MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County is taking an active approach to protect the environment and preserve road infrastructure this winter.
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation revealed it wants to better manage how it uses salt on local roadways.
“The goal is to use less," MCDOT Director Chris Conklin said.
Conklin said salt used to de-ice roadways can often end up in local waterways. On top of that, he added that the usage of salt can be corrosive on asphalt and concrete roads.
This winter, the county will begin to calibrate the spreading equipment on its contractors’ plows to make sure they do not overuse the substance.
Conklin said the contracts with snowplow operators have been changed to require compliance with the county’s calibration requirements.
"Our strategy is to try to manage the salt more carefully and make sure that we are using the right amount for each storm," he said.
According to Conklin, MCDOT will also have some of its crews conduct post-storm inspections to look for areas where salt was overspread so it can clean those areas more quickly.
However, how Montgomery County uses salt won’t be the only change drivers might notice this winter.
The county will also experiment with using rubber-tipped blades on its plows instead of metal ones to avoid damaging roadways. MCDOT said metal-tipped blades can scratch up roads if they are used before there are three inches of snow on the ground.
"By using the rubber-tip blades, we can plow the snow earlier," Conklin said. "And, with less snow falling, that allows us to use a little less salt because we don't have to meet as much of the frozen precipitation on the road."
MCDOT said its Storm Operations Center will activate at 3 am Wednesday morning, but it does not expect a major mobilization of its road crews for this particular storm.
