The Arkansas Department of Transportation’s Winter Weather Strike Team will hit the roads Tuesday for a full-scale training exercise designed to sharpen the state’s readiness for snow and ice.
The drill, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. across central Arkansas, will include training drivers, inspecting and road-testing snowplows, and coordinating with ARDOT’s Emergency Operations Center, which will be activated for the exercise.
“It is our job to keep our roadways safe, and we take that responsibility seriously,” said Michael Kelly, ARDOT Staff Maintenance Engineer and Emergency Management Liaison Officer. “This exercise better prepares us for winter weather events by helping us to see our strengths and areas that need improvement.”
The Winter Weather Strike Team is made up of maintenance crews from across the state who assist during snow and ice operations. In severe weather, they work 24-hour shifts to clear interstates and highways, reporting conditions directly to ARDOT’s Central Office in Little Rock.
ARDOT maintains about 700 snowplows statewide and stores roughly 75,000 cubic yards of salt to keep roads clear during winter months. State Maintenance Engineer Deric Wyatt said technology continues to play a growing role in improving winter weather response and efficiency.
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