Nov 19, 2008 11:20 pm US/Eastern
Crews Face High Costs To Keep Roads Clear
Reporting
Jim Lokay
(KDKA)
One of the biggest problems winter weather causes is bad road conditions.
But it is going to cost quite a bit more this year to keep the roads clear.
White Oak's salt stockpile is full, but not for long.
"They said November's going to be good and I'm holding them to it, and that's coming from the weather forecasters," said Jim McCabe, the White Oak Public Works supervisor.
But the threat of winter isn't the only test towns and cities across the country are dealing with.
Last year, we used over 24 million tons of rock salt nationwide. That statistic is up from 18 million tons in 2007. There is less supply, and more demand.
"We're on a contract, we're in the third year of a contract. This is the last year, but there are some people who aren't on a contract who paid two, maybe three times what we paid this year," said McCabe.
Not everyone was lucky enough to lock in the price of salt. For example, in the North Hills, five communities there have a deal with the county to salt and maintain county-owned roads when the weather gets bad. But instead of taking money from the county, they're taking the salt.
As for North Huntingdon, the township paid about $40 a ton last year. Now they're paying $77 a ton, as well as paying for trucking.
So Public Works Director Rick Albert says he is investing in a high-tech setup.
"It's an electronic system that you set, and it electronically sets your equipment to spread a certain amount per pound," said Albert.
But regardless of what your town is paying this year, more money for salt next year means less money for other things.
"That's where we'll likely cut back on our paving, usually the biggest ticket where we can take a few bucks off here and there, and that hurts your infrastructure," said Albert.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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