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State says its snow bill this winter hit $131M – Metro US

State says its snow bill this winter hit $131M

boston snow plow copley square A plow clears snow from the roadway near Copley Square.
Credit: Nicolaus Czarnecki, Metro

The state spent $131 million on snow and ice removal during the recent winter, using 600,000 tons of salt at a cost of $55 per ton, Highway Administrator Frank DePaola said Wednesday, the State House News Service reported.

During a presentation on the MassDOT budget, DePaola said this winter was the costliest in MassDOT’s history. The agency was formed after a 2009 reorganization law. The pronouncement elicited some expressions of awe from the MassDOT board members.

MassDOT Chief Financial Officer Dana Levenson said there had been no price increase on the cost of salt per ton. Levenson also said the five-year average of the cost of snow and ice removal is $92 million.

Greater Boston was hit with multiple snowstorms this winter, but it wasn’t the snowiest the region has seen. Boston recorded 58.6 inches of snow during the winter, according to the National Weather Service. In Worcester, the total was 84.6 inches.

For Boston, the normal snowfall total is 42.8 inches. During the 2012-13 winter season, Boston received more than 63 inches.

DePaola said the state spent $75 million on snow and ice vendors, all of whom have been paid. The state also used 1.5 million gallons of salt brine.

Material from the State House News Service was used in this report.

Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter@metrobosmike.