Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Gov. Spencer Cox woke early Friday to get behind the wheel of a snowplow.
No, he's not trading in his office job. Utah Department of Transportation snowplow drivers at the Cottonwood Canyons Maintenance Station gave him a taste of what it's like to work clearing roads. Cox was even put to the task of filling a truck with salt.
It's been about 25 years since I operated a loader. Fun morning knocking the rust off and pushing snow up the canyons. I'm so grateful for our dedicated snowplow operators and mechanics. Most of them are working double shifts during these storms to keep us safe. https://t.co/BHv1aibh33
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) December 17, 2021
The real reason the governor stopped by, however, was to thank the drivers for their hard work, especially over the past two weeks. The state's snowplow drivers have been busy at work as snow has returned to the state.
Some of Utah's valleys have experienced more than a foot of snow during that span. In Tooele, that was the accumulation on Wednesday alone, according to National Weather Service data. It's been busier in higher elevations, which have seen a few feet of snow; the weather service station in Alta, for instance, has already recorded 4½ feet of snow this month.
Over 400 snowplows were dispatched to keep Utah's roads moving over the past week alone, Cox said. He not only thanked operators for their work but also wanted to remind Utahns to give snowplow drivers space on the roadways.
"Don't try to pass these guys. Stay behind them. They're out there trying to make things safer for you," he said. "We have had a lot of people move into this state and many of them have maybe not driven in snow before. It's really a good reminder to slow down."
Snowplow drivers will be busy again next week with snow again in the forecast. Storms are expected to return again by the end of next week, just ahead of Christmas.
The American Auto Association projects 109 million people will travel between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, 2022, with more than 100 million traveling by car to visit family and loved ones for the remaining holidays this year. That means Utah's roads are expected to be equally busy.
"(Utah snowplow drivers) are working long hours. It looks like we're going to have snow over the Christmas holiday, which means they won't be spending much time with their families so we can spend time with our families," Cox said.
The governor adds that Utah is looking for more snowplow drivers.
A spokesman for UDOT told KSL.com they didn't have a specific number of drivers they are down at the moment. He added they are "slightly down" drivers in Salt Lake County and up to normal staff throughout the rest of the state.
Salt Lake County public works officials said last week they were down 16% of their driver workforce, with 10 openings available. Workers from other departments were called in to help out as a result.
"If you're interested, please contact the state," Cox said. "We'd love to have you."
