ACCOLADES
FOR ArDOT ROAD CREWS BY DAVID NILLES
I
T IS NOT THAT OFTEN WE HAVE SNOW OR ICE EVENTS IN ARKANSAS. WHEN IT DOES GET ICY, IT IS OFTEN CONFINED TO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
Two snow storms in one week left more than 20 inches on Arkansas highways.
Such was not the case the week of February 14 as the
entire state was blanketed by snow, not once, but twice! To make matters worse, the two back-to-back storm systems that swept across the country brought Arkansas and other states subfreezing, single-digit temperatures. According to the Weather Channel, snow covered the ground in 73.2 percent of the lower 48 states by February 16. Over 20 inches of snow blanketed Arkansas in that one-week period making February one of the snowiest months on record.
HITTING THE HIGHWAYS Winter storms such as this are what you might call “Super Bowl” days for ArDOT and its District road crews. It is a time to suit up in warm clothes, load up the equipment and hit the front lines on Arkansas’ 16,418-mile highway system. The ultimate goal is to clear the highways of snow and ice and make them safe for motorists. District One Engineer Cannon Callicott described what crews (continued on page 6) ARKANSAS HIGHWAYS MAGAZINE | SPRING 2021
|| 5
