You asked how many miles and how many “lane miles” of state roads there are in Connecticut and how much road salt the state purchased last fiscal year.

According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), there are 4700 “center-line” miles of DOT-maintained state roads. “Center-line miles” refer to the distance the road itself covers. If it is 12 miles between Norwich and Willimantic on Route 32, that is considered 12 center-line miles.

The DOT states there are 11,4000 “all-inclusive” miles of state roads. “All-inclusive” refers to lane miles, on- and off-ramps, turn arounds, and commuter parking lots that the DOT maintains. If a one-mile stretch of road has a total of four lanes, then that makes up four lane miles.

For FY 05 (the most recently completed fiscal year), the state purchased 162,000 tons of road salt. However, DOT reports over the last 10 years, the average annual purchase is 105,000 tons, which is enough for 12 storms. The state experienced 18 storms in FY 05.