State closes off-road winter tundra travel

Petroleum News

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mining, Land and Water, said May 8 that it is closing the eastern and western North Slope coastal tundra open areas to all off-road and ice road activities.

The closure was effective May 8, with a requirement that all off-road travel in progress be completed within 72 hours, by May 11.

The upper and lower Foothills areas have remained closed this season.

The division said that while snow quality can be good in localized areas, the weather forecast indicates the weather will continue to warm. The division said COVID-19 prevented division staff from being on the Slope to monitor snow conditions and thanked those working on the Slope for field reports and snow condition updates received over the last two months.

The division said DNR may consider granting travel extensions on a case-by-case basis where snow is adequate, but prior approval is required.

The eastern and western coastal areas opened for the 2019-20 winter season Jan. 8. The requirements for opening are 6 inches of snow and a soil temperature colder than minus 5 degrees Celsius at a depth of 30 centimeters.

Summer off-road travel may begin July 15, the division said, with summer off-road travel approval applying only to holders of valid permits with specific project approval “and is further limited to those vehicles approved by the Division of Mining, Land and Water for summer off-road travel,” the division said.

Questions may be addressed to the division’s Norther Oil & Gas team in Fairbanks at 907-451-2740.

- Petroleum News