Write Up:

Knowing the time it takes to clear roads after a winter storm can help the department better analyze the costs associated with that work. MoDOT’s response to winter events provides good customer service for the traveling public while keeping costs as low as possible. These efforts result in reduced traffic delays due to winter events and, more importantly, safer travel during these events. In recent years, MoDOT has been more aggressive in messaging the public during winter events urging them to travel only if necessary. This messaging is in the form of social media posts and media releases. The last two seasons have been especially challenging due to MoDOT’s maintenance function being understaffed by several hundred employees. For the 2023-2024 season, staffing levels increased incrementally but remained below levels needed to keep all plow trucks moving for consecutive 12-hour shifts. This prolonged shortage in operators along with a mild 2022-2023 winter season left MoDOT with less experienced operators and many drivers needing to complete on-the-job training requirements before being able to drive a plow truck on their own. This information was communicated to the public along with the anticipation that it will take longer to clear the roads following a winter event.  The 2023-2024 winter season saw more inclement weather than the 2022-2023 season but was still below average in terms of total winter precipitation. There were a few significant events involving frozen precipitation or extremely low temperatures that extended the time to clear the roads after these storms, but MoDOT’s overall time to meet winter objectives decreased from the previous season.  Due to significant planning prior to the start of the season and sharing of resources during the season, MoDOT’s time for meeting objectives for the 2023-2024 season decreased to 4.9 hours for continuous operations routes and 6.7 hours for non-continuous routes, representing a 17% and 8% improvement from the previous season, respectively. 

On average, MoDOT's winter operations have cost about $51 million per year, over the previous five years. As of March 31, 2024, MoDOT's cost for the 2023-2024 winter season was $41.3 million.    

Purpose of the Measure:

This measure tracks the amount of time needed to perform MoDOT’s snow and ice removal efforts. It also reviews the impacts of significant events and the measures taken to minimize these impacts.

Measurement and Data Collection:

For major highways and regionally significant routes, the objective is to restore them to a mostly clear condition as soon as possible after the storm has ended. MoDOT calls these “continuous operations” routes. State routes with lower traffic volumes should be opened to two-way traffic and treated with salt or abrasives at critical areas such as intersections, hills and curves. These are called “non-continuous operations” routes. After each winter event, maintenance personnel submit reports indicating how much time it took to meet the objectives for both route classifications. For significant events, the Regional Integrated Transportation Information System is used to determine traveler delays and the associated costs in order to determine the magnitude of the impacts of these significant winter events.