Statewide winter weather drill set for Thursday

As part of a statewide weather drill, the Missouri Department of Transportation will deploy snowplows and other trucks this week. 

All MoDOT employees involved in the state’s winter operations will hit the roads for Thursday’s simulated drill. 

They’ll be out when the morning commute is still heavy – at 8 a.m. in rural areas and 9 a.m. in urban areas. 

The Department of Transportation lacks several hundred employees to clear roads and bridges this winter, which means drivers could be in for tricky travels. 

Mo-DOT maintenance director Darin Hamelink says nearly 19 percent of Missouri’s snowplow drivers have less than one year’s experience and more than a third have under three years’ experience. 

He also says there have not been any significant winter storms in Missouri during the past three years, which makes this week’s drill more crucial than ever. 

During the drill, the department’s emergency operations centers will be active and emergency communications systems will be tested.