SHA is stocked and ready to go.
FREDERICK, MD. (LG) The Maryland Department of Transportation is gearing up for its winter readiness by looking at equipment, supplies, and the latest technology to help drivers make intelligent travel decisions during winter weather.
” We have a whole host of different types of equipment. Lots of different types of trucks, we have loaders, blowers, graters and pick-ups’ for team leaders. You name it we’ve got it,” says Linda Puffenbarger, District Engineer, SHA.
Depending on the snow or ice event, different equipment is used, including dump trucks. “Day to day, during storms, with have dump trucks with different types of plows on them. We have tow plows to pull behind for larger roads. We try to be very nimble using the equipment that we have to fit the different types of roadways that we have,” Puffenbarger continued.
Total Quantities of Materials Available to SHA at the Start of 2023-2024 Winter Season
- Rock salt in 87 salt facilities 387,000 tons
- Salt brine at 77 sites 1.7 million gallons
- Abrasives (statewide) – sand and crushed stone 40,000 tons
- Magnesium chloride at 16 sites 100,000 gallons
Budget for winter 2023/2024: $80 million
Lane Miles Maintained (SHA and MDTA): 18,177 miles
(Length of roadway times the number of lanes, including ramps)
Pieces of Equipment (state and contractor): Available to Fight Winter Storms: Up To 2,700
Number of People (state and contractor): Available to Fight Winter Storms: Up To 2,700
- Rock Salt is the principal winter material used by state and contractor forces. It is 100 percent effective at
pavement temperatures of 20° F and above but starts to lose its melting properties once below this
threshold. - Solar Salt is created using a unique evaporation process that yields a nearly pure product that is 99
percent free from insolubles. This type of salt is necessary for SHA’s Brine Production Units to run at their
optimum efficiency. - Salt brine is a solution that can be used as an anti-icing agent on highways prior to the onset of a storm or
as a deicer on highways during a storm. Salt brine is 23.3 percent salt and 76.7 percent water. SHA makes
extensive use of this material. It has a freeze point of -6° F and costs approximately 15 cents per gallon to
produce and transport. Salt brine will be produced and used at SHA’s 15 brine-making facilities. - Magnesium Chloride is a liquid winter material used in de-icing operations. The material has a freeze
point of approximately -26° F. It is used in the colder regions of the state, primarily in the northern and
western counties. In Maryland, magnesium chloride typically is used in conjunction with salt brine.
Winter weather will affect our travel and scheduled plans over the next several months. The winter solstice, which marks the first day of winter 2024, occurs on Saturday, December 21st, 2024.
By Loretta Gaines
