Closure of Trunk Highways for Severe Storms or Natural Disasters Guidance

For Closure of Trunk Highways for Severe Storms or Natural Disasters Policy (#OE015)

Effective Date: February 22, 2023

Introduction

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) makes every effort, within the limits of available resources, to keep trunk highways open to traffic at all times. However, MnDOT restricts the use of or closes trunk highways for severe storms or natural disasters when vehicular travel is unsafe, or the road is impassable. Typically, winter closures occur during periods of zero visibility, wind velocity greater than 35 miles per hour, and wind chills of minus 30 to minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 to -70). Closures during other seasons occur during flooding, washouts, road damage, or storm debris. Other conditions to consider for trunk highway closures are described below.

Communication is a key factor when closing a trunk highway. Information must flow between the departments involved with highway operations including MnDOT Area Maintenance Offices, MnDOT District Offices, MnDOT Central Office, MnDOT Office of Communications and Public Engagement, the State Patrol, neighboring state DOTs, Tribal Nations, local governments, and the news media.

Note: Districts are empowered to coordinate closures and communicate with other districts and across state boundaries; closures do not need to be filtered through Central Office. Districts may create district-specific guidance or procedures that are not in conflict with this guidance.

Trunk Highway Closure

There are three ways that MnDOT closes a trunk highway:

Gates
Flashing lights and signs
Electronically over 511

Maintenance managers should seek to strike a balance between closing a trunk highway too soon or too late during severe storm or natural disaster situations. The goal is to ensure safe travel; however, early and unnecessary closings should be weighed against late closures. Ideal closures are anticipated by continuous monitoring of approaching storm conditions, announced early enough to allow travelers to seek shelter, and allow enough time for a final sweep of the closed segment when it is still possible to prevent stranded motorists.

The severity of the storm or natural disaster, projected duration, geographic coverage, visual observation of conditions, and judgment of the key responsible parties determine the level and type of response to the severe storm or natural disaster. Every severe storm or natural disaster is different, and many factors need to be taken into consideration when determining whether to close a trunk highway.

Conditions to consider

Duration of storm
Intensity of storm
Anatomy of storm – type of precipitation, how heavy, etc.
Impact of closure to alternative routes (i.e., local roads)
Daytime vs. nighttime
Visibility
Snow depth
High wind forecasts
Rapidly falling temperatures
Blowing snow
Snow drifts
Ice-covered roads
Road damage/washout
Debris blocking road
Roads flooded/overtopped
Flooding potential

Roles and Responsibilities

Note: Districts have discretion in determining the specific roles, responsibilities, and job descriptions of their staff positions and may reassign the following duties as they see fit.

Maintenance Personnel (e.g., Snowplow Operators)

Monitor and report road and weather conditions in sufficient detail to the Subarea Supervisor to assist in determining whether to close a trunk highway.
Assist with closures, as assigned.
Conduct safety sweeps with State Patrol, as assigned.
When using gates to close the trunk highway, report the gate number and the time of gate closure to the Subarea Supervisor or State Patrol Dispatch, as directed.

Subarea Supervisor

Monitor road and weather conditions.
Consult with snowplow operators during winter storms.
Inform District Maintenance Management (e.g., District Maintenance Superintendent, Area Maintenance Engineer, Assistant Maintenance Superintendent, and Assistant Area Maintenance Engineer) as conditions change.

Area Maintenance Engineer (AME)

Collaborate with the District Maintenance Superintendent to determine when a trunk highway should be closed or re-opened.
Notify the District Engineer of the trunk highway closure and re-opening.
Confer with the appropriate State Patrol Captain(s) to keep apprised of the situation.

