Did you know that there are 5,900 miles of roads in Utah? These roads lead into every National Park, Monument, and Recreation area in Utah, so it takes a lot to keep these roads safe for everyone who drives on them.

Did you Know?:

• 560 snowplows used to clear the snow


• 65,000,000 tons of snow moved off the roads


• 103,000 signs maintained


• 600 miles of guardrails in Utah


• 2,700 large overhead signs


• 2,500 miles of fencing


• 1,200 specialized pieces of equipment such as message boards, paint trucks, giant snow blowers, loaders, road graders, oil spreaders, and boom trucks

Good Roads Cost Less

We have 79 maintenance stations across Utah, with 20 special crews who take care of bridges, highway painting, freeway signs, weed control and fix damaged guardrails.

When we design our highways, we build them out of concrete, asphalt or gravel. These types of materials grow old and break apart, so we have to keep them safe. We spend $3,600 per year for every lane-mile of road to fix them. We spend another $7,000 per year to preserve road pavements (asphalt, gravel or concrete) so they don't break apart so quickly.

We like to say "Good roads cost less," meaning that it is less expensive to keep our roads in good shape than to rebuild them after they have broken apart. Most of the "construction" you see is actually just maintenance work. We fix holes and cracks in the road and preserve the pavement with protective layers.

You might wonder - Why do roads break apart? Here are a few things that cause this:

• Cars and trucks driving over the roads
• Water that gets under the road that can make the dirt soft, carry the dirt away or damage pipes
• Car accidents that damage the road
• Water that freezes then thaws breaks up concrete and asphalt

FUNNY FACT:
The most remote maintenance station is located at Garrison, Utah - it is 110 miles from the nearest doctor's office and supermarket!