WILLIAMS — While people like to picture a winter wonderland as depicted in the photo above after a winter storm, they forget about the icy roads and walkways.
We would like to remind everyone to take care while driving and walking in our picturesque, snowy setting. The National Weather Service has issued warnings about freezing temperatures overnight. Ice could be a problem tomorrow, as well.
Bill Williams socked in by fog this morning.
GRAND CANYON – On Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, the Grand Canyon will be open on a free-entry basis.
Grand Canyon’s South Rim sits at approximately 7,000 feet. As a result, visitors should be prepared for winter weather and driving conditions, and should be aware that road closures and temporary suspension of shuttle service may occur with little or no notice if winter weather passes through the area.
Dogs must be on a leash at all times.
WILLIAMS — According to the weather report from Channel 3 news in Phoenix, Williams received three-inches of snow with Flagstaff receiving 4.5-inches.
While Williams received only a dusting overnight, snow began to fall at about 8:45 a.m. and has been falling steadily as of this writing.
Webcams around our area do show the impact of the storm that moved in Monday. The first image shows a view of the central campus. The camera view from the Weather Service in Bellmont shows a view of the San Francisco Peaks and the ADOT cam shows a view of I-40 around milepost 190. No significant snow fall appears at the Grand Canyon. These images are all from about 9 a.m. this morning.
Travel from Williams to Flagstaff may be hampered by snow and ice. A winter storm warning has been issued until midnight tonight. This means, of course, ice and we advise taking your time on I-40 and around Flagstaff.
WILLIAMS — Rain has been pretty constant since about 10:20 this morning and is expected to continue throughout the afternoon. The city also received a dose of hail and some thunder and lightning.
The rain is expected to give way to snow this afternoon and throughout Wednesday.
A high wind advisory has been issued through 6 p.m. tonight.
WILLIAMS — As you wandered around Williams the past couple of days you might have noticed the “sprucing up” of City Hall and the Williams Visitor Center. Steve Dudley of Williams sent us this report.
Today, about 150 volunteers of Tourism Cares blew into Williams and spent the day painting the town. From City Hall and the Visitor Center to National Forest signs, the all volunteer group fanned out across the city and gave everything a fresh coat of paint. Tourism Cares’ mission is to preserve the travel experience for future generations. They protect the heart of travel by uniting the travel and tourism industry to tackle shared priorities with our collective might! Tourism Cares is the charitable arm of the travel and tourism industry. After a full day of hard work and a job well done the group had dinner at Wild West Junction.
Our thanks to the group for making us look even better.
Beginning on January 1 and running through December 31 of 2016, the Amateur Radio Relay League will sponsor the special event National Parks On the Air (Facebook). This event does not begin until January 1, so amateur radio operators have time to register.
Since the 100th anniversay of the ARRL ended in 2014, amateur radio operators have pushed for another year-long event . The ARRL responded to the requests with this year-long event coordinated with the National Parks Service to celebrate their 100th anniversary. There are several awards and certificates available for this event, but HAM operators must register through the ARRL special web site.
Ham operators conduct several events throughout the year to earn certificates and awards. One is called contesting where an operator attempts to contact as many other Ham radio operators around the world as they can in a specified time. Ham operators set up in remote locations and send special cards, called QSL cards, to Ham operators who contact them.
A recent example is the 2015 Route 66 On The Air event. They even made a stop and broadcast in Williams and Flagstaff.
Ham radio operators will “activate” radio units in various parks, such as the Grand Canyon. “Chasers” will try to contact these Activators all year long to collect certificates. Regular paper logs will not be accepted for the event. Amateur radio operators will have to register in the ARRL Log of the World
The history of amateur radio extends to the days when radio transmissions began. Most contacts were made through morse code (called CW or continous wave in Ham radio) transmissions. Today there are a plethora of different radios and contact methods. You are encouraged to learn and use CW, but it is no longer required to obtain a license from the Federal Communications Commission.
Those “activators” will also demonstrate the capablity of Ham radio for uninitiated visitors to the park. They will answer questions and advise people on how they can become licensed Ham radio operators.
If you are interested in learning more about the Amateur Radio Service, how to obtain a license and participate in this event, you can check out the ARRL web site.
WILLIAMS — Even before the ghosts and goblins began appearing on the streets for trick-or-treat, the Grand Canyon Railway made a scary transformation.
