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Mass. Prepares For Another Winter Storm With Strained Snow Budget

The state has already burned through its $43 million snow and ice budget for the current fiscal year — having spent about $75 million ahead of the storm arriving Thursday.

A transportation department spokeswoman said the agency will seek supplemental funding from the Legislature to make up the difference.

The $75 million is still far short of the $127.5 million spent during the 2009 fiscal year.

The department began the season with 300,000 tons of salt, with additional deliveries arriving regularly. The state has already used a total of 450,000 tons this season, with another 150,000 tons on hand.

The goal is to use only the salt needed to get the job done. Special controllers are used to limit the amount of salt with a pre-wetting and brine solution used to help salt adhere to the road.

Weather Updates:

This article was originally published on February 13, 2014.

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