Transportation Cabinet Crews Prepped for Winter Weather to Keep Kentuckians

FRANKFORT — In keeping with their priorities to promote safety in the commonwealth, the Beshear administration is taking extra measures this year to prepare for winter weather. November is traditionally the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) snow and ice season launch, where more than 2,000 staff and crew members stand ready to keep roads passable for the safe movement of people and goods throughout the state. KYTC is also launching its first-ever “Name the Plow” program to foster community excitement when crews are out.

“Our crews have been on high alert, monitoring weather conditions to keep Kentuckians safe when snow and ice strike. Crews were dispatched Saturday for the first time this season in Western and Central Kentucky,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “As fall transitions to winter, we’re thankful for their work to keep Kentucky drivers and their families safe, especially during the unusually harsh winter conditions we’ve seen in recent years.”

For months, crews have been trained, salt and road treatment supplies have been restocked, plow trucks have been serviced and route plans have been updated. A fleet of 1,365 state-owned and contracted plow trucks is on deck to be deployed when needed. View a short video here.

“Our crews are essential to keeping citizens and commerce moving in Kentucky,” said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. “While the severity and frequency of snow events are unknown, we are ready to act and do our best with the resources we have.”

The cabinet has stockpiled over 300,000 tons of salt, nearly 1 million gallons of brine for anti-icing efforts and more than 1 million gallons of calcium chloride – an additive to salt for deicing.

KYTC uses a three-tier system to prioritize treatment and snow clearing on state-maintained routes. Route designations are based on factors such as traffic volume and connectivity to critical services like hospitals. During routine snow and ice events, crews operate using snow and ice priority route maps for maximum equipment and materials usage efficiency. The cabinet has established a snow emergency plan for severe winter storm events to deploy resources within each county to cover the highest priority routes.

State Highway Engineer James Ballinger described what motorists can expect when plows are out.

“Like commercial trucks, our snow trucks have blind spots and tend to travel between 25 and 35 mph for optimal salting and plowing results,” said Ballinger. “Plows are not immune to the same dangers motorists face. By driving where the plow operator can see you, being patient and giving them room on the roads, you can help some of our most essential public servants make it home safely at the end of their shift.”

Kentucky’s fleet of snow-clearing vehicles includes nine tow plows in different parts of the state. Tow plows have a trailer-mounted rear plow that swings out to resemble a jackknifed truck. It allows one driver and a truck to clear two driving lanes in one pass. Two of the…