Off-road tundra travel closed on May 11

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources said May 11 that the North Slope has closed for off-road travel, and vehicles need to be off the tundra by May 14.

The closure reflected an assessment completed May 11, with results the same for the three areas opened this season - western coastal, eastern coastal and lower foothills.

DNR said snow pack “has list its integrity, and liquid water is found in tundra-snow interface,” with patches of exposed tundra.

The western coastal area opened Dec. 17; the eastern coastal area opened Dec. 23; the lower foothills opened Feb. 20.

The upper foothills never opened, and DNR said there is deep snow and thick snow slabs throughout the area, insulating the tundra and causing soil temperatures to remain above the 5 degrees C criterion for opening. DNR said that “given the optimal snow conditions, typical winter off-road travel may be approved on a case-by-case basis” in the upper foothills.

The department said the snow pack had degraded rapidly over the May 9-10 weekend, and encouraged all projects to move equipment off the tundra prior to the May 14 deadline.

DNR said its staff would be on the North Slope the week of May 11 to continue monitoring snow conditions, ice road and off-road travel projects and other activities.

- Petroleum News