COLUMBIANA COUNTY ODOT crews prepare for wintry weather

A snowplow driver said motorists shouldn't follow his truck too closely.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- In 15 winters behind the wheel of an Ohio Department of Transportation truck, Stephen Hrivnak has seen a little bit of everything, and a whole lot of snow.
Hrivnak and other members of ODOT's Columbiana County road crew had their trucks and safety equipment inspected Tuesday by ODOT District 11 inspectors in preparation for the winter driving season.
Hrivnak said under normal conditions, drivers work one of two shifts daily during the week, usually from 4 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., or noon to 8:30 p.m. Overtime can accumulate quickly, however, when the snow begins to fly.
During one stretch of bad weather last winter, he worked 96 hours -- 16-hour shifts -- in six days.
He said speed causes the most problems for drivers.
"You just have to slow down," he said. Hrivnak enjoys taking four-wheel-drive vehicles off-road for recreation, and cautions drivers of four-wheel-drive vehicles not to give them too much credit in poor conditions.
"Four-wheel drive gives you traction and keeps the wheels turning if you're going," he said. "It doesn't help you stop. If you start sliding, you've got the same problem as everyone else."
Driving can be as hazardous for snowplow drivers as other motorists. Winding roads aren't very forgiving, he said.
In some areas of the county, there's not much room for error between the white line and the ditch, and drivers find themselves calling for a tow truck.
His route: After several years on the same route, Hrivnak, who lives in Columbiana, knows how the road surface, and motorists, will react. During the winter months, Hrivnak works from ODOT's outpost in Unity, and is responsible for state Route 14 from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border west to Salem.
"If I switched to another route, it would take some getting used to," he said.
Hrivnak knows, for example, that the bends and hills between Washingtonville and Salem are most treacherous and take special care.
"I've had calls when I've been off, and people will ask what's wrong," Hrivnak said. "'Route 14 was terrible yesterday,' they'll say. 'Are you sick or something?'"
Hrivnak said it's OK for motorists to follow ODOT trucks in bad weather, as long as they stay at least three car lengths back.
"We're spreading salt and grit on the highway, and it does tend to bounce," he said.
When and how much material to apply to the highways during a storm is up to the individual drivers, Hrivnak said.
ODOT supplies drivers with a combination of salt and various grades of fine gravel, known as grit. They can also put liquid calcium on the road at temperatures below 20 degrees, when salt is less effective.
According to ODOT reports, crews maintain 649 miles and 194 bridges in the 533 square miles of Columbiana County.