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Salt in wound? Last year’s hard winter blamed for higher salt prices this year

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Monday is the first official day of autumn, but crews with the state Division of Highways are already looking ahead to winter.

“We’re going to approach this year as we do every year with our salt bins and our gear, at least in the beginning, working right,” said Brent Walker, communications director for the state Department of Transportation.

After the hard winter of 2013-2014 that brought above-average cold and snow and a heavy demand for salt to clear the roads, the price of that salt has jumped dramatically nationwide.

Next door in Ohio, state officials have said prices of salt have more than tripled since last year when the average for a ton–following several mild winters–was around $35.

West Virginia is not immune. “We have seen most salt prices in the state go up pretty drastically, like in some parts, 30 percent,” said Walker.

As for the DOH’s salt supplies, “We are probably in one of the better situations then, say, our municipalities because we have these contracts (for salt) in place, not all cities have that advantage,” he said.

Some cities piggyback off of the DOH’s salt contracts, but many are still looking for affordable salt options with winter looming.

Charleston city officials have secured a new salt contract that’s more than double what officials in the Capital City paid last year–up to about $106 per ton this year compared with last year’s $51 per ton. At last year’s pace, Charleston may have to spend more than $1 million on salt in the coming months.

In some parts of West Virginia, Walker said crews with the Division of Highways are still working to finish road repairs needed following the last harsh winter. At the same time, other DOH workers are conducting dry runs with road-clearing equipment to learn their routes in preparation for the coming winter months.

“Let’s just hope that we don’t have a winter like we did last year,” Walker said. However, he noted, “If you believe the Farmer’s Almanac, we’re going to have a worse winter.”

The first official day of winter is Dec. 21.





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