As the U.S. military increases its focus on Arctic operations and training, a recent report from the U.S Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) is providing crucial guidance on building and maintaining the vital, yet unpredictable, winter roads in challenging northern environments.
Released in September, the report, titled Standard Operating Procedures for the Design, Maintenance, and Operation of Arctic and Subarctic Winter Roads, aims to standardize construction practices and ensure safe access across Alaska and other cold regions. It details best practices for various winter road types—including snow, ice, and ice bridges—and outlines mitigation strategies to enhance safety and reliability. It also acknowledges a growing challenge: shorter freeze seasons and increasingly unpredictable thaw events that threaten the safety and reliability of these roads.
“This report will give planners and leaders within the active-duty community, including range patrol and public works staffers, a common operating picture for winter road construction and maintenance,” said lead author and CRREL Research Physical Scientist Jenna Williams. “It provides a framework for consistent, safe, and effective operations in these critical environments.”
Operating in the Arctic presents unique obstacles with extreme temperatures, unpredictable weather and difficult terrain hindering traditional road construction. Temporary winter roads, built from compacted snow and ice and sometimes water slurries that are allowed to freeze, become essential for transporting supplies, equipment and personnel, especially during the long Arctic winters.
This need is particularly acute in Alaska, home to the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division, specializing in Arctic warfare.
“Most of the training areas in Alaska have large portions of wetlands that are not accessible by all-season roads and require seasonal roadway construction for training access, infrastructure development and medical evacuation,” said Williams, who prior to joining CRREL’s Alaska Research Office rose to the rank of Captain at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. “Without well-maintained winter roads, training cannot occur in large portions of the training areas.”
Winter roads are also used by oil and mining companies, as well as rural villages in western Alaska. However, this is the first time a set of standard operating procedures has been developed for winter roads in central Alaska.
The report provides a comprehensive framework focusing on:
- Strategic site selection: Minimizing environmental risks and maximizing stability.
- Optimized construction: Building robust and dependable routes.
- Proactive maintenance: Adapting to evolving conditions for long-term performance.
Williams emphasized that this isn’t simply about road construction.
“It’s about ensuring our ability to operate effectively and safely in a strategically important region,” she said. “By understanding the unique challenges of the Arctic and implementing these best practices, we can enhance the resilience of our logistical networks and support our mission objectives.”
While presenting SOPs, the report stresses the need for continued innovation, vigilance and research, advocating for the integration of technologies like drone-mounted thermal imaging, ground-penetrating radar, and AI-driven predictive maintenance to optimize performance and safety in these extreme environments.
As the report concludes, “By continuously refining best practices and integrating new solutions, winter roads can remain a critical lifeline for Arctic and Subarctic regions, ensuring reliable access for industries and communities alike.”
The report is available online at https://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/49940.
A version of the article first appeared in the Nov/Dec issue of The Military Engineer magazine. Republished with permission.