Last winter was most expensive in history for MnDOT, report says
MINNEAPOLIS -- Last winter was the most expensive for the Minnesota Department of Transportation in history, the agency announced Thursday.
MnDOT's Winter Maintenance Report shows it spent $174 million on snow and ice removal in 2022-2023, $26 million more than the year before and $34.5 million more than the five-year average. In the Metro District alone, MnDOT spent more than $44 million.
"This was an extremely challenging winter season, but our crews worked tirelessly to conquer each storm and keep travelers safe and moving in Minnesota," Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said.
Included in that cost were 260,380 tons of salt, 14,144,434 gallons of brine and 36,439 tons of sand. MnDOT had more than 800 plow trucks on the roads staffed by more than 1,663 "snowfighters."
READ MORE: A look at the technology that tells MnDOT how to treat Minnesota's roads
MnDOT's Winter Severity Index, which uses factors like wind speed and gusts, precipitation type, road and air temperatures and others to measure how intense a winter season was, shows 2022-2023 was the most severe in more than a decade. The severity index for last winter was 164, nearly twice the 2020-21 winter and 26 points higher than the 2021-2022 season.
According to the National Weather Service, last winter was the third snowiest on record in the Twin Cities. Duluth and Chanhassen both saw their snowiest winters ever.
Note: The video above first aired May 25, 2023.