Keeping the roads clear
Grants snowplow driver goes to work when storms hit roads

Snowplow operator James Martinez is a member of the Grants Patrol Crew 46-41. When storms come through the area, their main priority is keeping I-40 clear. (Photo by Jerry Wilson/Independent)

By Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

Snow and ice coat the signs for Interstate 40 Wednesday morning at Continental Divide, NM. Sleet and snow in the area caused hazardous driving conditions which resulted in several accidents in the area. (Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent)

MILAN — People generally don't think about snowplows until they need one, and then they think about them plenty.

James Martinez, 25, of Grants, drives a snowplow for the Grants Patrol of the New Mexico Department of Transportation District 6. During the daytime, he is a highway maintenance worker, but at night, whenever his telephone rings at home and he gets the word, Martinez climbs behind the wheel of the snowplow.Born and raised in Grants, Martinez was graduated from Grants High School in 1998. He tried the construction trades for a couple of years and then five years ago began work with the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

He's one member of the 11-person crew of the Grants Patrol.

When it snows, or worse yet, turns icy, no matter what time of the night, Martinez and the others are called out. They may have just worked a solid eight-hour day, but that does not matter, the job calls for them to report for duty.

I-40 is top priority
The Grants Patrol has four snowplows. They are heavy dump trucks with a plow fixed to the front of the truck. The bed of the trucks are used to haul salt and cinder mix. The Grants Patrol has two five-cubic yard trucks and two 10 cubic yard trucks. "If it is real icy out, we put a de-icer in the mix," Martinez said.

The primary job during snow and ice storms is to keep Interstate 40 open. "Our area is from Mile Marker 69.4 to Mile Marker 104," Martinez said. "Then we hit the secondary roads, like New Mexico 122, New Mexico 124, New Mexico 53 and New Mexico 117."

Not only does Martinez drive the snowplow, it is also his responsibility to make sure the truck bed is fully-loaded with whatever material the shift supervisor feels is needed on the highways to allow vehicles to get traction. That responsibility requires a knowledge of front-end loaders and how to use them so he can load the truck. "With a 10-yarder, you can go for quite a while without having to come back and get another load," Martinez said.

"They only call us when the roads are going to get bad enough," Martinez said. After he gets the call, Martinez dresses and drives to the maintenance yard where the other drivers gather. The supervisor outlines the details of the night's work, but most of the time the work is on the interstate from Mile Marker 69.4 to Mile Marker 104.

"We load the trucks and then go out," Martinez said.

Tuesday night the crew was out for icy road conditions in spots along Interstate 40.

Snow or ice?
If he had a choice between an ice storm and a snow storm, Martinez said he would pick a snow storm any day of the week. "You have more traction in a snow storm," he said.

The nights can be long. He has two-way communications with the New Mexico Department of Transportation in case he comes across an accident in a storm, or runs into trouble himself.

For grins, he also has a radio in the cab of the truck tuned to a station that plays rock music. "I really like alternative music," he said, adding that his primary job is to stay focused.

With no one else in the cab of the truck and only the sounds of the crackling two-way radio and the radio for playing music, "It can get kind of scary out there sometimes," Martinez said. "It's not lonely out there, though; we can talk to each other on the radios."

Clearing the way
When the weather turns really nasty, with a huge snow storm blowing, Martinez said he will sometimes get passenger vehicles following him so he can clear the way, especially on the two-way roads. For some reason, having a snow plow forging a road through the snow in front gives a feeling of more security in a very insecure, white world.

Martinez said he likes his job, even when he has to work extra driving a snow plow at 3 a.m. "In fact, I like my job a lot, so I guess I'll keep doing it for a while longer," Martinez said.

His job is not without danger, but Martinez is ready and willing to do it. "What it comes down to is this is for the motoring public, so they can get to where they have to go, safely," Martinez said.