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News Release
MoDOT Road Crews
Prepare to Plow Snow
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*DISTRICT 8, SPRINGFIELD
- Salt buildings are filled to capacity, plows
are serviced and ready to be mounted on trucks and snow
plow drivers are being refreshed on snow-clearing techniques.
Those are among the steps being taken by the Missouri
Department of Transportation in preparing for the winter
2004-2005.
Once the snow is forecast, MoDOT crews will be called
in. When snow begins to fall, the plows will roll.
The goal is to keep the main roads driveable until the
storm passes, then all roads can be cleared.
This year MoDOT's Springfield area district, covering
12 counties in southwest Missouri, has increased its
salt storage capacity to 27,000 tons, up from 22,000
tons at the start of last winter. That's because three
new large-capacity salt storage buildings have been
built in strategic locations -- at Ozark, Bolivar and
Ava.
"We've positioned ourselves with balanced
salt storage" across the district, said Laura Pavlick,
MoDOT procurement supervisor for the Springfield area.
More salt is available at larger MoDOT facilities for
use on the busiest roads and for quicker distribution
to smaller shops.
The Springfield MoDOT district uses a fleet of 180 vehicles
to clear state routes during winter storms. The fleet
includes dump trucks equipped with plows and salt spreaders,
plus several road graders used to clear shoulders and
interchange ramps during big storms.
District Operations Engineer-Maintenance Jim McDiarmid
said MoDOT crews will be ready when winter storms approach
the region.
"We monitor several forecasts
and use them as a guide," he said. "We also have people
out monitoring conditions and taking pavement temperatures
to determine when to start treating the roads with snow-removal
chemicals."
McDiarmid said it's important for drivers to slow down
in snow and ice, give plenty of following distance and
to stay well back of snow plows treating the roads.
"Give our equipment plenty of room to operate,"
he said. "And be patient."
In the Springfield area district, MoDOT crews are responsible
for clearing nearly 3,700 miles of state highways.
More plows will be deployed on high-traffic roadways
for continous plowing and salting during a winter storm.
Lesser traveled roads may be plowed fewer times a day
to keep lanes open.
Statewide MoDOT spends nearly $30 million a year on
labor, materials and equipment for snow and ice removal.
Statewide, MoDOT has 1,800 vehicles to plow and treat
roadways and salt storage of 300,000 tons. |
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