Dust blowing through Nome’s streets was an issue of concern for many living within City limits this season. City Manager Tom Moran says he received many complaints about this issue, which has led to a new dust mitigation plan that will be implemented as soon as next fall.
According to Moran, the new plan has been vetted and approved by the City Engineer, but it will require more people than most assume.
“The problem is, I think, that if you are going to water in the winter, obviously you’re going to need a calcium-chloride mixture or something like that, which isn’t a big deal, but you’re also going to need a dirt truck following the water truck so it doesn’t turn into glare ice,” said Moran, “So that takes two people to do the job that a lot of people think is just a one-person job.”
Moran says due to limitations, like a small staff, the City cannot do everything the Alaska Department of Transportation can:
“We don’t have the personnel and we don’t have the equipment to do the state protocol, but there are things from the state protocol that we can implement. One is not bringing the roads down to the bare surface course, but leaving a snow pack on top of them. Two is until -10 degrees running a water truck with calcium-chloride with a dirt truck behind it,” explained the City Manager.
As long as it’s not raining, Moran says this dust mitigation plan will be in effect during the fall season next year until temperatures drop to 10 degrees below zero.
