Ahead of a projected snowstorm this weekend, county and city officials are working to ensure roads are as safe as possible.
Union County Engineer Jeff Stauch said this weekend’s snowfall projections would be the largest amount of snow yet this year, “if it materializes.”
“In Central Ohio, you don’t know,” he said.
Stauch noted that every weather event is unique, in that they can bring snow, ice or rain at different times. Even so, he said the roads crew is well prepared.
“They’re very, very familiar with their routes… in that way it’s somewhat repetitive,” he said.
Stauch said there are 18 primary routes in Union County that comprise about 550 miles. The routes consist mostly of county roads, as well as some township roads, he said.
Each driver’s truck is equipped with salt and spread on roads “as needed,” he said, based on the temperature and wind speed.
City of Marysville Roads Superintendent Joe Tracey said he expects the first wave of his crews will begin salting between 7 and 8 p.m. tonight.
By midnight, he said he anticipates 15 operators will be on the roads.
Tracey said those 15 trucks were already loaded with tons of salt and “ready to roll” as of Friday afternoon.
He noted that the city salts the entirety of main roads, but only intersections in residential areas.
The crews also spent much of Friday “pre-treating” the roads in preparation for the anticipated storm.
Tracey said residents may have noticed white lines on the roads Friday from a brine mixture of salt and water.
“It’s a cheap way to buy us some time,” before crews go out Saturday evening, Tracey said.
Prior to that, Tracey said he will continuously check the weather to adjust plans and adapt to the conditions.
Stauch said monitoring the radar also plays a major role in the county’s response to inclement weather.
“We approach large storms very much like we would a smaller event,” he said. “You have to be prepared to adjust on the fly.”
Storms are expected to hit Saturday evening through Sunday, so Tracey said he doesn’t expect the crews will encounter much traffic on the roads.
Despite predictions of high snow accumulation, Tracey said he “doesn’t expect to use a lot of salt” this weekend, either.
Both Stauch and Tracey said their crews have enough salt to tackle the weather.
The county has “plenty of salt on hand,” as they ordered 4,200 tons this year, Stauch said.
He noted that a “mild winter” last year also resulted in additional tons in carryover.
Tracey noted that the city did not purchase any salt this year, as they had approximately 3,400 tons leftover from 2020.
In 38 years of working for the city, he said it is the first time he can recall not needing to purchase salt.
Tracey said he doesn’t expect it to happen again but back-to-back mild winters allowed Marysville to “save a couple hundred thousand” in salt costs for 2021.
Regardless, salting the roads is a pricey operation.
Stauch said the county paid just under $64 per ton of salt this year.
While it’s not the highest they have paid, he said the price has increased in recent years.
He said this year’s cost equates to about $1,100 to load each truck.
“It’s costly material.. but obviously necessary, especially as the county grows,” Stauch said.