Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 does it again!!
AKRON (Monday, October 31, 2011) – District 4 continues to raise the bar for snow and ice removal technology at ODOT, and this year, we proudly introduce EPOKE, the very latest in salt and brine spreading technology, efficiency, and cost effectiveness. District 4 will be unveiling the first EPOKE salt and brine hoper for the Ohio Department of Transportation in Summit County during the 2011-2012 winter season as a test run to see its efficiency and cost effectiveness.
“EPOKE when in use will be able to spray and spread salt across multiple lanes on the State Route 8 and Interstate 271 corridor from Hudson to Macedonia,” Summit County Manager Frank Phillips Jr. said.
- EPOKE has cutting edge technology to maximize the effectiveness of every load of salt and brine. By grinding the salt into a consistent size and pre-mixing the salt with brine the end product that hits the road is an “oatmeal like” slurry type consistency. This process uses approximately 30 percent less salt then a conventional hoper by using more brine. Also, the new system allows the operator to spread the slurry while traveling approximately 55 mph. compared to a conventional system where drivers are traveling approximately 35 mph.
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- EPOKE can direct the spread of the salt and brine slurry left or right. In combination, the slurry and directional system can have pin point control with lanes it can treat. With a conventional hopper salt spray is focused on one lane, which often times can lead to some salt bouncing and landing in the median. Whereas the EPOKE system focuses on spraying several lanes at once, which keeps the slurry were it can be most effective, on the traveling lanes. The slurry that comes from this hopper also sticks to the road better and has less scatter and bounce than a conventional system.
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- Cost effectiveness is in the fore front with the EPOKE system. According to Chuck Novak, manager of the City of Cuyahoga Falls street department in Summit County, the city of Cuyahoga Falls has purchased 16 EPOKE hoppers over the past five years with an initial cost of $1.9 million. During that time period, the city has saved $1.85 million in snow and ice costs due to EPOKE.
Last year, District 4 introduced the Tow Plow which was used in Ashtabula County. This snow and ice marvel can plow and treat two lanes of traffic at the same time. The Tow Plow was a large success, and District 4 purchased one for use on the I-90 corridor in Ashtabula and Lake Counties.
“Once again District 4 is in a class by our self in snow and ice technologies at ODOT,” District 4 Deputy Director Anthony Urankar said. “With EPOKE, the Tow Plow, our managers, drivers, and mechanics we will be the standard of excellence in snow and ice removal.”