Emily Gerdes
When living at 7,000 feet altitude, a wintertime priority for many Flagstaffians is wondering if the roads are clear.Announced on Monday, Sept. 25, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) unveiled the newest additions to its winter fleet with the addition of two high-capacity snowblowers.
ADOT has unveiled the newest additions to its fleet with the addition of two high-capacity snowblowers.
ADOT, courtesy
Garin Groff, public information officer for ADOT, explained that the two new additions will expand the department’s capacity for snow removal by blowing snow distances of up to 200 feet. Traditional snowplows simply shovel snow from the road off to the sides. According to Groff, the high-capacity machines will allow for roads to become drivable more quickly.“The snowblower will just break through that compacted or frozen snowpack and blow it clear away from the highway so that we can reopen,” Groff said. “This should mean drivers will find that we’ll be able to clear the roads more quickly with the snowblowers.”
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Although they have yet to be tested on Arizona highways, they are expected to blow any buildup clear out of the way for motorists to safely use the roads.“Snowplows tend to push the snow right to the edge of the highway, and there can be a big buildup that can create issues with visibility,” Groff said. “Some of that snow can fall back on the highway or act as a snow break that catches more snow when the wind blows.”Due to Flagstaff’s elevation and the amount of snowfall it receives, Groff said, Interstate 40, U.S. Route 180 and other nearby highways would likely be seeing the two snowblowers.Groff added that as soon as the higher elevations begin to receive enough snow to permit the use of the new snowblowers, they will be deployed. “As soon as there’s enough snow to use these, we’ll have those snowblowers out there,” he said.Currently, snowplow operators work in 12-hour shifts, and, according to Groff, high snowfall requires back-to-back shifts. With higher-capacity machines on the road, the goal is for drivers to work shorter shifts while covering the same amount of miles — or even more. In 2022, ADOT brought three new snowplows onto the fleet and asked the public to submit names in their Name-A-Snowplow contest. The public responded with more than 4,000 suggestions and Groff said ADOT is considering a future contest for naming the newest additions.
ADOT has unveiled the newest additions to its fleet — two high-capacity snowblowers.
ADOT, courtesy
Emily Gerdes can be reached at egerdes@azdailysun.com
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