Increased salt prices force transportation departments to get creative

Ingreasing salt prices will raise the taxpayers' tab for keeping area roadways passable during icy weather this winter. But state and local government agencies costs range widely.

The cost of road salt used by the Missouri Department of Transportation's District 10 is up a modest amount this season, according to Keith Gentry, MoDOT maintenance superintendent.

Salt prices paid by the city of Cape Girardeau are up nearly 200 percent compared to last winter, according to traffic operations manager Bob Kutak.

Gentry and Kutak said last winter's huge demand for salt, especially during February's ice storm, pushed prices higher. The high price of gas, which was rising when salt purchase contracts were being negotiated, added to the problem, as did spring and summer flooding that slowed barge salt deliveries.

MoDOT purchases salt on a statewide bid each year, so the state pays significantly lower prices than counties and cities. Vendors submit their bids on a county-by-county basis each spring.

Five vendors competed for MoDOT's salt business statewide. The highest price paid was $151 per ton in southwest Missouri's Dade County. Gentry said the average price for salt delivered to the local storage houses is $50.35 per ton, depending on location.

That is a slight increase over last year's pricing and is significantly less than what most other MoDOT districts are paying, because the area's proximity to the river means lower costs of transportation from barges to the local bins.

Scott County's delivered price of $44.47 per ton was the lowest among the 15 counties in District 10. Dunklin County's price of $58.25 was highest in the district. Cargill was low bidder in nine counties, while North American Salt Co. won the business in the other six.

At the other end of the spectrum, the city of Cape Girardeau has seen its price for salt nearly triple from $38.80 per ton last year to $113.80 this winter, Kutak said. Salt prices were still rising when the city locked in its cost.

Salt prices aren't an issue for some road maintenance crews, however, because they don't use it. Cape Girardeau County highway administrator Scott Bechtold said the county uses a combination of cinders and crushed gravel, called chat, to improve traction for motorists. Jackson officials weren't available for comment, but a maintenance worker said they don't use salt. Ralph Phillips, engineer with the Cape Special Road District, said his crew uses cinders only.

To counter higher prices, maintenance crews are becoming more creative in their use of salt and other products such as calcium chloride, cinders and chat.

MoDOT crews use a salt brine to wet the rock salt before spreading it on roads, helping the salt stick to the surface better and reducing the amount required. Ice especially taxes supplies of melting chemicals, Gentry said.

"You'll use more with a half-inch of sleet or freezing rain than with 3 inches of snow," he said.

Ice events so far this season have already depleted about 5,000 tons of the 17,000 tons in store throughout District 10 at the start of the winter.

"We'll bring in more if we need to," Gentry said.

Kutak said Cape Girardeau city road crews have also used a significant amount of salt already. They started the season with 1,700 tons, including 500 tons carried over from last year. The city is already down to 1,100 tons, with the bulk of winter remaining. "I wish we had a little more on hand," Kutak said. "At this point, [city officials] have told me to hold off on ordering more."

Public works director Tim Gramling said reorder decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

Road crews use calcium chloride as a supplement or alternative to salt in extremely cold conditions.

"If the rock salt and the brine aren't working, then we use the calcium chloride," said Kutak, noting that salt is mostly ineffective when ground temperatures reach 18 degrees or lower. Calcium chloride was used during the Dec. 23 storm to keep the ice that had melted during the day from refreezing at night.