Coastal areas of NS open for tundra travel

Alan Bailey

Petroleum News

Both the eastern and western coastal areas of state land on the North Slope are open for winter off road tundra travel, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources has announced. The eastern area opened on Dec. 17 and the western area on Dec. 19. Other areas of state land north of the Brooks Range remain closed. Anyone wishing to travel off road in the eastern and western coastal areas does, however, require an off-road travel permit from DNR.

Soil temperatures and snow cover in the two areas have now met the opening criteria of at least a 6-inch depth of snow and soil temperatures of minus 5 C or below at a 30-centimeter depth, DNR said. However, DNR also cautioned that there may be some areas where the snow cover is still thin. People should either avoid these areas or use special construction methods to protect the tundra.

And the Division of Mining, Land and Water requires appropriate frost and snow cover along a route to be driven over and approval of individual travel routes.

- ALAN BAILEY