It’s been a busy winter for local highway department snow plow crews, but town highway superintendents say they are coping with winter’s onslaught and should have enough salt to get them through the end of the season.
The Town of Sweden contracted for four thousand tons of salt through the state bid with American Rock salt. Officials in Sweden say 75 percent of that has been spread and Highway Superintendent Brian Ingraham is being conservative in his usage of salt. The timeliness of salt deliveries is an issue with the continual/frequent storms.
Brian Speer, Town of Parma Highway Superintendent, says, “Our supply is getting lower than I’d like it to be,” regarding road salt.
He traveled to the salt mine in Livingston County recently to check things out himself. “Trucks are going in and out of the mine, but they are putting the brakes on how many orders,” he explains.
Speer says he put in an order for more salt on Tuesday, February 17 and didn’t expect delivery until mid-to-late week of February 23. “Usually if you order on Tuesday, the salt will be here by Friday or Saturday,” he says.
In the Town of Ogden, Highway Superintendent David Widger says the town’s salt supply is in good shape, but like Speer, explains that delivery of additional supplies of salt is slow.
“We’re alright,” he says, “but it’s tough to get it out of the mine, they are mining each day, but it’s slow getting it out.”
He hoped to receive an order of salt the week of February 23.
Widger explains that during recent bouts of frigid weather, the town has used less salt on roadways. “It doesn’t work as well, we don’t want to waste it,” he says.
Outside of salt supplies, the town is facing the problem of plowing contractors pushing snow into the roads, where it can cause very hazardous and slippery conditions and lead to accidents, Widger says.
“They should push it into yards instead of out into the road,” he explains. “There are town codes that state you can’t do that.”
In Riga, Highway Superintendent David Smith echoes Speer and Widger – “Salt is holding up OK, but deliveries have been a little slow,” he says.
He ordered 700 tons during the last few weeks and has taken delivery. “We’re in pretty good shape,” Smith says.
During frigid weather, Riga also conserves salt by spreading it only on hills, curves and at intersections, Smith says. “Even with additives, the salt doesn’t work very well at those temperatures.
“We’re tired of winter and are ready for spring,” he adds.
Town of Kendall Highway Superintendent Warren Kruger says he mixes salt with some sand. The mix helps to stretch the salt and gives some grit to help with traction.
“We’re getting by,” he notes regarding the supply of salt, “we have an order in, it hasn’t gotten to us yet, it could be a while. We’re surviving.”
Kruger says the salt mine has been shipping salt to New England and the Boston area, which has been hard-hit by snow storms this winter. He says that although justified, those shipments have caused “some concern” to local municipalities regarding supplies.
Kruger explains that when he called the mine recently to re-order, he was asked if it was an “emergency.” Kruger says he told them no, “I just want to re-stock a little and get on the list.”
Kendall Highway crews are busy pushing back snow piles along roadways. “I wish the wind would stop blowing,” Kruger says, “it’s drifting continuously. Everyone is running out of places to put the snow….. I think everybody is going to have cabin fever.”
Photos:
Keeping roadways clear and safe are challenges the area’s highway superintendents face every winter season, but this year’s prolonged record cold temperatures and mounting snowfall totals create tough conditions for plow crews. Photographer Walter Horylev met three highway department leaders at their salt sheds last week — Parma’s Brian Speer, Spencerport’s Tom West, Ogden’s Dave Widger. They and others in the readership report salt deliveries have been slower than usual but that actual salt use is about the same as last year. In extreme cold, straight salt is less effective on roads, so some municipalities blend salt and sand to provide more traction (darker piles in photos). All wonder how much more winter March will bring.
