The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

ODOT: 2019-20 winter light one — so far

VW independent/submitted information

BOWLING GREEN — It’s winter — we guess. It may be winter on the calendar, but for the people who work in the Ohio Department of Transportation’s 16-county northwest Ohio area that includes Van Wert County, it’s kind of hard to tell.

According to statistics released by ODOT through January 30, the 2019-20 winter has been far lighter than the winter of 2018-19. Last year at this time, ODOT’s Districts 1 and 2 used 56,826 tons of salt. This year, salt usage is just over half of that: 28,533 tons. 

The same goes for other usage stats. This winter, 1,230,275 gallons of de-icer liquid has been used, versus 2,913,437 last winter; ODOT trucks have driven 474,181 miles this winter, versus 974,351 miles last winter; and the total cost of this winter has been $4,987,717, versus $8,282,287 last winter.

While there is some winter left — on the calendar, at least — it’s unlikely to rival recent winters in materials usage and cost.

Districts 1 includes Allen, Defiance, Hancock, Hardin, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, Wyandot, while District 2 encompasses Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, Williams, and Wood counties.

POSTED: 02/01/20 at 8:26 am. FILED UNDER: News