SALT LAKE CITY — Costs for snow removal in Utah this year are drastically lower than the amount spent during the 2022-2023 winter season when the state saw a historic amount of snowfall.
According to the Utah Department of Transportation, more than $13.8 million was spent on materials to clear the roads between Oct. 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023.
This winter, the amount spent isn’t even close.
From Oct. 1, 2023 through Tuesday, UDOT has spent a little more than $4.1 million on materials like salt and brine. At the same point last year, $8.1 million was spent.
“This is a much more normal type of winter,” said UDOT spokesperson John Gleason. “More of what we are used to in terms of precipitation and the number of storms.”
Gleason added that so far, the amount spent on snow removal is a bit below average.
“December was looking incredibly dry and we really didn’t see much in the way of expenditures compared to what we are used to,” he said.
The 2022-2023 winter season was an outlier in terms of snow removal costs, with UDOT eclipsing its entire budget for snow removal in February. With several more weeks remaining in the current winter season, there is time to incur more costs, but plenty of room left in the snow removal budget.
“We know from history things can change in a hurry,” Gleason said.
