TOPEKA, Kan. — During last month’s back-to-back snow storms, Kansas Department of Transportation snow crews pretreated and plowed nearly 880,000 lane miles of highway – enough to circle the earth 35 times.
The storms dumped up to two feet of snow on the state over a week-long period beginning Feb. 20. Because the storms, named ‘Q’ and ‘Rocky,’ came on the heels of one another, crews got little or no rest between cleanup from one storm and preparation for the next.
About 1,200 KDOT employees logged some 80,000 hours in trucks, in offices in support of the crews and in communicating with the public with almost all working 12-hour or longer shifts for many consecutive days. During the storm, which cost the state an estimated $6.2 million, there were 74,000 calls to the 511 traveler information phone line and 9 million page views on the KDOT website.
“As impressive as the numbers are, statistics don’t tell the whole story,” said Transportation Secretary Mike King. “Our crews plowed through white-outs, helped motorists get their cars out of the snow, changed tires, checked on the welfare of stranded travelers and successfully performed a life-saving plow relay in blizzard conditions to get a patient to medical treatment hundreds of miles away.
“The crews provide a vital service and I’m grateful for all they did to keep Kansans safe and commerce moving.”
- 575 – Approximate number of KDOT trucks used to clear roads
- 879,000 – Lane miles pretreated and plowed (The Kansas highway system has approximately 25,000 lane miles.)
- 80,000 – Hours logged by about 1,200 KDOT employees
- 16,400 – Tons of salt used
- 37,000 – Tons of salt/sand mix
- 1.2 million – Gallons of brine
- $6.2 million – Estimated cost of both storms
- $2.25 – Approximate cost of both storms per registered Kansas vehicle
- 73,993 – Calls to 511 travel information
- 8,716 – Subscribers to “My Kansas 511” who received personalized road information
- 17,376 – Number of times road conditions viewed on mobile devices at 511.ksdot.org
- 9 million – Page views on the KDOT website