CADIZ — As winter approaches, the Ohio Department of Transportation is making sure they’re prepared to battle impending snow and ice.

Mechanics performed a 150-point check on each truck at the ODOT District 11 garage on Thursday morning in Harrison County.

“It’s Ohio, so we always want to be prepared, we never know when the weather is going to hit. It’s 75-degree weather one day and the next day, you can have 15-degree weather, so that’s why we want our trucks to hit the road as soon as the snow flies,” Lauren Borell, public information officer for ODOT, said.

“If it were to snow tomorrow, these trucks would be ready to hit the road.”

Borell said they have the “Winter Readiness” inspections in all seven counties each year. Workers ensure every component of the plow trucks are in proper working order.

“We go over the trucks front to back, top to bottom. They’re looking to make sure the plows in tip-top shape and functional, they’re looking at the salt spreaders on the back to make sure they’re spinning and ready to go. They’re looking at the undercarriage of the truck to make sure every thing is in shape,” she said.

The Harrison County ODOT is responsible for treating 375 lane miles throughout the county every year. District 11 employs 17 full-time drivers to ensure the roads are clear for motorists, each driver has a 38 miles route to cover.

Statewide, ODOT experienced nearly 60 crashes involving its plow vehicles from Nov. 1, 2018 through March 31, 2019. 23 of those accidents occurred in the month of February, Borell said. There is no definitive cause to the accidents, or particular reason that almost a third happened in that month.

“Everyone’s different. A lot of times, people, they’re just not giving our trucks enough room. That’s one thing that we push all the time; give our trucks plenty of room when they’re working out there. That’s an issue, you’ve got people speeding or trying to pass,” Borell said.

She said one of the biggest issues the plowers incur is motorists not allowing enough “stop time” between themselves and the plow vehicles.

“We remind people, just give them (plow trucks) plenty of room while they’re working out there. Their number one job is to make the roads safe and passable for folks when they’re driving. We’re making the roads passable, not perfect,” she added.

Chris Rogers, driver at ODOT, wants to remind motorists to slow down in the winter months.

“Slow down; be courteous to us guys, we’re trying (to make the roads drivable),” he said.

The busiest months for snow and ice are in January and February, Rogers added.

Borell said the agency currently has 6,200 tons of salt on hand for the upcoming winter months. Depending on the year and the severity of the weather, the amount of salt used by each county various, she said. In 2017, 7,000 tons of salt was used to coat the roads in the county.

Many of the trucks have decorated plows, which is part of the agency’s “Paint the Plow” program. Will Sedgmer, transportation manager at ODOT, said they have been involved in the program for many years. Local schools, churches, organizations and residents contact ODOT and request to paint a plow. The agency will drop off a plow for the students or adults to paint.

“We’ll bring the plow to where ever they want it and they can paint what ever they want. … It lets people connect with us, see what we do and see the plows. A lot of them get to see the trucks. The year before last, the kids (Harrison Central Elementary students) came out (to the garage) and got to see the plows on the trucks and check the trucks out. It was pretty cool,” Sedgmer said.

When it’s not snowing, ODOT crews are patching potholes, performing culvert replacements, trimming trees, among other measures. Sedgmer said crews also pre-treat the roadways with salt brine.

“It helps keep it (snow) from bonding to the road and gives a little extra time to keep the snow off the road,” Sedgmer said. “The most important thing is to get the water and precipitation away from the road.”

Borell wants to remind motorists of ODOT’s slogan; “When there’s ice and snow, take it slow.”

“If you don’t have to go out today, just stay home,” she added.

Residents who would like to keep updated on road conditions, Borell recommends motorists utilize OHgo, a real-time traffic alert application. The app offers roadway conditions, closures, construction updates and allows users to access traffic cameras. The app can be downloaded at www.ohgo.com.

“OHgo (provides) up-to-the-minute traffic updates. … It will tell you what the road condition is; it will say dry, wet, icy,” Borell said.