Winter season wraps up as spring arrives
Yet another eventful snow and ice season nears the end
LIMA (Monday, March 30, 2015) As the winter weather wraps up and spring has arrived, at least on the calendar, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 1 will be putting away the plows and transitioning into construction work around the district.
District 1 includes Allen, Defiance, Hancock, Hardin, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert and Wyandot counties.
As of now, ODOT District 1 crews have driven 1,062,987 miles during snow and ice operations, used 50,424 tons of salt, and used 548,191gallons of deicing liquids throughout the eight-county district. The total cost of labor, equipment and material to date for the winter season sits at $8,226,787.
At this same point last year, the district had driven 1,348,847 miles, used 62,328 tons of salt, used 601,943 gallons of deicing liquids and spent $8,644,162 for snow and ice control.
Excluding last year, the average cost per year over the last 10 years for snow and ice control operations in the district is $4.1 million.
“Our numbers up to this point are very comparable to last year’s regarding our snow and ice efforts. We were hoping for a less severe winter, but as of now both years are ending up quite similar,” said Kirk Slusher, Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 deputy director. “The materials used and miles driven were lower this year, but the higher cost of salt kept our overall costs up,” he said.
The average cost of salt this winter was $105 per ton versus $56 per ton last season.
The maintenance crew at the Allen County ODOT garage began the snow and ice season in a new facility which was constructed last year as part of a campus development project. The garage was one of several work units in the district which relocated from Chapman Road to McCullough Street in Lima where the district office and district garage were already located.
The new facility provided the following benefits:
- The county was able to up salt storage from 2,000 to 4,000 tons.
- The county increased fuel capacity to a 12,000 ton split tank with 6,000 tons diesel fuel and 6,000 tons of unleaded fuel.
- The transition added additional lean-to storage for the county for materials and equipment.
- A winter liquid station that is yet to be installed will allow for automatic brine making that will result in higher production and efficiency.
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The following is an update regarding snow and ice operations on state highways within the Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 which includes the counties of Allen, Defiance, Hancock, Hardin, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert and Wyandot. This report is issued periodically during the winter months and as necessary following snow and ice events.
The report represents a period beginning in October to present:
| Snow and Ice Operations Totals – Winter Season (to date) | |||||
| County | Total Lane Miles Maintained | Salt Used (tons) | Deicing Liquids Used (gallons) | Miles Driven for Snow and Ice | Total Cost (labor, equipment, material) |
| Allen | 474 | 6,873 | 43,662 | 107,225 | $1,150,627 |
| Defiance | 311 | 5,564.9 | 50,918 | 120,170 | $891,699 |
| Hancock | 581 | 9,360 | 117,478 | 184,531 | $1,420,242 |
| Hardin | 323 | 4,253.7 | 35,306 | 125,432 | $748,444 |
| Paulding | 393 | 6,335.4 | 83,748 | 102,045 | $984,119 |
| Putnam | 422 | 6,303.8 | 42,084 | 143,170 | $1,051,151 |
| Van Wert | 375 | 5,478 | 55,223 | 113,580 | $904,135 |
| Wyandot | 475 | 6,255.8 | 119,772 | 166,834 | $1,076,370 |
| Total | 3,356 | ||||
| District 1 totals year to date | 50,424.6 | 548,191 | 1,062,987 | $8,226,787 | |
Additional facts:
-Total amount of salt on hand throughout the eight-county region of ODOT District 1 is currently 19,224 tons.
-The “Deicing Liquids Used” column reflects the current usage to date of several types of liquid deicers. This category includes salt brine as well as the following. These products are more effective at controlling icy conditions versus just straight salt or salt brine and can be more cost effective:
- Beet Heet, a sugar beet, molasses-based product that increases rock salt’s ice melting capacity below its 15-degree limit;
- Aqua Salina, a natural saltwater with a lower freeze point than regular brine;
- and Boost, an organic substance that when added to calcium chloride reduces the corrosiveness of calcium chloride and improves its anti-icing and deicing capability.
-The worst winter in recent memory in terms of cost was last winter with $8.7 million expended in District 1 for snow and ice control.
Ohio’s highways are essential to keeping and creating new jobs. With a mission to provide easy movement of people and goods from place to place, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is responsible for maintaining one of the largest transportation networks in the nation. Guided by ethical principles and accountability, ODOT works to improve safety, enhance travel and advance economic development. As a $2.8 billion enterprise, the department wisely invests in its core services of snow and ice removal, annual construction program and highway maintenance operations.
