THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SAYS IT DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH WORKERS FOR THE UPCOMING WINTER SEASON. KDOT IS CURRENTLY HIRING SEASONAL WORKERS. SNOWPLOWS BECOME A MAJOR PART OF ROAD SAFETY DURING THE WINTER. AS PART OF A PLAN TO HELP COPE WITH THE STAFFING CHALLENGES, KDOT WILL BE MAKING SNOW AND ICE PREPARATIONS HOURS BEFORE ANY SNOW IS ANTICIPATED.
KDOT HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE SUPERINTENDENT DAVID STUDEBAKER SAYS WORKERS PRE-TREAT ROADWAY’S WITH A SALT BRINE OR A COMBINATION OF SALT BRINE AND BEET JUICE TO PREVENT ICE ACCUMULATION.
THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT SAYS IT HAS EXPERIENCED WINTER STAFFING SHORTAGES BEFORE AND IS CONFIDENT ITS CREWS WILL BE ABLE TO CLEAR THE ROADS EFFICIENTLY. THEY’LL ALSO BE HIRING SEASONAL EMPLOYEES. FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN WORKING AT KDOT, GO TO THE STATE’S EMPLOYMENT WEBSITE AT “JOBS.K-S.GOV”. KDOT WILL ASSIST SELECTED APPLICANTS IN OBTAINING A CDL UPON HIRING, INCLUDING PAYING FOR TRAINING.
