This winter is the most expensive since 2008

Which of these costs $22 million?

A.    The combined 2014 salaries of Kansas City Royals pitcher James Shields and designated hitter Billy Butler.

B.     The cost of Google billionaire Eric Schmidt's new Los Angeles home.

C.     The budget for the Oscar winning film “12 Years a Slave”.

D.    The amount KDOT spent on snow and ice removal in 2014.

The correct answer is all of the above.

KDOT spent an estimated $22 million on materials, labor and equipment usage to keep state highways clear and open for travel-- the most expensive winter since 2008. This season KDOT crews worked 550,000 hours, used 591 dump trucks and treated/plowed some 2.7 million lane miles.

 “I want to thank our crews for their dedication and hard work to keep Kansas roads open in some very difficult conditions. Winter maintenance takes a substantial amount of effort and money, but the cost to the state would be much greater if the crews didn’t maintain the system as well as they did,” said Transportation Secretary Mike King.

KDOT maintenance experts said the broad scope of this year’s storms, along with frigid temperatures, combined to make this an expensive winter season.