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Heavily salted: Lots of snow, ice this winter cuts into supply

BRIAN LINDHOLM, SANDER operator for the Dickinson County Road Commission, gathers salt at the Quinnesec supply site this morning. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — This sloppy winter of snow and ice has tapped deeply into Dickinson County’s salt supply, but officials for now are confident they’ll have enough to make it to spring — though it would help if the pace of weather events slowed down.

Snow started early this season, with a substantial amount by Thanksgiving, said James Harris, managing director for the Dickinson County Road Commission. Dickinson County usually doesn’t have to deal with significant snow until December, he said.

December proved to be the third-snowiest on record at 29 inches. January has had about 20 inches so far, plus regular freezing drizzle.

The county started the season with roughly 5,000 tons of salt. They’ve used about 3,000 tons through November and December, according to the Dickinson County Road Commission.

They’ve also put down about 1,500 tons of a salt-sand mix, which is more useful with extremely cold conditions and at problem intersections, said Todd Rowell, superintendent of roads. If the salt supply begins to grow thin, the county will rely more on that 8-to-1 sand-salt mix.

“But we’re not there yet,” Harris said. “We think we’re going to be OK.”

County officials usually order salt for the next winter in April, Harris said. If more has to be brought in, it costs considerably more — and might not be available.

Earlier this month, they got another 500 tons for use on state roads. The county also covers 236 lane miles under contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation.

It also must treat a total of 332 miles of local roads, including 184 primary paved and 45 unpaved primary.

For that, the county has five salt/sander trucks, 10 plow trucks and one grader at the Quinnesec site; and four salt/sander trucks, three plow trucks and another grader at the garage on M-69 in Felch Township.

But it means some roads might not be plowed for days if the snowfall is heavy or prolonged — the primary routes take priority, Harris said. Crews also need a certain amount of rest time during extended weather events, though the department still has trucks rolling 24 hours when needed, with two operating overnight.

He hopes the public will understand the delays in heavy snows.

The key will be getting to the second half of February, Rowell said, when the sun can help in heating up pavement enough to reduce the need for salt and sand. That is, if the county doesn’t see a repeat of February 2019, when the region had a record 43.7 inches of snow.

“If we can keep on track until then,” Rowell said, “we’ll be OK.”

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