Western area opens for tundra travel

Petroleum News

The North Slope western coastal area opened for tundra travel Jan. 16. The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water, said it has documented that soil temperatures and snow cover in that area have met criteria for opening - 6 inches of snow and colder than minus 5 C soil temperature at a depth of 30 centimeters.

The division said the opening applies only to operators with valid off-road vehicle travel permits to operate on state-owned lands on the North Slope.

This is the second area to open - the eastern coastal area opened for tundra travel Jan. 9. Both the lower and upper foothills areas remain closed.

The division said in its western opening notice that while overall snow cover is good it may be thin in some areas and said those areas should be avoided or special construction methods used to protect the tundra surface. The division also said that its stipulations regarding winter off-road vehicle travel require adequate frost and snow cover and approval of individual routes of travel, with periodic site inspections by state personnel to ensure compliance.

Questions should be directed to the division’s Northern Region Land Section in Fairbanks at 907-451-2740.

- Petroleum News