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State to purchase 17,000 tons of road salt
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
The state Controlling Board approved another road-salt purchase Monday as the Ohio Department of Transportation continues to work to replenish supplies depleted by snow and ice in recent months.
The lawmaker panel, without comment, approved ODOT’s request for $1.2 million to buy about 17,000 tons of salt from two companies.
ODOT is spending about $792,000 to purchase 10,500 tons from Cargill, at a cost of $75.36 per ton, and about $385,000 for 7,000 tons from the Detroit Salt Co., at a cost of $55 per ton, according to documents.
Through the end of last month, ODOT has used more than 1 million tons of salt this winter, at a cost of $119 million-plus, according to spokesman Steve Faulkner.
State plow drivers have treated more than 14 million miles of roads.
The totals are well above the state average over the past decade of 630,000 tons of salt used at a total cost of $62 million.
Last winter, ODOT used 731,757 tons of salt at a cost of about $81 million.