The Alaska Department of Transportation is warning that winter weather response times may be slower this season because of operating budget cuts.
Shannon McCarthy with the DOT says their operators who clear snow and provide maintenance will be focused on the busiest roads on the Kenai Peninsula like the Seward and Sterling Highways this winter.
McCarthy: “We’re limited with our overtime, we have a little bit less equipment, and we have a little bit less materials. So what we’re going to be doing is focusing on those top priority roads, people will not be working overtime so you’ll see end up seeing a little bit longer response when you’re talking about a priority three or priority four road.”
The DOT’s road systems are ranked according to traffic volume, speed and connections to communities and categorized by priorities.
McCarthy: “The Seward [Highway] is a priority one, priority two would be the Sterling and then priority threes would be many of the local roads. Priority one and two are roads that have a lot more traffic and they connect important destinations like airports, hospitals and that kind of thing.”
Cuts to the Alaska DOT will be most noticed during winter storms and McCarthy requested the public to practice patience and cautious driving while the department attempts to maximize its budget.
You can visit the DOT website for a map of DOT maintained roads and their designation.
The five priority levels are defined as:
- Priority Level 1: high-volume, high-speed highways, expressways, minor highways, all safety corridors and other major urban and community routes.
- Priority Level 2: routes of lesser priority based on traffic volume, speeds and uses. Typically, these are major highways and arterials connecting communities.
- Priority Level 3: major local roads or collector roads located in larger urban communities.
- Priority Level 4: minor local roads that provide residential or recreational access.
- Priority Level 5: roadways that are designated as “No Winter Maintenance” routes, e.g. Denali Highway or Taylor Highway.
