The Maine Department of Transportation has already spent $10 million more than average to keep the roads clear, with five more weeks remaining for what the department considers its winter season.
The Bangor Daily News reported the state has spent $25.4 million clearing snow and treating roads this year, compared with a typical winter average of around $15.7 million.
Ted Talbot, a spokesman for the DOT, told the paper that the higher winter spending caused by frequent ice and freezing rain this winter could mean curtailed spring and summer maintenance for things like tree trimming, mowing and culvert replacements. Projects laid out in the department’s latest work plan will continue, Talbot said.
