MANSFIELD — If Monday is opening day, or maybe night, for northern Ohio in terms of snowfall, area road crews are locked and loaded.
As a winter storm bears down with what forecasters said could be up to eight inches of snow, Mansfield Public Works Director David Remy said Monday the city has its full complement of 11 snowplows prepared to move the white stuff and spread salt.
It was a quick turnaround since the city just completed its annual leaf pickup efforts.
“We are going to 12-hour shifts today,” Remy said. “We have one crew that will work until 11 p.m. tonight and the next crew will take over and work until 11 a.m. Tuesday, assuming it snows as it’s forecast.
“We will keep going until the snow stops and the roads are cleared,” Remy said. “We are ready for it. Or as ready as we can be.”
The public works director said city has a “decent” supply of salt for the winter, an annual effort that includes U.S. 30 within the city limits, from Fifth Avenue to Trimble Road.
“We have enough,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean we won’t do the smart salting policy we have followed the last couple of years. We will focus salting efforts on the main intersections and major highways.”
Richland County Engineer Adam Gove said his crews will monitor road conditions as the expected storm progresses.
“All of our trucks are ready. The salt is in storage and ready to be loaded,” he said Monday afternoon.
Gove said his highway department has 17 trucks to plow about 350 miles of road, but typically uses 11 in its efforts.
“We have the ability to pre-treat the roads. We make out own brine. But with this kind of storm, with rain changing over to snow, it doesn’t lend itself to pre-treatments,” Gove said.
The engineer said additional crews will be called in if needed during the storm.
Ohio Department of Transportation crews will also be out in force if the snow flies, according to Crystal Neelon, public information officer for District 3, which includes Richland, Ashland, Crawford, Erie, Huron, Lorain, Medina and Wayne counties.
“We have our crews in now,” Neelon said, “and they will work 12-hour shifts around the clock as long as it’s snowing.”
Neelon said the ODOT district has about 220 crews, including 15 in Richland County. Priorities locally will be Interstate 71 and U.S. 30, as well as sections of U.S. 42, Ohio 13 and Ohio 545.
“This would be our first snow of the winter,” Neelon said. “We are fully staffed, loaded with salt and brine, and ready to take whatever Mother Nature gives us.”
Like Gove, Neelon said the steady rains on Monday prevent pre-treatment of the roads.
“The rain would just wash it away,” she said. “We will be ready for when the rain changes to snow.”
