At all costs, keep safety first amid crisis in road-salt prices

Who can forget the brutal and blustery winter of 2013-14? A total of 89.1 inches of snow socked the Mahoning Valley from Oct. 1 through March 31, the fourth highest accumulation for any winter season here in more than a century of record keeping by the National Weather Service.

As a result, few public officials in communities in our region can forget the extremely high toll the season took on road-clearing crews and road-salt supplies to keep highways and byways safe and passable. In Boardman, for example, some 7,500 tons of road salt was used, compared with 5,000 tons in an average winter for the township. Statewide, ODOT went through more than 1 million tons of salt, making it the most supply-draining winter in its history.

With the start of official record-keeping for the 2014-15 winter season just days away, county engineers, community road superintendents and residents alike have their fingers doubly crossed in hopes for a much more mild and dry season. Not only do they want to avoid the heavy toll last winter’s season extracted on comfort levels, the costs of providing the same degree of road protection has skyrocketed. That’s largely because the cost of road salt has catapulted to unheard-of heights.

Because of the harshness of last winter, state salt sheds have been depleted and inventories at salt mines have been diminished. The law of supply and demand dictates that reductions in supply necessitate cost increases to meet a constant demand.

As a result, road-salt prices have increased as much as 525 percent in some Valley locales. In Mahoning County for example, bids for road salt have soared to $146 per ton, compared with $27 a ton last year.

LITIGATION IN PROGRESS

While litigation by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office against the state’s largest salt suppliers – Morton Salt and Cargill – is ongoing over purported price-fixing and price-gouging, local communities cannot hope for a settlement and the possibility of a windfall anytime soon.

That’s why it’s imperative that they think proactively with close attention paid to cost containment so as not to drain taxpayer-funded county and community budgets. At the same time, however, the safety of hundreds of thousands of Valley motorists on slick and dangerous roads cannot be given short shrift.

Fortunately, several communities had the foresight to expect the colossal price increases and purchase some supplies of salt at a much lower cost in a summer buying program offered by ODOT. Others will be able to take advantage of the 171,600 tons of road salt ODOT is purchasing from an Indiana salt supplier at a comparatively low cost of $105 per ton.

But local community road leaders should also consider other cost-cutting moves, such as joint purchasing programs with other communities and less expensive ice-melting mixes.

In an effort to extend the life of its winter salt supply, Boardman road officials plan to mix aggregate into its salt for application on some township roads. Other communities may need to mimic that practice, but all communities must ensure that the mix is not so watered down as to severely weaken its effectiveness.

As of now, forecasts for winter are all over the map. National Weather Service, the Old Farmer’s Almanac and a variety of other weather forecasting companies and services cannot agree. Some call for mild and dry weather through March. Others forecast repeats of last year’s extreme cold and heavy snowfall.

Whether winter is mild or severe, Valley communities must persevere. They should do so by hoping for the best but planning for the worst.