Harrison maps road treatment plans
By KAY SEDGMER, Times Leader Staff WriterCADIZ -- With an increase in price and the availability of road salt in question for this winter, motorists in the Ohio Valley are being encourage to sharpen up their driving skills.
Harrison County Engineer Rob Sterling said county road crews will use less material than in past years due to the skyrocketing prices for salt. The county is currently paying over $76 per ton while in the past the cost was a lot less - $43 per ton.
"Getting salt might be a problem too," Sterling said. "The supply is down and the cost is up. We will be treating roads differently than in the past."
A gathering was recently held between the county, Ohio Department of Transportation, local school and law enforcement officials to discuss plans for action when winter weather effects roadways.
"We met to institute a 'smart salt' program," Sterling said. "We will maximize the effect of our treatment of the roads."
The Smart Salt Strategy is being used statewide to ensure the right amounts of salt and manpower are being used at the right times and locations. Road maintenance crews, on all levels, have been preparing for the oncoming winter months.
Sterling said among the options being considered are not going out for light snow, putting down less material when treating roadways and making fewer passes. He said plans call for treating hills, turns and intersections only unless the snowfall is heavy.
On the county level, road crews currently have approximately 700 tons of salt stored in bins and has an order in for additional salt. The department used over 2,000 tons for road treatment last year.
Sterling is pleased that the county recently entered into a contract with Oxford Mining to obtain a brine mix to be used on area roads.
"This is going to help us," he said. "We can put it directly on the roads in anticipation of snow or ice or we can add it to the mixture we spread on the roads. It costs the county no money and will be beneficial."
However, he is making no promises that roads will be clear from snow and ice.
"We are concerned with the predictions for this coming winter," Sterling said. "People are going to need to be careful when driving this year; they will need to add extra time to reach their destination. We will work to keep the roads as safe as we can but we will be using less salt no matter how you look at it."
Sterling urges motorist to use caution when traveling in the winter and encourages them to find up-to-the-minute road conditions by logging on to BuckeyeTraffic.org.
Last winter, the Web site received more than 117 million hits during the winter driving season.
Sedgmer may be reached at ksedgmer@ timesleaderonline.com
