State, local crews have enough plow drivers as first blizzard of season sweeps North Dakota and Minnesota
Nov. 10—GRAND FORKS — As the
first blizzard of the season hits
North Dakota and Minnesota, crews on both sides of the Red River are prepared and adequately staffed for cleanup, say staff members in Minnesota and North Dakota's transportation departments.
Near Grand Forks, the North Dakota Department of Transportation is short one snowplow operator in the Grand Forks District, said State Maintenance Director Brad Darr. In northwest Minnesota, all state routes are fully staffed with snowplow drivers, said Leslie Seitz, MnDOT public affairs coordinator.
Statewide, the number of snowplow operators is down 6% in North Dakota, said Darr, but that includes the Williston area, which is short staffed by 25%. The eastern side of the state has more drivers.
"Our Fargo district isn't down any operators and Grand Forks is down one," he said.
NDDOT warned motorists about the operator shortage in northwest North Dakota with an announcement on Nov. 8, which said the department would reallocate resources from other areas of the state during winter events to help cover the area. In that part of the state, commercial driver's license jobs are competitive, Darr said.
"It's a little more challenging in the western part of the state with oil impact and overall CDL driver shortage," he said.
North Dakota has around 350 snowplow operators statewide. In most of North Dakota, the slight shortage of drivers will have an impact on road conditions, but not a significant one, said Darr.
"They have to work a little longer, prioritize the high volume roads first, that kind of thing," he said. "Most of the time the public doesn't even notice."
Anne Meyer, Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesperson, said MnDOT has experienced the same staffing challenges as other industries, but going into winter, the department has enough drivers to keep roads clear. Statewide, Minnesota has around 800 snowplows and more than 1,600 snowplow operators.
"In many places, that means we can stay on the road 24 hours a day if need be — to have 12-hour shifts and two people covering that territory," she said.
Most snowplow operators in the state are year round employees that transition to clearing roads when winter weather hits, Meyer said.
Seitz said MnDOT in northwestern Minnesota have been preparing for winter weather since September. Before the storm hit, plows were out pretreating roads.
"They've gone through the training and got all of our materials ready," said Seitz. "In our area, this is not news to us. This is what we do, and it's just the first big snowfall that everybody gets excited about."
Locally, Grand Forks streets crews were still picking up leaves on Wednesday, Nov. 9, but were ready to transition to operating winter equipment.
"We'll be fully staffed next week, short a couple of CDL drivers, but for the most part, we're going to be fully staffed," said Sharon Lipsh, Grand Forks Public Works director.
Todd Feland, Grand Forks city administrator, said the city rents motor graders and payloaders for snow removal, which have arrived and are ready for use.
East Grand Forks is fully staffed with year-round public works staff, who are in charge of plowing streets in the city, said David Murphy, East Grand Forks city administrator.
"Whenever we've had openings, we have not had any issues with filling them, so we're actually sitting pretty good," Murphy said.
The city is still hiring seasonal workers, who are responsible for clearing parks and city sidewalks.
During winter storms, Seitz reminds motorists everywhere to stay off the roads for unnecessary travel.
"If we have ice, blowing snow and poor road conditions and you don't have to go anywhere, then don't," Seitz said. "Our drivers can get those roads back to safe driving conditions faster the less traffic that's out there."
She said when motorists do have to travel, they should plan ahead and check road conditions before leaving.
In Minnesota, drivers can check
or use the Minnesota 511 app to check pavement conditions and view snowplow cameras before leaving. In North Dakota,
has road conditions.
