© 2024 WEMU
Serving Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, MI
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Last Winter's Weather Expected To Have Impact On Amount Of Roadwork Done Next Year

WEMU
/
89.1 WEMU

Last winter's harsh weather forced communities across Michigan to use more salt and fill more potholes than is typically the case.  This left less money available for roadwork, and the problems are expected to linger.  
Before the first snowflake falls, 170 to 175 gravel trains of salt will rumble into WashtenawCounty Road Commission barns in ScioTownship, Manchester, Chelsea, and PittsfieldTownship. The 8,600 tons are more than typically needed, but it's the price that's really hurting the county.

Road Commission Operations Director Jim Harmon says they will pay $500,000  to $600,000 more than expected for salt this year. That's largely because the price more than doubled from last year. Harmon says they can't balance out higher salt prices by cuts to other winter services. "Patching's got to be done, those are routine maintenance activities.  We will perform our winter maintenance responsibilities.  We will patch the potholes on both the paved and unpaved roads," he says.

Harmon is afraid this means they will have about half a million dollars less to do roadwork next summer. He says with the salt prices up across the region, officials with every road commission and public works department are hoping for a milder winter than last year.

Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter— Andrew Cluley is the Ann Arbor beat reporter, and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him acluley@emich.edu. 

 

Like many, I first came to this area when I started school at the University of Michigan, then fell in love with the community and haven’t left. After graduating from U of M in the mid 1990’s I interned at WDET for several years, while also working a variety of jobs in Ann Arbor. Then in 1999 I joined the WEMU news team.
Related Content