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Snow Removal Costs Pile Up In Delaware

FAIRFAX, Del., (CBS) --The First State was hit very hard Thursday by the latest winter storm.

Governor Jack Markell will hold a meeting Friday morning to try and figure out if driving restrictions are once again needed.

Avoiding massive puddles was the biggest problem walking around Newark.

By nightfall the rain mixed with melting snow to create a miserable kind of slush.

Students from the University of Delaware who enjoyed a snow day decided to venture out for some dinner.

It was a massive effort by DelDOT to clear away the more than 12 inches of snow that hit the northern end of the Delaware.

Slushy side streets were about the worst of what was left on the roads by 8 pm.

"We've been plowing the roads that slush is building up and now the drainage is clogged and so we're monitoring that very closely," Cabinet Secretary at Delaware Department of Transportation Shailen Bhatt said.

This has been a winter many people are eager to see come to an end.

Governor Jack Markell contends this weather is costing the state.

He says most years, the state budgets about $3.5 million for snow removal.

"The DelDOT portion alone was costing Delaware taxpayers $9.7 million," he said.

And you can add to that the number of days businesses here have had to close due to all the snow, in addition to the number of hours employees have lost.

The governor says clearly this winter has taken its toll.

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