MONCLOVA, Ohio — Once ODOT crews got a handle on plowing all the snow that had fallen Wednesday, it was time to add more brine.
They usually use it to pre-treat the roads before the snow falls. But now, it has a different purpose.
"We are applying brine on the road to help the plow drivers peel up some of the hard pacts that are developed in between the driving lane and the two lanes," ODOT highway technician Joshua Doughty said.
The brine is a mixture of salt and water and ODOT trucks can hold 5,000 gallons of it.
Doughty said his truck is important through all stages of a storm, as long as conditions will allow.
"During the storm, I use it to help keep the driving lanes de-iced," he said. "We used it post-storm to help with clean-ups and getting some of the hard packs off the road. I can go through and spray the center walls down to keep them from freezing up."
Doughty said the saltwater mixture makes a huge difference for the clean-up and ultimately, for the drivers.
"It means that we have less chance of a freeze on the road," he said. "If we can get the snow and everything off the road and get the road to start to dry when the temperatures start to fall back below freezing, we have less chance of icing over."
ODOT drivers are still on 12-hour shifts, which will remain through the night. The shifts will be reevaluated on Thursday before a new crew comes in at noon.
The main focus for the next 12 hours will be looking for areas of refreeze, treating bridges and cleaning shoulders and other build-ups.