District Maintenance Superintendent

Monitor weather forecasts and analyze road and weather condition reports from field staff, supervisors, and adjacent area superintendents.
Collaborate with the Area Maintenance Engineer to determine when a trunk highway should be closed or re-opened. If the AME is unavailable, the District Maintenance Superintendent should collaborate with the District Engineer. If both the AME and DE are unavailable, the District Maintenance Superintendent may make the determination and inform the AME and DE.
Manage the closure and re-opening, including:

Determining which gates are to be closed and in what order when using gates for closures.
Directing and communicating the closure plan to the Subarea Supervisors.
Communicating with the District Communications and Public Engagement Staff regarding weather and road conditions.
Discussing the anticipated closure with the District State Patrol Captain, adjacent MnDOT Area Maintenance Engineers and Superintendents and representatives from other states.
Notifying State Patrol Dispatch.
Collaborating and coordinating with Tribal Governments about closures within or near Indian Country, in accordance with Minnesota Statutes §10.65.
Notifying the District Communications and Public Engagement Staff of closure.
Ensure the Rest Area Custodial Services Contractor (Green View, Inc.) Executive Director or designated backup is notified. The Contractor notifies the district rest area employees on duty.
Keeping the AME informed of events.
Arranging for IRIS Message Board System to be activated at appropriate times.

Confer with the District State Patrol Captain and determine the availability of staff and necessity of staffing the gates.
Update 511 to reflect the trunk highway closure.

Maintenance Support Position

Maintain Trunk Highway Closure Log to include frequency of closure and duration.

District Communications and Public Engagement Staff

Provide information about changes in road and travel conditions to the public, appropriate media, and Central Office communications for statewide messages.

District State Patrol Captain

MnDOT recognizes that it cannot assign responsibilities to the State Patrol, however, the State Patrol partners with MnDOT by performing the following roles:

Discuss with the MnDOT Area Maintenance Engineer and/or District Maintenance Superintendent the conditions that may require closing the trunk highway.
Assist MnDOT by providing a communication link between MnDOT and the county sheriffs in their districts. Inform county sheriffs of trunk highway closures.

Statewide Traffic Operator at RTMC

Assist districts with updates to 511 and operation of IRIS Message Board System, when available. STO is typically available Monday-Friday from 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM.

Information sources

Information from the following sources may be used to aid in determining when to close or re-open a trunk highway:

Area Maintenance Engineer or District Maintenance Superintendent
Maintenance workers and supervisors
Adjacent MnDOT Districts
National Weather Service
DTN (MnDOT meteorologist)
Road Weather Information System
Law enforcement officers
Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS)
Other state Departments of Transportation

Information dissemination

Each district has social media channels and an electronic distribution list to provide information to local media, such as local radio and television stations, newspapers, State Patrol, local law enforcement agencies, other state Departments of Transportation, Tribal Governments, and adjacent maintenance areas to expedite information dissemination. The District Communications and Public Engagement Staff may also contact local media directly with updates of trunk highway closure for immediate response. MnDOT also uses the following electronic messaging systems to disseminate information to the public:

511 system
IRIS Message Board System
Social Media Platforms and/or Push-SMS (texting)

Re-opening the Trunk Highway

For Interstate routes and other major through routes, the re-opening of a trunk highway without warning may have as much impact on the adjacent State or District as the closure itself. It may permit a large number of vehicles to enter an area not yet prepared to accept them. Communications and actions by MnDOT District Offices and the State Patrol when considering a decision to re-open an Interstate or other major highway should be handled in a manner similar to that used when considering a decision to close a trunk highway.

To re-open the trunk highway, certain conditions must be met:

The trunk highway is cleared, so that at least one lane is open and passable to traffic in each direction.
All stalled vehicles are removed from the roadway (i.e., through lanes). Vehicles that are not blocking through traffic, but are stalled in ditches or along shoulders, shall not be the cause of delaying re-opening the trunk highway to through traffic.
Visibility is adequate.

Roles and Responsibilities

Maintenance Personnel (e.g., Snowplow operators)

Monitor and report road and weather conditions to Subarea Supervisor.
Provide information to Subarea Supervisor regarding the road and weather condition of closed segments to determine the possibility of re-opening the trunk highway.
Open and secure gates and deactivate or remove advanced signing, as assigned.
Report the time of gate and Non-Interstate Road Closure (NIRCO) openings to Subarea Supervisor.

Subarea Supervisor

Monitor the regional road and weather conditions and plan for re-opening the trunk highway.
Advise the District Maintenance Superintendent of road and weather conditions and the possibility of re-opening affected closed trunk highway segments.
Follow specific incident directions from the District Maintenance Superintendent and direct the gate and NIRCO opening operations in the Subarea.
Ensure and guide the proper reporting of gate and NIRCO openings and times to the District Maintenance Superintendent.

