After uncleared streets plagued the region during severe winter storms last year, Missouri Department of Transportation officials have started preparing for this year’s winter weather.

MoDOT hosted a training session Thursday for workers aimed at emulating a winter storm to prepare workers, snowplow drivers and mechanics for potential severe winter weather.

The training follows an unusually harsh winter when January storms broke precipitation records. Streets across the area were covered with ice and snow, as much as 10 inches in some places. MoDOT officials said earlier this year that there was a shortage of workers to handle plows .

MoDOT officials said the January storm led the department to make adjustments last year, including:

Increasing the amount of money to $64 million to

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