Ames, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Transportation has implemented a couple of changes as workers prepare for another winter of battling snow and ice on the state’s roads. A former Rock Rapids resident, who’s now the Iowa DOT’s winter operations administrator, says cameras will be installed in ALL snow plows and still images will be posted online. Here’s Craig Bargfrede.
Last winter, about two-thirds of the DOT’s roughly 900 snow plows had cameras. This year, all of them will be equipped with the technology. All plows will also feature blue and white safety lights, along with the familiar amber color.
The Iowa DOT experimented with the blue and white colors for the past several years and, according to Bargfrede, they’ve helped reduce certain types of crashes by nearly two-thirds.
The Iowa DOT sets aside $40 million each year for winter operations. Bargfrede oversees roughly 1,000 full-time employees.
Those part-timers are paid $17.45 an hour. Iowa’s low unemployment rate is making it difficult to find those extra workers, according to Bargfrede. While DOT workers wait for the first significant winter storm, they’re busy with maintenance on the plow trucks, topping off storage sheds with salt, and going through driver training.
The Iowa DOT’s winter season begins Monday.
As you may recall LAST winter, the first big snow didn’t hit Iowa until around Christmas – then, there were several big snow and ice events throughout March into April. Only time will tell how things will pan out in northwest Iowa this year. For more information about the DOT’s winter operations, visit iowadot.gov/performance/winter-operations.
