FREEHOLD, NJ – County road crews worked overnight and throughout today to clear county roads of snow and ice as Monmouth County braced for its third winter storm in a month.

 

Even before the first snow flakes fell Thursday morning, road crews from the county’s Department of Public Works & Engineering began applying liquid salt brine to many of the county’s roads in order to prevent the snow and ice from bonding to the road surface. The county has about 1,000 lane miles of roads. Crews will also be applying rock salt treated with magnesium chloride.

 

“We begin preparing well in advance of a winter storm,” said John W. Tobia, director of the county’s Department of Public Works & Engineering. “Our snow room was activated yesterday and we have been monitoring the storm’s progress throughout the county. We have a full complement of crews clearing the county’s roads.”

 

The county put into service all 115 trucks outfitted with spreading and plowing capabilities to combat snowstorms, Tobia said. By 10 a.m. many of the county roads were already showing blacktop, which ultimately is the goal the road crews strive for, Tobia said.

 

A winter storm warning remains in effect until noon today, with moderate to heavy snowfalls continuing throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service. Accumulation is expected to be six to 10 inches. Additionally, strong winds 20 to 25 miles per hour with strong gusts up to 45 mph can produce low visibilities in areas of drifting and blowing snow.

 

“Time after time, Monmouth County’s roads are the cleanest of any after a snowfall, and I salute the dedicated county employees who work tirelessly through the night to make sure our residents have an easier time navigating our roadways,” said Freeholder John P. Curley, who oversees the Department of Public Works and Engineering. “They are among the best in the business.”

 

This is the third winter the county has applied the salt brine and magnesium chloride-treated rock salt. The salt brine and a pre-application of treated rock salt prevent the snow and ice from bonding to the roads, and the treated rock salt is environmentally friendly. It does not burn the grass or other roadside vegetation nor does it corrode the trucks or the steel bridge spans.

 

“The key is to keep ice and snow from bonding to the road surface,” Tobia said. “You may notice the lanes will be slushy instead of iced over. That’s the first step before the plows come by.”

           

As a result, there have been far fewer telephone calls from local police departments with regard to trouble spots, Tobia said. Typically, when police dispatchers call to report icy conditions – usually on bridges or curved roadways –the county dispatches additional trucks to do some spot treatments.           

           

The new rock salt works much better than the old rock salt, which was very corrosive to bridge structures, roadside vegetation, the roadway itself and trucks and equipment, Tobia said.

 

“We have found that magnesium chloride-treated rock salt is much more effective and, therefore, there is a savings in man hours and material,” he said. “We use approximately 20 to 30 percent less material, depending on the snow event, for the same result.”

 

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