Bouncing back from shortages, KDOT says snowplows are ready for Kansas City-area storm
After years of warning that staffing shortages could delay highway snow removal, the Kansas Department of Transportation and local authorities say the outlook is better this winter.
That’s a good thing, because Kansas City is bracing for a ferocious winter storm this weekend that meteorologists say could bring the area’s heaviest snowfall in recent history.
KDOT is prepared to deploy many of its roughly 1,000 employees licensed to drive snow plows to the state’s northern and northeastern regions to assist with snow removal.
“Our districts are going on standby one by one,” said Cheryl Cadue, KDOT’s chief information officer.
During major storms, the agency takes an all-hands-on-deck approach, enlisting anyone on staff who’s licensed to drive a snowplow. That includes about 700 traditional equipment operators along with roughly 300 seasonal workers, supervisors, superintendents and engineering technicians, Cadue said.
After the pandemic, KDOT struggled to find workers interested in braving the elements for 12-hour shifts on the snowplow, reaching a 30% driver shortage in late 2021 when officials told The Star a typical full staff consists of 1,200 positions.
Since then, starting wages for seasonal snowplow operators has gone up from $15-$17 an hour to $21.50. But as recently as November 2023, KDOT warned that it was still about 25% short of its preferred winter workforce.
Cadue said the agency is still hiring seasonal workers in certain districts around the state, but the critical staffing shortages of years past have been resolved. “It’s not like one location where we’re saying, ‘Oh, we need a lot of people here.’ That’s not the case.”
Local response
KDOT wasn’t alone in its post-pandemic staffing woes. A number of municipalities in the Kansas City metro area also had to go out of their way to find enough snowplow drivers to clear their roads.
Representatives for the cities of Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee and Lenexa all said their snow removal crews are operating at 100% capacity this winter.
“This year is our first year that we have all of our snowplow driver positions filled — first year in a while, since Covid for sure,” said Meg Ralph, a spokesperson for Overland Park.
“Kind of a double-edged sword with that is that we have a lot of new drivers so this is their first storm. They are just really getting kind of thrown into it right away. So, while we are glad to have lots of people and we can give them lots of breaks and relief, we also know that it may take a little bit longer just because they are new to it.”
Dave Reno, a spokesperson for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, said the public works streets team currently has 10 vacancies. “The work team for this storm is 57,” he said.
In some cities, it’s higher.
“A snowstorm like this which is going to take multiple days and multiple twelve-hour shifts all day and night, it takes about a hundred and twenty-eight folks to run that,” said Cody Kennedy, a spokesperson for Olathe.
Delaney Tholen, KDOT’s Kansas City metro spokesperson, said navigating the next few days will require close coordination between state and local road crews. Any delays will likely have more to do with especially hazardous conditions than a shortage of snowplow drivers, she said.
“Freezing rain does pose challenges. With multiple snow/ice events expected through the next few days, as well as temperatures significantly below freezing, additional time will be needed for crews to melt any ice that builds on the road surface,” Tholen said. “Snowplows will be out on the roads until they are cleared.”
KDOT advice for motorists
Before snow
Prepare essential winter items in your vehicle – a “mini survival kit” (cell phone/charger, ice scraper, jumper cables, flashlight, bottled water, non-perishable food, blankets, first aid kit, etc.).
Before driving, remove any snow on your vehicle’s windows, headlights, brake lights and signals. Make sure you can see AND be seen.
Plan to stay at home as possible, or delay driving, to give snowplows time and space to clear roads, ramps and bridges.
After snow
Stay off the roads when feasible. Allow extra time for travel and know before you go! (check www.kcscout.net for KC metro road conditions or www.kandrive.gov online/ phone 5-1-1 for statewide road conditions; both also available via mobile app)
Slow down when driving near snowplows and DO NOT try to pass them – snowplows are entering and exiting roadways frequently and traveling below the posted speed limit. Snowplow operators have limited visibility – just because you can see them does not mean they can see you.
If roadside assistance is needed, please stay inside your vehicle and call for help (*47 on KS highways or *582 on KS Turnpike; if emergency, dial 9-1-1).
This story was originally published January 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
