Comments about road salting policies raised some eyebrows during a recent public meeting in Bridgewater.
A man identifying himself as a contract plow driver for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal says there is a cap on how much salt can be put down during a storm.
And he says the measurement doesn’t change depending on the size of the storm.
Local DOTIR Area Manager Glen Strang says that’s true to a point.
But he adds the effectiveness of the salt isn’t dependent on how much snow falls.
“As soon as it starts our trucks are going to be out salting,” he says. “That salt is applied to the paved roads to facilitate plowing more than to melt snow.”
Strang says the point is to prevent ice from sticking to the road so plows are able to effectively clear the snow.
He says if, during the course of a storm more salt is needed, trucks will be sent out to do a second pass.
