MoDOT Annual Winter Operations Drill Set For Thursday

Snowy weather is just around the corner. In preparation, the Missouri Department of Transportation will hold its annual winter operations drill on Thursday, October 21.

During the drill, motorists may notice increased numbers of MoDOT vehicles on state routes.

In rural areas, crews will deploy after 8 a.m.

In urban areas, the drill will not begin until after 9 a.m.

The exercise will finish around 3 p.m.

MoDOT employees will react to a simulated forecast of significant snow for the entire state.

The department’s emergency operations centers will activate, and maintenance employees will deploy to their trucks.

Crews will also test emergency communications systems.

MoDOT spent more than 58 million dollars on winter operations last year and used over 139-thousand tons of salt, 2.8 million gallons of salt brine, and nearly 490-thousand gallons of beet juice.

MoDOT has purchased 118-thousand tons of salt to refill salt supplies and has a total of 240-thousand tons available for use statewide this winter.