(01/17/20) - The Michigan Department of Transportation has used a little more salt at this point in the year compared to the same time last year.
Associate Region Engineer of Operations, Kimberly Zimmer, told ABC12 that MDOT has used approximately 25-percent more of its salt supply, but they're stocked and ready to go for this weekend's storm.
ABC12 called around to some county road commissions to see how their salt storage is holding up.
Genesee County has about 5,800 tons. Midland County has about 3,000 tons and Shiawassee County has about 7,000 tons of rock salt.
Bay City Department of Public Works Director Bob Dion tells ABC12 they have 3,500 tons of salt ready to go.
Bay City DPW Director Bob Dion says residents make it easier and safer for roads crews when they take their vehicles off the streets.
If Bay City ends up getting more than six inches, he says the city manager has the authority to call it a major snow event. That would make it mandatory for residents to move their cars off the street.
The Saginaw County road commission did not respond to our request for information by deadline.
For the most part, everyone is on call this weekend, but may directors said they still have to wait and see exactly how the forecast pans out.
Midland County is ready to go with about 20 trucks.
There are 50 salt trucks mobilized in Genesee County, which is pretty much the entire fleet.
So far this season Genesee County has used about 30% of its salt budget, according to Managing Director Fred Peivandi.
He wants residents to know that commercial salt prices are going up.
"The salt price has gone up by 4 bucks a ton this year. It went from $40 a ton 10 years ago, now up to $59. Almost $20 difference or increase," Peivandi said.
In Genesee County the budget for just rock salt is about $1.5 million.
In 2018 when there was a salt shortage, Peivandi says the county spent a record high of $1.8 million.
Speaking of budgets, for many counties and cities, this will be the second consecutive weekend where workers will have overtime or double time.
"We budget every year for overtime for our people to work on weekends because they're going to be on call. When we get snow or ice they will be on call," Peivandi said.
Peivandi says Genesee County is contracted with MDOT to plow and salt highways and then M routes. Another team handles multi-lane primary roads in the county. Residential roads are the last to be taken care of, and crews can NOT do so using overtime.
"You have the trunk line crew that handles all the freeways and M-routes and then you also have the maintenance crew and district garages that handles all the primaries and locals and also some freeways," Peivandi said.
Those district garages are in Flint, Otisville, Montrose, Linden, Atlas and Swartz Creek. Someone will be out patrolling county roads and freeways then reporting back to a supervisor about conditions and roads that need to be treated.
"They're going to be out there soon as snow starts, salting the road and hoping that it melts as it hits the surface of the pavement," Peivandi said.