Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-11-29
STATE PROMISES
CLEAR HIGHWAYS
DURING WINTER
FEW TIMES WHEN EVEN HIGH
PASSES WILL NOT BE
OPEN To CARS

/
Regardless Of what the weather 1,
| this winter. Montana drivers vii
tackle the mountain passes and. can
yons, confident that the state highway
department will have been there first
to plow the drifts and sand the lev
stretches so the traffic can get
through
Thanks to the big red plows and
sanders and the men who run them
there are few times when even the
high passes over the Rockies are not
open, and only the toughest blizzard
can keep the snow piled over the
black ribbons deep enough to stop cars
Even then it usually is only matter
of hours until the roads are clear
again, and the highway department
comes to the rescue Of autos which
have slipped into the ditch because
their drivers forgot their chains.
Howard Holmes, state highway engi-
neer, summarized the maintenance
policy of the department with the OBJ
servation that the department gets
out at the first flake of snow and
starts clearing the roads instead Of
waiting for the skies to clear"
This policy has resulted in open
highways all through the winter
months along the $3.50 miles of sur
faced road the department keeps In
shape for travel, leaving only 100 miles
where the public cannot be certain of
safe, sure travel, and these 100 miles
are sections where maintenance would
be costly and largely impractical.
One of the important factors in
keeping the roads clear is men-the
other is machines. The men are vet
Grams, all with 8 to Is years of service
who have been picked for experience,
endurance and courage. The
have been selected to meet
Montana conditions, and the two to-
gether form a smoothly filnctioning
team that make winter motoring safer |
in the mountain state than in many |
plains states or other neighbors to |
,he south where winter falls are much |
lighter.
Last year the bill for snow removal 1
was $8479633 and sanding costs for |
The same period totaled $50 ,633.S3, /
bringing the total winter maintenance
cost to S124,43016, an economical fig
ire for moving the mountains of snow
and sanding the miles of glazed road
way that Montana storms throw in
he way of the crews each winter.
Speed is the thing in clearing the
-oads and to facilitate operations, the
department. has erected section houses
N Macdonald pass west OF Helena, on
lookout pass near Saltese on the Mon
,ana-Idaho line where 400 inches Of
snow falls each winter, on Bozeman
lill, on Boulder hill south of Helena,
At Kings hill near White Sulphur
Springs and at the head of Deep creek
IN the Townsend White Sulphur
Springs road.
From these section houses the men
70 into action with the equipment all
through the winter, amply repaying
he cost of maintaining the stations
" saving time, money and lives OF
Hontana motorists. But the section
houses are more than headquarters.
They are Ravens for stalled motorists,
nd many a bogged-down driver has
his family that he was safe
rom one of these rustic houses along
mountain highway The telephone
lso gives the maintenance men the
attest information on storm conditions
nd keeps them prepared to meet
7hatever the weather offers.
The snow patrol is a well organized
nit, ready to go into the field when
leeded, but the motorist still persists
4 going out onto the roads unpre-
AIRED for winter driving. Disregarding ,
highway warnings, he drives onto icy !
Dads without chains or a shovel: ,
,aves his heavy clothing and heavy
noes behind and relies entirely on :
ne department to keep him out Of
-ouble.
The highway department now is .
,oking forward to the day when it !
an fully educate motorists to the
anger Of travelling unprepared in :
rontana in the winter time. Oxfords !
nd a top coat are poor protection /;
gainst a blizzard, even for a few :
undred yards walk. One hundred !;
orsepower under a hood Is useless
ithout chains 10 give the rear wheels
grip on ice. Bare hands are poor
Institute for a shovel
Another feature of the departments
service is the road reports
read carefully, they will keep many
motorist out Of difficulty on roads
lat are known to be closed or icy.
Il the department asks is that motor
is read the reports, prepare for win
T driving and remember that Mon
ma winters are cold and stormy and
lat the best the crews can do is to
,ep the roads open and Sanded.
This winter, the plea is for CO.
,eration with the maintenance crews