Missouri Department of Transportation will be holding its annual winter operations drill today (Thursday).

In preparation for wintry weather in the months ahead, the Missouri Department of Transportation will be holding its annual winter operations drill today. Becky Allmeroth, MODOT chief safety, and operations officer says, “With nearly 20% of our plow operators with less than one year of experience, this training drill is important to be ready when the snow flies. One of the most valuable parts of the drill is it allows our newest employees the opportunity to drive a snowplow over their designated routes so they are aware of curbs and raised islands that might be hidden in snow or ice.” Despite the department’s best efforts, it has not made progress in filling the winter operations vacancies. Additionally, the department is experiencing record high turnover, including more than 70 employees leaving every month for the past six months. During the drill today, 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 should be completed by 3 p.m. MoDOT spent more than $58 million on winter operations last year and used over 139,000 tons of salt; 2.8 million gallons of salt brine; and nearly 490,000 gallons of beet juice. MoDOT has purchased 118,000 tons of salt to refill salt supplies and has a total of 240,000 tons available for use statewide this winter.