ODOT prepares for snow and ice season
Mechanics and drivers preform 150-point safety check on snow plows and equipment at ODOT District 10 garage in Marietta on Thursday morning. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
Snow plows and equipment are checked during the weather readiness event at ODOT District 10 garage in Marietta on Thursday morning. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
Mechanics and drivers preform 150-point safety check on snow plows and equipment at ODOT District 10 garage in Marietta on Thursday morning. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
Snow plows and equipment are checked during the weather readiness event at ODOT District 10 garage in Marietta on Thursday morning. (Photo by Sophie Wheeler)
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MARIETTA - Ohio Department of Transportation has begun equipment checks and salt barn restocking in preparation for snow and ice season.
Ashley Rittenhouse, public information officer for ODOT District 10, said every ODOT garage in the state is performing a winter readiness event over the next few weeks in preparation of the season.
During the events, the mechanics inspect each piece of "snow and ice fighting equipment", according to Rittenhouse.
"They're conducting a 150-point inspection on each plow truck. They're looking for everything, front to back, top to bottom," Rittenhouse said.
She said all aspects of the equipment is checked including; fluid levels, tires, and the plow among others.
Rittenhouse said, "(It's) really about being proactive before winter arrives. The last thing we want is to be out there treating roads during a snowstorm and have some kind of issue with our equipment and have to bring (the truck) back to the garage. That's obviously going to slow down our efforts."
Last winter, ODOT crews travelled 9.7 million miles using nearly 813,000 tons of salt and 16.9 million gallons of liquid deicers, according to a release from ODOT.
Rittenhouse said, "we always prepare the same way no matter what - prepare for the worst, hope for the best. If we get a significant amount of snow again this year, you know we're ready for it."
A recent ODOT press release states, the ODOT team has nearly 3,000 drivers with around 500 drivers who are hired seasonally throughout Ohio. District 10 covers Gallia County to Monroe and Nobel County with around 15 to 20 highway technicians and two to three mechanics per garage, according to Rittenhouse.
"ODOT mechanics and plow drivers are vital to keeping people and goods moving safely when severe weather strikes," said ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn in the release. "These inspections ensure every piece of equipment is road-ready so crews can do their jobs treating and plowing highways and bridges. We ask motorists to help keep everyone on the winter roads safe and give plow drivers room to work. Please adjust speeds for winter conditions, move over, slow down and put the phone down," she said.
"We say 'don't crowd the plow'. If you have to travel, give yourself extra time (and) give us that extra space," she said.
Rittenhouse said OHGO and OHGO.com is a helpful app and website for drivers, "that's where drivers can look at the live traffic camera around the state and see what those road conditions are. Then, if there's a crash, flooding, any incident that would close the road, that information is there as well."
Sophie Wheeler can be reached at swheeler@newsandsentinel.com.