Iowa DOT officially switched to winter operations

The Iowa Department of Transportation flipped to its first official day of winter operations Wednesday, saying equipment, supplies and plans are in place to respond when fall weather turns slick. DOT crews are responsible for keeping 24,613 lane miles clear, and the agency says it will rely on a statewide fleet of 910 trucks, 40 motor graders, 33 tow plows and 10 heavy-duty snowblowers. The department employs 1,072 full-time operators, mechanics and supervisors and is hiring up to 633 temporary “snowfighters” this season. In a typical winter, the DOT uses more than 101,000 tons of salt and nearly 25 million gallons of brine to pretreat roads and keep snow and ice from bonding to pavement.