MILWAUKEE — From Maine to Iowa and beyond, the unusually snowy winter has left dozens of communities with dwindling salt supplies and blown snow-removal budgets — five weeks before the official start of spring.
The cities, many already cash-strapped, are trying to buy more supplies or make do with what is left by mixing salt with sand or selectively salting high-traffic intersections.
The nation spends billions a year to clear roads during the winter, said Dick Hanneman, president of the Salt Institute, a trade association. Snow removal is the largest single expenditure in communities’ public works budgets, surpassing road construction and bridge maintenance, he said.
Communities typically buy thousands of tons of salt well before winter, when it is less expensive and easier to transport. In 2006, the nation spent some $307.8 million on about 12 million tons of highway salt, according to the latest figures available from the Salt Institute.
But even with careful planning, many areas come up short during long, snowy winters, Hanneman said.
“There’s a lot of anxiety out there, a lot of people who are way behind schedule, using more salt than they contracted for the whole winter,” he said.
Most situations aren’t dire yet, he said, because places often find salt before the next storm hits.
In Denver, this year’s cost so far of $5.9 million is far below what the city spent last year on snow removal — $14.9 million — according to the Denver Department of Public Works.
