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Oct. 10 was MoDOT’s annual winter weather drill where maintenance crews practiced operating snowplow machinery along key snow routes.
MoDOT management teams across the department’s seven districts and the Central Office also participated in a virtual winter weather drill where employees reacted to a simulated forecast of significant snow for the entire state. The drill included the activation of MoDOT’s emergency operations centers and the testing of emergency communications systems before the first real winter weather event occurs.
The Statewide Winter Weather Preparedness Drill is crucial for training new and returning maintenance workers so they can become familiar with their routes before they’re covered in snow and ice.
MoDOT spent $38 million on winter operations last year and used 81,000 tons of salt, 928,000 gallons of salt brine and 134,000 gallons of beet juice. The department has approximately 3,000 employees across the state involved in work to clear roads and bridges when winter weather hits. However, more than a third of MoDOT’s snowplow operators have less than three years of experience, and the past three winters did not include many major winter storms.
MoDOT is still several hundred employees short of having full staff available to plow two 12-hour shifts. Applications are currently being accepted for full-time maintenance workers and emergency equipment operators across the state. To learn more about MoDOT’s winter operations or to apply for an open maintenance position in your area, visit MoDOT's Maintenance Careers page.
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