John S. Kinney - Articles and news items

DIA – Achieving balance in winter operations

Issue 1 2009, Past issues / 7 February 2009 /

It’s a well-kept secret that most locals want to keep from outsiders: although located close to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and a mile above sea level, the city of Denver doesn’t get as much snow as many non-residents assume. With 300-plus days of sunshine annually, what snow does fall usually doesn’t stay on the ground for long. But when big snowstorms do hit, they hit hard. That was the case of the blizzard season in 2006 that closed Denver International Airport (DEN) for two days just before Christmas.

We are using lessons learned in 2006 to completely revamp the airport’s snow-removal plan for the start of the 2008/09 season. The revisions include an overhauled procedural plan, a fleet of 40 new snow-removal vehicles at a cost of $29 million, and plans to add more equipment in the near future. (more…)