Saginaw Co. Road Commission stocking up on road salt with new salt barns

SAGINAW CO., Mich. (WNEM) - With temperatures dropping, that means winter weather is just around the corner, but this year, the Saginaw County Road Commission will have more salt stored away in their new facilities to keep roads as ice-free as possible.

Though we're still unsure of what type of winter we can expect this year, road crews in Saginaw County are gearing up for whatever the season may bring.

The new salt barns will increase their stocks and make winter driving safer.

"Knowing that they can get that salt and get back out there and do what we do, it's a win-win for Saginaw County," said Dennis Borchard, managing director for Saginaw County Road Commission.

And that win will be applied when we get our first snowfall, but until then, Borchard and the team at the Saginaw County Road Commission are prepped for the season after some analysis of the resources the commission was using.

"Our salt sheds that we have right now are just undersized. They're not even considered salt sheds back then," Borchard said.

So, to help with salt capacity the road commission added two new sheds, one in Chesaning and another in Hemlock, that Borchard said will increase plowing efficiency across the county,

"Instead of tracking all the way back here, it's just a short jot to that and we're back on the roads doing what we're supposed to do," he said.

He said before adding the new sheds, doing what they do would take much longer to get done.

"Just the seat time alone is close to an hour just to travel to and from to get salt when we need it, and it'll cut it in half," he said.

Having 42 drivers throughout the county, their Saginaw garage holds 8,500 tons of salt and with the two new resources, the commission is looking forward to maximizing and stockpiling their supply for upcoming years.

"It's nice to have the extra salt barns. Capacity-wise, it's going to make a huge improvement in Saginaw County," Borchard said.

Saginaw County Road Commission is also reminding people before the season gets started, when you see the amber lights on the road, make sure you give the snowplows enough space.