SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – Unlike last year, this winter has kept the Utah Department of Transportation busy. Statewide 500 UDOT plows were out Sunday night doing the best they could to clear the streets and keep ahead of the storm.
UDOT Spokesperson John Gleason said, “I don’t know if anyone was anticipating just how much snow would fall and how fast it fell.”
Gleason says UDOT was anticipating the storm and had crews out pre-treating the roads but keeping them clean for long was difficult.
“At certain points last night we had two to three inches falling in an hour and no matter how many snow plows you have out that amount of snow falling that hast is going to give you problems,” said Gleason.
Surprisingly drivers we spoke with said the highways they traveled were pretty good considering the amount of snow that had fallen.
Mark Bond said, “Lot of snow, traffic was slow, but moving okay considering the conditions…It was a tough situation. It was a lot of snow, but I think they did an okay job.”
Another driver, Larry Martinez said, “UDOT looks like it did a good job so far. Salt Lake City is struggling a bit still, but they’re doing pretty good.”
Despite all the storms we’ve seen this year, UDOT is on track to keep within its $22 million budget. The cost to clear the roads from October to now has added up to nearly $13.5 million dollars, but with the snow we’ve seen this year anything is possible.
