Winter's snowy barrage hammers US road budgets

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — As spring officially begins, officials across much of the nation are still paying the bills for keeping roads clear during the cold, snowy winter.

From the Great Plains to New England, many state and local governments have blown their budgets for plowing, salting and other seasonal road maintenance. Arkansas has spent $18 million, three times more than during the typical winter. Illinois is 200 percent over its three-year average. Virginia expects to spend $150 million more than it budgeted.