They decorated for Christmas.
Williams has put on its Polar Express face with the standard sleigh in the park and lights along the railway. They were even playing Christmas tunes.
The Polar Express begins running this Friday, November 6 on the weekends with some special runs over the Thanksgiving period. They will have several runs through December ending with a run on January 2nd and 3rd. This is the big event for the winter, in Williams, and tickets usually go fast. Make sure that you get your reservations made now.
The Grand Canyon Railway also asks families to submit photos for their annual photo contest. See their web site for details or ask before you board the train.
Weather will shut down Zipline until Thursday.
As we published this article, the rain began at 10:24 a.m.
Rain is likely today turning into snow showers overnight. Snow levels are expected to drop to 5500′ overnight and up to 2-inch could fall on Williams. Up to an inch more could fall on Wednesday. The overall expected snow fall is 1 to 3-inches above 6000-feet and 3 to 6-inches above 6800-feet.
The Weather Service has issued a wind advisory through tonight which could affect high-profile vehicles driving east-west routes. The Weather Service recommends securing loose objects on your property.
PHOENIX — With technology and innovation transforming how the Arizona Department of Transportation operates, the agency has launched an employee showcase highlighting projects and processes that improve safety and customer service ‒ and save time and money.
“There are simple things we are already doing that can be repurposed in a completely innovative way,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said.
Presentations featured at ADOT’s first iShare Innovation Showcase, held recently in Phoenix, included:
‒ Maintenance crews in northwestern Arizona are recycling pavement to make cost-efficient, long-lasting repairs to road surfaces.
‒ In the Phoenix metro area, ADOT employees have developed a retrofit kit to upgrade overhead digital message boards, improving energy efficiency and greatly extending the life of the signs.
The showcase examined other ways the agency is innovating, ranging from an online index of right-of-way documents for external customers to an anti-icing solution that crews handling winter road treatment and snow removal around Globe and the White Mountains developed as a readily available and cost-efficient alternative to a compound purchased from vendors.
“This showcase has shown the ingenuity of ADOT employees,” said Dr. Jean Nehme, director of performance management and research for ADOT.
Representatives from ADOT’s Northwest District shared how personnel based in Seligman championed the use of a pavement recycler. Experimenting with different types of oil to bind recycled pavement particles, they developed a way to repair large areas of pavement. The result: faster repairs and long-lasting patches that have greatly reduced the number of pavement repairs performed there.
In the Central District, serving the Phoenix metro area, ADOT personnel developed a kit to retrofit overhead message boards, many of them two decades old and having different specifications. In the past year, the kit has allowed maintenance crews to replace key parts of more than 20 message boards with components that are energy-efficient and easier to maintain. That’s extended the useful life of each sign by 15 to 20 years.
Halikowski said innovation is how business is done at ADOT.
“By looking at every process, every challenge, every opportunity, we find new ways to get our work done – saving time and conserving the taxpayers’ dollars,” he said.
Motorists traveling along US 60 between Phoenix and Globe next week need to plan ahead or allow extra time as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues blasting work as part of an improvement project to build a new passing lane and widen roadway shoulders east of Superior, approximately 65 miles east of downtown Phoenix.
The construction of the two-mile-long climbing lane from Devil’s Canyon to Oak Flat (mileposts 231-233) will require three separate full closures of US 60 for up to 90 minutes:
Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, Nov. 5, at 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Traffic on eastbound US 60 will be stopped east of Superior (milepost 227) and westbound US 60 will be stopped at the Top of the World, west of Miami (milepost 235) until the blasting work is completed and the roadway is reopened after all debris is cleared. Law enforcement officers will be stationed at each closure to assist with traffic control.
Approximately 30 minutes prior to each blast, motorists should be prepared for possible delays and lane closures as crews set concrete barrier prior to each scheduled closure.
Motorists seeking an alternate route can consider state routes 77 and 177, which is approximately 68 miles long. Motorists headed to the White Mountains region, including Show Low and Springerville, can also take State Route 87 through Payson and travel east on State Route 260 as an alternative.
ADOT will work to minimize the traffic impacts as much as possible, including scheduling some nighttime work.
There will be narrow traffic lanes, wide-load restrictions and a reduced speed limit through the work zone. Flaggers and pilot cars will be used at different times throughout the project.
Drivers are asked to use caution, watch for construction equipment and personnel, and allow extra time for your commute.