Snow plows will begin hitting the roadways Thursday, but there's no snow in the forecast just yet.
The Missouri Department of Transportation will be training plow drivers with its annual statewide winter weather drill Thursday. Driver training has become more critical than in the past as the department continues to combat high turnover rates and fill open positions.
"We're facing a critical shortage of qualified plow operators as we go into the winter season," Becky Allmeroth, chief safety and operations officer, said in a news release. "This drill gives MoDOT the opportunity to train our new snowplow operators on their designated routes so they are aware of curbs and raised islands that might be hidden when the snow or ice starts to fall."
Motorists may notice an increase in the number of MoDOT vehicles on state routes Thursday. Crews will deploy after 8 a.m. in rural areas and after 9 a.m. in urban areas, with the drill expected to be complete by 3 p.m.
MoDOT employees will react to a significant statewide snow event simulation during the drill. In addition to deploying crews to roadways, the department will activate its emergency operations centers and test its emergency communications systems.
MoDOT spent more than $53 million on winter operations last year, using more than 151,000 tons of salt, 2.4 million gallons of salt brine and 454,000 gallons of beet juice.
The Farmers Almanac predicts a "Hibernation Zone" and a "glacial, snow-filled" winter across the Midwest this year, and MoDOT crews are preparing for the worst, according to the department news release.
But staffing remains an issue.
"With years of high turnover, we are nearly 30 percent below the staffing we need in order to cover more than one shift in a statewide storm," MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna said. "If a widespread winter storm lasts more than one 12-hour shift, we will not have enough employees to fill all the trucks on the second shift and therefore it will take longer to clear the roads. Delays could be significant and will impact all regions of the state."
MoDOT encourages motorists to stay informed of road conditions with its online Traveler Information Map, traveler.modot.org, during winter storms.