Penndot Plowing Through Its Snow Removal Budget With Lots of Winter Left
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says it has already spent half its winter weather budget, but promises it will be business-as-usual no matter what the rest of the season brings.
Penndot spokeswoman Erin Waters-Trasatt says that as of a week ago the agency had already spent a little over half of the $189 million budgeted for this winter but that it will follow its established practice of dipping in to its spring maintenance budget if winter expenditures run over.
She says Penndot will continue to deal with each storm as it comes.
"Really, our first concern is safety, so we're not going to shortchange any of our services," she tells KYW Newsradio. "We put down what needs to be put down."
Waters-Trasatt says if Penndot needs to dip into its spring maintenance budget –- something that happened as recently as the winter of 2009-10 -- it may affect pothole patching and smaller paving projects such as road resurfacing.
She also points out that last winter's maintenance expenditures were well below what was budgeted.
