The Marion County Road Department is preparing for the winter season and the road conditions that come with it. Marion County Engineer Tyler Christian says that the salt and sand comes in separate phases throughout the season.
“We have, to date, taken delivery of all the salt we’ve ordered pre-season. We have a pre-season and an in-season contract, so our sheds are full for pre-season. And then we have a certain tonnage each year, about 500 tons, that we keep the sheds full throughout the winter season, just in case we get one of those harder winters where salt is in short supply. We’ll continue to take delivery as we start to use it.”
Christian says that in a typical winter, the department expects to use between 1,500 and 2,000 tons of salt and sand, and has total storage of up to 5,000 tons.