Iowa DOT may scale back nighttime snow plowing on less-busy routes

The Iowa Department of Transportation is considering more limited use of nighttime snow plowing this winter on less-traveled routes.

Even though some states have discussed ending nighttime plowing due to budgetary limitations, Iowa won't join them, State Maintenance Engineer Bob Younie said. Rather, Iowa plans to take a more consistent approach across the state to limiting its plowing during low-traffic nighttime hours.

The simple fact, Younie said, is that nighttime traffic is a small fraction of daytime traffic.

"It doesn't make sense to have full coverage at night when you need these resources during the day," Younie said on Thursday, August 25.

Younie said some highways in the state - he offered the example of I-380 and U.S. 30 in Linn County - probably need full snow plow coverage at night because of the high traffic volumes they carry. He said other highways may justify only selective plowing at night.

The current discussion, Younie said, is about more consistent approaches to nighttime plowing on the less-busy highways. Younie said the DOT has been "overachieving at times."

"We need the same application of our policy everywhere," Younie said, clarifying that the state has no written policy on the subject.

The DOT's current discussions over plowing policies are nothing new. Younie said plowing needs have been debated since he joined the DOT maintenance organization in 1978. But the DOT's maintenance staff has been scaled back over the years.

New Hampshire this month became the most recent state to say it's got nighttime plowing under review for the upcoming winter due to budgetary restrictions. One of Iowa's neighboring states, South Dakota, is also looking to save nighttime snow plowing costs.

The DOT's efforts to improve snow plowing efficiency included trial use of three tow plows that can be pulled behind plow trucks to widen the plowed surface last winter. Younie said the DOT likes the results it's been getting from the plows so far, but doesn't have any plans to add additional tow plows. He said the trial use of tow plows will continue this winter.