Tri-county officials weigh options for treating snowy roads this winter

YOUNGSTOWN

Some Mahoning Valley communities will be reaching out to Ohio’s attorney general about increased road salt prices, while others continue to decide the next step.

County engineers for Trumbull, Columbiana and Mahoning have rejected as too costly getting salt through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s state purchasing program.

Trumbull County Engineer Randy Smith said there are now three options:

Continue to mix road salt with other treatments.

Pre-treat roads with brine, a salt-water waste.

Partner with surrounding communities to purchase a 20,000-ton barge at a rate of $98 a ton. But those communities would have to split the cost of picking up the salt from Lake Erie.

Trumbull County rejected a bid from ODOT for $127 a ton while Columbiana rejected a bid of $102.70 a ton. Mahoning County’s rejected bid was between $146 and $148.

All three counties, however, were able to get some rock salt through a summer purchase program earlier this year.

Read more about the situation in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.