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Snow Fighting Facts
Winter has hit Missouri hard and fast this year, keeping the Missouri Department of Transportation busy with snow and ice removal. What exactly does it take to make the roadways safe for motorists? Manpower, salt and equipment.
Since 2000, MoDOT has used more than 240,000 tons of salt on average each year. That translates to more than 493 million pounds! If it were table salt, it would be enough to handle the yearly consumption of all Missourians, as well as our neighbors in Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Tennessee.
With last year’s mild winter, only 97,000 tons of salt were used, saving MoDOT $10 million. Already this winter, more than 240,000 tons of salt has been spread, easily surpassing last year’s amount with the potential for plenty more wintry weather yet to come.
MoDOT also uses 1,700 dump trucks to remove snow and ice. If you stacked the trucks on top of each other, they would be as tall as 27 St. Louis Arches. During and after a storm, employees work in shifts around the clock to ensure roadways are kept as clear as possible. Over the last five winters, employees logged an average of more than 400,000 labor hours per year removing snow and ice. |
