Snowplowing the Blackfoot

Winter plowing the Blackfoot is in full swing for the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) snowplow drivers. The Missoula section includes 17 total sections including Montana Highway 200 to Greenough (Blackfoot) and Seeley Lake.

The Missoula section has seven snowplow trucks with one or two trucks covering the Blackfoot. That stretch of road is from Bonner to Greenough Hill. The Seeley section has five snowplow trucks.

Snowplow drivers need to have their commercial drivers license, complete 40 hours of in-house training and then on-the-job training. The drivers are responsible for maintaining their trucks in the MDT shop. Changing oil, rotating tires and keeping trucks clean are some examples.

MDT's Missoula Division Maintenance Superintendent JC Holland said, "If a trucks breaks down, the roads will suffer." Holland has worked at MDT for 25 years and supervises the Missoula section.

The snowplow drivers work together. The drivers will shift resources from section to section if they can, however, the snowplow trucks do not have unlimited resources," said MDT Maintenance Chief Steve Felix.

When plowing snow and slush, the drivers aim to clear the entire roadway in their section. When plows are in the middle of the roads they are clearing off the centers. When they get the centers cleared off they can move to the shoulders to plow the rest of the snow off the road. Wing plows help with this because snow moved from the big plow is moved farther away with the wing plows. Wing plows, or deck wings, have been used for the last 15 years.

In the Blackfoot section, plowing, sand and salt brine are used to maintain the roadways depending on conditions. The salt brine is stored in a 10,000-gallon tank located at a stockpile near Bonner.

"Magnesium chloride is used in the Seeley, Drummond, Lolo Pass, Clinton and Philipsburg sections because of the availability," said Holland. Felix added that magnesium chloride is more effective in those areas because of the colder temperatures.

The salt brine and magnesium chloride are liquid deicers. The salt brine is made in Missoula while the magnesium chloride is delivered to the sections.

When deicing, the salt brine or magnesium chloride is delivered through nozzles off the rear of the truck at a rate of gallons per lane mile.

The sand is dispersed at a rate of pounds per mile and calibrated depending on salt percentage because salt is mixed into the sand at the stockpiles. The drivers monitor the weather, road temperature and air temperature in the truck. When loaded with material the trucks weigh 60,000 pounds.

A second stockpile is at the top of Greenough Hill where Blackfoot drivers can reload sand. This is also where the Missoula section ends and the Seeley section begins. At the stockpiles, the sand is dumped through a metal grate called a grizzly. This sifter prevents larger rocks or frozen clumps from going through the sand dispersal system on the truck.

Once in the truck's dispersal system, the sand slides through a space and then drops into a spinner and onto the road.

When plowing, sanding or deicing, the trucks need to travel about 30 miles per hour. For example, if speeds are high when sanding, the sand can scatter all over the road instead of in the intended lane. Felix hopes drivers remember to be patient when behind a snowplow. "Give our drivers plenty of time and space to work," he said.

Pete Servel, MDT's Missoula Section Supervisor said the snowplow drivers have a sense of pride ensuring road safety and they take it seriously. Servel has been plowing snow for MDT ten years this May and enjoys keeping the roads safe for travel.

"I like to see my work. I get a sense of accomplishment from it," Servel said. "While operating a snowplow, where else in the world can you work in such a beautiful place? A plow driver needs to have a sense of adventure because the job can be exciting."

Snowplows are not considered emergency vehicles because they are doing non-emergency work using amber lights for visibility. They are considered utility vehicles when operating in hazardous conditions.

Challenges that snowplow drivers on the Blackfoot face are traffic, breakdowns, animal crossings, poor visibility, accidents, changing road conditions and weather.

"We do everything to keep the roads open and will work through storms and the night in order to do that," Felix said. He recommends watching for constantly changing road conditions.

"When conditions are the worst we shine the most," said Servel. "It is a good gig."

Blackfoot snowplows run Monday through Friday 4 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. in the Missoula, Seeley Lake and Blackfoot areas and as needed during winter weather. The weekends are staffed according to conditions. The drivers have eyes on the roadways as well as keeping up-to-date information from the weather service.

For updated road conditions check the MDT website, http://www.mdt.mt.gov, download their Travel Info mobile app or dial 511.