clear it from the roadway,” said CDOT maintenance supervisor Jim Pitkin, who oversees crews on the east side. “Since the snow is still cold and firm right now, there’s a potential that a rapid warming trend will bring snow down that we’re not able to bring down with our avalanche control work.”
Given the difficulty of predicting snow season budgets, the state Transportation Commission sets aside a contingency fund to cover costs that exceed the year’s snow and ice removal budget. Any monies left in the contingency fund are typically rolled back into projects or programs, but that will not be possible this year.
The state’s original snow plowing budget for the 2007-08 season was $43 million, but the department had spent $53 million by mid-March, and due to seasonal clearing projects like Independence Pass, is projecting to spend $71 million by the end of Colorado’s snow season.
During the 2006-07 season, CDOT spent $51.5 million for snow plowing costs.
“This is a much bigger winter than what we’ve experienced in a very long time—since the ‘80s,” said D’Wayne Gamon, CDOT maintenance supervisor in Glenwood Springs. “It snowed for two months starting in early December, either every day or every other day. The accumulation kept building, with low temperatures continuing—this is the first time in decades that I have seen snow stay on the ground for months at a time.”