AUGUSTA, Maine — At last check, the Maine Department of Transportation said it's plowed 841,329 lane miles in the 2023-2024 season. It's a record low, but the incoming nor'easter is expected to give the number a boost.
"This winter has been a pretty mild one in terms of snow fall," MaineDOT Public Information Officer Paul Merrill said.
The lowest amount of distance logged by the department's snowplows has been 1,313,152 miles in the 2009-2010 season, according to the MaineDOT.
Less snow this winter meant fewer plows needed to clear and treat roads, which Merrill said saved them money.
"The other side of the coin is that we spent that money responding to the storms in December and January," Merrill explained. "It all, in a way, balanced out this year. We're fortunate we had that savings because we did have extensive damage."
Merrill said the department is prepared and has the funding to respond to the incoming nor'easter.