Road crews are ready for 1st snow
About 1,500 tons of salt and slag are ready, a road superintendent said.
WARREN -- The Trumbull County Engineer's Office says if the snow flies sometime this week, it will be prepared with trucks and supplies such as salt and sand.
Chris Connelly, road superintendent, said the drivers were out Tuesday to make a dry run of their routes. They do this to test the trucks, get familiar with the routes and identify areas that should be avoided.
He said some problem areas are storm sewers that stick up from the roadway, or railroad crossings. The drivers watch for these now -- before the snow comes. They sometimes put hazard signs on such areas so they can see them when they're out plowing.
Connelly said the department works on the trucks, spreaders and plows during the summer to get them ready. At this point, all are in good working order, he said.
Stockpiled
Both the Warren and Cortland garages are stockpiled with salt, sand and ice-control grit used in the spreaders. About 1,500 tons of the material are available -- enough to last until the first of the year, he said. He said a load of 500 tons was delivered Friday.
Connelly said the department buys its salt through a state purchasing contract it has used for years. He said the contract calls for salt to be delivered within 48 hours, and he expects no shortage.
He noted that with the high temperatures of late, it would be surprising if snowfall this week would require plowing or salt because it probably won't stick to the roads. After several cold nights, however, conditions would become better for icy roads.
He said the week before Thanksgiving is traditionally the time when the department tries to be ready for snow.