Dave Scheckelhoff (left), fleet manager for ODOT District 1; and Larry Honingford, mechanic at the ODOT Van Wert County garage, discuss equipment during the annual snow plow inspection at the garage.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is preparing for winter 2016/2017 by readying its snow and ice equipment, filling salt barns and ensuring operators and mechanics are well trained.
Throughout October and November, ODOT crews around the state will conduct 150-point inspections to repair and fine tune snow removal equipment in preparation for winter. The inspections are part of the department’s annual county-by-county Operational Readiness Inspections.
“Each spring, the state’s ice and snow equipment is repaired and replaced before being put in storage,” said ODOT Director Jerry Wray. “Fine tuning in the fall ensures every plow, truck and spreader is road ready before the first snows fall.”
Despite Ohio’s mild winter last year, ODOT’s snow plow trucks were driven more than seven million miles plowing and pretreating roadways. That’s the equivalent to 281 trips around the Earth.
ODOT has more than 1,800 snow plow trucks and 3,000 operators that clear snow and ice from 43,000 miles of state, U.S. and interstate routes.
New this winter, motorists can download ODOT’s free mobile app – OHGO – which features winter road conditions and personalized traffic alerts with hands-free voice on the go. The app is available on the App Store and Google Play.
Last winter, 35 vehicles struck ODOT snow plow trucks as a result of following too closely. ODOT reminds motorists in Ice and Snow, Take it Slow.
