From Deseret News archives:
Roads snow-free? UDOT army on job
Keeping traffic moving safely is giant operation
Within seconds, workers at the Utah Department of Transportation's Traffic Operation Center were on the phone with a maintenance center in the area, talking with the manager.
The report: Traffic moving steadily. Snow not sticking to the road.
Things were good.
Now that winter weather is hitting the state, legions of UDOT maintenance workers, weather forecasters and traffic engineers are shifting their focus from construction to keeping Utah roads clear of snow, ice and car crashes.
It is a coordinated effort. UDOT's in-house meteorologists work to predict weather that may affect the roads. Workers at the Traffic Operation Center watch road conditions along the Wasatch Front from a room labeled "mission control," where images from about 500 traffic cameras are projected onto flat-panel screens.
An army of more than 550 snowplow operators can be deployed statewide to clear the streets. "It's all related to movement," said UDOT meteorologist Ralph Patterson as he described the snow-removal process. "We're trying to keep the traffic moving."
On the streets, Patterson will also monitor readings from an object called a "surface sensor," or "road puck." It looks like an oversize hockey puck imbedded in the road, and with the information it provides whether a road is wet or dry or the surface temperature he can predict where a storm will hit hardest and deploy crews accordingly.
"It would be terrible if we were out there and no one was ready," Patterson said. "But it would also be terrible if we were overstaffed and put too much chemical down."
Richard Clarke, UDOT maintenance engineer, said the state's snowplow operators rely on weather predictions to prepare for a storm. In the days before bad weather may hit, employees at some of UDOT's 80 maintenance stations will begin mixing a salt brine solution to treat the road. In the hours before the storm, the solution, which helps lower the freezing temperature of the road, will be applied to help prevent the snow from sticking.
"We really start before the storm comes," he said.
Recent comments
Quit slamming C-grade. He identified a real problem that was not...
A+ "expert driver" | Dec. 17, 2007 at 7:51 a.m.
Anyone that complains about the highways in Utah needs to learn to...
A+ | Dec. 16, 2007 at 7:26 p.m.
UDOT does the highways, not the city streets.
C Grade | Dec. 16, 2007 at 5:38 p.m.
- Getting serious about seat belts 1:15 a.m.
- Witness describes '99 killing 1:15 a.m.
- Police increase presence at Skyline 1:14 a.m.
- Cougars cruise past Southern 1:03 a.m.
- Utes fall to Seattle U. at home 1:01 a.m.
- Utah celebrates Real Salt Lake Day 12:59 a.m.
- Y. focused on 10-win season 12:54 a.m.
- Thunder rolls by Jazz 12:49 a.m.
- Sloan remembers Abe Pollin 12:47 a.m.
- 'Cats get past pesky D-II foe 12:33 a.m.
- Utah, BYU are top choices for bowls
- BYU would like friendlier rivalry
- Protests against Phoenix LDS temple
- KSL: Prostitution in Utah County
- Best prep football games of 2009
- Man trapped in own body for 23 yrs
- Kirilenko climbing blocks list
- Witness describes '99 killing
- Boys basketball rankings
- 'Dancing' will fill out finale
- BYU would like friendlier rivalry
229 - Glenn Beck to enter politics?
224 - RSL wins MLS Cup on penalty kicks
202 - Protests against Phoenix LDS temple
189 - Bronco, Kyle rubber match
137 - BYU records with win
133 - Letters: Rushing to judge Palin
122 - Hall, Johnson matchup key
102 - Jazz finally win in San Antonio
99 - 4A: Timpview wins 4th in 4 years
93
needs to get a dunk!
First of all, the Thunder aren't known for being a great outside shooting...
And if BYU didn't lose any games, they could have been in the BCS. And if...
OKC = 16 Jazz = 24. Boozer and Millsap had 10 and Okur had 2. That is...
to To KF 9:35 PM My 42% increase may seem insignificant, but I have a...
Nice........
This is so weird. You see how stacked it is to include Nebraska,simply...
Mike, don't take it so personal. We know you are a Utah homer, but let's get...
I am a Seneca Indian from Western NY and find the meso America theory hard to...
If the chances are slim to none, why is this even news?? Trust the D.N. to...



