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By Dana Kazel
After an unseasonably dry winter, the heavy March snowstorm blanketed all of St. Louis County with snow totals ranging from nine to 24 inches. The St. Louis County Public Works team, which is responsible for maintaining 3,000 miles of roads, continues to plow and treat the roads to ensure safe traveling conditions.
St. Louis County Public Works staff operate out of 14 garages in four maintenance districts that span the county. Some statistics to illustrate their response throughout the storm include:
- 105 snowplows and graders were in use at one time
- 33,759 cumulative miles of roads plowed and treated (Sunday-Tuesday)
- 42,312 gallons of brine applied
- 541 tons of salt applied
- 105 heavy equipment operators, assisted by 31 mechanics and 42 other support staff
"We'd like to thank the public for their patience throughout this snow event," said Jim Foldesi, St. Louis County Public Works Director. "We saw a lot of good examples of people adjust their behaviors for the conditions - many stayed home and others used proper caution while on the roads., which helped our team to do their job better and more safely."
"I would second that and also extend our thanks to the hard-working men and women in our Public Works Department," said Commissioner Keith Musolf, who chairs the Public Works Committee. "Those driving the trucks and those working in the shops - all went above and beyond these last few days and it really shows in the condition of our roads."
Even as this snow system has moved out of our region, crews will continue to work to clear snow that has drifted back onto roadways, as well as areas with compacted snow and ice. They will also work to lower snowbanks at intersections and widen shoulders to improve visibility.
