ODOT snow-fighting fleet ready for winter
More than 1,600 plow
trucks will clear snow and ice in Ohio
LEBANON (October 30, 2017) – Each of the Ohio Department of
Transportation’s (ODOT) 1,629 trucks is receiving a 150-point check as
part of the department’s annual county-by-county Operational Readiness
Inspections. This allows ODOT’s 262 mechanics to ensure snow-fighting
equipment is in top shape before the snow begins to fall.
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“It is our
intention to be the standard of excellence for winter maintenance. Removing
snow and ice from our roads and highways is extremely important and our
most visible function,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray. “The men and women
of ODOT take great pride in making sure our roads are clear for safe
travel.”
ODOT measures the
success of snow removal by looking at the percent of priority routes that
recovered speeds within two hours of a snow event. Last winter, ODOT crews
met this goal 98 percent of the time.
Last year, ODOT’s
snow plow trucks were driven 6.8 million miles plowing and pretreating
roadways. That’s like 275 trips around the Earth. Crews used more than
600,000 tons of salt and 12 million gallons of liquid deicers to treat
nearly 44,000 lane miles of roadway.
ODOT’s District 8
Office has 160 trucks and 327 trained drivers ready to plow more than 3,800
lane miles in the seven counties under its responsibility in southwest
Ohio. There is also nearly 60,000 tons of salt on hand to be used during
snow and ice events in Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Green, Hamilton, Preble
and Warren counties.
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“Our
plow driver’s work hard to clear snow and ice, but we need the public’s
help as well,” said ODOT District 8 Deputy Director Tammy Campbell.
“Statewide, ODOT plows were struck 35 times last year. Please be sure to
give our drivers plenty of room to work. Plow trucks typically drive much
slower than other traffic and can propel large amounts of heavy snow, so
be extra alert when driving near them.”
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The public can
monitor real-time traffic conditions via more than 600 live traffic cameras
statewide. Customized traffic alerts are also available through ODOT’s free
mobile app – OHGO.
The app is available on the App Store
and Google Play.
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