Western coastal area open for tundra travel

Petroleum News

The western coastal area of the North Slope opened for winter season tundra travel Dec. 17.

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Mining, Land and Water, said Dec. 17 that it had documented that soil temperatures and snow cover within the western coastal area have met criteria for opening - 6 inches of snow and colder than minus 5 degrees C at 30 centimeters depth.

In a Dec. 21 status report the division said the western coastal area continued to be the only area to have met the division’s requirements.

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

While overall snow cover is good, it may be thin in some areas, the division said Dev. 17, and those areas should be avoided or special construction methods used to protect the tundra surface. The division’s off-road winter vehicle requirements include adequate frost and snow cover and approval of individual routes of travel.

“Site inspections will be conducted periodically by state personnel to ensure compliance,” the division said.

DNR staff will be on the Slope the week of Jan. 4 to continue monitoring snow conditions and soil temperatures, with the next off-road travel status report expected out around Jan. 11.

For question contact the division’s Northern Region Land Section in Fairbanks at 907-451-2740.

- Petroleum News