It takes guts to get through a Wallowa County winter.

This winter, though, it may take more than fortitude and a healthy resistance to cabin fever. You may want to requisition a snowplow.

Here’s why: The Oregon Department of Transportation is cutting the amount of plowing and sanding it plans to do over the state’s highways this winter.

Here’s the bottom line: Oregon’s highways are going to be less safe.

“Some highways previously plowed four times per day will be plowed once per day if at all,” ODOT says.

Yes, ODOT will prioritize key routes and known trouble spots. But, overall, plowing and sanding will be less frequent.

And county road departments throughout Oregon, already stretched thin, say they won’t be able to pick up the slack.

ODOT says the changes are necessary because its maintenance budget relies on gas tax revenue and that revenue will be declining as more hybrid and electric vehicles take to the road. In addition, the department says, it’s facing increased costs. The department can’t run a deficit, so one of its only remaining options is to cut back on services.

ODOT’s budget for the 2023-25 cycle is about $6.12 billion, down from about $6.68 billion in the 2021-23 biennium.

“With smaller budgets for staff and materials needed to plow, sand, and deice, the potential for traffic jams and crashes increases. Incidents will take longer to clear,” ODOT says. “We strongly recommend travelers carry a fully stocked emergency kit, including a phone charger and weather-appropriate clothing, and refuel or recharge their tanks often.”

“We encourage area communities and travelers to prepare (for) the possibility of extended delays, closures, more chain restrictions, and varying degrees of traction as they navigate roads,” the department added.

We suppose we should be grateful for the warning. And, frankly, it’s not a bad idea to make sure your vehicles are ready for winter — and that includes making sure that they’re equipped with fully stocked emergency kits. (See the sidebar.)But we’d feel better about the yearly chore of assembling our winter driving kits if we also knew that state crews would be hard at work clearing snow and ice off the county’s most important roads. To be fair, they’ll still be doing that — but not as frequently as they have in years past. The result is that a county that always feels a little isolated will feel a little more isolated this winter — and we’ll be second-guessing our decisions to hit the road on essential errands.

To add a touch of insult to injury, Gov. Tina Kotek responded to our inquiries by saying that the state highway system is facing a “structural funding challenge” that legislators will need to address when they take up a transportation package in 2025. That’s true enough, but it doesn’t do anything to make winter driving much easier in the next couple of years.

She added that her office is “exploring what options might exist” in the immediate future to reduce the impact to Oregonians. “In the meantime, I encourage Oregonians to contact their legislators to encourage them to find long-term solutions that will ensure our state transportation infrastructure is meeting the needs of Oregon families, businesses, and visitors.”

Of course, it’s not a bad idea to reach out to your legislator to express your concerns; that’s why the Chieftain frequently lists their contact information.

When you contact your legislator about this, though, you might ask them if they know how to handle a snowplow.

For more information about preparing for winter driving, go to this website from the auto organization AAA: https://tinyurl.com/22er4ccp