MoDOT prepares for the winter months

The Missouri Department of Transportation on Tuesday tested its readiness for the upcoming winter season.

MoDOT Engineer Jason Shafer says practice driving the snow plow trucks is essential.

“By the time you put a plow on the front and a spreader in the back and on some of the roads that we have, you just need to get reacquainted to how they drive,” Shafer said.

MoDOT said the plows are 14 feet wide and weigh 3,000 pounds.

Employee Wesley Prenger said there’s a lot to watch out for, such as mailboxes and narrow bridges.

“But you also got to watch out for the oncoming traffic that you might have to maneuver for to try to get up close to the edge that you can,” Prenger said.

Shafer said they also tested emergency communications systems.

“We’re looking at equipment also, that way when the winter weather does hit, we’re ready to go,” Shafer said.

MoDOT spent $43 million last winter and used 145,000 tons of salt and 3.4 million gallons of salt brine to keep the roads clear, according to figures provided by the agency.

“When it’s snowing, the roads are going to be slick, Mother Nature’s always going to get the upper-hand, but our job is to minimize the amount of time that it’s slick,” Shafer said.

MoDOT said it prioritizes plowing, starting with interstates and moving next to other high-volume roads. MoDOT drivers plow about 6 millions miles of snow and ice each year.

Snow is already in the forecast for mid-Missouri, with some accumulation possible early Friday. Some forecasts are also calling for snow early next week.