District Maintenance Superintendent

Based on monitoring and advice from the field:

Consult with the State Patrol Captain to ensure the State Patrol agrees that the trunk highway should be re-opened.
Decide on time for opening the trunk highway.
Direct the opening plan.
Ensure appropriate communication to the public and media through the District Communications and Public Engagement Staff.
Communicate with Superintendents in adjacent districts and advise appropriate maintenance staff in neighboring states.
Collaborate and coordinate with Tribal Governments about re-openings within or near Indian Country, in accordance with Minnesota Statutes §10.65.
Ensure the Rest Area Custodial Services Contractor (Green View, Inc.) Executive Director or designated backup is notified of the re-opening.
Arrange for changeable message boards to be deactivated at the appropriate times.

Confer with the State Patrol Captain and determine the availability of staff and necessity of staffing the gates.
Update 511 to reflect trunk highway re-opening.

Area Maintenance Engineer

Assist the District Maintenance Superintendent, as needed.

District Communications and Public Engagement Staff

Provide timely and pertinent weather and travel condition information to the public and appropriate media via social media or appropriate electronic communication.

State Patrol Troopers

Provide field information to the State Patrol Captain on the condition of the roadway segments that the Trooper observes. This helps in determining the possibility of re-opening the trunk highway.
Staff the gates prior to re-opening as directed by State Patrol Captain.

State Patrol Captain

Assemble information from the Troopers and discuss with the District Maintenance Superintendent and/or Area Maintenance Engineer.
Continue to communicate with the Troopers, County Sheriffs, and/or other states as necessary regarding manning gates prior to re-opening the trunk highway.
Communicate with law enforcement of neighboring states, county sheriffs, and Tribal Governments before and after closure of the trunk highway.

Annual Pre-Snow Season Preparation

Roles and Responsibilities

The following duties should be completed by November 1 each year.

Snowplow Operators

Check gate system equipment for readiness:

Keys located
Batteries charged
Gate mechanisms work
Lights/flashers work
All associated signs – ensure cables are operational on flip-up signs; perform general maintenance
Gate locks function

Subarea Supervisors

Ensure that field gate system is in place and operational, including signs, gates, and changeable message signs.

District Maintenance Superintendent

If necessary, provide financial resources to ensure gate readiness.
Receive assurance that the field gate system is operational and notify the Area Maintenance Engineer of status of operations.

District Communications and Public Engagement Staff

Ensure all communications systems are in place and functional, including:

Electronic media distribution lists for news releases
Any district-specific email lists for communication with local law enforcement, State Patrol, Tribal Governments, and neighboring states are correct
District social media channels

Area Maintenance Engineer

Assist the District Maintenance Superintendent in obtaining necessary funding resources to ensure gate readiness as required.
Receive assurance that all systems are ready and operational for the winter season.
Review previous post-storm evaluations and update district systems and operational procedures, as necessary.

Post Severe Storm or Natural Disaster Evaluation

Roles and responsibilities

Maintenance Personnel (e.g., Snowplow operators)

Check equipment for readiness for the next severe storm or natural disaster.
Participate in post-storm/disaster debriefing with Subarea Supervisor.

Subarea supervisors

Guide equipment readiness checks of the snowplow operators.
Conduct and participate in post-storm/disaster debriefing sessions.

District Maintenance Superintendent

Analyze post-storm/disaster debriefing information.
Conduct post-storm/disaster debriefing with State Patrol.
Ensure appropriate adjustments to work processes are made.

Area Maintenance Engineer

Assist the District Maintenance Superintendent, as needed.
Where necessary, lead any effort to revise systems and procedures indicated by the post-storm evaluations.
Coordinate changes to systems and procedures with all stakeholders.

Resources

Trunk Highway Closure Contacts

Please note that these numbers are subject to change.

State Patrol:

SRCC (Rochester): 507-285-7410
East Metro: 651-582-1500
West Metro: 651-582-1502
Northeast: 651-582-1455

Greenview:

Mike McShane, Executive Director: 651-639-1913 (office); 952-999-0487; mmcshane@greenviewmn.com

Statewide Traffic Operator: 651-234-7089